Labour wants to end the dislocation of Pacific Island families who are split apart for years by New Zealand's immigration rules.
A number of measures in Labour's new immigration policy were targeted at Pacific groups, including proposals to speed up family reunification and raise the pay of seasonal workers - many of whom come from the islands.
Labour Party immigration spokesman Trevor Mallard said the proposals were not an election-year bid for the Pacific vote but would simply honour New Zealand's historical relationships with its neighbouring countries.
National's changes to migration rules had made it "disproportionately difficult" for Pacific migrant families to be reunited in New Zealand, even when most of the family had been living and working here for long periods.