Assimilation, Immigration and the Search for Social Cohesion (What belonging should require of migrants, immigration policy and the wider community)
Immigration is moving towards the centre of New Zealand’s 2026 election debate. The language varies. Some politicians speak about social cohesion. Others say migrants must integrate, assimilate, share New Zealand values or become part of the national community. These words are often used as though their meaning were obvious. It is not. The problem is […]
Misleading the Public, Unchallenged: Immigration Powers and a Failure of Scrutiny
How ministerial claims about immigration law reform went unchallenged – and what that reveals about the failure of Radio New Zealand to hold power to account. Listen to the full RNZ interview On Thursday 30 April, an interview on Radio New Zealand offered more than a discussion of immigration policy. It exposed a deeper problem: […]
Erica Stanford wants to flush out overstayers. Political thinkers have long warned about this playbook
Opinion: In recent public statements, immigration minister Erica Stanford has signalled that the government intends to introduce an amendment to the Immigration Act that would give immigration officers the power to demand identification from people they suspect may be breaching visa conditions. In promoting the proposal, the minister initially cited figures suggesting there were far […]