Work in New Zealand this winter! (re-post from CW)

This winter I will be attempting to do something that I am sure a lot of you here on CoolWorks have either thought about doing yourself; or have already done but wished you would have had some help.
Some people here thought it would be a great idea to share with you some of the information that I have gathered to try and make it easier for the rest of you. What a fantastic idea!

As my plan goes now I am planning to be there from Mid-Oct/ April. I do not have firm dates but this should not deter you. This is a plan in progress much like any seasonal plan, it changes and flexes as it needs to.

The important things to know. Being a U.S. citizen you are not required to have a visa to travel to the country. However, if you are planning on working in NZ you are required to have a working visa. This is very easy to attain without paying some organization to help you do so. All of the information you will need is located at the NZ Immigration website. It has a lot of helpful information. For those of you who are between the ages of 18-30 you can apply for a working holiday scheme. The Working Holiday Scheme has the following criteria for U.S. Residents:

You must:
* have a passport from the United States of America that‘s valid for at least three months after your planned departure from New Zealand
* be at least 18 and not more than 30 years old
* not bring children with you
* hold a return ticket, or sufficient funds to purchase such a ticket*
* have a minimum of NZ$4,200 available funds to meet your living costs while you’re here
* meet our health and character requirements
* hold medical and comprehensive hospitalisation insurance for the length of your stay
* be coming to New Zealand to holiday, with work being a secondary intention for your visit
* not have been approved a visa or permit under a Working Holiday Scheme before.

Breakdown:
1.)As of today the exchange rate for U.S. to NZ was 1.68. Therefore $4200NZ= $2487 U.S. dollars
2.)Health and Character requirements- When applying for your working scheme they will ask you a series of health related questions injuries, hospitalizations, illnesses etc. your answers will determine if you are required to send any additional documentation to them in order to approve your visa. There were maybe twenty questions of which no additional documentation was needed by me. Character requirements are only necessary if you plan on staying in the country beyond one year. If so you will be required to send them a police report if they ask for it.
3.) They did not ask me about health insurance. But they say it is a requirement. Perhaps a short term health plan could be purchased. See the Health Insurance chat transcript for help.

It took approx. a week from the time I applied for my visa to the time I received an acceptance and confirmation in my email.

Now it states that your primary objective is that of a tourist and that you should not take up permanent work. Which I know is fine with all of us! The encourage you to take up work in the fields of agriculture, horticulture, viticulture and I have seen many hospitality jobs.

When you arrive or find a job in NZ. You will need to things a NZ bank account and IRD number. The IRD is the equivalent to our SSN. To apply for your IRD simply go to the Inland Revenue website and fill out the application form it should only take a few days. After you have received your IRD number you can now get a NZ bank account at any one of NZ 19 Registered Banks.

As for jobs in NZ. Being that there is no CW in NZ(although I will try and change that while I am there :) ). There are some resources that you can use to help you find a job. Once again The accommodating people of New Zealand have done a great deal of work for you and that have a lot of it broken down on their immigration website that I have tabbed out for you.

For those of you over the age of Thirty I have attached a pdf file that gives all the criteria and information necessary that you will need in order to apply for a 1016.pdfworking visa.


For those of you looking here is some great news from Kari, NZ Seasonal worker shortage!

I hope this helps you all in your future endeavors!!

Kevin