There are special working holiday schemes for young people from around 22 countries, including Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea (South), Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden and the UK, which allow you to look for seasonal, temporary and casual employment.
Students from the USA can also spend up to six months working in New Zealand under the ‘Work in New Zealand Programme’ operated by the Council On International Educational Exchange (CIEE). Applicants must be aged between 18 and 30 and not be accompanied by children, and must provide evidence of sufficient funds to purchase return travel and meet the conditions of the scheme they apply under. Applicants don’t need an offer of employment and can take any casual job on arrival.
You must apply for the visa from your local New Zealand consulate or high commission before arriving in New Zealand, unless you apply under the Canada, Malaysia, Netherlands or Singapore schemes, when you may apply at any NZIS branch in New Zealand.
Working holiday schemes usually operate on a reciprocal basis, so these changes mean that young New Zealanders will benefit from similar changes when they travel overseas.