Indian organisations welcome Immigration New Zealand outreach

Several organisations working within the Indian community in Auckland, have welcomed a new initiative by Immigration New Zealand (INZ), which has embarked on an outreach programme with migrant communities to explain the recent changes in visa rules. Last Saturday, the first such meeting was held at the newly-opened Diversity Center of the Indian Association of Manukau New Zealand.

Sunil Kaushal, President of Waitakere Indian Association, who was present at the meeting, noted, ‘We welcome this proactive approach by INZ, and fully support the move to ensure New Zealand allows skilled migrants who will add value to our economy. Five percent of New Zealand population identify themselves with Indian roots, and contribute over 8 percent of New Zealand GDP. That’s why we need to ensure that we keep attracting skilled migrants from across the world to make New Zealand a competitive and flourishing country in the OECD.”

“The meeting was organised and hosted by Immigration New Zealand’s National Manager Engagement Matt Hoskin and his team. Around 20 Indian associations were represented at the meeting. They gave a brief presentation about the changes and explained the rationale behind it. This was followed by a question and answer session. The consensus at the end of the meeting was that Immigration NZ had assuaged the feelings of the Indian community. They also assured us that we would be kept in the loop in future as well,” he added.

-TIN Bureau