Media reports and surveys conducted by private consultants from time to time bring out one significant fact: that most immigrants, especially those from Asia are at odds with themselves and the society.
Lack of employment opportunities looms large and it is often said that highly qualified individuals, with a success record at home or elsewhere do not find a placement and hence become supervisors in the ubiquitous superettes, door-to-door sales persons or cab drivers. It is an irony that while the country’s hospitals are starved of professionals, many qualified immigrant doctors and medical practitioners remain unemployed. This in itself creates a poor picture of a country that in the first place opened its doors for qualified immigrants but did not assist in their successful rehabilitation.
There is little ground in the argument that in a free and open economy, market forces determine the supply and demand for labour because every individual has the right to meaningful employment-a job that commensurate qualifications, experience and aptitude.
These are but the tip of the iceberg. On a more serious and macro angle, a need exists to ensure that immigrants fit into our social fabric. It is essential because immigrants cannot remain immigrants for long. Sooner than later, they must feel and become New Zealanders in spirit, thought and deed. It is only then that any immigration policy could be said to have achieved its goal. Else, it runs the risk of becoming regimental, pulverising the purpose of building a homogenous population.
