The New Zealand Government has released its 2025 Budget<\/a><\/span><\/span>, revealing a strong focus on fiscal restraint and private sector-driven growth. While no direct immigration policy changes were announced, the budget\u2019s structural shift could significantly affect migration trends, workforce demands, and settlement outcomes.<\/p>
A major feature of the Budget is the Investment Boost tax incentive, which allows businesses to deduct 20% of the cost of new asset purchases. This is designed to increase productivity and growth and may attract foreign investors or entrepreneurial migrants looking to establish or expand operations in New Zealand. This initiative could support skilled migration through investor-focused pathways, such as the Active Investor Plus visa<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/p>
Alongside business tax relief, Budget 2025<\/span><\/a><\/span> includes significant government investment in infrastructure, aged care, healthcare, and education, all of which are heavily supported by skilled migrant labour.<\/p>
Over $1 billion has been allocated to healthcare infrastructure, including the redevelopment of Nelson Hospital and upgrades to Wellington\u2019s emergency department. This investment responds to rising health demands and an ageing population.<\/p>
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This will likely drive greater demand for:<\/strong><\/p>
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Many of these roles are listed on Immigration New Zealand\u2019s Green List<\/span><\/a><\/span>, making them eligible for faster processing under the Accredited Employer Work Visa<\/a><\/span><\/span> (AEWV) and Skilled Residence pathways<\/a><\/span><\/span>.<\/p>
The Budget commits $700 million to new schools and classrooms and $646 million to learning support, increasing the need for qualified staff across the education sector.<\/p>
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This is expected to expand opportunities for:<\/strong><\/p>
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Many teaching roles are also eligible under AEWV and residence pathways, particularly in regional or high-demand areas. While these investments create promising opportunities, they also coincide with tightened public benefits. Migrants entering these sectors may face:<\/p>
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With rising demand but fewer safety nets, both migrants and employers need to plan carefully.<\/p>
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The Treasury\u2019s Budget forecast points to a solid economic recovery, with 240,000 new jobs expected and wages set to grow faster than inflation. However, while economic growth is at the forefront, support for individuals is being scaled back.<\/p>
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These changes may:<\/strong><\/p>
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New Zealand is relying on private sector-driven recovery, but businesses and migrants will need to navigate a tighter support environment. For employers, it is critical to understand how these shifts affect visa holders and plan accordingly.<\/p>
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New Zealand is relying on the private sector to drive economic growth, and that includes employing global talent. At the same time, support systems for individuals, especially new migrants, are being scaled back. Employers must be prepared to fill these gaps with enhanced workplace support, cultural integration, and onboarding processes.<\/p>
With opportunities rising but risks also increasing, navigating the immigration landscape has never been more complex. Absolute Immigration NZ is here to help businesses make informed hiring decisions and support migrants in settling successfully.<\/p>
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Contact us at <\/span>aisupport@absoluteimmigration.com<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a> to learn how we can support your immigration goals with tailored advice and expert guidance.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Budget 2025 aims to grow the economy through private sector incentives, but reduced public support may challenge new migrants. Here is what employers and migrants need to know. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":54727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[590,594,591,593,589,592,33],"class_list":["post-54725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-business-incentives","tag-cost-of-living","tag-infrastructure-jobs","tag-kiwisaver","tag-new-zealand-budget-2025","tag-settlement-support","tag-skilled-migration"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54725"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54725\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54741,"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54725\/revisions\/54741"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}