Brash adamant National not anti-immigration

Don Brash

National will cut the number of refugees New Zealand accepts and scrap the refugee family reunification category if it leads the next government.

The party would also extend the benefit stand-down period for new migrants from two to four years, and introduce a four-year probation period during which new migrants must satisfy a good-conduct requirement or risk deportation.

Leader Don Brash, who announced the party's plans for immigration yesterday in Wanganui, said the policy would give New Zealand a disciplined approach to immigration.

National would reduce New Zealand's refugee quota to the United Nations-approved level of 750.

Now, 750 refugees are accepted each year, plus a further 300 people under the refugee family reunification quota, and an unspecified number of "spontaneous refugees", who arrive in New Zealand.

National would scrap the family reunification category, instead including refugees' immediate family members within the quota of 750.

The party's immigration spokesman, Tony Ryall, said statistics showed that 90 per cent of refugees were on benefits after one year and 80 per cent were still on benefits after five years in New Zealand.

He said the main reason was that many refugees had poor English. National would reallocate the money it saved by reducing the quota to improving refugees' English and helping them settle in New Zealand.

But Labour has labelled the policy a cheap trick.

Immigration Minister Paul Swain said that for many years there had been a consensus among Governments to provide a fresh start for refugees who had been in appalling circumstances such as war and famine.

"By also targeting refugees and their families, Don Brash is trying to out-Winston Winston."

Refugee Council spokesman Dr Nagalingam Rasalingam was concerned by National's policy, saying that family reunification was the cornerstone of refugee resettlement. He criticised National's policy for being based on the old-fashioned idea of assimilation rather than a multicultural approach.

Dr Brash was adamant that National was not anti-immigration, saying the party was aware the country needs a steady flow of "quality immigrants".

"Those immigrants are the ones who will benefit existing New Zealanders and enhance New Zealand society."

In a criticism of New Zealand First, Dr Brash said National opposed basing immigration policy on race, and was against any suggestion of "Gestapo-like groups of patriotic New Zealanders" swooping on suspected overstayers.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters hit back, saying National had tried to steal his party's immigration policy in the same way that it stole its treaty, transport and referendum policies.

"National has again visited our website, but this time came up with a policy looser than Labour's. National has no stomach to make the tough calls and are too scared they might cause offence," said Mr Peters.

While Dr Brash repeatedly said National's policy occupied the moderate ground of "managed immigration" - located between New Zealand First's "crude prejudice" and Labour's "lax" approach - he spent time emphasising and building on the fears and resentment he said New Zealanders felt towards some immigrants.

He said there was a resentment that immigrants came to New Zealand and flouted the law, used the country for free education, went straight on a benefit, and forced up house prices.

He also highlighted some New Zealanders' fear of Islamic fundamentalists.

"We do not want those who insist on their right to spit in the street; or demand the right to practise female circumcision; or believe that New Zealand would be a better place if gays and adulterers were stoned. If immigrants don't like the way we do things in New Zealand, then they chose the wrong country to migrate to."

After his speech Dr Brash took questions - on subjects ranging from smacking children to rural education to relationships with the US - from the 500 people who had gathered at the Wanganui Racecourse.

There was only one question he dodged, predictably on tax, saying National would announce its policy in the next two weeks.

Later Dr Brash said his wife, Je Lan, who is from Singapore, had read his immigration speech and given her approval.