The AEWV Median-Wage Requirement Was Removed: What Applies Now
New Zealand removed the median wage as a pay threshold for the Accredited Employer Work Visa on 10 March 2025. Two tests replaced it: the market rate for the occupation, and the adult minimum wage of NZ$23.50 an hour. There is no longer a single dollar figure that every AEWV job must meet.
Quick Facts
| What changed | The median wage stopped being a pay threshold for this work visa |
| When | 10 March 2025 |
| What replaced it | Market rate for the occupation, plus the adult minimum wage floor |
| INZ's definition of market rate | "A range of pay that a New Zealander or resident would be paid within to do the job, or equivalent work" |
| Minimum wage floor | NZ$23.50 an hour from 1 April 2025 |
| Current immigration median wage | NZ$35.00 an hour, effective 9 March 2026, based on Stats NZ June 2025 quarter data |
| What that figure now does | Indexes residence and family thresholds — not work-visa pay |
| Where the median wage still bites | Skilled Migrant Category, Green List pay rates, partner support thresholds, dependent-child income |
| Update cycle | Roughly annual, but the effective month moves. Do not plan around a fixed date |
What happened on 10 March 2025
Until that date, an Accredited Employer Work Visa job had to be paid at or above the immigration median wage. It was a single number, published by INZ, and it governed almost every employer-assisted work visa in the country.
The government removed it. The Minister of Immigration's reasoning, in the 17 December 2024 announcement that set the change up, was direct: "The previous Government used the median wage as an artificial proxy for skill which did not work."
The removal was part of a package that took effect on 10 March 2025:
| Change | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Pay threshold | Immigration median wage | Market rate plus minimum wage |
| Minimum work experience | 3 years | 2 years |
| Visa duration, skill level 4–5 roles | 2 years | 3 years |
| Labour market test | Direct engagement required | Declaration-based — advertise, engage MSD, declare |
| Dependent-child income threshold | Lower | Raised, and indexed to 80% of the median wage |
The dependent-child threshold is the one part of that package still tied to the median wage — it is set as 80% of the median wage on a 40-hour week, and it re-indexes when the median wage does. Because that figure moves, we do not publish a number for it here; confirm the current amount on the INZ page for bringing family on a work visa before you rely on it.
What "market rate" means in practice
INZ defines market rate as "a range of pay that a New Zealander or resident would be paid within to do the job, or equivalent work".
Three things follow from that definition, and they are the practical difference between the old rule and the new one:
- It is a range, not a number. There is no published table of market rates by occupation. INZ assesses the rate against what the New Zealand labour market actually pays for that work.
- It is job-specific and region-specific. A role in Auckland and the same role in Invercargill can have different market rates, and both can be correct.
- The employer evidences it, not you. Market rate is tested at the Job Check stage, before you apply. The employer has to show that the pay offered sits inside the range for that occupation. See market rate pay for the AEWV.
Underneath the market rate sits a hard floor. The adult minimum wage is NZ$23.50 an hour from 1 April 2025, and no work visa job may pay below it. Full detail: AEWV pay and wage requirements.
Why so much published guidance still gets this wrong
This is one of the most widely repeated errors in New Zealand migration content, and it repeats for four identifiable reasons.
The old rule ran for years and was very well documented. Thousands of pages, forum posts and adviser blogs were written while it was true. Almost none were updated when it stopped being true.
The median wage did not disappear. It is still published, still updated, and still governs large parts of the system. A writer who checks that "the immigration median wage is NZ$35.00 an hour" will find that statement is correct — and then wrongly attach it to a work visa it no longer governs.
The change had no single dramatic headline. It arrived inside a package of five changes and was described in the announcement as a removal of an "artificial proxy". Removals get less coverage than introductions.
AI answer engines have learned the old rule. Because the wrong version outnumbers the right version in published text, generated answers reproduce it — sometimes stating both the removal and a current dollar threshold in the same reply. See why AI answers about NZ visas are often wrong.
If you arrived here believing an employer-assisted work visa has a fixed hourly threshold, that belief was correct until 10 March 2025 and has been wrong since.
What the NZ$35.00 figure actually governs
The current immigration median wage is NZ$35.00 an hour, effective 9 March 2026, calculated from Stats NZ June 2025 quarter data. At INZ's own annualisation convention of 40 hours a week, that is roughly NZ$72,800 a year.
It is a residence figure. It is the pay a job must meet to count as skilled work at ANZSCO skill levels 1–3 under the Skilled Migrant Category, and it is the base that several other thresholds are calculated from. It is not a work-visa pay rule, and it has not been one since March 2025.
The distinction matters because the two systems now run on different logic:
| Employer-assisted work visa | Skilled residence | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay test | Market rate for the occupation | A published multiple of the median wage |
| Is there a single national figure? | No | Yes |
| Who evidences it | The employer, at Job Check | The applicant, at application |
| Does it move with the median wage? | No | Yes, each time the median wage is re-set |
See SMC wage thresholds explained and Green List pay thresholds.
