10 March 2025
Ref: REQ-0009818
Adam Irish
Email: [FYI request #29763 email]
Tēnā koe Adam Irish
Thank you for your email of 18 February 2025 to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and
Employment (MBIE) requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), the
following information:
1. Whether New Zealand's current unemployment rates are taken into account when
determining residency targets.
2. Whether the number of new building consents, relative to New Zealand’s net total
population growth, is considered to prevent further strain on the housing market.
3. How these factors are balanced to ensure that house prices do not rise
disproportionately and that New Zealanders are not further disadvantaged in terms of
housing affordability and the ability to raise families.
Please see our response to your request.
The first thing to note is that NZ does not have a target for the overal number of residency
visas granted. There are some small types of residence visas with capped volumes (e.g.
parent category resident visa). Given that there is no target for residency visas, the response
below answers whether these factors are considered in setting immigration policies,
particularly residency.
Advice on immigration settings considers a variety of potential impacts including NZ’s
absorptive capacity (i.e. the capacity of infrastructure, including housing, to accommodate
population growth driven by migration), and impacts on the labour market, including
meeting skill shortages, the unemployment rate and the potential risks of displacement of
New Zealanders in the labour market.
How these factors are balanced depends on the policy being analysed, and a generic
response to these questions is not possible.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, or if you require any
further assistance, please contact
[email address].
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz
or freephone 0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Polly Vowles
Manager, Immigration (Skills and Residence) Policy
Labour, Science and Enterprise, MBIE
