New Zealand PM angry over Trump comparisons

New Zealands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday said she was "infuriated" and "very angry" for being compared to US President Donald Trump.

Last September, the Wall Street Journal headlined a story: "Meet New Zealand's Justin Trudeau - except she's more like Trump on immigration,", the Guardian reported.

In an interview to NBC News, Ardern said the story was completely off the mark. "That infuriated me, it infuriated me," she said.

"We are a party who were at that time campaigning to double our refugee quota. We are a nation built on immigration. I am only a third-generation New Zealander.

"The suggestion in any way that New Zealand wasn't an open, outward-facing country, the suggestion that I was leading something that was counter to that value, made me extremely angry."

Ardern's Labour Coalition government has promised to slash immigration by 20,000 to 30,000 people during its three-year term, with a focus on international students who come to New Zealand on student visas to study at low-quality institutions and then stay on in the country, reports the Guardian.

The government also plans to introduce stricter criteria for which New Zealand companies recruit employees from overseas, in an effort to encourage businesses to hire locals first.

Record high levels of immigration to New Zealand have put pressure on roads, infrastructure and the housing market, according to the Coalition.

--IANS

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