The government has introduced two new work visas for seasonal workers, which Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said visas would make it easier for employers to retain the same workers for multiple seasons.
The Global Workforce Seasonal Visa is for up to three years for experienced seasonal workers in roles such as rural contracting, sheep scanning, winemaking, and snow instruction.
Workers will need to return to their home countries for at least three months each year.
The Peak Seasonal Visa is valid for up to seven months for short-term seasonal roles like 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 visas over three months there will be a new requirement for insurance with health coverage.
Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva said meat processors often struggle to find workers especially in peak season, when hundreds of workers are needed.
“We are very mindful we need to prioritise and … employ New Zealanders first and foremost but when labour is short and we can’t find the necessary labour we are forced to look elsewhere.”
“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,” Stanford said.
Business New Zealand chief executive Katherine Rich said the move was a chance for sectors with periods of high demand to have consistency in workers from overseas.
Agriculture and tourism operators would not have to “start from scratch” every year, and would know the person’s skill level and whether they were a fit for the organisation.
Simpler processes and certainty of workforce quality would provide better value for a wide range of businesses, she said.
Rich was confident the new rules wouldn’t disadvantage local workers, since employers still had to prove they could not fill the role with a New Zealander
Federated Farmers said it would make a huge difference to the agriculture sector.
Immigration spokesperson Karl Dean said having good staff who would be able to return three years in a row would help rural contractors.
“It’s awesome, because it’s the training and getting people used to your processes, your health and safety, the farms you deal with, is what does cost a business.”
Applications for both visas open on 8 December.
The existing recognised seasonal employer (RSE) scheme which will continue unchanged.
The new visas will replace the interim seasonal Specific Purpose Work Visa, was introduced in 2024 as a short-term measure to meet seasonal workforce needs.
