Erica Stanford

So there are applications that are in, they've paid their fees, they're ready to go.

They just haven't committed the funds yet.

But, you know, it's like 99 percent of the committed funds and the approved in principle applications go through.

So it's those funds are coming and they will be flowing through directly into New Zealand businesses who are going to be hiring more people, expanding their operations, exporting more, investing in new technologies.

It's really exciting for New Zealand.

This is what growing an economy and becoming more highly productive and producing more highly paid jobs for New Zealanders looks like.

Well, I've asked some of the LIAs and the lawyers who do all these applications and they've said to me, this is not slowing down.

In fact, with an increasingly unstable world, and especially what's happening in the Middle East, we're seeing a heightened number of applications and interest coming through.

So I suspect that there will be another billion flowing into the economy before the end of the year.

Well more than a billion, I would think.

So yeah, not showing signs of slowing down, which again is just great for jobs, great for growth, great for productivity.

Look, I think we can, and there's a range of reasons for it, and I can't take all the credit because there is a global situation happening and there is a window of opportunity for us.

But we certainly can say that we have the most incredible, beautiful country with abundant natural resources and a stable political environment, mostly.

Yeah.

And, you know, a place where people want to raise their children, but also in a really exciting environment for them to invest in incredible companies.

Like the one I was at yesterday down in Dunedin, United Machinists, who are world-leading in what they do, work 24-7 and are about to expand their business threefold.

because of the private credit investment that they've had from this visa.

It is working and it has to work.

That is the intent of the visa and that's what Invest New Zealand do.

Every three months they go out to all of the managed funds and