TZI did my New Zealand working holiday from Summer to Spring and spent a good deal of my time working really hard! Throughout the summer, I worked in the North Island around Hawkes Bay as a fruit thinner, picker, grader and packer. Over Spring, I was in the South Island working as a potato grader. So how did I find these jobs in New Zealand during my Working Holiday?
In a nutshell, I found all of these jobs from various platforms. From backpacker forums, Facebook groups to even just walking in to ask for vacancies at the fields. This is definitely not the usual job hunt I was used to back at home. In my opinion, fortunately, there seems to be no shortage of work in New Zealand throughout the year. Especially if you’re working as a casual worker, a variety of work is available nearly everywhere as their economy relies heavily on agriculture and tourism. You can live in a caravan and work your way around the country following the harvest and tourist seasons. However, how hard you want to spend finding a job also depends on how much you plan to work during your working holiday too.
So here’s what you can do to kickstart your job search in New Zealand:
1. Searching online through various job listings platform
There are many platforms you can utilise to aid you to find various jobs in New Zealand during your Working Holiday. Check out these sites that I’ve used during my time there:
- Backpackerboard – Apart from job listings, this is also New Zealand’s largest online portal for backpacking. You can find much information from short/long-term accommodation to renting/purchasing your own vehicle here.
- Facebook Groups such as North South Horticulture( speaks Mandarin), New Zealand 🇳🇿 Backpacker Jobs
- Seasonal Jobs in New Zealand
- Job Sites – Seek – New Zealand’s employment, career and recruitment site, TradeMe jobs
- Gourmet Blueberries at Hawkes Bay – Check out their casual work roles here. They usually mass hire blueberry pickers from November to January and was exactly where I worked at!
2.WWOOF – a “Job” that provides you with a unique experience
Before I begin, do note that I personally have no experience with this program. However, I’ve read a good deal of material on WWOOF and it seems legit and really worth the experience! Hence, I’m putting it here for your consideration too, but note to do your own research to determine if this suits your travel style too.
Basically, WWOOF provides volunteers with hands-on educational and cultural experiences. Volunteers, who are also called WWOOFers, learned about what is involved to grow produce and animals organically while living with locals and joining in the daily farming and family activities.
Do note though that:
- WWOOF is entirely voluntary as its intention is to have a cultural and educational exchange between people of different backgrounds. WWOOFers help hosts get tasks done, while in return, they are also given the opportunity to learn about organic and sustainable ways of living through engaging with the locals too.
- Hosts do not charge the WWOOFer for their stay and WWOOFers do not get paid for their work. WWOOFers exchange their efforts on the land and at home for food and accommodation from the hosts.
- The duration of each stay varies from farm to farm but usually lasts between 5 days to a few weeks.
- WWOOF needs to be booked one to two months in advance to lock in your time with the host.
If you’re keen, check out their official page at WWOOF or the Work & WWOOFING Facebook group before committing to it. Do note that it costs $25 for an 18-months membership fee (12-months before Covid-19) that allows you access to WWOOF hosts and a bunch of other necessary information for WWOOFing successfully!
With that, I hope this article is useful in helping you find a job in New Zealand during your Working Holiday! Let me know how it goes, and wishing you all the best!!!
