A special visa programme has just been launched to attract more entrepreneurs to New Zealand.

The Global Impact Visa has been designed to let in entrepreneurs who get turned away for not meeting typical immigration standards.

An example of non-typical entrepreneurs is the developers behind a solar cooker called SolSource. Developed by One Earth Designs, it has revolutionised the lives of hundreds in parts of rural Asia.

"We're also developing a line of batteries so you can store solar energy from the system," says One Earth Designs CEO Catlin Powers.

The cooker is sold in 68 countries and One Earth has offices in the US, Norway and Hong Kong.

Ms Powers now wants to base herself in New Zealand thanks to the newly introduced Global Impact Visa.

"It's another pioneering step ... which I think could set a really good example for the world at a time when a lot of the rest of the world is becoming protectionist."

The Edmund Hillary Fellowship's had interest from 350 entrepreneurs from 74 different countries.

"This was needed because a lot of the great entrepreneurs New Zealand was trying to attract did not fit within the traditional immigration pathways," says Fellowship CEO Joseph Ayele.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse says the decision to hand over the initial selection process to the Edmund Hillary Fellowship is unusual.

"It is ... much like an innovation Dragon's Den if you like," he says.

Labour supports the visa programme and the idea of experimenting with New Zealand's immigration policies.

Newshub.