New Zealand First are promising to scrap the Accredited Working Visa and replace it with a “shortage-led” Skilled Work Visa if re-elected.<\/p>\n
Entry into New Zealand under the scheme would be tied to an occupation, region and “demonstrated need”, not an employer getting accreditation.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the party said skilled migrants were needed where New Zealanders could not “reasonably fill” a job. The current system had become a “general recruitment channel” for jobs with little connection to a genuine skills shortage.<\/p>\n
“The policy will put New Zealand workers first, lift confidence in the immigration system, protect migrant workers from exploitation, and preserve a clear route for employers who genuinely cannot find critical skills here,” the party said.<\/p>\n
“Immigration must serve New Zealand’s economic interests, fill identifiable shortages, and complement our workforce, not become a general source of labour for ordinary jobs. Nor be used as a back door to bring in friends and family or exploit the system.”<\/p>\n
If re-elected, New Zealand First will:<\/p>\n
– Scrap and replace the Accredited Employer Working Visa<\/p>\n
– Limit access to genuine shortages<\/p>\n
– End routine retail access<\/p>\n
– Apply a New Zealand worker safeguard<\/p>\n
– Restore a proper wage floor<\/p>\n
– Require real domestic recruitment<\/p>\n
– Strengthen employer accreditation<\/p>\n
– Target enforcement where risk is highest<\/p>\n
– Publish meaningful transparency data<\/p>\n
– Protect workers without rewarding bad sponsors<\/p>\n
The party said New Zealand had around 171,000 unemployed people and an underutilisation rate of 13.8%.<\/p>\n
“There will still be genuine shortages, in particular occupations and regions, but employers seeking migrant workers for routine roles should have to prove that they have made a serious effort to employ or train New Zealanders.<\/p>\n
“We are a country with an immigration system, not an international labour-hire agency with a flag.”<\/p>\n
The party said if New Zealanders could be trained to do a job, they should be.<\/p>\n
“If the shortage is real, prove it. If the skill is critical, New Zealand will welcome it.<\/p>\n
“But if the job is routine, the evidence is fiction, and the so-called shortage can be solved by offering a proper wage, the answer will be no,” the party said.<\/p>\n
The policy was announced at a public meeting in Dunedin.<\/p>\n