Attendees of the recent ‘Pathways, Circuits and Crossroads’ conference held in Wellington were told by experts that migrants with skilled visas for New Zealand could be up to four times more valuable to the country’s economy than their native-born counterparts.

Academics and researchers revealed statistics at the conference which suggested that the economy could suffer drastically if the number of migrants granted the right to move to New Zealand was curtailed.

During the conference, Rob Hidgson of the Department of Labour revealed that migrants contributed a massive NZ$8.1 billion to the economy in 2006, whilst only using $5.8 billion in benefits, whereas local New Zealanders contributed $24.8 billion but used up a staggering $22 billion in benefits.  

"The net impact for having an immigrant here is $3.29 billion, or $3547 per capita, while the net per capita contribution of a New Zealand-born is just $915," Hidgson said.

Furthermore, the conference served to dispel the widely-held assumption that increased immigration is responsible for driving up house prices in New Zealand. Immigration Minister Clayton Cosgrove revealed the findings of a study which showed that despite a narrow link between population increase and increased net migration, new migrants are not to blame for soaring house prices in the region.

However, Mr. Cosgrove did point out that “the report did find an association between New Zealanders returning home and local house price increases during the period studied, 1986-2006”.