Employer requirements to help settle AEWV employees in New Zealand
Giving your employees information about working and living in New Zealand is a requirement of being an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) accredited employer.
Meeting the settlement requirements
As an accredited employer you are required to:
- give your AEWV employees paid time to learn about employment rights, and
- provide them with information about settling in New Zealand.
You must do this within the employee's first month of employment.
Evidence to show you have done this can include:
- copies of settlement information
- communications with AEWV employees about the settlement information
- your organisation's induction plans for new AEWV employees
- confirmation AEWV employees have completed Employment New Zealand’s online modules.
If you need help meeting these requirements, our employer line is open between 08:00 and 18:00, Monday to Friday. Freephone from New Zealand landlines 0508 967 569.
Paid time to complete learning modules
You are required to help your AEWV employees understand their employment rights.
You must give them enough paid time during work hours to complete the online learning modules from Employment New Zealand. This time must be within their first month of work.
These online modules help migrants learn about their employee rights and avoid disagreements.
Employment Learning Modules — Employment New Zealand
Settlement information you must give AEWV employees
As an accredited employer you are required to give your AEWV employees information to help them get settled in New Zealand.
You must provide the following information about the local community and services, and information about being an employee:
- accommodation options
- transportation options — including information on driving and driver licences, and public transport options
- the cost of living
- how to access healthcare services
- Citizens Advice Bureau services
- relevant community groups
- how to get an IRD number from Inland Revenue
- any industry training and qualification information and options, and
- specific job or industry hazards.
If you have given this information to the employee before, you do not need to give it again if the information has not changed.
Information you must provide
Accommodation
You must provide information about accommodation options.
For example, you could include:
Renting a house in New Zealand — Live and Work New Zealand
Starting a tenancy — Tenancy Services
Types of tenancies — Tenancy Services
You should include some personalised local information. This could include:
- surrounding suburbs, the schools there and commute times to work
- how to find accommodation, for example using property websites, real estate agencies, and social media groups
- what to look out for when choosing a place to live, such as checking that it has good heating and it is not an earthquake-prone building
- any accommodation the workplace provides.
Transport
You must provide information about transport — including driving, driver licences and public transport options.
For example, you could include:
Transport — Live and Work New Zealand
Driving in New Zealand — Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
Converting to a New Zealand driver licence — Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
You should include some personalised local information. This could include:
- how to use public transport in your area
- ways to get to work
- how to buy a car
- options for driving to work, carpools and company vehicles
- workplace facilities for cyclists.
Cost of living
You must provide information about the cost of living.
For example, you could include:
Cost of living in New Zealand — Live and Work New Zealand
Getting help with your budget — New Zealand Government
You should include some personalised local information. This could include:
- regional costs like water and rubbish collection
- heating costs
- tips for saving money, for example shopping at local farmers markets or buying second-hand items
- any employee discounts.
Accessing health care services
You must provide information on how to access healthcare services.
For example, you could include:
Where to go for care — Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand
Healthcare services — Live and Work New Zealand
What to do if you're injured — ACC
If your employee has an AEWV that is for 2 years or longer, they can use publicly funded health services in New Zealand. You could provide information on what they may be eligible for.
Eligibility for public health services — Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand
You should include some personalised local information. This could include:
- local health centres and hospitals, including distances if they live out of town
- what to do in an emergency or after hours
- regional health websites — check the directory at Te Whatu Ora
Our local health websites — Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand - any health insurance, benefits or services available from the workplace including EAP services.
Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) services
You must provide information about CAB services.
For example, you could include:
Employment and business — Citizens Advice Bureau
Find a CAB — Citizens Advice Bureau
Migrant connect — Citizens Advice Bureau — a service for new migrants, with no appointment needed
Access help and support — Live and Work New Zealand
Community groups
You must provide information about relevant community groups.
For example, you could include:
Meeting people — Live and Work New Zealand
You should include some personalised local information. This could include:
- local community groups including sports clubs, cultural groups, and places of worship
- local and online English learning courses
- councils involved in the Welcoming Communities initiative.
Getting an IRD number from Inland Revenue
You must provide information about getting an IRD number.
For example, you could include:
New arrivals to New Zealand — IRD
Paying tax when you work or study in New Zealand — IRD
Money and taxes in New Zealand
Industry training and qualifications
You must provide information about any industry training and qualifications.
For example, you could include:
Getting overseas qualifications recognised by NZQA
You should include some personalised local information. This could include:
- English language courses
- any training that the workplace offers.
Job or industry hazards
You must provide information about specific job or industry hazards.
For example, you could include:
Health and Safety at work — Live and Work New Zealand
Your rights and obligations — WorkSafe
You should also provide information specific to the workplace. This could include:
- protective gear for their role
- health and safety training
- any differences to how health and safety is managed in their home country
- hazards in the workplace.
Optional information you could provide
Information for families with children
You could include information about:
- helping children to adjust to a new country
- the New Zealand school system
- local schools and childcare
- groups for parents
- afterschool activities
- tips on buying clothes, toys and school supplies.
Employment rights
You are already required to help your AEWV employees understand their employment rights by giving them paid work time to complete the Employment Learning Modules.
You could give them additional information about leave, holidays, wages, tax, and discrimination and harassment at work.
Employment rights — Live and Work New Zealand
Other information you could include
You could include information about:
- how people in New Zealand pay for things using EFTPOS, credit cards and debit cards
- setting up bank accounts and transferring money
- how to get a mobile phone and internet
- local climate and weather
- New Zealand emergency services and how to get help.
Template to help you give the required information
You can provide the settlement information in your own document or use our template.
The 'Advice to help you settle in Aotearoa New Zealand' template helps to make sure you give your employee the required information.
This document contains sections for:
- general information you must include for all employees on an AEWV
- local or personalised information you could include, and
- optional information you could include.
Instructions for using the template
The sections you should personalise are highlighted in the document, with instructions and examples of information you could include.
- Read all the highlighted instructions.
- Replace the highlighted instructions with local personalised information. Use the examples to help you.
- Delete any remaining highlighted instructions.
After you have updated the document with information for your employee, email it or give them a printed copy.
You can include this settlement information in a welcome kit — making a welcome kit is one of the things you can do to prepare for your new employee.