Podcasts about immigration new zealand

Tonight, the Immigration New Zealand saga, Labour awakens from its 'political coma' and the case for a fiscal commission. 

More than $30 million was written off for the failed project, but that may not be the true cost of this sagaMillions of dollars have been wasted and the integrity of public servants called into question over an Immigration New Zealand tech upgrade that went badly wrongFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Mai Chen joins Emile Donovan for her views on the accusations that Immigration New Zealand officials deliberately withheld information over a failed technology upgrade.

This week on the Thursday Wire... For City Counselling, News Director Castor spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about Labour's $20 fare cap policy, proposed scenarios for changes to PC 120, and Council's plans for Matariki.  They also spoke to Director of Wellbeing, System Leadership, Data, and Insights at Te Hiringa Mahara, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Dr Ella Cullen, about the state of Mental Health services in Aotearoa. And they spoke to the Children's Commissioner, Claire Achmad, about a recent Aroturuki Tamariki report on Māori outcomes in the care and protection system.  For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Producer Pranuja spoke with Shanan Halbert about the Government's Jobseeker target, and the fallout from the Immigration New Zealand controversy.   She also spoke with Professor Bruce Arroll from the University of Auckland about the proposed prescribing powers for paramedics and the safeguards needed to protect public health.

An investigation's probing officials' integrity, over a now-axed $32-million-dollar project. A report's found multiple failings in the advice from Immigration New Zealand - a branch of MBIE - on plans to upgrade border biometric capacity. Minister Erica Stanford says staffers who raised concerns were moved off the project, and she was misled and creative accounting used to avoid scrutiny. NZ Herald deputy political editor Adam Pearse joined the Afternoons team to explain further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deputy Prime Minister and ACT Party leader David Seymour is welcoming the reduction of New Zealand's public service by 8700 staff over the next three years. He joins Jack Tame to discuss a new map of New Zealand's 267 different regulators from the Ministry for Regulation. With less than six months to the general election, and the party polling slightly lower than its 2023 performance, David Seymour speaks to his new policy of tougher English language requirements for visa-holders and introducing an overstayer enforcement unit within Immigration New Zealand. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

