Seasonal Work Visas in New Zealand, Compared
New Zealand has three seasonal work visas and they barely overlap. The RSE Limited Visa serves Pacific workers in fruit, vegetables and wine at NZ$325. The Global Workforce Seasonal Visa gives experienced specialists nine months a year for three years. The Peak Seasonal Visa covers seven-month peaks in processing and rearing. Both new visas cost NZ$1,540.
Quick Facts
| RSE Limited Visa | Global Workforce Seasonal Visa | Peak Seasonal Visa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum stay | 7 months in any 11 (9 for Kiribati and Tuvalu) | Up to 9 months a year, over a 3-year visa | Up to 7 months |
| Fee | From NZ$325, IVL-exempt | From NZ$1,540 | From NZ$1,540 |
| Nationality gate | 13 Pacific countries | None stated | None stated |
| Experience | Set by the scheme | 3 seasons in the last 6 years | 1 prior season |
| Industries | Fruit, vegetable and wine | Rural contracting, sheep scanning, winemaking, snow instruction | Meat and seafood processing, calf rearing, wool handling |
| Advertising | Employer holds an Agreement to Recruit | Not required | Job Check required; Work and Income endorsement option |
| English test | Not applicable | 1 June 2026 change does not apply | 1 June 2026 change does not apply |
| Annual cap | 20,750 | None published | None published |
| Family | Cannot bring partners or dependants | Check with INZ | Check with INZ |
Fees unchanged since 1 October 2024 and vary by fee band. Settings as published by INZ, August 2026.
What changed in December 2025
Until late 2025, seasonal hiring outside the RSE scheme ran through a seasonal pathway of the Specific Purpose Work Visa. That pathway closed to new applications in December 2025 and was replaced by two purpose-built products: the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa (GWSV) and the Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV).
Existing holders of the seasonal Specific Purpose Work Visa may stay for the duration of their contract, up to nine months. See the Specific Purpose Work Visa explained for what that visa still covers.
A note on dates: sources conflict on the exact day in December 2025 that the change took effect, and neither new visa page states a launch date. This site writes "December 2025" rather than inventing a day.
Which visa your industry actually uses
The three visas were designed for different work, and the industry usually decides for you.
| If the work is | The route is |
|---|---|
| Picking, pruning, packing fruit, vegetables or grapes | RSE Limited Visa — if you are a citizen of a participating Pacific country |
| Rural contracting, sheep scanning, winemaking, snow instruction | Global Workforce Seasonal Visa |
| Meat or seafood processing, calf rearing, wool handling | Peak Seasonal Visa |
| Any of the above, with a Working Holiday Visa | Working Holiday Visa — no employer sponsorship needed |
The Accredited Employer Work Visa is not on this list for a reason: an AEWV job offer cannot be for planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing crops in horticulture or viticulture. That exclusion is what makes the seasonal products necessary rather than optional.
The RSE Limited Visa
The oldest and largest of the three, and structurally different from the other two.
- 13 eligible countries: Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Timor-Leste was added in September 2024.
- 7 months in any 11-month period; 9 months for citizens of Kiribati and Tuvalu residing there.
- Annual cap 20,750 visas. Actual uptake runs closer to 17,000 workers a year.
- Season year: 1 July to 30 June.
- From NZ$325, and IVL-exempt — around a fifth of the cost of the other two.
- Third-season returnees are paid the minimum wage plus 10%.
- Work is limited to fruit, vegetable and wine industry roles with the employers named on the visa. Medical insurance must be maintained throughout.
- Cannot bring partners or dependants. No onshore extensions.
- It is a limited visa, which removes the right to appeal deportation liability. That is a serious and under-published consequence.
Employer-side: Recognised Seasonal Employer status costs NZ$1,040; an Agreement to Recruit costs NZ$280.
A modernisation package was announced on 28 July 2026 but is not in force — it is staged from 2027 to 2029. Full detail in the RSE Limited Visa explained.
The Global Workforce Seasonal Visa
Built for returning specialists whose skills are hard to replace.
- Up to 9 months in New Zealand each year, across a 3-year visa. It does not permit three continuous years.
- At least 3 months overseas each year, and a return to the same employer in years 2 and 3.
- Requires 3 seasons in the same or a similar job in the last 6 years.
- The job must be on the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa job list.
- A Job Check is required, but no advertising and no Work and Income engagement.
- From NZ$1,540 — priced as an Accredited Employer Work Visa.
- The 1 June 2026 English language change does not apply.
The removal of the labour market test is the headline concession. For an employer, that is the difference between a two-week advertising cycle plus Work and Income engagement, and a Job Check on its own. See the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa explained and Job Check advertising exemptions.
The Peak Seasonal Visa
The shorter and more accessible of the two new visas.
- Up to 7 months.
- At least one prior season of relevant experience — a much lower bar than the GWSV's three.
- You must be outside New Zealand when offered the job.
