2321 (2025). Hon Phil Twyford to the Minister of Immigration

2321 (2025). Hon Phil Twyford to the Minister of Immigration: What are the title and date of any documents that mention her discussion with officials about the failure to consult Pacific labour-sending governments on the August 2024 changes, and the instruction that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials should apologise for the omission?

Hon Erica Stanford: Discussions about Pacific governments who are members of the RSE scheme not being notified prior to the announcement of the changes took place verbally. I did not instruct that Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials apologise for the omission and it would not have been appropriate for me to do so as I am not the Minister of Foreign Affairs. I said that apologies needed to be conveyed however most appropriate. This occurred in a range of ways. I note that I am advised that the previous Government did not consult with Pacific partners on changes to the RSE scheme in 2021 and only informed them of changes to the scheme in 2023 approximately one hour prior to the public announcement.