It's good to see some parties releasing policies, looking at you Labour, whether you agree with them or not, given it's less than six months to the election. ACT released its immigration policy over the weekend, a six point plan that ACT says will welcome people with shared values and who play by the rules. ACT leader and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour said New Zealand was a settler society that had been built by people willing to make a journey to try and build something better, which is true, wave after wave of immigration has made New Zealand the New Zealand it is. But the six point plan, is it really designed to build a better New Zealand or is it designed to get voters to ACT? As in the party, not as in to galvanise voters. Deport serious offenders, number one on the list. ACT will ensure that resident visa holders convicted of offences carrying sentences of 10 years or more will be deported, no matter how long they've been here. Well, we already do deport a lot of people back from whence they came if they commit serious crime, and the government has a proposal to extend liability to 20 years, so that if you've been here for 20 years, you'll still get sent back. So, really? Hardly ground-breaking. Two, skilled visas for skilled jobs. Too often ACT says the gaps close and categories remain wide open. ACT will have each skill category automatically expire every year to remain open, so you can say, look, I need a worker, you have to prove that there is a need, you have to show up to date evidence of demand, which sounds like a lot of unnecessary paperwork and not at all like ACT. ACT will introduce a five year welfare stand down for all residence class visa holders, no jobseeker support, accommodation supplement or income tested benefit for a migrant's first five years here. Fair. ACT will introduce a $6 per day infrastructure surcharge on temporary work visas on top of the existing charges. The fee is expected to raise around 80 million a year while remaining more affordable than comparable visas in Australia and the UK. Stronger English language requirements. Lower standards will still be permitted for seasonal workers. Well, you can lead a horse to water, you can't make it drink, you can lead a horticulture but you can't make it think. You know, it's like you can demand it, and it would be nice if everybody did speak a lingua franca, but at the same time, it's the same in any migrant countries like the US, there are pockets of the US where they still speak Polish and they still speak Yiddish and they still speak Italian because that's the comfort of home. And, there are 21,000 non overstayers in New Zealand right now, there'll be a dedicated overstayer enforcement unit within Immigration New Zealand. Right. Fair to say the policies have been met with eye rolling from the business and the rural community. Immigration lawyer Queen City Law Marcus Beveridge was very dismissive when he spoke to Ryan Bridge this morning: I just see it as it's not really worth getting out of bed for this because most of it's already here, it's superfluous, it's posturing. Minister Stanford's actually tidied most of this up already and I thought Mr Seymour could have done much better helping to refine the business categories rather than sort of dorking around with something that's already been fixed. Well, quite, really. And somehow you expect more from ACT. No, you might not agree with it, but you expect it to be better reasoned. Federated Farmers employment spokesperson Karl Dean talked to the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning and he says, well, it's not going to help us compete on the international stage: I think the six bucks a day is one thing, you know, how would that look on the international stage? We struggle to get skilled migrants now, they look at Australia, they look at Canada, they choose those over New Zealand. This is another barrier. But it's also the fact of renewing or looking at the accredited work visas every year. You know, if I was a migrant looking to come into a country, I would not choose New Zealand if we had a yearly sort of allocation system. So from the people who deal with migrants every single day, it seems to be a ho hum from them. The biggest criticism seems to be, well, the work's already done and that we're not really in a position to dictate demands and make it difficult for migrants to come here. There are other places they can go. We talked before about the declining birth rates in the Western world, everybody wants skilled migrants, everybody wants them, and we're not really in a position to make it more difficult for migrants to be here than it already is. I'd love to hear from those who have applied for visas, who have applied to move to New Zealand for a better life. Is it what you thought it was? Does it need to be made tougher? Do we need stronger English language requirements? Does it make it easier to assimilate, to feel like a Kiwi if you can speak the language? I'd just love to hear the migrant experience and what you think because you, more than anybody, will know what it's like to move to a new country, to try and meet the requirements of a new country, to try and make a new country your home. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's praise for the 'tight ship' Immigration New Zealand's running. Data released to Newstalk ZB reveals just over 65 thousand visa applications were turned down in 2025, plunging from more than 83 thousand in 2024. The rejection rate last year sat at around 6.3% – while the two years before both sat at 7.3%. Queen City Law Managing Director Marcus Beveridge told Mike Hosking Immigration New Zealand's making efficient decisions to keep the bad guys out. He says they've had computer and personnel issues in the past, but it now seems they've got things humming pretty well. There's also little surprise at the countries making up rejections – India made up almost a third of them, followed by China and Pakistan. Beveridge told Hosking India's seen similar numbers for years, as it's always been considered a high-risk country, but Fiji often sees quite a bad rejection rate as well. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a suggestion better quality visa applications are coming through, with more than nine in ten applicants being approved. Data released to Newstalk ZB shows just over 65 thousand applications were declined in 2025 – down from over 83 thousand in 2024. Last year's rejection rate was about 6.3%, compared to 7.3% for the two years before. Immigration lawyer Pooja Sundar told Ryan Bridge there've been several changes in visa settings in the last few years. She says people are also starting to understand how Immigration New Zealand's approaching decisions and are more prepared. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ten migrants are finishing up a ten-week bilingual course in te reo Maori and English that is believed to be the first of its kind in New Zealand. The pilot programme, based in Rotorua, has helped them build confidence in speaking, presenting and connecting through both languages. It's a collaboration between Speech New Zealand, Te Tatau o Te Arawa and the Rotorua Multicultural Council with funding covered by Immigration New Zealand. Paz Coloma, who is from Chile, has completed the course and joins Jesse.

Immigration New Zealand is dealing with a growing problem with people applying for visas, with photographs that have been filtered and airbrushed. 

