Air New Zealand has been granted approval to continue employing people from overseas.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment had sought feedback on the airline's application.
The airline said jobs such as software automation test engineers and design engineers are highly specialised and would be hard to fill from within this country.
However its application was opposed by the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) and the Flight Attendants and Related Services Association.
The unions said engineering jobs are being lost throughout the country, and those people could fill the positions.
The EPMU said engineering jobs are lost throughout the country and those people could fill the positions on offer. It said the approval to bring in foreign workers is disappointing.
