"There has been a significant growth in the number of lower-skilled temporary migrants in the South Island who help fill genuine labour shortages and have become well-settled here", Mr Woodhouse says.
"The other threshold will be set at 1.5 times the New Zealand median income of 73,299 NZ dollars a year for jobs that are not now considered skilled, but are well paid", Woodhouse said.
A second threshold will be set at $73,000 - one-and-a-half times the median income.
The introduction of a maximum duration of three years for lower-skilled and lower-paid Essential Skills visa holders, after which a minimum stand down period will apply before they are eligible for another lower-skilled temporary work visa.
"These changes are created to strike the right balance. and encourage employers to take on more Kiwis and invest in the training to upskill them", immigration minister Michael Woodhouse said in a statement.
Partners and children would also no longer be able to come in automatically and get work and student visas, but instead would enter the country as visitors and would need to meet visa requirements in their own right.
Eligible migrants would be granted an initial Work to Residence temporary visa, which would make them eligible for residence in two more years provided they stay in the same industry and region.
Migration has become a hot topic in the lead up to New Zealand's September 23 general election.
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The original plan was to double the executions over four nights, prior to the state's supply of lethal injection drugs expired. Their second claim is that he suffers from an intellectual disability that stems from fetal alcohol syndrome.
"But in reality it's a callous attempt to hold onto power".
"At the same time, proposed stand-down rules for lower-skilled migrants will reduce the potential for residence applications to be dominated by lower-skilled workers".
Firth said hospitality workers were not included on the list of seasonal occupations and that would be an issue for areas like Rotorua and Queenstown that experienced big seasonal peaks and troughs.
The new measures are aimed at controlling record-high levels of migration to New Zealand, amid growing concern about housing shortages, road congestion and overcrowding in Auckland, and other major New Zealand cities.
The Government has argued strong immigration flows are a measure of the country's success and contribute positively to the wider economy.
Mr Woodhouse also announced changes to permanent and temporary immigration settings, to "managing the number and improving the quality of migrants coming to New Zealand".
This week Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced an end to a visa programme for skilled migrants, as part of a bid to tackle unemployment.
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