New Zealand is more than just a beautiful country filled with friendly folk and fabulous things to do its a great place to work as well.

Seasonal work

Seasonal work is available most months of the year in tourists centres and rural areas but the fruit-picking season starts around New Year as the stone fruit ripen (peaches, nectarines, apricots, and plums), followed by apples from February to April, and kiwifruit in May.

During the fruit-picking season you can take your pick from thousands of jobs including fruit picking, tractor driving, forklift operating, thinning, working in the packhouse, quality controlling, labelling, or truck driving. And if you decide to stay and play a bit longer, well help you apply to do so.

Legal issues

You can work in New Zealand if you:

Are a New Zealand or Australian citizen Hold a New Zealand Residence Permit or Australian Resident Return Visa Hold a work visa or a working holiday scheme visa or permit

Before you can work in New Zealand you'll need:

A bank account An IRD number. To apply visit www.ird.govt.nz A Tax Code Declaration (IR330) from your employer

Working Holiday Schemes

New Zealand has agreements with several countries that allow people aged 18 to 30 to work here.

You may be able to get a working holiday scheme work visa or permit if you meet certain criteria, such as health requirements and having enough money to purchase a return ticket.

You don't have to arrange a job before you get here, however in this case you wont generally be allowed to take up permanent employment and there may be other requirements specific to your country, such as the length of stay you're allowed.

The length of time you can work temporarily in New Zealand on a working holiday visa or permit varies between 6-23 months, depending on where you're coming from.

If you're keen to work in New Zealand, and think you're eligible, quickly check the key requirements listed below.

General requirements: are you eligible? You may be eligible to get a working holiday scheme work visa or permit if:

You're from a country that has a working holiday scheme agreement with New Zealand, and

You're aged between 18 and 30 years, and

Are not bringing children with you, and

You haven't been in New Zealand under a working holiday scheme before, and

You have enough funds to support yourself while you're in New Zealand and to purchase a return ticket.

Specific requirements In addition to general requirements (such as your age) there are other requirements you need to meet, depending on where you're from and the agreements New Zealand has with your country. These requirements include: - the number of people accepted annually for working holidays - the length of stay you're allowed - the amount of funds you are required to have when you arrive.

To find out more about these specific requirements, and for more detailed information on work visas and permits, visit: www.immigration.govt.nz

Driving

If you have a drivers licence in your home country or an international driving permit (IDP), you can drive in New Zealand for a maximum of one year. After that, you'll need to apply for a NZ driver's license.

Make sure you always carry your licence with you when you're driving and get familiar with our driving rules before you arrive.

Oh yeah and remember we drive on the LEFT side of the road!

Mobile phones

Check with your phone company to see if your mobile can roam to New Zealand. If not, never mind: you can either bring your own phone and buy a NZ SIM card for it or buy a pre-paid phone to use while you're here.

Currency

New Zealand's unit of currency is the mighty New Zealand Dollar (NZ$). Foreign currency can easily be exchanged at most banks, some hotels, and Bureau de Change kiosks at international airports and in most city centres. Most places accept all the usual credit cards.

If you become spectacularly rich while you're here, don't worry: there's no restriction on the amount of foreign currency you can bring in or take out of New Zealand. If, however, you carry more than the equivalent of NZ$10,000 cash in or out of New Zealand, you'll be required to complete a Border Cash Report.