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18 Feb 2026 15:48
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  •   Home > News > Politics

    A former Finance Minister thinks life in New Zealand's about to get much more expensive

    A former Finance Minister thinks life in New Zealand's about to get much more expensive


    Steven Joyce claims the lack of immigration and labour shortages from closed borders are creating a perfect storm.

    Yesterday, Immigration New Zealand let 50-thousand longstanding visa applications lapse - and refunded the workers and students applying.

    Joyce claims the Government's running a social experiment to create a closed economy.

    He says the result's playing out in front of our eyes - with the most constrained economy since the 1970s driving up the price of labour.

    © 2026 Newstalk ZB, NZCity

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     17 Feb: Labour's Jan Tinetti says today's employment law change is a backwards step
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