Before your potential employee is able to begin working for you, you must make sure they are authorised to undertake employment in NZ. Please note that an IRD number is not sufficient as proof that a person can work in NZ.
One of the ways to check work entitlements is to use VisaView - an online system that can provide work eligibility details for non-citizens of New Zealand. To register for and view more information about this service, please visit our VisaView page.
If the person you wish to employ does not have authority to work in NZ yet, they must obtain a work visa or residence visa before beginning their employment with you.
If the person already holds a work visa, you should also check the conditions of their visa. For instance, some work visas will specify the company name, location and job title for which the visa is granted. So, if those stated conditions do not match your company name, location and/or offered job title, your potential employee cannot begin working for you until your company details are reflected on that visa. For more information on this process, please refer to related question below: "How do I employ an overseas person?"
Other conditions placed on visas may include how many hours a person is allowed to work, which period of the year can they be employed in (mainly refers to students and guardians), which regions and industries can they work in (seasonal work), etc. Visa conditions must not be breached at any time.
Our Guide for Employers and info sheets are designed to help answer employers' most common questions, and provide help with recruiting, immigration process and settlement of your potential worker. These can be printed from our website for quick and easy reference.
This answer was last updated on 31 August, 2012.
Search knowledge base
If you still can't find an answer to your question within the Knowledge Base, you can send us an online query.