Originally Posted by
satty02
90% of the applicants are onshore and for people working onshore, 160 is not a big deal, so 180-190+ should be something which will gauge a lot of applications and reduce the numbers.
It will also decimate the Auckland labour market.
Already, the 160 point threshold is high enough that a lot of migrants have to look for skilled employment outside of Auckland to meet the 160 point threshold. Push the threshold higher, and you're effectively excluding all migrants from Auckland. Being the country's economic centre, Auckland remains somewhat of a "jobs factory", but with the economy growing at the rate that it is and the unemployment rate as low as it is, there simply aren't enough New Zealanders available to fill those jobs -- and finding migrants to fill those jobs is
exactly the point of the Skilled Migrant Category. Take them out of the equation, and the potential for Auckland's economy (and by extension, the country's) to be significantly harmed cannot be ignored.
No government is likely to do this, especially not in an election year -- the political parties need Auckland votes.