1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 1: Now more visa changes for Chinese visitors on the way. 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: From November, Chinese passport holders will no longer be required 3 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 1: to obtain a transit visa we're traveling through New Zealand airports. 4 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: This means no visa application fees when traveling through to 5 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: say South America and beyond. Eric Stanford is the Minister 6 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:20,120 Speaker 1: and with me this morning. Good morning, minister, good morning, 7 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 1: how are you good? Thank you? What do we think 8 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:23,599 Speaker 1: this will do? What effect will this have? 9 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:28,160 Speaker 2: Although we're a number of great things for New Zealand. 10 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 2: I mean, firstly, it will boost our terrorism numbers. We 11 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 2: know that our tourism numbers aren't where they need to be, 12 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 2: especially our Chinese visitors. They're still lagging it around sixty 13 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,200 Speaker 2: five percent pre COVID, so anything we can do to help. 14 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 2: But also if you think about our trade as well, 15 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 2: I mean, this will significantly increase the amount of freight 16 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:50,400 Speaker 2: that will come in and out of China but also 17 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:53,520 Speaker 2: across to South America as well. It'll also bring down 18 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 2: freight prices on air freight prices which you know are 19 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 2: pretty high. The other thing which I think people are 20 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 2: probably not thinking about, but I'm thinking about as well 21 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 2: as our international education. So if you think about South America, 22 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 2: we want more international students coming from South America. At 23 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 2: the moment, there is I saw them a monopoly on flights. 24 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 2: There's only one company doing it. Now you'll have more, 25 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:20,320 Speaker 2: so we'll bring that price down of being able to 26 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:23,039 Speaker 2: get across from South America. So I'm hoping that we'll 27 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:25,959 Speaker 2: also see an increased number of international students out of 28 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 2: South America as well. 29 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: All right, minister, let's talk about the weird thing that's 30 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 1: happening with the government. So why is any why won't 31 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:37,520 Speaker 1: anybody just say, you know, China's not on our visa 32 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: free list? Right, And I've asked. I asked the Prime 33 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:43,960 Speaker 1: Minister about this on Monday. I heard him aster about 34 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:46,400 Speaker 1: it because he's over in China at the moment, and 35 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:50,040 Speaker 1: he won't say why they're not on the visa free list. 36 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 1: Can you just say, categorically, what risk do they pipe? 37 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 1: Why aren't they on there? 38 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 2: Most countries aren't on a visa free list. The reason 39 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 2: we got is because it because there's there's risk with 40 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 2: every country. Every country has a certain risk. There's loads 41 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 2: of different risks. If you look at China for example, well, 42 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:10,959 Speaker 2: if you look at China for example, they're our second 43 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:15,640 Speaker 2: largest market for asylum seeconds, right, and so there are 44 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:18,320 Speaker 2: lots of other countries we have asylum seekers from as well, 45 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 2: But it's just one of the considerations. But the main 46 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 2: thing is also it's a huge piece of work to 47 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 2: undertake a big program of looking at whether or not 48 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 2: we should make a country visa free, and that would 49 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:34,640 Speaker 2: be an immigration piece of work. We are absolutely up 50 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,639 Speaker 2: to our eyeballs and immigration with our work program. There 51 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:40,359 Speaker 2: is literally nothing else we can add it and without 52 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 2: me taking something else of a huge piece of work. 53 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 2: So I don't have the time to do it. But 54 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:47,840 Speaker 2: what I can do is the two things you've seen. 55 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: We worried just so weekly. We're worried that we would 56 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:55,639 Speaker 1: be overwhelmed with asylum seekers if we did visa free 57 00:02:55,639 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: from China. 58 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 2: You're putting words into my mouth. I didn't say overwhelmed, 59 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 2: said that are the second largest country that we have 60 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 2: asylum seekers from. 61 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 1: It's one of the risks, right, But what is the benefit. 62 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:09,680 Speaker 1: What is the benefit though, because we're still only at 63 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: sixty percent of pre COVID levels for tourism from China 64 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: when we're living more than a billion bucks on the 65 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:18,120 Speaker 1: table at this point, is it not worth looking at? 66 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:20,359 Speaker 1: Or do we not do we not even want to 67 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 1: go there? 68 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 2: I think there are a couple of other things we've 69 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:25,040 Speaker 2: done just recently which I think will bring the numbers 70 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 2: back that are a lot easier, safer, risk free. If 71 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 2: you look at what we've just done recently, we've announced 72 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 2: the fact that China, China, these past beholders can come 73 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:38,080 Speaker 2: in through Australia visa free. Now we're expecting that to 74 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 2: increase tourism numbers by ten to twenty percent. When I 75 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 2: say Chinese visitors are back to sixty five percent, that's 76 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 2: arrived on sure. The actual figure that's more interesting is 77 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 2: eighty five percent of the pre COVID numbers of Chinese 78 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 2: visitors have been approved of visa, which means they haven't 79 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:58,120 Speaker 2: used it yet because it takes twelve months. They're on 80 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:00,200 Speaker 2: their ways. So if you add their eighty five life 81 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 2: percent to what we think are going to come to 82 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 2: Australia plus this, I think we'll be back to We'll 83 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:07,839 Speaker 2: be back to pre pandemic numbers as without me having 84 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 2: to do months and months and months of work that 85 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 2: we don't have time to do. Plice. Also, you know, 86 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 2: you know. 87 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:19,680 Speaker 1: I think you have answered the question quite sufficiently. I 88 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:24,160 Speaker 1: appreciate it. Thank you, unlike your boss just spat it 89 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:28,040 Speaker 1: out anyway, I appreciate you coming on the show. Minister, 90 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:31,240 Speaker 1: have a great day, Eric still welcome. Thank you, Immigration Minister. 91 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:35,119 Speaker 1: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live 92 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 1: to News Talks it'd be from five am weekdays, or 93 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:40,200 Speaker 1: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.