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Even if some of you are going to New Zealand with the idea of working in your field (we’ll come back to this later), most working holiday makers opt for odd jobs that change according to the season. As well as being an opportunity to try out lots of different jobs, this also allows you to change regions and take travel breaks between your periods of work.
To help us write this section, we also consulted this New Zealand government page on employment opportunities for immigrants. Don’t hesitate to read the articles specific to your industry. Not all sectors are listed here, as New Zealand does not need all trades.
We are going to provide you with some useful links for a few occupational areas. However, we also recommend that you use other websites and other media for your job search. To find out more, see the last section of this dossier.
Popular sectors for backpackers
Tourism
The tourism sector is very important in New Zealand (around 6% of workers have a job related to this field). Because of high turnover and a growing need for workers in the field, you won’t have too much difficulty finding a job in the sector even if you don’t have any experience.
The tourism sector is intrinsically linked to the hotel and hospitality industries.
The main tourist destinations are Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown, the Canterbury region (including Kaikoura), Central Otago, Abel Tasman, Taupo and Rotorua. These are the areas you should be looking for first. The tourist season is mainly in summer (between December and February): 1/3 of tourists come at this time, compared with 1/5 in winter. While they are more spread out in summer, tourism workers go to the same places in winter.
Some major international groups (such as Accor, SkyCity or InterContinental Hotel Group) regularly recruit employees in this sector. Here are a few links that will also provide you with information on jobs and opportunities in this field:
- Accor
- THL
- InterContinental Hotel Group
- SkyCity Auckland, Hamilton, Queenstown
- New Zealand Tourisme Guide (site qui propose également des offres d’emploi)
- Providore : recruitment agency specialising in hospitality
- Museums aotearoa (recruitment site for museums in New Zealand)
- Adventure Jobs (website specialising in recruitment for leisure activities)
- Tourism Industry Association New Zealand
- Hospoworld Resourcing (employment agency specialising in tourism and hospitality)
- ServiceIQ : the association responsible for training in the hospitality industry.
Hospitality: restaurants and hotels
In New Zealand, one word is used to encompass these sectors: “hospitality”. This sector is closely linked to the tourism industry. Here too, there are many opportunities, especially if you have experience in the field. If you don’t have any, odd jobs can also be considered (such as working as a dishwasher in a kitchen, or as a runner in a restaurant dining room). Opportunities as a chef, second chef, waiter or barman are pretty good in the big cities and in tourist areas (depending on the season). In the hotel industry, as well as reception jobs, which are mainly available to people fluent in English, you can also do jobs that people think of less often, such as room cleaning, maintenance of the premises or gardens.
You can also consider using employment agencies (such as Hospoworld in Auckland for example)which – if you have a good level of English – should be able to put you in touch with employers quickly (but don’t stop looking for yourself!).
The following sites can help you find a job in the hospitality sector:
- InterContinental Hotel Group
- SkyCity
- Hospoworld
- Spotless
- Restaurant Association of New Zealand
- Buzz recruitment
Agriculture, horticulture and forestry
Job opportunities in these three sectors are also very good. Many working holiday makers work in horticulture in particular (fruit picking, packhouse jobs, etc.). The sector is looking for both low-skilled and skilled employees. If you have little work experience or a hesitant level of English but are highly motivated, horticulture is one of the sectors that will enable you to gain work experience in New Zealand, while learning English at your own pace and securing an income. You can, of course, do this on a voluntary basis (in exchange for accommodation and food), but you can also be paid. For more information: Great job opportunity : Agriculture and forestry.
If you have specific qualifications in agronomy (and good experience in the field), employers in the sector are also in demand. The same goes for the dairy industry, which regularly needs workers.
Want to work with sheep?
With over 30 million sheep, New Zealand is the world’s largest exporter of sheep. Some working holiday makers have already tried to work in the sector. However, it should be noted that sheep numbers have fallen drastically since the 1980s (when there were 70 million sheep!). As a result, the industry is a little less buoyant than it used to be.
In addition to the links in our guides, you can also consult the following sites to find a job in these sectors, which are particularly useful for people working in agriculture or forestry:
Construction
Job opportunities in this sector are currently very good in New Zealand. Jobs are particularly available in Auckland (the city continues to grow every day), in the Canterbury region near Christchurch (an earthquake in 2011 caused extensive damage in the region) and in Queenstown. There are also good opportunities in Wellington and the Bay of Plenty region. 216,000 people work in the construction sector in New Zealand. They are distributed as follows:
- 25% work in major construction projects (road and bridge building)
- 25% work in installation services (plumbing, electricity)
- 15% work in residential construction companies
- 7% work in non-residential construction companies
- 8% work in building services (site preparation, painting, decorations, etc.)
