N.Z. ‘needs refugees’

Press, 23 August 1979, Page 21

N.Z. ‘needs refugees’

New Zealand was “peri ously under-populated,” an must increase its immigri. tion quotas, the Indo-Chin Refugee Action Group ha been told. It was being addressed b Mr W. Rosenberg, a reade in economics at the Univei sity of Canterbury, and Mr S. Young, a research econo mist at Lincoln College. -Mr Rosenberg said it wa in New Zealand’s own inter ests that the population in crease. Agriculture employee only 110,000 of New Zea land’s 3.5 million people The rest had to work in urban areas. But industry could not work properly unless it had a large market The relative inefficiency of New Zealand industry had nothing to do with the workers, the companies, or the Government. It was because of the small market. “We must look around for more immigrants,” he said. New Zealand was peril-

usly under-populated, but letnam was perilously ver-populated. It was in oth countries interests that lew Zealand take in more efugees. “The growth of New Zeaand must be close to out earts. Here we have a iiance to foster this growth .nd we must take it.” He said that population as n issue was not going to be ifluenced by temporary set >acks in the economic situition. This had been recogtised by Australia, which tad an annual immigration rate of between 80,000 and 120.000, although unemploy(ment was higher than in |New Zealand. I Mrs Young spoke of the implications for New Zealand’s unemployment if refugee quotas were stepped up. She said that the economic advantages would outweigh the disadvantages, even in the short term. Most of the Vietnamese refugees already in New Zealand had found jobs with the help of their sponsors. The latest figures showed ;that there were about 6000 job vacancies in this country —half the number of unemi ployed. So the problem was

not just one of supply exceeding demand. There was also the question of matching employees to vacancies. One reason for this problem was geography. Vacancies for particular skills existed in some parts of New Zealand, and although people to fill them were unemployed in other parts, they did not want to leave heir homes. Refugees could be settled 'n areas where there were abour shortages to match their skills, said Mrs Young.

There was another side to the problem. Unemployment in New Zealand was concentrated among the unskilled, and skilled occupations were short of workers. Little sign existed that the unskilled wanted to acquire the needed skills. We can be sure that Vietnamese who have put to sea in these boats to escape their country will have the drive, initiative, and ambition which is vital to .New Zealand’s future, she said. “These people have lived for two generations in some of the harshest conditions in modern times — not in a womb-to-tomb Welfare State.”