Immigration to New Zealand is changing the face of the nation

Published:  18 Oct at 6 PM
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Whilst many other world countries are bemoaning the brain-drain effect of migration, New Zealand is celebrating the fact that, for every resident who leaves permanently or dies, more migrants are arriving, thus keeping its population stable.

The changing face of a nation as a result of immigration may not be regarded as a positive development by many states nowadays, but census number-crunching in New Zealand has revealed that, for every citizen who dies or relocates permanently, a migrant arrives to contribute to his or her new land. Net migration is changing Kiwi society, but is seemingly viewed as a good thing.

Professor of population geography Richard Bedford believes it’s making society younger and more vibrant at a time when births are falling and deaths amongst an ageing population are rising. However, he still believes that natural increase is the most important population growth factor.

Since 2006, the island nation’s population has expanded by some 214,000, with a net gain of around 51,000 and a good rate of natural increase. Even so, the replacing of New Zealanders with expat workers is now seen as being of growing importance to the country’s economy of the country as many are arriving as a result of skills shortages amongst the indigenous population.

Most incomers are between 20 and 40 years old, with years of productive, tax-paying work ahead of them in their new country, with demographics experts urging employers to make drastic changes as regards employing migrants. Multicultural development needs major shifts in how companies deal with ethnic minorities in the workplace, with diversity needing to be seen as a benefit and managed accordingly.
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