Two New Seasonal Work Visas To Grow Economy
The Government is introducing two new seasonal visa pathways to help New Zealand businesses access the workers they need during peak periods, while also prioritising jobs for New Zealanders.
'We know the success of our seasonal industries is critical to growing the economy. These new visas will make it easier for employers to bring back experienced seasonal workers and to fill short-term roles that are hard to fully staff locally,' Immigration Minister Erica Stanford says.
'We are making sure businesses can access the right people at the right time, while also protecting opportunities for Kiwis.'
The Global Workforce Seasonal Visa (GWSV) is an up to three-year visa for highly experienced seasonal workers in roles such as rural contracting, sheep scanning, winemaking, and snow instruction. It enables skilled workers to return for subsequent seasons on the same visa. Visa holders will need to spend a minimum of three months out of every 12 months offshore before returning to New Zealand.
The Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV) is a visa of up to seven months for short-term seasonal roles such as meat and seafood processing, calf-rearing, and wool handling. Visa holders will have to have at least one season of previous relevant experience and people will need to leave New Zealand for at least four months before the visa can be renewed. For visa over three months there will be a new requirement for insurance with health coverage.
Employers will be required to advertise these roles, as well as engage with MSD, to ensure that New Zealand workers continue to be prioritised.
'These visas are designed to reflect the realities of seasonal work and the diverse range of skill levels involved. They'll help fill critical roles in industries where employers struggle to find enough New Zealand workers at peak times. From ski instructors guiding first-timers down the slopes to wine makers helping create next year's vintage, these visas are designed to keep seasonal industries humming.'
'These changes are part of our plan to deliver smart, flexible and nuanced immigration solutions to help grow our economy,' Ms Stanford says.
Notes:
Both visa pathways will open for applications on 8 December 2025 as subsets of the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and will complement the existing Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme, which will continue unchanged.
The visas are only available for specified seasonal roles, listed on the Immigration New Zealand website
The new visas will replace the interim seasonal Specific Purpose Work Visa (SPWV), which was introduced in 2024 as a short-term measure to meet seasonal workforce needs. The seasonal SPWV allowed stays of up to nine months and was always intended as a temporary solution.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
28 minutes ago
- NZ Herald
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick kicked out of House for a second time
The issue stems from comments made during Tuesday's Palestine debate. Swarbrick was urging Government MPs to support her bill sanctioning Israel, saying: 'If we find six of 68 Government MPs with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history'. Speaker Gerry Brownlee told her to apologise. When she refused, she was kicked out of the House and barred for a week. When Swarbrick returned to the House today, a similar scenario played out. Brownlee again asked her to apologise and kicked her out when she refused. He also 'named' her, among the harshest penalties a Speaker can dish out on the spot and results in her pay being docked. As she left the House, she said: 'Free Palestine'. After Swarbrick left the chamber, other MPs questioned the Speaker's decision to name Swarbrick. Labour MP Willie Jackson said he had been kicked out but not barred from the House for twice calling David Seymour a liar. He noted this incident, in which Swarbrick has been very seriously disciplined, did not sit well with that precedent. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer referred to Act MP Brook Van Velden's use of the word c**t in the House without punishment. Labour leader Chris Hipkins said a Speaker's Ruling from Jonathan Hunt was that when the MP leaves the chamber on the day the original incident occurred, the matter was considered over. But Brownlee said a new ruling, from 2017, superseded that. Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the matter should have been considered over when Chlöe Swarbrick left the house on Tuesday. Photo / Mark Mitchell Speaking to reporters outside the debating chamber, the Greens co-leader said the punishment was unprecedented and the Speaker was not treating her party fairly. MPs had said far more egregious things in the House before without facing such a tough punishment, she said. 'As far as I am aware, there is no situation in which a Speaker has asked for somebody to withdraw and apologise, that person has refused to apologise, then been ordered to leave the house ... and the person has complied.' She said she felt as though the rules were being made up. 'This is uncharted territory. There is no precedent to cling to here.' Swarbrick already has plans to be in her electorate of Auckland Central tomorrow. Her party would continue discussing the issue with the Clerk.
