National members fear alien ‘invasion’

Press, 15 February 1989, Page 4

National members fear alien ‘invasion’

PA Palmerston North A strong anti-Japanese feeling surfaced at a meeting of the women’s section of the National Party Manawatu branch in Palmerston North on Monday. The guest speaker, the member of Parliament for Hobson, Mr Ross Meurant, was told by members they feared a Japanese "invasion” as a result of allowing Japanese to buy land and build a college in Palmerston North.

One woman said many New Zealand men had ' been killed fighting the Japanese in World War 11, and it wasn’t right to let them buy land in the country. “There are lots of New Zealanders who deserve help before we help the Japanese. I wouldn’t let them come into the country.”

Mr Meurant said he did not know much about the Japanese college being built at Aokautere, and he believed it was quite difficult for Japanese to get approval to buy land in New Zealand. One man said he did not think Japanese were having trouble buying land. In an apparent reference to a proposed retirement city and convention centre to be built at Helensville, he said:

“How would National like a quarter of a million old-age pensioners coming to live in New Zealand? We’ are cutting our own throats and one day we’ll wake up and wish we hadn’t been so stupid.” Mr Meurant agreed that foreigners should not be allowed to come to New Zealand and receive benefits like superannuation, but he- could see many benefits in allowing people with money and resources to move to the country. The National Party had no policy on the Japanese issue, he said. •