Clayton Mitchell New Zealand First MP

This week, my thoughts are with the people of France, the United States, Turkey and the many other countries around the world suffering from violent assaults on innocent people.

Comparatively, we live in a relatively safe country with a culture preferring public debate over the use of weapons when settling disputes.

However, "around the world" is increasingly moving in "around here" with 70,000 new immigrants moving to New Zealand each year. That will be 700,000 new immigrants in just 10 years, meaning 15% of our current population will be made up of new immigrants. This is four times the UK rate of immigration per capita.

Such large scale immigration is already rapidly changing our culture, our norms, our expectations and our behaviours.

This current rate of immigration is unsustainable, unwise and unsafe.

As a case study, when the Washington District of Colombia in the United States had a quick influx of immigrants from a specific war torn nation, they simultaneously experienced an increase in violent crimes and deaths too horrific to detail.

While immigration is necessary, in order to protect our people, immigration must be planned and measured. We require the Government to be thoughtful in their policies.

Instead, adding to their reckless and unsustainable immigration policies, this Government has put all of our heads above the parapet by sending our troops to Iraq, and again by extending their stay there.

While we cannot and will not hide from the world, we must ensure that our government's policies put New Zealand and New Zealanders first, protecting what is best about our country and leading us into responsible growth.