RNZ News
28 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Oral Questions for Wednesday 13 August 2025
Questions to Ministers HANA-RAWHITI MAIPI-CLARKE to the Minister of Education: What Maori education providers has she consulted with, if any, regarding the impact her proposed education changes will have on Maori learners across Aotearoa? NANCY LU to the Minister of Finance: What reports has she seen on New Zealand's fiscal policy and tax settings? Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? GRANT McCALLUM to the Minister of Immigration: What recent announcements has she made about supporting businesses to access seasonal workers? Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS to the Minister for Energy: Does he agree with the chief executive officer of Consumer NZ and the managing director of Simplicity, in the Protecting industry, jobs and household budgets as the gas runs out report, that accelerating heat pump adoption will reduce reliance on gas, protect jobs, improve public health, and lower energy costs for New Zealand families and businesses? LAURA McCLURE to the Minister for Children: What recent announcements has she made about improving the experiences of Oranga Tamariki caregivers? Hon WILLIE JACKSON to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she stand by her statement about unemployment that "I'm really confident our approach is working"; if so, why is unemployment worse than this time last year, with 16,000 more people unemployed? Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? CATHERINE WEDD to the Minister of Conservation: What recent announcements has he made about the Conservation Act 1987? Hon PEENI HENARE to the Associate Minister of Housing: Does he agree with Hon Chris Bishop that homelessness has "potentially ticked up a little bit, up a little bit more in the last couple of years"? GREG FLEMING to the Minister for Mental Health: What recent reports has he seen on growth in the mental health workforce? To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
28 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Education minister over-reached on te reo in books, say principals
Erica Stanford was worried five-year-olds would be confused by Māori words in the Ready to Read Phonics Plus series. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii Education Minister Erica Stanford has overstepped by excluding te reo Māori from future books in a series for learner readers, says the NZ Principals' Federation. A ministry document showed Stanford made the decision in October because she was worried five-year-olds would be confused by Māori words in the Education Ministry's Ready to Read Phonics Plus series. At the same time, Stanford ruled that one of the 27 books that already contained Māori words should be re-sized as a big book and would not be reprinted as a 'reader' that children could take home or read together in groups. She also told officials to ensure that Māori pronunciation was explicitly taught from children's second year at school - a first for the English curriculum. Stanford later told RNZ the decision about future books would affect only 12 books that were being developed to complete the series. But Principals' Federation president Leanne Otene said the minister was out of line. "I don't support any of these decisions. One book, 12 books, 20 books, future books - these decisions have not involved the sector. The people who should be making decisions about the resources that are used in classrooms are teachers. They're the ones who are selecting the books to teach the children how to read," she said. "I do not understand why the minister is hands-on in this. That's an overstep. It's an over-reach. The experts are the teachers in front of the children. They have always selected the readers and resources that meet the needs of the children in their class." Otene said the minister was doing five-year-olds a disservice if she thought they could not cope with Māori in their readers. "We are very disappointed and there will be some very upset whanau, parents of children who want their children to see themselves in these books, who want the language that they're using at home being used within the the learning environment," she said. "We're not just talking about Māori children here, we're talking about everyday Kiwi kids who are using Māori." Stanford said she disagreed with the federation. She said English words were not used in Māori language readers in Māori-immersion classes, so it made sense not to have Māori words in readers in English-medium classrooms. But Rawiri Wright from the runanganui for kura kaupapa Māori said that was not a fair comparison. "We are a total immersion Māori language setting for primary school, that is not my understanding of the majority of English-medium schools. "They say they are English-medium but they are supposed to be places where both official languages or all three official languages are recognised, so I don't think the minister's argument holds any water," he said. The Education Ministry said it had released 78 books in the Ready to Read Phonics Plus series, of which about 30 included kupu Māori (excluding the names of characters). "These titles will continue to be printed and made available into the future," it said. It said seven books currently in development would include Māori names and a further 12 further books were planned. "Once students have mastered decoding, te reo Māori continues to be supported through the Junior Journal series for Year 3 students and the School Journal series for Years 4-8 students," it said. The ministry said it also provided additional support for te reo Māori use within the Ready to Read Phonics Plus series, sending packs of te reo Māori Kete Cards to all schools. "These resources introduce the origins of the words, support correct pronunciation, and explain the sound-letter relationships of te reo Māori. "We are including appropriate information and guidance about te reo Māori vowel sounds and pronunciation in the English learning area of The New Zealand Curriculum from Year 2. This aligns with when te reo Māori increasingly appears in the Ministry's literacy resources, such as the Junior Journal and School Journal series." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