Supervisory staff and carpenters are particularly sought after.
Be aware, however, that the most highly qualified professions (such as civil engineers, for example) often require an equivalence between their local and New Zealand diplomas. Don’t hesitate to contact potential employers to find out more about their expectations.
More information: Job opportunities – Construction.
The profession created a guide for foreign workers. We strongly recommend that you read it: Construction Guide Migrant.
The following sites can help you find a job in the construction sector:
- Le site spécialement consacré à l’emploi pour la reconstruction de la région de Canterbury : Opportunity Canterbury
- Advanced personnel
- Tradestaff
Other recruiting sectors in New Zealand
Information and communication technologies
This sector also recruits quite well in New Zealand. There are good opportunities for developers, systems administrators, network engineers, IT security specialists, programmers and software architects. New Zealand suffers somewhat from a shortage of ICT workers, so it often recruits from abroad. If you have a more creative profession in this field (graphic designer or web designer), the opportunities are a little less important because of the influx of young, recently trained workers.
Jobs are mainly located in Auckland (46% of jobs), Wellington (24%) and Christchurch (11%). Some large companies are well established in the country, such as SAP, Rakon, Datacom, Xero, Orion Health ou Fujitsu.
For more information: Great job opportunities – Information Technology jobs.
The following sites can help you find a job in these sectors:
- Trade Me Job IT
- Comspek International
- OCG Technology Team
- Potentia
- Place Recruitment
- The Big idea (for creative jobs)
- New Zealand Technology industry association
- DINZ (The Designer Institute)
Health
New Zealand has a significant need for doctors, midwives and surgeons. More generally, opportunities are fairly good (or average) in most health professions.
Many health professionals in New Zealand come from abroad (around 4 out of 10). However, you must first have your qualifications recognised in New Zealand.
If you wish to work in the health sector and your profession is subject to registration in New Zealand, it is advisable to start the process at least 4 months before your arrival in New Zealand (others may take even longer) by contacting the professional bodies for the various professions. You can find the professions onthis page from the Immigration New Zealand website.
Biomedical engineers and technicians also have good job opportunities in New Zealand, with some major companies in the sector such as Fisher and Paykel Healthcare, Orion Health, Dynamic Controls ou Atlantis Healthcare. Generally speaking, this sector is booming for many professions.
We recommend that you consult these websites specialising in the medical professions:
- Association of Salaried Medical Specialists
- Kiwi Health Job
- LANZ recruitment
- Life plus
- Psych Recruitment
Engineering
As is often the case, this area receives particular attention from employers in New Zealand. They are looking for civil, chemical, electrical, environmental, mining and transport engineers.
More information: Great Job opportunities – Engineering.
Engineers do not need to be registered. At least, it’s not a legal requirement. But to find a job in this field, you will need to obtain equivalence for your qualifications in New Zealand. If you trained as an engineer abroad, that country may be a signatory to the Washington, Dublin and Sydney agreements, which allow you to obtain direct recognition of your engineering qualification from the Association of Engineers in New Zealand. (IPENZ).
As membership of this professional association is not compulsory, it is possible to find a job in this sector in New Zealand, but your task will be much more difficult. Substantial work experience in this field in countries that are signatories to one of these agreements could be an asset.
The following sites can help you find a job in these sectors:
- CRS Recruit (Auckland)
- Advanced personnel
- Beyond Recruitment
- Airswift
- Inspirec
- Refocus Recruitment
- Rob Law maxrecruitment
- Tandr
- Technical Recruitment Solutions
Oil and gas production
People with qualifications in these sectors are in demand in New Zealand, particularly in the Taranaki region where oil and gas deposits continue to be discovered. Employers are mainly looking for outside operators, geologists, welders, electricians, gas fitters, instrument technicians and engineers in the field.
More information: Job opportunities – Oil and Gas.
The following sites can help you find a job in these sectors:
- Petroleum Exploration and Production Association New Zealand
- Taranaki Jobs
- Stellar recruitment
- Carrington Recruitment
- Airswift
- Todd Energy
- Vector
- OMV Group
- Methanex
Business and finance
New Zealand has a sizeable financial sector. There are 21 national banks and a number of financial institutions. Those working in the insurance sector will not be outdone either. New Zealand is looking for auditors, chartered accountants and procurement managers, for example.
More information: job opportunities – Business and Finance.
The following sites can help you find a job in these sectors:
Advertising and marketing
Even though it’s a sector that’s recruiting, many young people in New Zealand want to pursue a career in it. As a result, there is a lot of competition for jobs that might suit your profile. In these fields, it is advisable to have substantial experience (preferably abroad), and a very good level of English. You could also consider volunteering in the field to gain experience in New Zealand.
The following sites can help you find a job in these sectors:
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