Two New Seasonal Work Visas in New Zealand 2025

New Zealand is introducing two new seasonal work visa categories from 8 December 2025 under the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) system. If you have dreamed of seasonal work in New Zealand, this could be your opportunity.

These visas are designed to connect overseas workers with short-term but highly in-demand jobs in industries like agriculture, horticulture, tourism, food processing. They also give workers the chance to experience working life in New Zealand while giving employers more control over recruitment. Employers can bring back experienced workers year after year, which helps reduce training time and costs. For workers, the process to enter seasonal roles becomes faster and more predictable.

Global Workforce Seasonal Visa (GWSV)

The GWSV is designed for skilled seasonal workers in roles such as agriculture and horticulture, animal and equine work, viticulture and winemaking, meat and primary processing, the snow and ski industry, and outdoor adventure and tourism. Eligible roles include agricultural and horticultural mobile plant operators, agricultural technicians such as sheep or animal pregnancy scanners, snow sports instructors, mountain or glacier guides, and wine makers.

You must have completed at least three seasons of relevant work in the last six years. To stay eligible, you need to spend at least three months outside New Zealand each year.

Key benefits:

• You can stay for up to three years
• No English test or labour market test is required
• You may be able to move to other visa types later
• You can access a wide range of roles beyond typical seasonal jobs

Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV)

The PSV is aimed at entry-level or lower-skilled roles. It is valid for up to seven months, making it ideal for short-term, high-demand work in sectors such as dairy and livestock, forestry, wool and fibre, aquaculture and seafood, meat processing, viticulture, and winemaking. Eligible roles include mussel or oyster farm workers, calf rearers, meat boners, forestry workers, and winery cellar hands.

You need at least one season of relevant experience in the last three years and must hold comprehensive health insurance for the entire stay. . Unlike the GWSV, employers hiring under PSV must be endorsed by or engage with Work and Income, and they are required to advertise these roles locally first to ensure New Zealanders get priority.

Key benefits

• You can stay for up to seven months
• You must take a four-month break outside New Zealand before reapplying
• No English test is required

That’s the information Immigration New Zealand has released to the public for now. We’ll get more information closer to the time. If my predictions are correct, mostly likely in within late September and October. But for now, information on cost, required documents and the rest are yet to be known. However, just knowing the criteria for who can apply for GWSV and PSV is enough to get started. Does this have any relationship to RSE limited visa?

Common conditions and restrictions

Both visas are not pathways to permanent residence. You cannot sponsor partners or dependents, and job changes are only allowed within the same visa type.

If you are already in New Zealand on a student or work visa, you can continue working while your seasonal visa application is processed. The government emphasises these visas are for genuine seasonal demand and will monitor contract durations and industry cycles to prevent misuse.

How they compare to the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Visa

The GWSV and PSV are under the AEWV framework, while the RSE Limited Visa operates under the RSE scheme. The GWSV and PSV are open to citizens of all countries, but the RSE is limited to eligible Pacific nations unless Immigration New Zealand grants an exception.

“Seasonal work must be planting, maintaining, harvesting, or packing crops in the horticulture or viticulture industry. Any work outside of these specified roles (for example, in plant nurseries or in food processing and manufacturing) does not qualify. Immigration New Zealand

The RSE only covers horticulture and viticulture work such as planting, maintaining, harvesting, or packing crops. Any work outside these roles, such as in plant nurseries or food processing, does not qualify. In contrast, the GWSV and PSV cover roles beyond the RSE scope. The PSV is similar in length to the RSE but does not cover RSE jobs rather focuses on other seasonal industries such as mussel farming, forestry, and meat processing. The GWSV includes skilled seasonal work such as machinery operation in horticulture.

For reference, the SSE visa is also open to all nationalities but requires you to already be in New Zealand on a student or visitor visa to apply.

The introduction of the GWSV and PSV marks a more targeted approach to managing seasonal labour. These visas open opportunities for industries and skill levels not covered by the RSE, while the RSE continues to serve its specialised purpose in horticulture and viticulture. For anyone looking to work in New Zealand, hope this provides a clear understanding of these new, separate, and interconnected visa pathways.