Hi,
Like just about everywhere else, NZ has a shortage of jobs. A few years ago they kicked English people out of jobs so NZ-er's returning home with no work from abroad could have jobs.
You may be lucky in somewhere large like Auckland and check out employment agencies or find some summer work somewhere but I would not count on it.
Although there unfortunately is never a guarantee that you'll easily find work, I'm pretty certain that the picture Cyberia paints is much too bleak. Yes, companies are less likely to be hiring than they are in booming times, but things are not at a standstill, and tens of thousands of backpackers keep going to Australia and New Zealand each year on WHVs without getting into serious problems due to not being able to find work (otherwise we'd see a lot more of them complaining about it here on the forum).
Backpacker jobs would generally not even be considered by the locals, as they tend to be very flexible and short term.
As for hotel jobs: Being a traveller is a plus there, and if you have experience, I'd guess that you should be able to find something without too much trouble. (Note that high season in New Zealand runs from late December through early March, so you'll probably want to be applying for hotel jobs a month or two before that...)
I'd second what Sander said - I never struggled to find a job in New Zealand (I work in IT) and friends in various other industries, including tourism, never had any major issues either. The tourist industry in NZ is still huge in spite of the worldwide economic situation, so you should be ok to find hotel work.
During the recession it was harder for non NZers to get a work permit (although lots of my friends are non-kiwis and never had problems) but NZ is now out of recession so that is not the case so much any more.
I heard recently that at Auckland airport there are adverts trying to encourage holiday makers to make their stay more permanent because they need more workers to come into the country, but I can't corroborate this.
Have a look at for hotel/tourism jobs. is the main jobs website in NZ so is worth a try too.
I'll third what Sander said, and second what he said that Cyberia is totally off base. If you can handle fruit picking there is always a demand for workers in season. In the north island during Kiwi picking season, (the fruit not the residents!) they pay up to $20 and hour Kiwi picking. I've never done it, but Ive met people who have. It's back breaking, but hey a few weeks of that can set you up till you find something else. Do your research and off you go.
0 Response to "Work In New Zealand"
Post a Comment