They tell me Auckland has a housing problem. They tell me Sydney has a housing problem.

They tell me London has a housing problem. Blimey! It seems the world has a housing problem?

The world doesn't have a housing problem. The world has an over-population problem.

And mostly in the wrong places.

We've never had seven billion people co-existing at once on the planet before. And so many countries these days are, quite frankly, scary places to be.

Simply, there are too many bad places to live and not enough nice places. So people move. From the bad places to the good places.

Migration, they call it. And it has its advantages.

Especially if your birth rate is minimal, as it is in most Western countries.

Being in one of the good places, we need to be able to control our immigration.

We can if we want to. But for some reason we just don't seem to be able to.

Feast or famine. That's us!

And so they come. By boat. By plane. By foot.

By any means possible, with or without money.

For a better life. For opportunity. For education, employment – and a life worth living. And we in the West are prime targets.

Because we've created the best countries that give people the most hope and the best opportunities and we encourage innovation and the chance to succeed and be someone.

Just remember, some of these ‘opportunities' have been hundreds of years in the making. The vote, justice and welfare.

The integrity of the systems – all worthy options denied to so many in other lands.

They know it. They know what they don't have.

They see it on their televisions, if they're allowed them, that is.

Then they come, to Europe, America, Australia, Canada and to New Zealand. Rich and poor alike. They come. And will continue to come.

And if we're not careful, we'll drown in the rush.

Graeme Martin, Brookfield