The Auckland Times | Issue 174 | November 15, 2017 

Often we become divorced from existence.

The end becomes the justification; the beginning is forgotten. The purpose of existence becomes secondary. With this mind-set, it then becomes about what the efficiency is to be gained. How much money can be saved in carrying out this function and it goes on? 

In this mode of operating the point of existence becomes a distance past. This disconnection has been the symptom of the way the current public service has existed including aspects of Immigration New Zealand. 

Restructuring follows, centralised to decentralised, decentralised to centralised. The current evil is the humanless, faceless provision of service and curtailed accountability. The focus is on those delivering the service as opposed to those requiring the service to be delivered. Ironic because the only reason this service existed in the first place is to service a group or community. If the group is not to be serviced in the form they need to be serviced, then the purpose for existing disappears. This appreciation somewhat at times appears to be missing. 

Similarly, it is not understood by this grouping that certain sectors of the community it is supposed to protect, service and deliver to is actually suffering, unhappy and unserved. It is not understood because the efficiency measures show increase income level or decrease cost through process and staff efficiencies. 

The conversation becomes about this and it itself becomes a justification for efficient existence. 

The inquiry as to whether the customer base is being serviced remains elusive. The concept of accountability is curtailed as much as possible as transparency does not adhere to such ways of workings. The unjust and unsanctioned ways remain hidden and protected from scrutiny by an objective third party and gate keeping becomes the norm. 

It is no different in this day and age, where human existence has become more and more about making money. This trumps! This is all it seems to be about. Much evil eventuates because of this mind-set. 

It comes as a shock to such grouping when death prevails and the obvious fact that one takes nothing with them becomes the prominent fact. But this realisation can quickly disappear into the hum drum of living and the disconnect continues. The reality is, we are born and we die. The only certainty on birth is death. When death happens is often unknown. This journey between birth and death is what we have. How we choose to live our life is our choice – do we live irresponsibly, purposelessly, the fact of living predominating or do we do so with meaning and being in touch with the purpose of our existence, a journey in itself. 

Child poverty, high prison numbers, homelessness, the rich getting richer, the poor becoming poorer, rising mental health, youth suicide, certain communities being marginalised are amongst a few symptoms of the way of approach which becomes about the benefit of the individual few at the expense of the collective. The collective is why a society was formed in the first place. Otherwise, we could still be individual hunters protecting our patch for survival. We came together as a collective for a reason, for the good of all. Somewhere down the line it appears to have been forgotten. The pendulum has swung too far and a balance is required. 

It is timely to bring our public service in to line with this reminder. In terms of Immigration New Zealand, much can be done. 

The current way of operating is seriously affecting many innocent lives. People are becoming over stayers with grave consequences including being caged and imprisoned as if there are criminal offenders in main stream prisons. A traumatic experience for life. The bad decision making is often in reality not subject to review. Certain non-transparent practices, means population control is occurring through policy tweaking, in my opinion very deceptive! Some groupings become targets of a ‘not in vogue’ approach hence overly analysed to the point of bad faith dealings with a presumption of decline unless representation (on the presumption that representation can be afforded) can overcome it, such as in the current employer assisted work visa category. The culprit in my opinion, which is the worst, is the retrospective changes because legitimate expectation has been raised. People have made decisions based on known facts. Such treatment are unconscionable. But conscionable is a word that has not prevailed in recent times. 

The government recently announced that it will consider creating a new visa category for people displaced by climate change. 

We look forward to change where transparency is valued and good faith dealing is in the order of the day and the purpose of existence is rethought!!!