Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Bit of an about-turn on immigration from the Prime Minister.  Christopher Luxon now says the current numbers are unsustainable, and the Government expects it to slow down.  And you'd hope so! Nearly 119,000 have poured in over the past year, that's the net gain.  At the same time, we saw a record net loss of New Zealand citizens: 44,000 went.  So, overall, the number of people new to the country is actually more than 160,000.  Our total population has grown nearly 3% in a year, roughly one in every thirty people in the country now, has arrived in the past year. Wow.  Bear in mind we've had some very wonky years because of COVID.  That meant only a tiny number of reluctantly approved arrivals and thousands of our own people locked out or having to go through a lottery for a chance of coming home.  Net migration actually dropped to zero literally overnight in 2020, and stayed there or went negative for the next two years.  So, a bit of catch-up was only to be expected.  Needed even, when we heard constant cries