Hospitality jobs
in New Zealand

For workers

Hospitality has no single registration to chase, which makes the visa paperwork the main task. What matters is the exact title of your job, the hours and the pay, because those decide how Immigration New Zealand grades the role.

Visas that can fit

• Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). This is the usual route: a full-time offer from an accredited employer with an approved Job Check. You need 2 years of relevant experience, shown by payslips or tax records, or a New Zealand level 4 or higher qualification.
• Cooks and chefs. INZ has recognised cooks (351411) at skill level 3 since 10 March 2025. In its announcement of 18 February 2026, which took effect on 9 March 2026, it split chef roles into clearer occupations by skill and seniority. Some current AEWV workers in related level 4 or 5 roles may be able to apply for a new AEWV and extend their maximum stay, if the employer has an approved Job Check for a relevant level 1 to 3 role.
• Lower-graded roles. For skill level 4 or 5 jobs, the AEWV is issued for up to 3 years and the maximum continuous stay is 3 years. The employer has to declare that it advertised with Work and Income and interviewed suitable candidates.
• Other routes. Our work visa guide and study guide cover the other routes.

Registration, licences and English

• English. For an AEWV job graded at skill level 4 or 5, you show English, and since 1 June 2026 that includes level 3 (INZ, 25 May 2026). INZ lists IELTS overall 4 or more, PTE Academic overall 29 or more and OET grade D in all four skills among the accepted results. A test must be taken in person and be no more than 2 years old. Exempt from the level 3 rule: an AEWV expiring on or before 1 December 2026 when you apply for a further level 3 AEWV, people who already gave English evidence in an earlier AEWV application, Global Workforce Seasonal Visa and Peak Seasonal Visa applications, and Job Change applications (same INZ news item).
• Food safety. Food businesses work under the Food Act 2014, and the Ministry for Primary Industries sorts them into food control plans or national programmes. MPI's national programmes page does not name cafés or restaurants, and points owners to its My Food Rules tool. Your employer should tell you what training they expect.
• Alcohol. A premises with an alcohol licence has to appoint a manager who holds a manager's certificate. To get one you complete the Licence Controller Qualification (LCQ), be 20 or older, and apply to the local District Licensing Committee. The first certificate lasts 12 months and is usually renewed every three years.

How to find jobs

• Look the business up on INZ's accredited employer list.
• Read the local picture in the city guides. Queenstown's lists four ski areas and a June to October snow season, and Wellington's cites more than 1,100 hospitality businesses.
• Ask for the job title in writing, and compare it with the occupation names INZ uses.

Common mistakes

• Accepting a contract with a trial period, unlawful deductions or an unacceptable bonding clause. INZ's AEWV page says the employment agreement cannot include them.
• Treating "cook", "chef" and "kitchen hand" as the same job. Each is graded differently, and the grade sets the English test, the stay limit and the paperwork.
• Paying a middleman for a job. INZ declines applications that involve money paid to the employer.
• Relying on a seasonal wage exemption. The hospitality and tourism wage exemption ended on 10 March 2025.

For employers

For a café, restaurant or hotel, the main question is how each position is graded. A cook, a chef, a barista and a kitchen hand can need different amounts of work from you, even in one kitchen.

• Accreditation. Standard accreditation covers up to 5 migrants, and high-volume covers 6 or more. It lasts 12 months. A third type exists for businesses that place migrants with other businesses, so check INZ's eligibility page if that is you.
• Job Check. Advertise the role, then apply within 90 days of the advertisement closing. Each Job Check is valid for 6 months and has a fee. Make sure the job title matches INZ's current occupation names, because chef roles were split from 9 March 2026.
• Pay. No median wage threshold has applied to the AEWV since 10 March 2025, so INZ's $35.00 median wage is not an AEWV pay requirement. The floor is the minimum wage of $23.95 an hour, and you must pay the market rate for the job and place. The pay section below shows the median figures for context only.
• Lower-graded roles. For level 4 and 5 roles, declare that you advertised with Work and Income and interviewed suitable candidates. Keep the evidence.
• Venue rules. A premises with an on, off or club alcohol licence must appoint a certificate-holding manager, except for BYO restaurants, and that manager must be on duty whenever alcohol is sold. Check which Food Act programme applies to your food service.
• Obligations. Do not pass recruitment costs on to the worker, and give them information about living and working in New Zealand.

We help employers set up accreditation and Job Checks. See the employer accreditation service →