The Immigration Minister is confident there is enough work in the regions as he encourages new migrants to head there.

LISTEN ABOVE: Rachel Smalley speaks to Gisborne Mayor Meng Foon and Hospitality NZ CEO Bruce Robertson about the proposed changes.

The government's looking to change legislation so immigrants get more points toward a visa if they head for the regions. The new rules are designed to boost local economies through increasing bonus points used to calculate whether residency requests should be approved or denied. Skilled workers who take jobs in the regions will have bonus points bumped up from an extra 10 to an extra 30 points.

New migrants will also have to stay for at least 12 months, rather than just three.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse said there's nothing stopping them heading to the provinces now.
"There are certainly enough opportunities around the country and I think it behoves those regional economic development units to work with Immigration New Zealand to identify what skills are require, what attractions there are in their regions, and then go out and hunt the migrants where they're needed."

Other rules will help temporary immigrants gain residence which Woodhouse said will help temporary migrants who have no pathway for residence.

In places like Southland or Canterbury what's needed isn't necessarily high skills, but to fill the demand for labour, Woodhouse said.

"We work really hard to get Kiwis into those jobs. There's no doubt there's a significant number of people who've been there for some years in some cases who don't have a pathway to residence."

"They make really good contributions to their local communities and we're going to give them a pathway to stay."

The announced plans include a Global Impact Tech Visa which Prime Minister John Key said is aimed at attracting young and skilled entrepreneurs to New Zealand who could invent the next big thing.

"There's been a couple of guys racing around New Zealand who've been very successful in their own right, they want to bring a whole bunch of people down from Silicon Valley," Key said.

"It's early next year before they really button it down."

Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei said the new policy has been a long time coming.

"They could have engaged in this more deliberate regional economic development approach some years ago so there the regions weren't suffering like they are already," Turei said.

Auckland Chamber of Commerce head Michael Barnett believes that to make the most of the new policy, the regions need to start planning as there are good opportunities in agriculture, forestry, aquaculture and geothermal as well as tourism.

"Regions are going to have to respond because it's no longer about who will we choose, the regions are going to have to say 'How can we get them to choose us'," Barnett said.

The Government's full immigration reform includes:

Skilled workers who take jobs in the regions will have bonus points bumped up from an extra 10 to an extra 30 points.
Those who set up businesses outside Auckland will be given 40 extra points, doubled from the current 20.

Employers will be able to contact Work and Income directly to check whether New Zealanders are available to fill a particular vacancy before they lodge a visa application with Immigration New Zealand.

A pathway to residence will be provided for a limited number of long-term migrants on temporary work visas in the South Island.