An independent economist says if we stop skilled migrants coming to New Zealand, we risk cutting off a portion of the economy.

Labour Leader Andrew Little said the skilled migrant clause is bringing in too many people, when the jobs of Indian and Chinese chefs, for example, could be filled by Kiwis.

SEE ALSO: Little: We need to turn the tap down on immigration

He said the economy's "creaking" and something needs to be done.

But Shamubeel Eaqub said the real challenge with net migration isn't that migrants are filling jobs, rather, they're filling houses.

"The solution is not to stop people from coming in who are bringing skills and injecting capital and ideas and vibrancy into New Zealand, but to fix the housing market."

Eaqub also said New Zealand's skilled migrant policy is one of the best, and you can't have the Government coming in and tweaking it all the time.

He said these migrants have skills New Zealand doesn't have, and are filling the gaps in our economy.

"It ranges from people who can live in orchards, to working in hospitality, to working as doctors, scientists, and all those kinds of things, and all of those things are absolutely necessary."