General Publications
WORKING BETTER: Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 2007
GOAL 1: OUR PLACE IN THE WORLD: NEW ZEALAND WILL PROSPER THROUGH ITS CONNECTIONS WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD
Medium-term priorities
Under this goal, our medium-term priorities were supporting New Zealand's prosperity, through:
- an immigration programme that adds to the richness of our society
- border security arrangements that manage risk
- making migrants feel welcome
- building relationships and partnering with other nations
- support for Pacific nations.
Achievements during 2006/07 that contributed to this goal and associated medium-term priorities include the following:
An immigration programme that adds to the richness of our society
Immigration will become increasingly important to New Zealand. Due to labour shortages, exacerbated by an ageing population, we need to attract and retain skilled workers. Skills and investment are needed for economic transformation, as are tourists and students, and increasing links to international trade and development. Immigration facilitates all of these.
The nature of immigration is changing, with increasing volumes of people moving around the world to work. For example, in New Zealand the number of decisions on temporary entry applications has increased by over 100 per cent in the last 10 years. It is becoming harder to attract and retain the skilled people we need, security and health risks are increasing, and good settlement is becoming increasingly important for social cohesion. To meet these challenges, we need to ensure we have legislation, policies and service delivery that will provide the skills, security and settlement New Zealand needs.
Global competition for skilled workers is increasing, and new and existing competitor countries are developing policies and systems to attract and retain skilled and talented people, and investing in their own immigration security. The Department's new initiatives will allow us to compete globally for skilled workers, while also strengthening our border security.
Immigration Change Programme
To ensure that New Zealand will prosper through its connections to the rest of the world, the Department has been leading the work on the most significant changes to immigration in the last 20 years. This multi-year Immigration Change Programme, covering legislative, policy and delivery change, will ensure that New Zealand is able to respond and react appropriately to the opportunities and challenges provided by global migration.
New legislation
In November 2006, Cabinet agreed to proposals to draft new immigration legislation to replace the current Immigration Act. Since then, the focus has been on drafting the Immigration Bill, with the aim of introducing it to Parliament before the end of 2007. Key changes are proposed in terminology, protection provisions, deportation, appeals and compliance.
The Immigration Advisers Licensing Act was passed in May 2007. The intent of the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 is to create a new framework for the regulation of individuals providing immigration advice both onshore and offshore. Under the framework, any individual providing immigration advice will have to be licensed, meet competency standards, be fit to practise, and be subject to complaints and disciplinary procedures. A new unit within the Department will be set up to manage this work during 2007/08.
Policy changes
A new Immigration Policy Framework has been developed to reposition immigration policy to better support New Zealand's economic transformation and sustainable development. Specific policy reviews will include seasonal work, work to residence, skilled migration, investor policy, family-sponsored policies and temporary flows.
The changes to the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) developed during 2006/07 include changing the number of points awarded at the Expression of Interest (EOI) stage and changes to the Work-to-Residence permits giving migrants more time to find a job in New Zealand once they arrive. The new Active Investor policy splits investors into three prioritised sub-categories: Global Investors, Professional Investors and General (Active) Investors.
New ways of delivering
Work to reposition immigration service delivery to meet the challenges of the future is underway. Changes need to reposition immigration from reactively processing applications and responding to security risk, to a service that proactively attracts and retains the people with the skills and knowledge New Zealand needs, while keeping out those individuals we don't want.
Ground work and the preliminary information for the development of a new service delivery model for immigration was undertaken during 2006/07. Following direction from Cabinet in November 2006, the Department developed a Stage-1 Business Case outlining the end-to-end requirements for business transformation. This has been completed, and will be presented to Cabinet in 2007/08, with a view to developing a Stage-2 Business Case with options for government to consider.
Border security arrangements that manage risk
During 2006/07 there has been significant work undertaken to reduce any risk to New Zealand created by the entry of people we don't want.
The number of people declined boarding under the Advanced Passenger Processing (APP) system was 23 per cent higher than in 2005/06. However, fewer people were either refused entry at the border or interdicted offshore (1,395 people) than in 2005/06 (1,559 people). This shows the continued success of the APP system, which has moved the border offshore by focusing on preventing the boarding of people who do not have the legal right to enter New Zealand.
