What Are the Conditions to Find a Job?

Nevertheless, New Zealand is far from offering very attractive salaries, with an average income that is 30% lower than in Australia. Despite an undeniable quality of life, wage differentials push many Kiwis to expatriate themselves for a few years to seek fortune.

If the worker is not subjected to excessive formalities like in European countries, he must nevertheless overcome some formalities to be able to work and pay his taxes.

To help you, I will review all the essential steps concerning the travelers with a Working Holiday Visa..

But I reassure you right away: there is no need to open a tube of aspirin to be successful.

The steps are simple and usually fast. Reading this article will take you only a few minutes but will save your precious time in New Zealand.

You could ask your first employer if he can claim the IRD number for you. However, he can refuse if he wants, and you would probably lose the job opportunity... You’d better do the procedure all by yourself!.

Visit the website of the tax administration and complete the application form.

If you do not have access to the Internet, you can also get the document in a post office.

Fill out the form and send it to the appropriate department along with a photocopy of two pieces of identification (your Passport, International Driving License, Identity Card or Hanz Card).

The identity card from your own country can be accepted (you need to provide a double-sided photocopy), but this is not always the case and you should ask first (please note that the driver's license is usually not accepted as evidence).

By the way, you may have heard about the Hanz Card +18, and I will talk about it in the next section.

It will take from one to three weeks to receive you IRD number. In the meantime, you can legally start working.

As soon as you have your IRD number, you'll just have to communicate the information to your employer who will finally be able to pay your wages.

The credit card format of the Hanz Card is convenient because it allows not to circulate constantly with your passport in the pocket.

As travelers with a Working Holiday Visa, you can apply for this card by following the three-step procedure.

The free form to request a Hanz Card +18 is to be retrieved at the post offices of New Zealand or on the official website. Please note that the rest of the procedure cannot be done online and requires your presence in the country.

A part of the form must be completed, signed and stamped by a state official. Just go to a police station (avoid the end of the day, they close around 5 pm) to meet the officer in charge of the Hanz Card +18.

Return to a post office and go to the counter with your form and all supporting documents.

Your file will be checked and if nothing is missing, you will receive a receipt and a prepaid envelope will be added.

Keep the receipt as it indicates the number of your request.

In case of problems, this number will be your only recourse to claim your card. The Hanz Card +18 will normally be mailed to you in the prepaid envelope. You'll receive it within two to three weeks.

Taxes are collected by the employer in New Zealand, but this does not exempt you from reporting your income.

However, the procedures are simpler than in the rest of the world.

The fiscal year begins on the 1st of April and ends on the 31st of March of the following year. You are supposed to report your taxes over the Internet between March and June. Given your situation, you will just have to indicate the total of your salaries.

New Zealand is famous for its simple tax system, and it should take less than five minutes to declare an income. And you will spend even less time paying them to the extent that they are already collected by the employer...

The PAYE system, “Pay As You Earn” is in use and includes a 2% contribution to the ACC. This means that part of your income goes to the association that help the victim of accidents (even if they are foreigners like you).

The tax rates are lower than in most European countries and based on an honest system.

There is therefore no surprise to fear, and if you know how much you earn, you can immediately know how much you will pay.

Good news, if you stay until the end of your WHV, you can even claim a refund of a part of your income tax. However, you will not be able to recover the GST on your purchases (GST is not reimbursed in New Zealand).

Of course, you cannot contribute for your retirement during your stay in New Zealand, unless you are working in a branch of a company from your home country. Even if it is the case, the conditions are fairly strict. In other terms, you should consider emigrating to New Zealand if you desire to stay.

If getting Working Holiday Visa is a key step, this is not the only one, and the first weeks in the country will be occupied by some procedures to follow.

The opening of a bank account is one of theses tasks to do, and I invite you to read our article devoted to the subject.

Since the country is less populated, the bureaucracy has not yet taken power like in Europe, and common sense is often the rule.

In other terms, it is a country where one can discuss with the tax authorities without having the feeling of running into a wall.

But the small delays that slip between each step can accumulate and you may lose a month before being able to work!

Ben the Kiwi is an expert of the Working Holiday Visa that answers all your practical questions. I invite you to find his section a little further down in the page.

After what, you will still need to find a job in New Zealand. But I'm pretty sure that reading of our guide about the sectors that hire young people in Working Holiday Visa should be helpful.