Home > Our Publications > New Zealand Outlook > 2000 > August

A POLITICAL storm has flared over New Zealand Government plans to pilot a programme of settlement services initiatives.

National MP Pansy Wong said that migrants were to be charged a new levy to fund the scheme. But Immigration Minister, Lianne Dalziel, said Mrs Wong was "completely wrong." There was no new levy.
"As I said when I announced the pilot settlement services programme, the $500,000 needed to fund the programme would come from the Migrant Levy, which was set up in 1998 by the former coalition Government, of which Pansy Wong was a member," Lianne Dalziel said.
The pilot programme will trial different approaches towards meeting the needs of recent migrants. It will also be open to innovative approaches from the community that build on existing services with the emphasis being on co-operation and co-ordination.
The minister said she was aware there were particular