You can come to New Zealand on a visitor visa for up to 1 month if you’re working on the Visiting Media Programme offered New Zealand Trade and Enterprise or the New Zealand Tourism Board.
If you’re invited by a New Zealand institution to work on teaching, educational, professional management or research activities, you only need a visitor visa.
You can work in New Zealand for up to 3 months in special circumstances.
If you’re installing machinery or equipment
You can work in New Zealand for up to 3 months to install specialised machinery or equipment bought by a company in New Zealand, but only if it was a condition of the purchase.
If you have a contract to work in the entertainment, music, film or television industries for a short time, you can apply for a work visa that covers the duration of your contract, plus a little time to get home. This could be for longer than 3 months.
Your employer in New Zealand must support your application and show that there was no New Zealander available to do the work.
If you’re paid for your work by an NZ employer, you need to pay tax here. Once you have your visa, apply for an IRD number from Inland Revenue. You give this number to your employer when you start work and use it for all of your New Zealand tax matters.
