To work in NZ, you need to be a NZ resident or citizen, or hold a valid work visa.
If you have a work visa, be sure you understand any conditions on it. For example, if you want to change jobs but your visa says you can only work for a specific employer, you need to apply to Immigration NZ to change your visa to your new accredited employer.
Your employer must give you a written employment agreement before you begin work.
The agreement must have these clauses in it:
- a description of your work
- where you will work
- the days and hours you will work
- whether your job is permanent, casual, or for a fixed time
- the amount you will be paid
- how you and your employer will manage any disagreements.
It is illegal for your employer to:
- charge you money for giving you a job
- take money out of your wages without your permission
- keep your passport.
In New Zealand, you can have your own employment agreement or a collective agreement that is negotiated by a union. Unions are common in New Zealand for jobs such as teaching, bus driving, retail, and construction.
If your employer offers you a casual employment agreement, they don’t have to offer you any hours of work each week. They might only tell you a few days beforehand if they want you to work.
A casual employment agreement will probably not meet the conditions of your work visa, which usually requires you to work at least 30 hours each week. We strongly recommend that you talk to a lawyer before you sign a casual employment agreement.
Asking for money to give you a job
It is illegal in NZ for an employer to ask you to pay them to give you a job.
They also can’t try to take money from your wages just for giving you a job. If you have paid an employer to a New Zealand bank account for a job, or if your employer has taken money from your wages in New Zealand for a job, you can make a claim in the Employment Relations Authority to get this money back. Unfortunately, if you paid the employer into an account outside NZ, then you can’t recover the money unless the employer agrees to pay it back to you.
Trial periods
Employers are no longer allowed to include 90-day trial clauses in employment agreements for migrant workers.
Employers can no longer include, or dismiss migrant workers under, a 90-day trial clause. If you are dismissed on the basis of a 90-day trial clause under your existing visa, you will be able to bring a grievance against your employer, and you can also apply for a visitor visa.