- After a 7-month stay, at least 4 months outside New Zealand before another PSV.
- Health insurance is mandatory for visas over three months.
- A Job Check is required, with the option of a Work and Income endorsement instead of standard engagement.
- From NZ$1,540.
- The 1 June 2026 English language change does not apply.
Full detail in the Peak Seasonal Visa explained.
The Working Holiday route
The one seasonal option that needs no employer sponsorship at all. Working Holiday Visa holders can take seasonal work like any other work, subject to the conditions of their scheme.
- Fee: NZ$770 = NZ$215 visa fee + NZ$455 immigration levy + NZ$100 IVL
- 80% decided within 1.5 weeks
- 45 schemes, all first come, first served, opening at 10:00 New Zealand time on published dates
- The gate is nationality — schemes exist only for specific countries
Some schemes allow a further three months on a separate extension visa costing NZ$800. The work that qualifies is narrowly defined: only planting, maintaining, harvesting and packing work in horticulture or viticulture counts toward it. Work in a plant nursery does not count. Neither does food processing. The definition is narrow by design, and people lose the additional time by doing the wrong kind of work in the right industry.
See seasonal work for the working holiday extension and the working holiday visa explained.
Cost compared
| Visa | Total | Components |
|---|---|---|
| RSE Limited Visa | From NZ$325 | Visa fee only; IVL-exempt |
| Working Holiday Visa | NZ$770 | NZ$215 + NZ$455 levy + NZ$100 IVL |
| Global Workforce Seasonal Visa | From NZ$1,540 | NZ$480 + NZ$1,060 levy |
| Peak Seasonal Visa | From NZ$1,540 | NZ$480 + NZ$1,060 levy |
INZ publishes only a combined "from NZ$X" figure for each. The split matters because the components behave differently: the IVL is exempt for several Pacific nationalities, and the immigration levy is exempt in a small number of protective categories.
There has been no general fee or levy increase in 2025 or 2026 — INZ's fee page still states rates as at 1 October 2024. See visa fees, levies and fee bands explained.
Employers should budget separately: accreditation from NZ$775, Job Check NZ$735 per check, RSE status NZ$1,040, Agreement to Recruit NZ$280.
The Job Check type trap
One rule cuts across both new visas and causes avoidable declines: a migrant may only apply for the AEWV type the Job Check was approved for.
The three types are the regular Accredited Employer Work Visa, the Peak Seasonal Visa, and the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa. A Job Check approved for one does not support an application for another. Confirm which type the employer's Job Check covers before paying anything — INZ does not refund fees or levies once an application has been processed.
What nobody can tell you: when the work is
No authoritative New Zealand government source publishes regional harvest months. The month-by-month tables that circulate — this crop in that region, vintage in another — are general knowledge rather than verified fact, and they shift with weather, crop and year.
This site does not publish them. The employer offering the work is the only reliable source for when a season actually runs, and any recruiter quoting fixed national harvest dates is guessing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest seasonal work visa for New Zealand?
The RSE Limited Visa, from NZ$325 and exempt from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. It is restricted to citizens of 13 Pacific countries and to fruit, vegetable and wine industry roles.
What is the difference between the RSE and GWSV?
Almost everything. The RSE is nationality-gated to 13 Pacific countries, capped at 20,750 visas a year, limited to fruit, vegetables and wine, and costs from NZ$325 for up to 7 months in any 11. The Global Workforce Seasonal Visa has no published nationality gate, requires three prior seasons, spans three years at up to nine months a year, and costs from NZ$1,540.
Can I get a fruit picking visa for New Zealand?
Through the RSE scheme if you are a citizen of one of the 13 participating Pacific countries, or on a Working Holiday Visa if a scheme exists for your country. An Accredited Employer Work Visa cannot be used — its job offer cannot cover planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing crops in horticulture or viticulture.
Do seasonal visas need an English test?
The 1 June 2026 change extending English requirements to AEWV skill level 3 roles does not apply to Global Workforce Seasonal Visa or Peak Seasonal Visa applications.
Can I bring my family on a seasonal work visa?
RSE Limited Visa holders cannot bring partners or dependants, and cannot support a partner work visa. For the two newer visas, check the position directly with INZ — seasonal categories are treated restrictively across the system.
What happened to the seasonal Specific Purpose Work Visa?
Its seasonal pathway closed to new applications in December 2025 and was replaced by the Peak Seasonal Visa and the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa. Existing holders may stay for their contract duration, up to nine months.
When is harvest season in New Zealand?
There is no authoritative New Zealand government source for regional harvest months, so this site does not publish them. Timing varies by crop, region and year, and the employer offering the work is the only reliable source.
Which seasonal visa lets me stay longest?
The Global Workforce Seasonal Visa, at up to nine months a year across a three-year visa — but with at least three months overseas each year and a return to the same employer in years two and three. The RSE allows seven months in any 11-month period, or nine for citizens of Kiribati and Tuvalu.
