New Zealand Employment

Travellers on a student visa who have a ‘variation of conditions’ clause may work for up to twenty hours during the academic calendar and full time (38 hours a week) during university holidays.  You may have to pay a fee to apply for the variation of conditions clause, but you are not permitted to work without one.  This does not include postgraduate students, or any work experience you do as part of your course requirement.

New Zealand’s labour laws are strict guidelines that prevent employers from taking advantage of their employees.  Employers must pay you at or above the award rate (which is NZ$10 – 15, depending on the industry) and are not allowed to gender discriminate, i.e. you cannot be refused employment because of your sex, and men and women must be paid the same amount.

Everyone who works in New Zealand legally must have an Inland Revenue Department number.  Depending on how much you earn, you may have to pay taxes (and depending on how much tax you pay, you may be able to claim a rebate.)  Contact the Inland Revenue Department to apply for an IRD number.  Your employer will need your IRD number before you commence work and will withhold any necessary tax from you salary.

New Zealand has many recruitment agencies that can help you find work.  Student Job Search is an agency run by students for students.  Your university may provide job seeking services, or you can check the classifieds in the local paper.
Some people will try to take advantage of backpackers by offering them ‘cash work’.  They will employ you (most frequently at farms and orchids as a fruit picker) and pay you cash, without informing the IRD.  This sort of work is often poorly paid and susceptible to corruption. 

If there is no formal record of your employment or the hours you work, you have no course of action if you are paid incorrectly, or not at all.  You can also be fined if the IRD find out.

For more information, contact Immigration New Zealand on free call 0508 558 855, or visit their website.  Your AA Education Representative can also assist with visa queries and assistance with finding work.