Sth Is. misses out on business immigrants

Press, 12 October 1988, Page 38

Sth Is. misses out on business immigrants

New Zealand’s scheme to attract business immigrants is so successful, Australia is complaining about the competition. But most of the benefit goes to Auckland — scarcely any of the migrants are coming south. For decades New Zealand sought skilled immigrants to fill jobs. It is only since 1976 that businessmen and businesswomen with proven success have been sought as settlers. The idea is to get migrants who will create jobs. Until 1986 the emphasis was on the plans business migrants had for ventures in New Zealand. These proved hard to assess, and the scheme was changed to emphasise the applicants’ business record. The number of business migrants was slow at first, but has now increased rapidly. In the 18 months

ended March 31 a total of 553 business people were accepted under the scheme. The Chinese predominated with 164 from Hong Kong, 131 from Taiwan, 51 from Malaysia, and 10 from Singapore. The troubles in Fiji brought in 118 business people from the island group. Europe provided only 36, of whom 24 were from Britain. The United States provided 12, Canada 3, Japan eight, South Korea three, Indonesia four and Saudi Arabia four. The migrants need capital: at least $200,000 to set themselves up with a home and meet other living expenses, plus capital to set up a business and nurture it through the lean early period. Australia and Canada are also seeking entrepreneurial migrants, and like New Zealand, are

finding .most of them come from South-East Asia. Inquiries to settle in Australia are falling off, and the Australians are blaming this on: © A political debate in Australia in which there are calls for fewer migrants from Asia. © New Zealand and Canada becoming more competitive in recruiting entrepreneur migrants. The president of Australia’s Business Migration Consultants Association, Mr Jim Davie, said in Sydney last week that New Zealand had “jumped on the bandwaggon” and might take up to 30 per cent of Australia’s business migrant intake. Australia requires the business migrants to have capital of at least sAustsoo,ooo ($NZ645,000) and sAustlso,ooo (SNZ 193,500), and Mr Da-

vie sees this as giving New Zealand an advantage. He did not mention that the migrants to Australia ■ must move home sooner. Those who come to New i Zealand have two years to : settle in the country. But the New Zealand gains mean little to the [ South Island. At least 90 • per cent of the business ; migrants are settling in Auckland. t The Canterbury Development Corporation ( and local staff of Trade t and Industry make pro- ( spective migrants welcome and help show them j about. But by the time . they arrive in Christchurch they have usually , already decided to set up I in Auckland. Most come from teeming 1 metropolises such as Hong ) Kong and Taipei and Auckland appeals to them as the

least quiet part of New Zealand. Cultural factors are also important. The Chinese like to meet others of their culture. Christchurch and the South Island have a small Chinese population. Mr Paul Lynskey, a Christchurch partner of Coopers and Lybrand, the accounting firm, is a consultant on the business immigration scheme. He says the firm has been doing brisk business with the entrepreneur migrants in Auckland, but very little in l Christchurch. The Minister of Trade and Industry (now Associate Minister of Finance), Mr Caygill [ said earlier in the year that ! New Zealand needed the business skills, the capital, ' and the dynamism the • migrants brought with them. The South Island needs these things even more than Auckland does. The problem of how to get the migrants south remains.