The Government is cracking down on serious immigration breaches. It's announced it will strengthen deportation settings on the same day that Immigration New Zealand revealed there are more than 20,000 people who have overstayed their visa. Immigration Minister Erica Stanford says there are gaps in the current system. For example, under the current rules, someone who commits a serious crime can't be liable for deportation if they've held a residence visa for more than 10 years. Stanford says they're fixing that. Where migrants don't follow the conditions of their visa, she says, I've made it clear to Immigration New Zealand compliance and enforcement actions are a priority. Immigration New Zealand said on Thursday that as of July 1, there were around 20,980 people, call it 21,000 people, in New Zealand who have overstayed their visa. This is the first estimate to be carried out using a new methodology, which the agency believes has better accuracy than the previous one used in 2017. From what I understand, Immigration, New Zealand was going through a major overhaul of its computer systems, so there will be new methodology and more accurate numbers. So in terms of nationalities, there are 2,599 individuals from Tonga who are believed to be overstayers. Remember the Tongan under 21 rugby team who were on tour here in 2003? Almost half the team failed to show when the 30 strong squad checked in for their flight home. And I don't think many of them were found. So for 22 years, these young men have grown into middle-aged men and have been living and working in New Zealand. There were 2,577 from China, 2,213 from the US, which was a bit of a head scratcher for most of us. The Greens have called for an amnesty for overstayers. They've long called for amnesties – they think there should be one every year just to sort of tidy things up, if you will. And better residency pathways for migrants, and they really want the Government to announce on this time. And do you know what, I think they should. Because if you look back to what a mess immigration New Zealand was, let me take you back to the bad old days. Iain Lees-Galloway was Minister for Immigration and was failing miserably in that job. It was a mess. Labour and New Zealand First had campaigned, saying we're going to restrict the number of migrants coming to New Zealand. It's going to be a New Zealand first, kind of a country, and we're going to cut the number of migrants. But when they came in, they realised just how important overseas labour is, globally and in New Zealand. If you turned off the flow of migrants coming into the country there'd be a big hit to Kiwi businesses, the profit margins of employers, to New Zealand's economic performance overall. So once they formed their coalition government, they thought, oh bloody hell no, we can't really make good on that. What are we going to do? So they decided to pull the handbrake on the number of residency applications that could be approved, but they increased the number of people on temporary visas. People on temporary visas can apply to become residents, so there were more and more people joining the residency queue, and it got bigger and bigger and bigger. In 2020, there were 38,787 skilled migrant applications stuck in the residency queue. When Labour took office with New Zealand First, there was just 10,000. So that you had people coming in who were on temporary visas and then got stuck because they couldn't apply for residency. You had skilled migrants and with people on the low wage all applying, none of them given priority. Then they created two queues, the priority and the non-priority, because they realised that doctors and skilled engineers were leaving the country because it was just taking too long. All politicians do this. You make a promise, you get in and you realise that it's unsustainable, so you just have to try and fudge it. So when you have been waiting and waiting and waiting for years and years and years, I can kind of understand where there might be a few overstayers. You've made a life for yourself, you're confident that you'll be accepted if and when Immigration New Zealand gets around to processing your application, and in the meantime, life goes on. And all of a sudden you find that you're an overstayer. I can kind of see how it happens. So I'd be for an amnesty and anybody who's kept their nose clean, who has been working, who has been living an exemplary life. Let them stay. Anyone who so much as shoplifted a packet of chewing gum – they can go back from whence they came, but anybody else of these overstayers, I'd say give them a chance. It was Immigration New Zealand from start to finish who was in chaos. Part of that was to do with an incompetent minister, or an incompetent series of ministers, part of that was to do with unsustainable election promises that they then had to fudge. And part of that is to do, I think, with the change over to a new computing system which caused unconscionable delays for people who are trying to get residency. You might know more about it than I if you were one of those who was desperately waiting for Immigration to process whatever application you might have had in force. So I would love to hear from you if you have had experience of dealing with Immigration New Zealand. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Immigration New Zealand's working on picking up immigrants who have overstayed their visa, following a surge. New figures estimate there's 21 thousand overstayers in the country, up from 14 thousand in 2017. The Government's also cracking down on immigrants who commit serious crimes and could deport them if they've been here under 20 years, instead of the current 10. Immigration New Zealand Compliance General Manager Steve Watson told Mike Hosking they still pick up on overstayers, even if they're not criminals. He says they quickly speak to people staying past their visas, and they usually depart quickly and easily. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New figures released by Immigration New Zealand show the number of people being deported from New Zealand has gone up by almost a quarter in the last financial year to the end of June. 

