The Median Wage Was Removed From the AEWV on 10 March 2025
On 10 March 2025 New Zealand stopped using the immigration median wage as the pay threshold for the Accredited Employer Work Visa. A market-rate test replaced it: the job must pay what a New Zealander doing the same work would be paid, and at least the minimum wage. The median wage still sets thresholds elsewhere in the system.
Quick Facts
| What changed | The immigration median wage stopped being the pay threshold for the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) |
| Effective | 10 March 2025 — in force now |
| Announced | 17 December 2024 |
| Replaced by | A market-rate test — the range a New Zealander or resident would be paid for the same job, or equivalent work |
| Wage floor | The New Zealand minimum wage still applies, as it does to every worker |
| Who it affects | Every AEWV applicant and every accredited employer |
| Who it does not affect | Skilled residence applicants, Green List pay floors, partner support thresholds |
| AEWV fee | NZ$1,540 — NZ$480 application fee plus NZ$1,060 immigration levy (unchanged) |
| Still widely published wrong | Many guides still state a median-wage pay rule for this visa. It has not existed since March 2025 |
What was removed, and what replaced it
Before 10 March 2025, an AEWV job generally had to pay at or above the immigration median wage. The median wage was doing two jobs at once: it was a pay floor, and it was being used as a rough stand-in for how skilled a role was.
The Government's stated reason for dropping it was that the second job was not working. The December 2024 announcement described the median wage as "an artificial proxy for skill which did not work".
What replaced it is the market rate. Immigration New Zealand defines this as "a range of pay that a New Zealander or resident would be paid within to do the job, or equivalent work". In practice the employer must show that the pay offered sits inside the normal range for that occupation in New Zealand — not that it clears a single national number.
Two things follow from that, and they pull in opposite directions:
- For a low-paid occupation, the pay floor came down. A role that could not previously clear the median wage may now be viable.
- For a well-paid occupation, the pay floor effectively went up. A market rate for a specialist role can be well above the median wage, and offering the old median-wage figure is no longer a defence.
The definition and how employers evidence it are covered at what the market rate means and market-rate pay for the AEWV.
What else changed on the same day
The wage change was one item in a package. All of the following took effect on 10 March 2025:
| Change | Before | From 10 March 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Pay threshold | Immigration median wage | Market rate, plus minimum wage |
| Minimum work experience | 3 years | 2 years |
| Maximum stay, skill level 4–5 roles | 2 years | 3 years for new applicants |
| Labour market test | Direct engagement with the Ministry of Social Development | Declaration-based, with MSD advertising still required |
| Interim work rights | Narrower | Extended to AEWV applicants moving from other work or student visas |
The declaration model is the change employers feel most. The obligation did not disappear; it moved from a process INZ ran to a declaration the employer signs and can be audited on. See the labour market test and the MSD declaration.
Where the median wage still binds
"The median wage was abolished" is the version that spread, and it overstates what happened. The median wage was removed from one visa's pay test. It survives as the index that sets thresholds across the rest of the immigration system.
As at 20 August 2026 the immigration median wage is NZ$35.00 an hour, set on 9 March 2026 from Statistics New Zealand June 2025 quarter data. It still drives:
| Where it still applies | How |
|---|---|
| Skilled Migrant Category | Skilled work thresholds and income points are multiples of the median wage |
| Green List pay floors | Several Green List roles carry a median-wage-indexed rate |
| Partner support | The pay a worker must earn to support a partner's work visa |
| Transport Work to Residence | A median-wage-indexed pay requirement |
| Parent Boost and Parent Category sponsorship | Sponsor income thresholds are multiples of the median wage |
| Dependent child income threshold | Set as a percentage of the median wage |
Those thresholds are collected at wage thresholds for New Zealand visas, and the history of the rate itself is at immigration median wage history.
Two median-wage figures that do survive on this visa
This is the detail that trips people up, because both are median-wage-derived and both still appear on Immigration New Zealand's own page for the visa.
- NZ$67.12 an hour. A role paid at or above this rate is exempt from the skill requirements. The figure is twice the 2024 median wage and has not been re-indexed.
- NZ$29.66 an hour. Sector agreements may permit jobs paid below this rate. The figure is the February 2023 median wage.
Both are fixed numbers now. They were derived from the median wage at a point in time, but they do not move with it. Do not update them in your head each time the median wage changes. See AEWV pay and wage requirements.
