A Niue opposition MP is advising a cautious approach be taken over encouraging immigrants to solve the island's population problems.
Niue's population has dropped to below 15 hundred with businesses complaining that economic activity has plummetted in the past 12 months.
The Premier Young Vivian has revealed plans to bring in Tongans and Samoans to try and reverse the populaton decline.
Opposition MP Terry Coe says most people accept the population needs to grow, but he says its more critical that the newcomers have the skills to start businesses, rather than where they come from.
And he says there should not be too many in any one year.
"I think if you brought in 500 people we'd have big problems. So I just see that if you brought in maybe ten families, up to ten families a year and spread them around the villages, not put them all in one village and that would do nicely for the country"