Questions to Ministers Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? DANA KIRKPATRICK to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has she seen on the economy? RAWIRI WAITITI to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? Hon BARBARA EDMONDS to the Minister of Finance: Does she stand by all her statements and actions? Dr VANESSA WEENINK to the Minister of Education: What announcements has she made regarding school property as part of Budget 2025? Hon WILLOW-JEAN PRIME to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by all her statements and actions in relation to pay equity in the education sector? TOM RUTHERFORD to the Minister of Justice: What recent reports has he seen about tools to reduce retail crime? CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? Hon JAN TINETTI to the Associate Minister of Education: Does he stand by his statement that the previous pay parity regime for early childhood education was "putting enormous funding pressure on the centers"; if so, does he view increasing pay for ECE teachers to be a funding pressure? CARL BATES to the Minister for Tourism and Hospitality: What recent announcement has she made about regional events funding? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Will the 13,200 low-income households who will have their housing assistance reduced due to the Government's changes to the calculation of housing subsidies be better or worse off as a result? Hon PHIL TWYFORD to the Minister of Immigration: How many people were informed in error following Immigration New Zealand's online ballot in May that they had won the right to apply for a parent residence visa?

A Samoan national has been jailed for four years for exploiting illegal migrants. Immigration New Zealand general manager of immigration compliance and investigations Steve Watson spoke to Alexa Cook.

Machines will take over more jobs at Immigration New Zealand under a multi-million-dollar overhaul of visa systems. immigration reporter Gill Bonnett spoke to Corin Dann.

A New Zealand-born teen threatened with deportation has mixed emotions, now that he's allowed to stay in the country. Daman Kumar faced deportation with his long-time overstayer parents to India, a country he'd never visited. Associate Immigration Minister Chris Penk has granted the 18 year-old a resident visa - but has ordered Kumar's parents to leave immediately. Kumar's lawyer, Alastair McClymont, says they're unlikely to be forced out any time soon. "Usually, you know, Immigration New Zealand are pretty good at talking to people in this sort of situation and trying to negotiate a voluntary departure." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 year old Daman Kumar has been classed as an overstayer because he was born here while his mother did not have a valid visa. The pair had until today to leave the country or be served a deportation order by Immigration New Zealand. But that's been put on hold and the family's lawyer said they're waiting on a decision from Associate Immigration Minister Chris Penk who's looking over the matter personally. Finn Blackwell has more.

Auckland University's keen to work with Immigration New Zealand in a bid to boost international enrolments. Data shows enrolments are up year-on-year but lag around 7% behind pre-Covid levels. Auckland University Vice Chancellor Dawn Freshwater told Mike Hosking there's already some work going on in terms of automation and support for international applications. She says visa processing times are critical. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Free Speech Union is considering legal action over a far-right US commentator being banned from the country. Candace Owens promotes antisemitic conspiracy theories, has downplayed aspects of the Holocaust and has made offensive comments about Muslims. Immigration New Zealand has denied her a work visa for a speaking tour - because she was banned from Australia. Free Speech Union Chief Executive Jonathan Ayling says they think the Crown has acted unlawfully. "Yes, we'll definitely take them to court - we're going to appeal to the Immigration Minister first though, and any associate Immigration Ministers. Chris Penk is the one who deals with appeal cases like that." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Immigration New Zealand is investigating the visa status of a YouTube celebrity who's been travelling New Zealand. But what counts as work, these days? Making a sponsored Instagram post doesn't have quite the same ring as mucking in on a farm. 

Immigration New Zealand says businesses and migrants should not expect better visa services following a hike in fees. Gill Bonnett reports.

A new report has found only 1.38% of visas are for skilled residents. The Office of the Auditor-General has been looking into Immigration New Zealand, and says a greater focus needs to be put on attracting skilled residents. Senior Performance Auditor Lucy Mouland told Mike Hosking that if the agency improved its systems, it could give New Zealand a competitive edge internationally. She says skilled residents are the people our country needs to meet future challenges, so more must be done to draw them in. Immigration New Zealand has released a statement welcoming the report, saying they accept the findings in principle and are looking into how they can implement them in line with INZ's current work programme, priorities and resources. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A group of Immigration New Zealand employees have been off work for several weeks following allegations of inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour, political editor Jo Moir speaks to Susana Lei'ataua.

A recent report by the United States' Department of State found New Zealand does not meet the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking. Thirty-three countries, including Australia, Canada, the US and UK did meet the standards. Immigration New Zealand's head of irregular migration and people trafficking Kylie Seumanu explains to Susana Lei'ataua why we're lagging behind.

