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Working in New Zealand

You will need a 'Variation of Conditions' to your Student Visa/Permit, to work in New Zealand. Contact a New Zealand Immigration Service office (refer to p. 54 for Contact Information) to apply. This may cost NZ$140.

Students may apply to the New Zealand Immigration Service to work:
• to meet course requirements if they are enrolled in a course that requires them to have practical work experience;
• if they are undertaking a full-time course of study in a recognised degree or diploma which takes at least two academic years to complete;
• when they have completed your study.

Where eligible to work (if the student permit states), students may:
• work 15 hours per week for tertiary students;
• work up to 40 hours per week during the Christmas and New Year holiday period.
Students enrolled in a postgraduate study course, may also be able to work for 15 hours per week.
Student Job Search is funded by the government, students’ associations and tertiary institutions and run by student associations, to help students find summer vacation and temporary or part-time work. Refer to www.sjs.co.nz or your local Student Job Search office, for further information.
If you have a ‘Variation of Conditions’ on your visa/Student Permit and are studying at a university, polytechnic or college of education, you are eligible to use Student Job Search. All students studying at New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) approved private training establishment (PTE) are also eligible to use Student Job Search services, but are required to pay an enrolment fee from March to September. 

If you are married, neither your spouse nor any dependants are entitled to work.
After you have completed your studies, you may wish to apply for a Work Visa, which allows you to work in New Zealand full-time. Visit a New Zealand Immigration Service office or go to: www.immigration.govt.nz for more information.
The New Zealand Department of Labour has a number of information resources about employment and work issues. You can view this information online at: http://www.ers.govt.nz/audienceinfo/employees.html This website is also a good resource if you have any employment questions or problems.