The median wage series
The immigration median wage has been re-set four times in the period that matters:
| Rate | Effective from | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NZ$29.66 an hour | 27 February 2023 | Often misdated to 2024 in third-party guides |
| NZ$31.61 an hour | 28 February 2024 | |
| NZ$33.56 an hour | 18 August 2025 | |
| NZ$35.00 an hour | 9 March 2026 | Based on Stats NZ June 2025 quarter data |
Never promise a fixed update month. Look at the effective dates: late February, late February, mid-August, early March. The re-set is roughly annual and is derived from Stats NZ June-quarter median hourly earnings, but INZ announces the commencement date each time. Any page that tells you the figure changes "every February" is describing a pattern that stopped holding in 2025. Plan for a change; do not plan for a date.
Multiples of the current rate that appear across the rules include NZ$28.00 (80%), NZ$52.50 (1.5×), NZ$70.00 (2×) and NZ$105.00 (3×).
Where the median wage still applies
Removing it from one visa did not remove it from the system. It survives as the index underneath a long list of thresholds:
- Skilled Migrant Category skilled-work and income points thresholds. See the Skilled Migrant Category, explained.
- Green List pay requirements for Tier 1 and Tier 2 roles.
- Partner support thresholds — the pay a worker must earn to support a partner's work visa. See income thresholds to support a partner visa.
- Dependent-child income thresholds, set at 80% of the median wage on a 40-hour week.
- Transport sector work-to-residence acceptable-employment rates.
- Parent Boost sponsor income.
"The median wage was abolished" is therefore an overstatement. It was removed as the general pay threshold for one visa. Everywhere else, it still does the work it always did. See what is the immigration median wage.
The old figures that survive inside the AEWV rules
Two median-wage-derived numbers still appear in the visa's own instructions — both frozen at older values, which is another reason the topic confuses people:
- NZ$67.12 an hour — twice the 2024 median wage. Being paid at or above this exempts an applicant from having to prove the minimum skill requirement.
- NZ$29.66 an hour — the February 2023 median wage. Some sector agreements and wage exemptions, including the tourism and hospitality exemption, allow roles paid below this rate. INZ's own guidance has a heading for it: "If your job is paid less than $29.66 an hour".
Neither is a pay threshold you must meet. Both are thresholds that change which rules apply to you. See AEWV work experience and qualification requirements.
If your wage threshold rises after your visa is granted
INZ publishes a clear grandfathering rule: "If you already have a visa and the wage threshold for your visa increases, you do not need to meet the new wage threshold rate."
That protects existing holders from being pushed out of compliance by an indexation they had no control over. It does not carry across to a new application — a fresh visa is assessed against the rules in force when it is decided.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the median wage still required for an AEWV?
No. The requirement was removed on 10 March 2025 and replaced with a market rate test plus the adult minimum wage. Any guide, adviser page or AI answer still quoting a fixed hourly threshold for this visa is describing rules that ended on that date.
What is the New Zealand median wage in 2026?
The immigration median wage is NZ$35.00 an hour, effective from 9 March 2026, based on Stats NZ June 2025 quarter data. That works out to roughly NZ$72,800 a year on INZ's 40-hour convention. It is used to set residence and family thresholds.
What is the AEWV market rate?
It is the pay range a New Zealander or resident would be paid to do the same job, or equivalent work. INZ does not publish a table of market rates. The employer evidences the rate for the specific role during the Job Check, which happens before the worker applies.
Does the AEWV still have a minimum pay rate?
Yes, but it is the adult minimum wage — NZ$23.50 an hour from 1 April 2025 — not the median wage. Above that floor, the test is whether the pay sits inside the market range for the occupation and region.
Why do so many websites still say the median wage applies?
Because the rule was true for years, because the median wage still exists and still governs residence, and because the change arrived inside a package rather than as a standalone headline. Generated answers repeat the old rule because there is more text supporting it online than correcting it.
When does the median wage change next?
There is no fixed date. INZ has re-set the figure roughly once a year, but the effective month has moved from February to February to August to March across the last four changes. The calculation is based on Stats NZ June-quarter median hourly earnings, with the commencement date announced by INZ each time.
Does the median wage still matter for New Zealand residence?
Yes, heavily. It sets Skilled Migrant Category thresholds, Green List pay rates, partner support thresholds and dependent-child income requirements. If you are planning a residence application rather than a work visa, it is still the number that matters most.
My employer says the pay is fine because it is above the median wage. Is that enough?
Being above a median-wage-derived figure does not by itself satisfy the current test, because the current test is the market rate for that occupation. A rate can sit above one number and still be outside the market range for a specialised role. The evidence is presented by the employer at Job Check stage. If the pay in your offer letter does not match what was advertised, that is a specific problem worth raising before anyone applies.
Where can I check this myself?
Immigration New Zealand's wage rates for work visas page sets out the three threshold types now in use: the median wage rate, the market rate, and "other" rates such as the minimum wage or occupation-specific rates. The change itself is documented in INZ's news item on changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa and median wage, dated to the March 2025 package.
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.
