Welcoming business nous

New Zealand’s migration policy has been relaxed in an effort to allow potential investors and entrepreneurs to gain permanent residency. Currently the majority of Brits hoping to live permanently in New Zealand must have a skill that is in demand, such as a medical qualification. But the new investor policy, announced in the summer, gives people with substantial capital the opportunity to emigrate and boost the nation’s evolving economy. Senior investment manager at Investment New Zealand Catherine Tlapek said that the country offered a much more diverse range of investment opportunities than people realised. “People can think we’re just an agricultural shop, but we’re much more than that. We have a strong ICT [information and communications technology] industry, a strong multi-media industry,” Tlapek said. Although New Zealand is in itself a small country, Tlapek pointed out that it enjoys free trade agreements with Australia, Singapore and China. “We are a gateway to Asia,” she said.