TLDR;

• Working holiday visas for New Zealand are available to citizens of 45 specific countries;
• Different rules around length of visa and age apply based on the visa holder's country;
• Similarly different rules apply to work rights, depending on the citizenship of the visa holder;
• Working Holiday visa holders cannot take a permanent job in New Zealand;
• Working in the viticulture or horticulture industries for at least 3 months, allows working holiday visa holders to apply to stay in New Zealand for another 3 months.

What are New Zealand Working Holiday visas?

Working holiday visas allow young people from recognised countries to work and travel in New Zealand, for up to 36 months.

Working holiday visas are available to young people — normally aged 18 to 30, but 18 to 35 in a select few countries.

How long does a working holiday visa last for?

Most working holiday visas allow the holder to work for up to 12 months in New Zealand. Canadian citizens get this extended to 23 months. And citizens from the United Kingdom get up to 3 years.

Should I hire someone who is on a Working Holiday visa?

New Zealand working holiday visa holders have varying work conditions depending on which country they hold citizenship. 

All can start work straight away upon entering the country.

They are not allowed to be offered/accept permanent roles.

To understand the specific condition of employment it is imperative that employers perform a Right To Work check on all Working Holiday makers. And this is where vSure can help. 

How many working holiday visa holders are in New Zealand?

No definitive statistics are available on the number of active Working Holiday visa holders in New Zealand, but there were 48,345 working holiday visas in 2024 up from 45,264 in 2023.

Do working holiday visas have full work rights in New Zealand?

In a word, No. Working Holiday makers cannot take a permanent role. And depending on which country they come from, there can be different conditions applied to their visa.

Employers are advised they need to check the work conditions when employing working holiday makers.

Can a visa holder renew their Working Holiday visa?

No. Visa Holders only get one New Zealand Working Holiday Visa during a lifetime. If they want to stay for longer once they’re here, they can apply for another type of visa such as a temporary worker, student, or resident.

Which countries have Working Holiday arrangements in New Zealand?

There are currently 45 countries with Working Holiday arrangements with New Zealand. They are:

• Argentina
• Austria
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Canada
• Chile
• China
• Croatia
• Czechia (Czech Republic)
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Japan
• Korea
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malaysia
• Malta
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Peru
• Philippines
• Poland
• Portugal
• Singapore (Work Exchange Programme Visa)
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Turkiye (Turkey)
• United Kingdom  (UK)
• Uruguay
• United States of America (USA)
• Vietnam

Working Holiday Extension Work Visa

Working Holiday visa holders that have worked in the viticulture or horticulture industries for at least 3 months, can apply for a Working Holiday Extension Work Visa, which can allow them to stay in New Zealand for another 3 months.

How can I make sure my employee can work on their Working Holiday visa?

If you only have a few foreign workers, use the New Zealand Immigration's  VisaView to confirm which work conditions apply to your employee’s visa. If you have more than a few foreign workers, then you need the vSure work rights app (see below).

Make sure that you continue to check regularly during employment to ensure that the visa continues to be in effect.

If an employee’s visa ceases, they may not be able to continue working for you, so make sure that you discuss the situation with the employee well ahead of time.

Are you compliant and checking the work rights of ALL of your workers?

The vSure Work Rights app has been built to ensure New Zealand employers are compliant with the obligations to check employee work rights.

Rather than having to manually check individuals, vSure has been built specifically for employers with more than a few foreign workers to check and automatically keep checking work rights. The app will email or SMS you each time it checks (generally monthly), ensuring you maintain your compliance, without the manual effort.

If you want the easiest and most effective way to ensure work rights compliance, please click here to request a demonstration today.