Indian Newslink 15th Sept 2016 Digital Edition

SEPTEMBER 15, 2016
04 HOMELINK
Facts do not stack up to immigration numbers
Aaron Simon Martin
There has been a great
deal of press coverage
given to the number of
long-term arrivals and
the number of work visas being
issued.
It is often accompanied by an
undertone of racism.
The debate is not often accompanied
by detailed analysis
of the numbers that are
quoted. Often ‘long-term arrivals’
is a term of reference used
by the Department of Statistics
to label people who are entering
New Zealand for long periods
of time, but not necessarily
with the intention of residing or
holding a resident visa.
Ministry of Business,
Innovation and Employment
data will show that over the
2014-2015 year, just over 42,000
resident visas were issued.
People fail to appreciate the
figure is representative of the
number of people.
When looked in that context,
it is not a significant ‘influx of
migrants.’
Misunderstood facts
Most commentators also fail to
realise that a significant portion
of resident visa applicants are
relationships with New Zealand
citizen and residents or are international
students who have
acquired skilled jobs that allow
them to transition to residence.
For an international student,
it will often take at least four
years from the time they are
first issued a student Visa to get
residence
Likewise, the statistics for the
issue of work visas are seldom
analysed in detail.
Commentators fail to realise
a significant portion of those
work visas relate to students
who are entitled to a one-year
open work Visa on completion
of their studies.
Those students can get a further
two-year work Visa after
that provided they obtain a
job commensurate with their
qualification.
Some of those work visas are
issued to people who have
already applied for skilled migrant
residence status but are
yet to have their applications
decided. Those applications of
course involve them having a
job offer.
‘Relationship Visas’
There are also a large number
of work visas issued to those
people who are in relationships
with New Zealanders.
None of these work visas
needs to be labour market
tested.
In other words, the Work Visa
authorises work for any employer;
or the employer does not
need to prove they cannot find a
New Zealander to do the job.
New Zealand also has a significant
number of work visas issued
under reciprocal Working
Holiday Schemes.
Those schemes entitle young
people from various countries
to come to New Zealand to work
in return for our young people
being able to go and work in
those countries.
This is how most young New
Zealanders travel overseas
working their way through the
OE. If those work visas are taken
out of the statistics, there are
Cancer patients sought for card-sorting study
Nicole Cameron
you wearing a
wig?’ is the kind
of question that a
young person with
‘Are
cancer might be
asked. Whether it makes them feel
embarrassed or supported depends
on how the question is delivered
and interpreted.
I am seeking about 30 people aged
between 16 and 25 years who have
been diagnosed and treated for
cancer to take part in a card-sorting
task in which participants are
required to group similar kinds of
social interactions.
I will collate the results of the
card-sorting exercise to form a
multi-dimensional model to map
the emotional interactions of young
people with cancer.
Social support
Using the model, I want to find
out more about communication
experiences, needs and sensitivities
of young people with cancer. The
findings will form the basis for
producing information that will
help families, friends and health
professionals provide the right
kinds of support for young people
with cancer.
Social support is an essential
part of a person’s experience with
cancer. But social support can be
both positive and negative, and
unfortunately the latter can be
detrimental to a person’s physical
and psychological health.
Examples of comments and
reactions the participants might
have experienced and are being
asked to sort are: “Over-protective
of me”; “Told me, ‘You’ll be fine’’’;
“Whispered about me”; “Assumed
that now treatment is over I am
fine”; “Commented that I look good”;
and “Shared their own experiences
with cancer.”
I would like to find out, for example,
if participants believe practical
assistance and concerned questions
have a similar emotional impact,
of if they rate questions about their
treatment as similar to questions
about their bodies, or consider these
to be different concepts.
Personal experience
My desire to research this
topic was sparked by my own
experiences as teenage cancer
patient, and awareness of the
unique challenges for people in
this age group in dealing with what
can be a life-threatening condition
during a significant time of their
development.
My study addresses the social
aspects of cancer in the context
of youth development, when
self-consciousness about body image,
emerging sexuality, emotional
turbulence and peer pressure are
keenly felt. Being diagnosed and
treated for cancer, and managing
visible side effects (such as hair loss,
weight gain and disfigurement), can
add another whole dimension to the
turmoil of youth, she says.
Understanding relationships
The model that will be created
from the responses will help to
not a large number of foreign
workers taking New Zealanders’
jobs. The balance of the work visas
that are issued are because
the employer has proven they
cannot find a New Zealander to
do the job.
Birth Statistics
New Zealand has had a historically
low birth rate. We have an
increasing aged population. Until
those things change, we must
add to the pool of taxpayers to
assist in maintaining the provision
of public services (education,
health, police, pensions,
ACC et cetera) that we enjoy.
Often, people forget that
those migrating to New Zealand
Skilled Migrants come here with
a strong desire to work hard,
succeed and lead a peaceful life.
Those are qualities any country
should be pleased to accept.
These people are an asset to
New Zealand. They work hard
because of one simple truth –
when you migrate to another
country failure is not an option.
Aaron Simon Martin is Barrister
and Solicitor, employed as
Senior Associate and Immigration
Specialist at Turner
Hopkins Solicitors based in
Auckland.
provide an understanding of the
relationships between interactions
in a similar way to how a globe represents
the approximate distances
between countries, she says.
An understanding of these
relationships should support
researchers to apprehend the role
and importance of psychosocial interactions
to adolescents and young
adults who experience cancer.
I know from experience what it
is like when people unintentionally
say the wrong thing, or do not know
what to say when talking to a young
person with cancer.
The card-sorting test takes about
one hour to complete. Participants
will receive the material via post,
and after completion participants
will receive a $20 gift card.
Nicole Cameron is a Psychology
doctoral student at Massey University.
She is seen here with the
cards designed for her project.