While the National Party isn’t making any commitment to reinstate an immigration office in Queenstown, Southland MP
Joseph Mooney’s in favour of it.
At a recent ABC Business Sales panel discussion at Millbrook Resort, Teresa Chapman asked Mooney if there was an appetite to reopen the office, which closed in 2016, and potentially combine it with Ministry of Housing here.
‘‘Immigration, for us, is one of the biggest problems,’’ she says.
‘‘[The] speed of processing, it’s crippled businesses.
‘‘It’s like you’re dealing with a concrete block wall; it’s got to change.’’
Mooney says it’s been raised with National’s immigration spokeswoman, Erica Stanford, and it’s ‘‘on her radar’’.
‘‘I know myself, personally, dealing with government departments, it can be impossible to get through to them and [immigration] is the biggest issue I deal with.
‘‘Personally, I’m in favour [of reopening an office in Queenstown], but we haven’t made any commitment to that at this point.’’
