We hadn't thought it through, says the Greens. 

They are saying sorry for how their immigration policy was announced last year. 

The party wanted to cap migration at 1 percent of population growth but there were complaints the Greens were pandering to anti-immigration rhetoric.

Co-leader James Shaw said the policy was put together quickly and not thought through.

So he wanted to apologise to where it mattered most.

"We had the opportunity to speak at the Federation of Multi-Cultural Council and we thought, well these are the communities that we most want to communicate with. We took that opportunity to do it then."

Shaw said the party's immigration policy is now under review.

"I think when we went out with that we hadn't really thought through all the implications of it, so it was hastily put together," he said.

Mr Shaw said a new policy should be out within weeks.

LISTEN ABOVE AS JAMES SHAW SPEAKS TO MIKE HOSKING