New Zealand Seasonal Work Visa 2026 | RSE Scheme | NZD $23.95/Hour

The New Zealand Seasonal Work Visa, formally the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Limited Visa, lets workers from Pacific nations come to New Zealand for horticulture and viticulture work. After checking Immigration New Zealand and Employment New Zealand directly, we confirmed that RSE workers must be paid at least the New Zealand adult minimum wage of NZD $23.95 per hour, rising to minimum wage plus 10% for anyone who has already completed two or more seasons. The scheme also guarantees a minimum of 30 hours of work per week averaged over four weeks, and if the employer cannot supply those hours they must top up your pay anyway. The visa costs from NZD $325 and 80% of applications are decided within two days. The catch is the order of events: you cannot apply until an accredited RSE employer has already offered you a job.

Key Highlights

Detail Description

The Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme is New Zealand’s managed labour mobility programme for horticulture and viticulture. It exists because New Zealand’s orchards and vineyards need large numbers of workers for short, intense seasons, and because the New Zealand government has committed to providing paid work opportunities to its Pacific neighbours.

That dual purpose explains the scheme’s structure. It is not an open work visa that anyone can apply for and then job-hunt on arrival. Employers must first be accredited as Recognised Seasonal Employers, then obtain approval to recruit, and only then can they offer jobs to workers from eligible Pacific countries. The worker applies for the visa with that job offer already in hand.

The government also sets an annual limit on how many RSE places are available. Immigration New Zealand currently publishes this as 20,750 visas each year. That number is set by government policy and has been adjusted over the life of the scheme, so confirm the current figure on the official visa page before relying on it.

Eligible Countries

The RSE scheme is open to citizens of the following countries. Immigration New Zealand notes that people from other countries may be considered in exceptional circumstances, but only with both employer and Immigration New Zealand approval.

How Much the RSE Scheme Pays

RSE pay is tied directly to the New Zealand adult minimum wage, which is set by law and increased each April.

The 30-Hour Guarantee

• Minimum 30 hours per week, averaged over a four-week period
• That equals 120 hours of work over each 4 weeks
• If the employer cannot provide 120 hours, they must top up your pay to that amount
• The guarantee is an obligation on the employer, not a target

For reference, 120 hours over four weeks at $23.95 comes to roughly NZD $2,874 gross per four-week period before tax and before any agreed deductions. A returning worker on minimum wage plus 10% would earn around NZD $3,162 over the same period.

What Work You Can Do

The RSE Limited Visa is tightly restricted. It permits work in the horticulture and viticulture sectors only, covering tasks such as:

• Planting crops and vines
• Maintaining crops through the growing season
• Harvesting fruit and produce
• Packing harvested produce

Two restrictions matter more than most applicants expect. First, you may only work for the Recognised Seasonal Employer named on your visa. If you are working for more than one RSE, each must be listed and you must supply a signed employment agreement for each. Second, you cannot apply for other visa types while holding this visa, and you must leave New Zealand before it expires.

Eligibility Criteria

• Nationality — citizen of one of the eligible Pacific countries listed above
• Age — at least 18 years old
• Job offer — a confirmed offer of work from a Recognised Seasonal Employer
• Employment agreement — signed, and included with your application
• Medical insurance — acceptable cover for the full length of your stay, from a provider meeting Immigration New Zealand’s requirements
• Health — meet New Zealand’s health requirements, including a chest X-ray certificate if required
• Character — meet character requirements; police certificates may be requested after you apply
• Genuine reason — you must have a genuine reason for coming to New Zealand

Required Documents

• Passport or certificate of identity — a copy
• Two acceptable photos meeting Immigration New Zealand’s visa photo standards
• Signed employment agreement from the Recognised Seasonal Employer you will work for
• Evidence of medical insurance covering your whole stay
• Chest X-ray certificate — if you are from a country with a low incidence of tuberculosis, such as Samoa, Tonga or Vanuatu, you will not normally need one for a stay of 12 months or less. If your country does not have a low TB incidence, you must provide one no matter how long you are staying
• Police certificates — only if Immigration New Zealand requests them after you apply

How to Apply

Step 1: Confirm Your Country Is Eligible

The scheme covers 13 Pacific nations including Timor-Leste. If your country is not on that list, this visa is not available to you and there is no general application route. Immigration New Zealand’s exceptional-circumstances provision requires an employer and Immigration New Zealand to agree in advance, so it is not something you can initiate yourself.

Step 2: Get a Job Offer From an Accredited RSE Employer

This must happen before you apply for anything. Only employers who hold Recognised Seasonal Employer accreditation and have approval to recruit can hire under the scheme. Immigration New Zealand publishes an official RSE List of accredited employers, and in most Pacific countries recruitment is coordinated through your own government’s labour or employment ministry rather than by applying to farms directly.

Step 3: Read the Employment Agreement Properly Before Signing

Your agreement sets your hourly rate, your hours, and critically what will be deducted from your pay. A practical tip that saves real money: work out your expected take-home pay after accommodation and transport deductions before you sign, not after you arrive. Confirm whether you are being paid the standard minimum wage or the plus-10% rate, since that depends on whether you have completed two or more previous seasons.

