We're screaming out for nurses and other health staff right now, tourism and hospitality are trying to fire up after Covid, you only need to walk down your local High Street or check on social media and you see it everywhere.

“We're hiring, full-time, part time, immediate starts.”

At the same time, we've got 101,000 New Zealanders on JobSeeker Support who are supposedly 'work ready'.

Apparently they don't want jobs in retail, hospo, health or tourism, but if the businesses advertising had access to workers, they might well be growing rather than stagnating.

Instead, with immigration settings the way they are, aged care homes have had to shut shop, businesses are turning away customers and desperately needed homes aren't getting built.

New Zealanders don't want the jobs and the Government doesn't want migrants coming in to fill them.

Instead, this week's Immigration Minister trumpets a new visa.

And Michael Wood, bless him, probably even thinks some people will believe him it'll bring in active investors, people with business skills willing to take risks.

I'll bet some in the Immigration Department are tearing their hair out right now at this endless chopping and changing.

Right now, immigration is a political football, one lot wants the floodgates open, the other wants closed borders.

What's really needed is a proper long term programme, designed to seek out the best in the world and encourage them here.

We need a programme with goals, but still flexible enough to tailor arrivals to the needs of the economy and our society and with harsh and rapid sanctions to outski the garbage.

Politicians should stop meddling and set some proper long-term objectives, butt out and focus instead on making New Zealand a safe and attractive place to move to.