Working holiday in New Zealand

New Zealand is a beautiful country with a lot to offer. Personally, I think a three or four week holiday isn’t long enough to explore the whole country. There is a solution for young people who think the same: a working holiday! This Working Holiday visa gives you the opportunity to live and work in New Zealand for twelve months (twenty three months for people from the UK and Canada). This is a great opportunity to explore the country and discover the culture.

Who is eligible for this?

Young people between the ages of 18 and 30 or 18 to 35 of 45 selected countries are eligible.  Of course there are still documents and information that you must provide when applying. For example, you must upload a copy of your passport. In addition, you must take out travel insurance for the entire time you will be spending there. You must also be able to demonstrate that you have a certain amount of money. I will discuss this in more detail in the chapter below.

Why New Zealand?

There are quite a few countries that offer Working Holiday visas, depending on which country you are from. Each country offers a completely different experience. For some countries it is difficult to get a Working Holiday visa, for others it is easy. You will also find work more easily in some countries than in anothers. Naturally, the culture, food and nature are also very different. So why should you choose New Zealand?

Doing a working holiday in New Zealand is a good choice for several reasons. First, New Zealand is very keen on working travelers. So there are many temporary jobs available, such as “work for accommodation”. There is always work available in New Zealand anyway, you never have to search very long. Secondly, there is an unlimited number of visas per year available for most countries, so you don’t have lotteries. Unfortunately this is not the case for every country, make sure to check here what the case for you is. A year also gives you the time to discover both the North and the South Island thoroughly. New Zealand is a popular destination for a Working Holiday, so you will certainly meet like-minded people with whom you can travel. Read here more about amazing destinations and fun activities in New Zealand.

What to arrange beforehand

Of course you have to apply for the visa, you can easily do this online here. First you create an account and then you can go through the “YOUR COUNTRY Working Holiday Visa” procedure. During the application they will ask you a lot of questions, you have to upload documents and pay a certain amount.

Documents you need to upload

• Copy of your passport
• Police certificates. This is not always necessary, they will indicate this after your application has been submitted
• Medical certificate. This is not always necessary, they will indicate this after your application has been submitted

Most of the people get the visa within a day, unless you have to provide additional documents. If you are approved for the visa, you have one year to enter New Zealand. As soon as you enter the country, your visa starts and you have a year to work and travel. Make sure you have the following documents with you upon arrival.

Documents you must have on arrival

• Passport
• Visa approval letter
• Police certificates (if applicable)
• Travel insurance. New Zealand requires that you have valid insurance for the time you will spend in New Zealand
• Proof you have at least NZD $ 4200. So that if necessary you have enough money to support yourself and buy a plane ticket home.

What to do when you arrive

Once you have arrived in New Zealand you will be very enthusiastic and would like to start your adventure. But you still have to arrange some things before you can start working and traveling.

Open a bank account

Opening a bank account is of course important if you are going to work and want to be paid. I recommend opening a bank account immediately when you arrive in New Zealand. You also need this to request your IRD number (which you need for your taxes).

There are many banking options in New Zealand but I recommend ANZ. It is easy to open a bank account with ANZ. You can walk into one of their branches and arrange it on the spot (provided you have the correct documents). It is now also possible to apply for an account online from abroad, however, you must activate it personally in New Zealand. Click here for more information. ANZ offices are spread throughout the country and I have always experienced excellent customer service. There are different types of bank accounts that you can request, including the Freedom Account. The Freedom Account is free for the first twelve months. You do not pay for transactions and you also get a debit card for free. If you are traveling as a couple, you can also open a joint account for free. This is what I used and I definitely recommend it!

You need the following information to open a bank account:

• Passport details
• Visa information
• Proof of address, you can get this at your hostel or hotel.
• As soon as you have opened your account, immediately request proof of this. You need this to apply for your IRD number.

Request IRD number

An IRD number is a personal number that you will keep for a lifetime. You need this number to pay your taxes, so as soon as you start working. Employers will ask for this number when you apply for a job. You can request an IRD number on this website. You do need a bank account for this, so you can only do this when you are in the country. The whole process takes a few days, so if you want to work quickly, you should request this as soon as you arrive.

You need the following information to apply for an IRD number:

• Passport data
• Bank information
• Immigration New Zealand Application Number, which can be found on your visa approval letter.

Apply for a SIM card

It is of course nice to immediately be reachable when you arrive in New Zealand. Here too you have quite a lot of choice in providers. The four largest providers are Spark, Vodafone, 2degrees and Skinny. To get a SIM card all you have to do is walk into one of their stores. Everyone has their own preference, but I recommend Spark. Spark has free WiFi hotspots throughout the entire country, which saves on your data.

Travel

Arranging transportation

There are several ways to travel around New Zealand. Many people on a working holiday choose to buy a car. This is of course a very nice way to explore the country and there is a large market for it. I also bought a car, which went very quickly. I was also able to sell it very quickly at the end of my trip. Many young people advertise their cars on information boards in hostels, this is a good place to start. Working Holiday Facebook groups are also very popular and otherwise www.trademe.co.nz is an option.

Travel around

If you prefer not to drive around yourself but want to travel by bus, that is of course also possible! Kiwi Experience is very popular among working holidayers. Kiwi Experience offers hop on hop off bus routes, so you can choose where you want to stay longer. For example, you can work somewhere for a few months and then take the bus and move on. These buses are aimed at young people and there is a lot of partying on board.

Another hop-on hop-off bus company is StrayTravel. This operates the same way as Kiwi Experience but with fewer young people and they are more focused on discovering the “real” NZ. I would definitely recommend this one!

Haka tours is a local company that also organises tours. These tours are focused on adventurous people. There are tours from 7 to 23 days and they are packed with exciting and fun activities. Click here for more information about their tours.

For more inspiration on where to go and what to do, see the Destinations and Tours pages.

Work

Working is of course an important aspect of a Working Holiday. As said before, it is not very difficult to find work in New Zealand. Work for accommodation is very popular in hostels and guesthouses. That is where you work a few hours a week in exchange for a place to stay. If you do this, you will have enough time to find another job or to travel. WWOOFing is also popular in New Zealand. This works the same as work for accommodation but is generally on a farm. While WWOOFing you usually also get meals.

In addition to work for accommodation, you will need a job that does generate money. Jobs in the hospitality industry and in vineyards are very popular with working holidayers. These jobs can be found all over the country and employers are almost always looking for staff. Working in a ski area is also very popular, but you have to arrange this well in advance! So head to Queenstown or Wanaka in the fall to get a job and accommodation.

Useful links for job hunting:

TradeMe Jobs

Backpacker Board

Seek

Pick NZ

Seasonal Work

WWOOF

Extra help

Do you think this visa is for you, but do you think you cannot do it alone? Many young people decide to register with a company that helps them to find jobs and accommodation. I personally think this is a waste of money. New Zealand is very focused on people on working holiday visas. It is not difficult to find jobs and accommodation yourself and you meet many other people on a working holiday. I definitely recommend staying in hostels for the first few days. It’s the fastest way to get to know other travellers and maybe you will even meet a travel buddy. Do you still have questions about a working holiday in New Zealand? Please send me a message 🙂