Venture Southland welcoming communities advisor Sue Morrison-Bailey is asking for feedback on what Southland can do to better welcome migrants.

Immigration New Zealand figures show Invercargill is set to receive between 135 and 145 Colombian refugees by the end of June 2019.

Emails obtained from Immigration New Zealand refugee and protection unit acting national manager Suzanne Malan to Invercargill mayor Tim Shadbolt and deputy mayor Rebecca Amundsen show a steady stream of refugees will arrive during the next 18 months.

The city is scheduled to receive 45 refugees from Colombia in the first six months of the year, spread across three intakes, and represents 5 per cent of New Zealand's total refugee intake for the 2017/18 financial year.

The first group of 15 is expected to arrive in town on March 2.

These refugees arrived in New Zealand in January, and are undertaking a reception programme at the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre.

This rate of arrival will continue in the 2018/19 financial year, with the settlement of a further 90 to 100 refugees planned.

Colombia has been embroiled in armed conflict since the 1960s, with government forces fighting a variety of armed criminal and paramilitary groups.

The fighting has taken a severe toll on the civilian population, with murders, forced recruitment of child soldiers, sexual violence, landmines and forced displacement amongst the effects endured by the people.

There are more than 6.8 million internally displaced persons within Colombia, second in the world only to Syria.

The Colombian refugees accepted by New Zealand are taken from the 360,000 that have sought refuge in neighbouring Ecuador and Venezuela, and recognised as refugees by the United Nations Refugee Agency.

Venture Southland welcoming communities advisor Sue Morrison-Bailey thought locals would make the newcomers feel welcome, saying "they will stand up and they will step up".

She spoke as the welcoming communities pilot project prepares to seek public input on how the community can achieve this goal.

Public feedback is being sought by Venture Southland as to how the community can make new migrants feel welcome.

Morrison-Bailey said a public survey was launching on Monday, February 12.

"We want feedback from them in regards to whats happening in the community now, what do they see that is potentially welcoming and encouraging ... and what can we do better in the future, what do you see is missing?

"We want great feedback, fresh ideas so that we can put that into our welcoming plan and really get people interacting together."

The survey will be open for a week on Venture Southland's website.

Southland was one of five regions selected to take part in a pilot for the welcoming communities programme, with the Invercargill, Gore, and Southland councils collaborating, and Venture Southland playing a coordinating role.

The pilot is aimed at preparing communities to be ready to receive new migrants and the local project is receiving $100,000 in funding over two years from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

Forecast skill shortages meant attracting skilled migrants was key to the future prosperity of the region Morrison-Bailey said.

"(Skill shortages) are a world wide phenomena, but Venture Southland is on to it, we're getting in early."

It was rare for Southlanders to work alongside other cultures until relatively recently she said, but things have been gradually changing.

"With the Filipino migration with the dairy industry, and the amazing influx of the SIT international students, Southlanders are very much aware that our region and our culture is changing.

"They are very aware that to support our economy and our regions growth we have to have new people."

As well as attracting new people to the province, work was required to ensure they remained here, she said, and ensuring locals were making them feel welcome was a big piece of the puzzle.

"It's all about making the host community aware that we've got to step up and step forward and actually talk to newcomers.

"We do not want people to come, feel isolated and leave."