The family of an Auckland couple ordered to leave New Zealand for overstaying their visas are in turmoil this morning. Loasi Latu and her husband have lived in New Zealand for decades, but have overstayed their visas by more than 20 years. They were told they needed to leave the country by last Friday but did not, believing a ministerial intervention was possible. But Associate Immigration Minister Chris Penk says he won't intervene, and he has asked Immigration officials to make contact with the family today to clarify what happens next. Mr Penk declined to be interviewed by Morning Report, but in a statement he said: “I acknowledge this is a difficult situation for Loasi Latu, her husband, and their family. However, for privacy reasons I cannot comment on specific details related to individual cases. "Immigration matters such as these are complex and involve balancing a range of factors. Many people every year are declined immigration status in New Zealand and while it is disappointing for the individuals concerned, to protect the integrity of our immigration system, it's important that we have a consistent and robust process for evaluating applications.  "A voluntary departure does not preclude people returning to New Zealand if they are able to obtain the necessary visa, but this will depend on the individual's circumstances. This is now an operational matter for Immigration New Zealand.” In a statement, the Latu family said it is still waiting to hear from the Minister. "The Associate Immigration Minister, Chris Penk, hasn't come forward to speak to us yet," the statement said.  "We already feel that New Zealand is behind us. Even the Prime Minister said in his Monday press conference that our situation is heartbreaking.  "It would be very hurtful if Mr Penk's commentary is in fact true, and he has reduced the seriousness of our case to an 'operational issue.' "Even more heartbreaking would be that they have told media before telling our family." The Green Party has thrown its support behind the family, urging the Minister to intervene. Green Party MP Ricardo Menendez March spoke to Corin Dann

An immigration lawyer says changes to a temporary work visa scheme don't address the root causes of migrant exploitation. Changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa Scheme take effect from Monday. They include a minimum English language requirement for some roles and changes to the criteria for Immigration New Zealand to suspend employers. Immigration lawyer Alistair McClymont spoke to Corin Dann.

Agents say fraud and tougher rules are driving high refusal rates for foreign students applying from India. Immigration New Zealand says it is turning down about half the study visa applications coming from the Indian subcontinent. Most of the students it is declining have applied to study at polytechnics or private institutes. RNZ education correspondent John Gerritsen reports.

A review into a new visa category that sparked more problems than it solved is scathing about Immigration NZ's processes and systems.

Immigration New Zealand could have done more to minimise abuse of the Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme. That admission from the country's top public servant in the wake of a critical independent review of the programme. Post COVID-19, the scheme made it easier for accredited employers to bring migrant workers into the country once the business was deemed a good employer and valid business. However, the Immigration Minister at the time, Andrew Little, was forced to launch a review after a whistle-blower alleged employer checks weren't being done. The review released today has found immigration bosses ignored staff concerns about the scheme. For a year, there was an increased risk of exploitation by unscrupulous agents and employers. 145 employers have now had their accreditation revoked and 53 have had their accreditation suspended. 174 active investigations on Accredited Employers underway. May Moncur, an employment law advocate speaks to Lisa Owen.

Immigration New Zealand has been criticised for ignoring concerns that its work visa scheme was allowing migrants to buy jobs and be exploited. The Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme was brought in after Covid-19 border closures led to a worker shortage. Since then, there have been countless stories about migrants being brought into the country, to find their jobs don't exist, and being forced to live in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. Now commentators say the policy needs to be fixed further or completely scrapped. Krystal Gibbens reports.

A review has found Immigration New Zealand didn't properly assess the risk of visa abuse when it loosened settings for its Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme. The scheme, launched 18 months ago as part of the then-Government's post-Covid settings, resulted in numerous cases of migrants paying to come here for jobs but arriving to overcrowded living conditions and little or no work. The Public Service Commission report also found staff at Immigration New Zealand raised concerns about migrants being exploited but say they were ignored. MBIE chief executive Carolyn Tremain spoke to Corin Dann.

