THE PRESS TUESDAY, JULY 19, 1983. Increasing immigration

Press, 19 July 1983, Page 20

THE PRESS TUESDAY, JULY 19, 1983. Increasing immigration

Provisional figures from the Department of Statistics show that New Zealand’s migration gain in the 12 months to the end of June was more than twice that of the year before. The effect on the country’s population from migration — the number of people who came to New Zealand less the number who left — was an increase of 20,567, compared with an increase of 8757 in the year to June, 1982. The figures are provisional. The final figures may differ significantly, but not by enough to alter the trend they disclose which has been apparent in the migration figures for several months now. The large outflow of people from New Zealand that marked the mid and late 1970 s is slowing down and may even be going into reverse. The June year figures alone are not conclusive. When other periods are observed, net outflows of people are still being recorded. The reasons that people move from country to country are many and varied. Even the weather plays a part, which might explain some of the increased outflow of short-term migrants that traditionally occurs in winter months. Permanent and long-term migration is of greater importance to the country’s economy in the long run, and determines to a large extent the pressures put on available housing,

schooling, jobs, and services. The net gain of permanent and long-term immigrants might reflect harder times overseas or a renewed optimism about New Zealand’s future on the part of New Zealanders who have found the grass elsewhere to be less green than they ' had imagined. More information and more analysis will be needed before the causes can be determined with certainty. The impact of migration trends on the economy is too immediate: several thousand more people are in the country and their ranks seem set to swell further. In some ways, the large outflow of people in recent years meant some relief for the country’s economy. Emigration reduced the demand for housing, for education, and for medical and other services. It also eased the pressure on the job market. A return to net immigration will put these already taxed areas of the economy under greater strain. On the credit side, it could also mean a return of some of the skills the country lost in the years of net outflow and a stimulus for the building industry, one of the accepted barometers of economic well-being. Increasing immigration will have its costs; it could also have its benefits.