Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi is telling businesses who need migrant workers to change the way they do business. He says that even when New Zealand is able to open its borders, it will not be so easy to bring workers in from overseas, and that the number of migrants will be a lot less than before.

He says that the government has spent money on training New Zealanders for work, and businesses can hire staff who already live in New Zealand. Later this year, the Skilled Migrant Category visa will be overhauled so that the skills on the list are up-to-date.

This reduction in migration is driven by the need to reduce pressure on New Zealand’s infrastructure. Examples of pressure on infrastructure are the housing shortage and overworked hospitals.

Vocabulary:

Immigration Minister: an elected member of the government who controls immigration.

migrant: someone who travels, usually for work

open/close borders: when a country closes its borders, nobody can come into the country. When the borders are open, travellers can come into the country.

staff: workers in a business

overhaul: redesign, make big changes

up-to-date: current; based on data that is true now

reduction: when something becomes less

reduce: make less

driven by: caused by; motivated by

pressure on (resources/infrastructure): problems caused by too much demand. For example, too many people and not enough water puts pressure on water resources.

infrastructure: things that support a society. For example: roads, water systems, electricity.

Clauses and phrases

Talking About Data

This graph shows migration to and from New Zealand over the last three years. It comes from the New Zealand government’s Statistics Department. You can look at the graph more carefully here.

What can you say about this graph? Can you make sentences using these words?

Nouns: a trough, a plateau, a sharp drop, a steady increase

Verbs: peaked, plummeted, held steady, dropped, increased