The stand-down myth that travelled with this change
A second piece of misinformation attached itself to the same period: that the visa carries a three-year stand-down.
It does not. The three-year figure is the maximum continuous stay for occupations at skill level 4 or 5 — introduced in April 2024, and extended from two years to three in the March 2025 package. It describes how long you may stay, not how long you must leave.
The stand-down — the time you must spend outside New Zealand after reaching your maximum continuous stay — is normally 12 months. Maximum stay is up to 5 years for skill levels 1 to 3 and 3 years for levels 4 and 5.
See AEWV maximum continuous stay and the AEWV stand-down period, explained.
What has not changed
Readers over-correct on this one. Removing the pay threshold did not deregulate the visa:
- The minimum wage still applies. There is no version of this visa that permits sub-minimum-wage pay.
- The employer must still be accredited, and must still pass a Job Check for the role.
- Skill level still matters. It determines maximum stay, whether English evidence is required, and which residence pathways the role can lead to. See AEWV skill levels, explained.
- English requirements were extended, not relaxed. From 1 June 2026 skill level 3 roles must show English at IELTS 4.0 or equivalent — see the AEWV English requirement extended to skill level 3.
- Residence still uses the median wage. A job that satisfies this work visa does not automatically satisfy a residence pay threshold. That gap is where most disappointment happens.
- Fees did not change. NZ$1,540, made up of an NZ$480 application fee and an NZ$1,060 immigration levy. There has been no general fee or levy increase in 2025 or 2026.
Why so many sites still get this wrong
Three reasons, and they are worth knowing because they tell you which sources to distrust.
First, the change is recent enough that pages written in 2023 and 2024 still rank. Second, the median wage genuinely does still exist and still rises each year, so a writer skimming Immigration New Zealand's wage pages finds a current figure and assumes it applies everywhere. Third, the phrase "median wage" appears on Immigration New Zealand's work-visa pages in the context of the two frozen exemption figures above, which reads like confirmation if you do not check the date.
The practical test: if a page tells you this visa requires a job paying at least NZ$35.00 an hour, it has confused the residence threshold with the work-visa rule, and you should not rely on anything else on that page either.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the median wage still required for an AEWV?
No. It was removed as the pay threshold on 10 March 2025 and replaced with a market-rate test. The job must pay the market rate for the occupation in New Zealand and at least the minimum wage. See the removal of the median wage from this visa.
What is the market rate for an AEWV?
Immigration New Zealand defines it as the range of pay a New Zealander or resident would be paid for the same job, or equivalent work. It is occupation-specific, so there is no single national figure. The employer evidences it as part of the Job Check.
What is the immigration median wage in 2026?
NZ$35.00 an hour, effective 9 March 2026, based on Statistics New Zealand June 2025 quarter data. It is used for residence thresholds, Green List pay floors, partner support and sponsorship income — not as a work-visa pay threshold.
Does the median wage update every February?
No, and this is worth knowing before you plan around it. The effective month has moved: February 2023, February 2024, August 2025, then March 2026. Immigration New Zealand announces each effective date; there is no fixed month.
What happens if my wage falls below the required rate?
Pay is a visa condition, so a drop below the rate the visa was granted on is a compliance matter for both worker and employer. Immigration New Zealand also publishes a grandfathering rule for threshold increases: if you already hold a visa and the wage threshold for that visa rises, you do not have to meet the new rate. That protects you from an indexation change — it does not authorise a pay cut.
Did the work experience requirement change too?
Yes. On the same day, the minimum relevant work experience dropped from 3 years to 2. An applicant can meet the requirement with either 2 years of relevant experience or a qualification at NZQCF Level 4 or higher.
Is there a three-year stand-down on this visa?
No. Three years is the maximum continuous stay for skill level 4 and 5 roles. The stand-down after reaching your maximum stay is normally 12 months outside New Zealand.
Does removing the median wage make residence easier?
No — it changed a work visa, not a residence category. Skilled residence still uses median-wage-indexed thresholds, and from 24 August 2026 two new residence pathways set pay at NZ$35.00 and NZ$38.50 an hour. See the Skilled Migrant Category overhaul.
This page is general information, not immigration advice. New Zealand regulates immigration advice under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, and we do not assess anyone's individual circumstances. For advice about your own case, use a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer, and check the licence on the Immigration Advisers Authority register.