A Public Service Commission report found the risk of visa abuse wasn't properly assessed by Immigration New Zealand when settings were loosened by the previous Government, as it sought a boost to its post-Covid workforce. The outcome was scores of migrants paying for jobs here but being left without work and living in overcrowded conditions. The report also found cases of staff at Immigration New Zealand being ignored by leadership when they raised concerns about migrant exploitation. Labour leader Chris Hipkins spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.  

Immigration New Zealand is warning potential migrants to watch out for scam job offers and visas that seem too good to be true. The agency says scams on social media and apps like WhatsApp are becoming more commonplace. Steve Watson is the general manager of immigration compliance and investigation. Watson spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The aviation industry says international student pilots are looking elsewhere to do their flight training due to New Zealand's visa processing times. Aviation New Zealand says visas can take up to sixty days to be processed, driving students to Australia and other countries. Immigration New Zealand has declined to comment, saying they have engaged extensively with Aviation New Zealand and will continue to do so. Aviation New Zealand chief executive, Simon Wallace, spoke with Charlotte Cook.

Self-serving, messy, and directionless. With record numbers pouring into the country, our immigration policies are under the microscope – and they don't stand up to scrutiny. 

The only chance 18-year-old Afghan refugee Arezo Nazari has of bringing her parents to New Zealand is through the government – and so far, three ministers have turned her down. 

Yoseph Ayele is the co-founder of Edmund Hillary Fellowship and is developing a Web3 fund for Africa. In conversation with Matthew Monahan. Watch this episode on video: https://youtu.be/5RjwgDKDVrE Watch a preview: https://youtu.be/CTrqNEpBSNs Edmund Hillary Fellowship (EHF): https://ehf.org Yoseph's Twitter: https://twitter.com/yosephayele/ THE REGENERATION WILL BE FUNDED Ma Earth Website: https://maearth.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@maearthmedia Community Discord: https://maearth.com/community Podcast Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/theregeneration/feed.xml EPISODE RESOURCES Enspiral: http://enspiral.com/ Global Impact Visa by Immigration New Zealand: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/preparing-a-visa-application/working-in-nz/getting-a-job/the-global-impact-visa Yoseph's talk at Devcon Bogatá: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X6HqcuL2Zk RELATED SEASON 1 INTERVIEWS Songyi Lee (Gatherings): https://youtu.be/FWnnjTw4cpY Joshua Vial (Enspiral): https://youtu.be/cyQKsANOwxQ Aya Miyaguchi (Ethereum Foundation): https://youtu.be/qloZm5_OnQk This interview took place during a Web3 hui in New Zealand in 2023. SOCIAL Farcaster: https://warpcast.com/maearth X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/maearthmedia Lenstube: https://lenstube.xyz/channel/maearth.lens Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maearthmedia/ Mirror: https://mirror.xyz/maearth.eth LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/maearth/ Lenster: https://lenster.xyz/u/maearth Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maearthcommunity TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maearthmedia

A group of migrants scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars for the promise of work in New Zealand now have just three days before they have nowhere to live. Immigration New Zealand officials are investigating the exploitation of Indian and Bangladeshi migrants after 144 were found living in crammed and unsanitary conditions in across 10 houses in Auckland. They were able to come here thanks to the recently-introduced Accredited Employer Work Visa programme, but when they got here the agents they paid were nowhere to be seen, nor were they jobs they were promised. Our reporter Finn Blackwell and camera operator Marika Khabazi visited some of them. Immigration NZ says it is now providing funding and resources to support the Indian and Bangladeshi nationals.. Compliance and Investigations General Manager Steve Watson, says an interim package includes $220 each a week in living cost support payments. Further support includes providing individual information packs for each migrant detailing their visa options if they want to stay in New Zealand. MSD is providing multiple job opportunity workshops The Ministry for Ethnic Communities is helping provide mental health support. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6336783622112

Immigration New Zealand is looking into nearly 200 employers as it runs a ruler over its problem-plagued Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme. Hundreds of workers have paid tens of thousands of dollars to come to New Zealand for jobs that don't exist when they land. Immigration New Zealand has received more than 750 complaints against employers. So far, seven have had their accreditation revoked and 11 have had theirs suspended. Another 63 are under assessment.. Last week, 115 migrants workers from Bangladesh and India were found living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions without food in six houses across Auckland. National's Immigration spokesperson Erica Stanford speaks to Susana Lei'ataua. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6336557330112

