How to Prepare for Working in New Zealand

Here is my guide on how to prepare for working in New Zealand! Topics includes: Setting up your NZ phone number, bank account, IRD number, and additional helpful resources.

Other Helpful New Zealand Working Holiday Guides:

• Your Ultimate Guide to New Zealand Working Holiday Scheme

• First Month Budget Breakdown on New Zealand Working Holiday

• The Right Job For You | New Zealand Working Holiday Visa

• 30 Essential Resources For Your New Zealand Working Holiday Visa

Step 1: Phone

This is number one on the list because you need a NZ phone number to get all your ducks in a row and also for jobs to call you back. The main mobile carriers in New Zealand are: Vodafone, Spark, 2degrees and Skinny. From what I understand, Vodafone and Spark are the biggest companies, so you’ll probably get better cellphone reception country-wide.

We walked into Auckland city centre the very next day after arrival, and I chose Vodafone just because I had previously used it in Iceland. Please feel free to browse and see which company offers the best deal and package for you. But here’s the break down of cost for Vodafone.

SIM card: 5 NZD

2GB+50 text+50 call minutes per month: 21 NZD

Now, you can actually choose the best plan for you by adjusting your data, text, and minute increments. I found that to be awesome because I know I won’t need much text or minutes, but data was my priority. I was in and out of there in less than 10 minutes!

Step 2: Bank

This one was a bit more challenging. The main banks in NZ are: ANZ, BNZ, Kiwi, ASB, and Westpac. We hopped around to several branches of ANZ and Kiwi banks and none of them had same day appointments to set up new accounts.

✐ Documents you need to bring to your appointment:

Working Holiday Visa
Passport
Proof of residence (Air bnb is probably not a good option for this, which is why we opted to stay at a hostel near by that provided us with a letter)
Tax ID from your home country. (For the U.S, this is your SSN)

➣ Make sure you set up TransferWise to get your hard-earned New Zealand money in your own bank account without a ridiculously amount of fees.

The reason for this is when you do a bank to bank transfer, the sending AND receiving banks take a chunk of fees. For example if I were to send money from my New Zealand bank account into my American Chase account, I would’ve incurred 15-30$ of fees, but with TransferWise, it was only 4.88$ It’s free to sign up and you can download the app onto your phone!

💡TIP #1

ANZ bank has a phone number you can call to ask someone to look up all the branches near your location, find one with the closest appointment date, and book it for you on the phone.

💡TIP #2

Kiwi bank is actually connected to the NZ postal offices, so if you’re looking to kill 2 birds with 1 stone, you can try them to set your bank AND IRD number. (I didn’t choose it because when I called them to find a branch, they weren’t as helpful as ANZ was)

We managed to book an appointment for the following Monday at a branch located in Newmarket (a suburb in Auckland). Everything went smoothly, and the teller recommended us a checking account with no fees and no minimum balance requirements.

Step 2.5: Bank Cards

EFTPOS: Some merchants do not accept Visa or MasterCard (even in cities). This card is great because it is accepted almost everywhere in NZ. However, you cannot make online purchases.

Debit Card: The one ANZ gave us was a Visa debit card. This card gives you more functionality, however you may be charged an additional fee in certain stores, or they simply won’t take it. However, you can use this for online purchases.

Step 3: Inland Revenue Department or IRD Number

This was the easiest thing after we set up our phones and bank accounts. You can do this online at the link below. Fill out all your information and make sure you opt to receive your IRD via e-mail and not post (as you may no longer be staying in the same hostel/address). We received our IRD number in the email just as they advertised- within 48 hours.

Set up your IRD here: http://www.ird.govt.nz/how-to/irdnumbers/individuals/

And voilà, you’re all good to go on the legal front! May your job search be just as easy and fuss free as this!

Finding a job on your New Zealand Working Holiday

I won’t go into details on how to actually find jobs here in New Zealand because that’s all going to depend on your personal work history, skills and what type of work you’re looking for. However, I can say that farming/agricultural jobs are plenty all year around. We arrived in the winter months and there were still tons of jobs in rural areas.

Here are some really helpful links to help you find your job here in New Zealand, or you can opt to just head into town with copies of your CV, and win them over with your charming vibes.