Step 4: Arrange Medical Insurance That Meets the Requirements

Medical insurance is compulsory and both the policy and the company providing it must meet Immigration New Zealand’s standards. Immigration New Zealand publishes these in its Guide to Working for a Recognised Seasonal Employer. Do not buy the cheapest available policy and assume it qualifies — check it against the guide first, because an unacceptable policy will delay or sink your application.

Step 5: Submit Your Application With Everything Attached

Apply with your passport copy, two acceptable photos, the signed employment agreement, evidence of medical insurance and a chest X-ray certificate if required. The fee starts from NZD $325. Immigration New Zealand is explicit that incomplete applications cause delays, and since 80% of complete applications are decided within two days, a missing document is usually the only thing standing between you and a fast approval.

Step 6: Work Only for Your Named Employer, and Leave Before Expiry

Once in New Zealand you can only work for the RSE named on your visa. You cannot apply for a different visa type while holding this one, and you must depart before it expires. Your maximum stay is seven months in any 11-month period, or nine if you are a Kiribati or Tuvalu citizen living in those countries.

Also Check

• 📌 UK Seasonal Worker Visa Jobs 2026 | £12.71/Hour | 7 Licensed Operators
• 📌 Caregiver Jobs in Canada 2026 | Visa Sponsorship and LMIA
• 📌 Countries Offering Job Seeker Visas 2026 | Best Guide to Work Abroad
• 📌 Vice Chancellor’s International Scholarship in New Zealand
• 📌 Australia Awards Scholarship 2027 | Fully Funded for Developing Countries

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How much does the New Zealand RSE scheme pay?

RSE workers must be paid at least the New Zealand adult minimum wage, which is NZD $23.95 per hour from 1 April 2026. If you have already completed two or more seasons in New Zealand, you must be paid the adult minimum wage plus 10%, which works out at roughly $26.35 per hour. On top of the rate, you are guaranteed a minimum of 30 hours per week averaged over four weeks, and your employer must top up your pay if they cannot provide 120 hours across that period.

2. Can Pakistani or Indian workers apply for the New Zealand RSE scheme?

No. The RSE scheme is restricted to citizens of 13 eligible Pacific nations, a list that includes Timor-Leste — Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Philippines and Indonesia are not eligible. Immigration New Zealand allows other nationalities only in exceptional cases requiring both employer and Immigration New Zealand approval, which cannot be applied for directly by a worker.

3. How long can I stay on an RSE Limited Visa?

The standard maximum is seven months in any 11-month period. Citizens of Kiribati and Tuvalu who also live in those countries can stay an extra two months, giving a maximum of nine months. The residence condition matters — a Kiribati or Tuvalu citizen living elsewhere is limited to the standard seven months.

4. Is IELTS required for the New Zealand seasonal work visa?

Immigration New Zealand does not list an English language test among the requirements for the RSE Limited Visa. The stated requirements are a job offer from an accredited RSE employer, a signed employment agreement, being at least 18, acceptable medical insurance, and meeting health and character requirements. Because no test is specified, this article does not state one.

5. How do I apply for the New Zealand RSE visa 2026?

You cannot apply until you already hold a job offer and a signed employment agreement from a Recognised Seasonal Employer. In most Pacific countries, recruitment runs through your own government’s labour or employment ministry rather than direct applications to farms. Once you have the agreement, apply to Immigration New Zealand with your passport copy, two photos, the signed agreement, evidence of medical insurance and a chest X-ray certificate if required. The fee starts from NZD $325 and 80% of applications are decided within two days.

6. Can I change employers on an RSE visa?

You may only work for the Recognised Seasonal Employer named on your visa. If you will be working for more than one RSE, each must be named and you must supply a signed employment agreement for each one. On other visas, Immigration New Zealand is specific: if you want to apply for any other visa, you cannot apply until after you have left New Zealand. You must also leave before your visa expires, or you risk being deported. In exceptional circumstances, and if you have not already used your maximum allowed time, you may be able to apply for a further RSE Limited Visa to keep working for an RSE for the balance of that time.

7. What work can I do on the RSE scheme?

The visa covers horticulture and viticulture work only — planting, maintaining crops, harvesting and packing. It does not permit work in other industries, and it is not a general work visa. If you are looking for broader work rights in New Zealand, the RSE scheme is not the right route and you would need to look at a different visa category entirely.

Final Thoughts

The New Zealand RSE scheme offers something unusual among seasonal work programmes: a guaranteed income floor. Thirty hours a week averaged over four weeks, with the employer legally obliged to top up your pay if the work is not there, removes the single biggest risk in agricultural work. Add a returning-worker premium of 10% above minimum wage after two seasons, and the scheme rewards people who come back.

The trade-offs are real and worth knowing before you commit. The visa ties you to one named employer, it does not permit other work, you cannot switch to another visa while holding it, and deductions for accommodation and transport will reduce what actually reaches your account.

For eligible Pacific workers, the process is straightforward in sequence but strict in order: secure the job offer through your national labour ministry, read the employment agreement carefully before signing, arrange insurance that genuinely meets the standard, and submit a complete application. Do that and most decisions come back within two days. Start at immigration.govt.nz.