Tauranga-based NZ First MP Clayton Mitchell approves of changes to the government's immigration policy, saying it's about time it took action.

He's commenting on Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse's announced changes to the Government's New Zealand Residence Programme (NZRP) for the next two years.

They include raising the number of points required for residence from 140 to 160 under the Skilled Migrant Category, and halving the number of places for the capped family category.

'Migrants make a valuable contribution to New Zealand both culturally and economically, and the Government periodically reviews all our immigration settings to make sure they are working as intended,” says Michael.

'While we are confident our immigration settings are working well, the NZRP is reviewed every couple of years to ensure we have the right number and skill mix of people gaining residence.”

The planning range for residence approvals will reduce by around 10 percent, while changes to the Family Category, including temporarily closing the Parent Category to new applications, will also reduce the total number of migrants being granted residence. English language skills of prospective residents are also being tested more thoroughly.

'Increasing the points required to gain residence from 140 to 160 will moderate the growth in applications in the Skilled Migrant Category and enable us to lower the overall number of migrants gaining residence,” he says.

'Raising the points will also prioritise access for higher-skilled SMC migrants, ensuring we strike the right balance between attracting skilled workers that allow companies to grow and managing demand in a period of strong growth.”

Clayton Mitchell calls the move a step in the right direction, but says more needs to be done.

'It is a 180 degree turn, which I think is a result of public pressure on the government in recent months to address the issue,” says Clayton.

'There have been clear cases where parent reunification visas have been abused, leading to parents of migrants being left high and to become burdens on the state. So it's about time the government moved on that.”

In terms of affecting the Bay's economy, the new changes are unlikely to amount to much.

Nikki Johnson, Chief Executive of NZ Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated, says the kiwifruit industry will not be directly affected by the changes.

'The majority of our permanent skilled workforce are New Zealand citizens or permanent residents,” says Nikki.

'As the industry experiences significant growth, there are and will be skills shortages now and in the future. Our programmes are focused on attracting and training New Zealanders to meet these requirements.”

Nikki says sourcing workers from outside New Zealand for temporary employment during seasonal activities such as harvesting is important for the industry during labour shortages, but believes the immigration policy changes are unlikely to have any impact on their seasonal workforce.