The new Risk Targeting Programme (RTP) was implemented in September 2006 and has resulted in a 45 per cent reduction in the number of inadmissible passengers arriving in New Zealand with false documents during 2006/07. The total number of inadmissible passengers offloaded by RTP was 42, or 82 per cent of the total number of undocumented arrivals for the year.
The Regional Movement Alert System (RMAS) - formerly the Regional Movement Alert List (RMAL) - between New Zealand, Australia and the United States was enhanced in 2006/07, meaning counterfeit and stolen travel documents will be more readily identifiable. This is expected to be in place by late 2008 and will further strengthen our border security arrangements.
In 2006/07, 2,035 people were removed, voluntarily departed, issued special directions, instructed to seek a section 35A permit to legalise their status or deported.
The Department is strengthening its focus on managing client risk using profiling as a tool to assist staff to identify risk attributes and better target resources to mitigate higher risks through increased verification. In line with this risk profiling, the Immigration Profiling Group has an emphasis on managing the risk to New Zealand's international reputation through an assessment of an applicant's connection to high-risk activities such as acts of genocide, war crimes or gross human rights abuses.
New Zealand's engagement with the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Trans-National Crime results in the Department co-hosting a workshop on Enabling the Electronic Exchange of Lost and Stolen Passport Information, which was held in Wellington in August 2007.
Making migrants feel welcome
The Department provided settlement strategy leadership and further developed the New Zealand Settlement Strategy to assist the implementation of strategies in those regions of New Zealand with significant numbers of migrants.
Settlement achievements
High-level settlement-related work undertaken in 2006/07 included:
- coordinating the cross-agency Senior Officials Group on Settlement to revise the New Zealand Settlement Strategy and develop a Settlement National Action Plan including 25 initiatives. Cabinet approved the revised strategy and action plan in November 2006
- joint leadership of the Auckland Regional Settlement Strategy and the development of the Auckland Settlement Action Plan, which was launched in January 2007
- initiating the development of a Wellington Regional Settlement Strategy and Action Plan of settlement-related initiatives.
Settlement support
The Department continued to develop and maintain a network of local settlement support initiatives that provide appropriate information and responsive mainstream services to support effective settlement in local areas through:
- Settlement Support New Zealand - implementation of 19 initiatives that focus on better coordinated delivery of settlement advice and information at a local level
- Strengthening Refugee Voices (SRV), development, design and commencement of the rollout of the SRV initiative.
A review of all settlement products was undertaken in 2006/07, and an implementation plan was developed to better align product distribution with the immigration process and better target clients.
International refugee support
In 2006/2007, New Zealand chaired the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Working Group on Resettlement (WGR) and the Annual Tripartite Consultations on Refugee Resettlement (ATC). This highlighted our place as world leaders in refugee protection and enhanced New Zealand's profile in the United Nations system.
Building relationships and partnering with other nations
During 2006/07 the Department continued to engage with other nations in a variety of ways, including multilateral activity, free trade negotiations and implementation, and knowledge sharing. These engagements ensure that New Zealand benefits from international opportunities and knowledge, builds its international influence and meets its international obligations in the areas of labour, employment and migration.
Multilateral activity
The Department represents the New Zealand Government at a number of multilateral forums, including the ILO, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
ILO meetings attended by the Minister of Labour, departmental officials and representatives of our social partners, the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions and Business New Zealand, include the 14th Asian Regional Meeting (ARM) in Busan, South Korea and the 96th session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva. At the conference, Department officials sat on each of the technical committees, and New Zealand and the Department were honoured to be nominated to chair a committee on sustainable enterprises. New Zealand provided strong leadership throughout, which added significantly to the discussions and to New Zealand's reputation.
In promoting New Zealand's immigration-related interests during 2006/07, the Department (together with other relevant agencies) carried out numerous multilateral engagements, including the following:
- Active participation in meetings and working groups of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the International Governmental Consultations on Refugees, Asylum and Migration (IGC). New Zealand commented on strategic and emerging issues related to migration, security and protection and exchanged ideas and learning on new initiatives. In October 2006, New Zealand participated in the IGC Technology Working Group discussing practical and policy-related biometric technological developments and the role of documentation in effective immigration systems.
- Representing New Zealand within the APEC Business Mobility Group (BMG). This includes the RMAS and the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC), both of which enhance New Zealand's border security while facilitating the safe and efficient movement of people across national borders.