Advocates for migrant workers who have been turned around at the border, or told not to travel here because they're at risk of exploitation, say they should instead be given open visas. Ten migrants have been turned around upon arrival in New Zealand, and up to 200 others warned not to come because they're caught up in visa scams - paying thousands of dollars for jobs that don't exist. A handful of employers are being investigated by Immigration New Zealand over the mistreatment of 115 migrant workers from India and Bangladesh. Last week Immigration Minister Andrew Little said the Public Service Commission would review the accredited employer visa scheme following whistleblower claims that checks on employers weren't being made. Anu Kaloti, Migrant Workers Association President, says the right thing to do now would be to allow those affected workers who'd already been granted visas to be given an open visa instead, that doesn't tie them to any one employer.

Immigration New Zealand is turning away migrants who have visas tied to employers under investigation. Ten people have been stopped at the border in the last two weeks, while almost 193 others have been told not to leave home. It comes as the government investigates more than 170 complaints against accredited employers. Mandeep Singh Bela is the president of Union Network of Migrants NZ. He spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

A bit spike in enrolments of new migrant children, many of whom don't speak English, has come as bit of shock for some schools. In the past financial year, Immigration New Zealand approved almost 17,000 study visas for dependent children of people with work visas. This is 70 percent more than before the pandemic. Education correspondent John Gerritsen reports. 

Some principals say they are surprised by a spike in enrolments of new migrant students - many of whom do not speak English. It's putting unique pressure on schools, now faced with teaching English from scratch to large numbers of students. In the past financial year, Immigration New Zealand approved 16,899 study visas for dependent children of people with work visas. That's a 70 percent jump than before the pandemic. President of the Auckland Secondary Principals Association and Orewa College Principal Greg Pierce spoke to Corin Dann.

A clinical pyschologist who interviewed Lauren Dickason says she was feeling overwhelmed hours before she killed her three children, believing she would not get a good psychiatric report, as required by Immigration New Zealand. The events of the fateful day were detailed by the witness in the Christchurch High Court today, sparking tears from Dickason. The 42-year-old admits killing her daughters Karla, Maya and Liane in 2021, but is pleading not guilty to their murders on the grounds of insanity and infanticide. Testimonies from the final expert witnesses were heard today, both of whom believe the woman has a legitimate defence. Our reporter Adam Burns was in court and a warning this story contains distressing content.

Zambia's coach has touched down in New Zealand denying claims of sexual misconduct against his players. According to an article in the Guardian, Bruce Mwape was investigated late last year following allegations of sexual abuse in the team. The allegations were raised with the Football Association of Zambia, which said it had referred the investigation to police and to football's governing body, FIFA. The Guardian's report quotes an unnamed source who says players have received threats of punitive action should they speak up about Mwape's behaviour. But as it stands, Bruce Mwape remains head coach of the team known as "the Copper Queens". Some of them arrived to a rapturous Zambian welcome in Auckland this morning before they travelled to their host city of Hamilton. Our producer Matthew Theunissen managed to ask Bruce Mwape a few questions as he made his way from the arrivals gate to the team bus outside. We have sought comment from football's governing body FIFA, Immigration New Zealand, and the Football Association of Zambia but are yet to receive any response.

Immigration NZ is investigating concerns some businesses with accredited employer status are exploiting migrant workers. RNZ reported on the cases of dozens of chinese migrant workers left jobless and out of pocket after paying thouand of dollars for work visa , only to be dismissed by their employer shortly after arriving. Most have come to Aotearoa on the Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme. That's a fast track programme that allows companies to apply for accreditation as long as they meet certain criteria including being financially sound and having a history of complying with immigratiomn and employment law. Immigration New Zealand's general manager Richard Owen talks to Lisa Owen. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6330552234112

Tokelau is experiencing its first Covid-19 community outbreak, it is now officially the second to last country in the world to experience community transmission. Immigration New Zealand says it is not dragging the chain in processing refugees from Nauru under the New Zealand - Australia Resettlement Arrangement. 31 of the 150 people meant to be resettled by 30 June have arrived so far. Fiji's 2000 coup leader George Speight is seeking a pardon. And Tonga is mourning the loss of her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu'ilikutapu. She passed away at Auckland Hospital on 28 May.