If you have been unable to find suitable New Zealand citizens or residents to plant, maintain, harvest and pack crops in the horticulture and viticulture industries, you may employ non-New Zealand citizens and residents who are already in New Zealand under SSE policy (please note, you are not permitted to recruit workers who are overseas under this policy).
All New Zealand employers in the horticulture and viticulture industries can use SSE policy to employ seasonal workers, including businesses who have obtained RSE status.
The SSE process
There are two stages in the SSE process.
SSE Approval in Principle
First, a horticulture or viticulture employer must lodge an application for an SSE Approval in Principle to recruit non-New Zealand citizen or resident workers . The application must be on the Supplementary Seasonal Employment Approval in Principle (INZ 1167) PDF form and you must pay the application fee.
Employers seeking an SSE Approval in Principle must:
- have taken steps to obtain New Zealand workers, including through Work and Income, before approaching us
- provide a sample employment agreement that will be offered to SSE workers which meets the requirements of SSE policy,
- ensure that SSE workers will have access to suitable accommodation, and
- have complied with conditions of any previous SSE Approval in Principle they have been granted.
In addition, you must commit to continue to make genuine attempts to find New Zealand citizen and resident workers to fill the positions during the period that any SSE Approval in Principle is granted for.
SSE Approval in Principle applications should be sent to the Recognised Seasonal Employer Unit in Wellington at:
Recognised Seasonal Employer Unit
Immigration New Zealand – Wellington branch
PO Box 27-149
Wellington
Should your SSE Approval in Principle application be granted, you will receive an approval letter stating the number of positions you may recruit SSE workers to fill. It will also state a set time period in which you may employ SSE workers. You must not employ more than the number of SSE workers approved at any one time.
For example: If you have been approved to recruit SSE workers for 10 positions over a period of one month, you must not employ more than 10 SSE workers at any one time during that month. If some workers leave during the month, you may replace them as long as you never have more than 10 at one time.
Employing an SSE worker
When you have an SSE Approval in Principle you can make a job offer to any person who holds a current SSE work permit.
Work permits granted under this policy will be granted for a maximum of six months and allow permit holders to work for any employer who has a current SSE Approval in Principle.
Each person may only ever obtain a work permit under the SSE policy once. Workers who have held permits under the previous Transitioning to Recognised Seasonal Employer (TRSE) policy are not eligible for SSE permits. In addition, SSE work permits will not be granted to applicants who have held any other type of work permit (including a working holiday) since their most recent entry to New Zealand.
There is a limited number of places available for workers under SSE policy which reflects the number of approved SSE Approval in Principle places. This limit is updated by Immigration New Zealand. An SSE work permit application cannot be approved if there are no remaining places at the time the application is made. You may check if there are places available.
For more information about this process, see the SSE page for workers. We also have a question and answer pack available about SSE policy.