- Leading a delegation from New Zealand at the United Nations High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development in New York. The central outcome of these discussions was the formation of the Global Forum for Migration and Development, which took place in July 2007 in Brussels.
The Department also worked towards New Zealand's application of international standards and multilateral agreements. Achievements during 2006/07 included acceding to the 1961 United Nations Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, which demonstrated New Zealand's strong commitment to the international and fundamental principles protecting the world's stateless people, and ratifying the ILO Convention concerning Occupational Safety and Health and the Working Environment (No. 155).
Free trade negotiations and implementation
The Department leads the negotiations and implementation of the labour components of New Zealand's free trade agreements and provides input with regard to immigration-related issues such as temporary entry. During 2006/07, the Department continued to work on free trade negotiations with the Republic of China, Malaysia, and with Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
New Zealand has two existing trade-labour arrangements, one with Thailand, and one with Singapore, Chile and Brunei Darussalam. Under these arrangements, the Department took part in two workshops in 2006/07, firstly with Thai officials to exchange information about labour inspectorate systems and workplace operational practices, and secondly with government, worker, and employer representatives of New Zealand, Chile, Singapore, and Brunei Darussalam to explore effective tripartite relationships and social dialogue.
Knowledge sharing
The Belmont Conference 2006
With low unemployment and high labour force participation, the key challenge currently faced by New Zealand's labour market is the potential for shortages of labour and skill. Many other countries are also experiencing similar challenges, both domestically and in an increasingly globalised international labour market.
It is important that the Department engages with its counterparts from across the world to share knowledge and views on these issues and experiences of addressing them. That was the aim of the 2006 Belmont Conference, a high-level forum of senior employment and labour officials from New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and Canada. During 2006/07, the conference - hosted by the Department of Labour and the Ministry of Social Development - focused on:
- boosting labour productivity and the quality of work
- enhancing labour market participation
- ensuring a more comprehensive and responsive skills base.
The conference provided an international perspective on the social and economic issues affecting labour market participation and resulted in an informal and frank exchange of views on medium to long-term policy developments. The conference enabled the Department to draw on experience and expertise from a number of comparable jurisdictions to inform its contribution to the Government's policy priorities.
Departmental officials provided constructive input into the 29th meeting of the APEC Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG) in Brisbane in April 2007. The HRDWG provides an opportunity for knowledge and best practice sharing in the region and fosters stronger relationships between member economies. During 2006/07, the Department also coordinated multi-country research papers on high performance workplace practices for an APEC/New Zealand conference on this topic, which will be held in 2007.
Support for Pacific nations
Efforts to support development in the Pacific region, on both economic development and security, are an ongoing focus of the Department. Supporting border security initiatives often occurs through the work of the Pacific Immigration Directors' Conference (PIDC). Economic support for the region has been primarily through programmes such as the Samoan Quota (SQ), the Pacific Access Quota (PAC) and the new Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme (described further under goal three).
Samoan Quota and Pacific Access Quota
As with past years, the demand to secure an opportunity to apply under the SQ and the PAC has remained high. For 2006/07, 27,242 people registered their interest under the SQ for 1,100 places, and 20,018 people registered under the PAC for 650 places. The number of people approved under each category for 2006/2007 was 1,106 for the SQ and 1,199 under the PAC. The numbers approved are higher than the quotas due to timing issues.
Changes to improve the uptake of the SQ and the PAC during 2006/07 saw the Kiribati and Tuvalu sub-quotas achieved for the first time since the introduction of the PAC in 2001.
Employer engagement is a key component in achieving quota targets, with a range of employers recruiting under the SQ and the PAC. For 2006/07, 12 employers travelled to Samoa, four to Tonga and one to Kiribati. A total number of 225 jobs were offered by visiting employers during 2006/07.
Pacific Immigration Directors' Conference
In October 2006, the Department became the chair of the PIDC and hosted the 10th Annual PIDC and Management Board meetings. The PIDC encourages cooperation and collaboration as a 'one stop shop' for the discussion, development and solution of immigration delivery and border security issues in 21 Pacific countries, Australia and New Zealand. The Department has directed several initiatives through the PIDC to enable a regional and participatory approach. Recent initiatives include Operation Paradise, which tested the capability of some PIDC members to locate and remove illegal third country nationals from the region, and the Pacific Region Immigration Identity Project (PRIIP), which aims to reduce immigration identity fraud in the Pacific region.