Sector agreements and wage exemptions for AEWV workers

If you are hired after 10 March 2025

From 10 March 2025, if you are being hired on an AEWV you must be paid at least the market rate for your job. Your employers must also meet any other legal pay requirements, such as paying the New Zealand minimum wage.

Sector agreements and wage exemptions before 10 March 2025

Sector agreements had exemptions for median wage requirements. Some also had a capped recruitment limit and an exemption to AEWV minimum skill requirements.

The exemption to minimum skill requirements still applies for some jobs that were included in a sector agreement or wage exemption.

Sector agreements

Before 10 March 2025, these sectors had agreements with the government that let them pay less than NZD $29.66 an hour (the February 2023 median wage rate) for some jobs.

Sectors that were covered by sector agreements:

• care workforce
• seafood processing (onshore)
• construction and infrastructure
• meat processing
• seasonal snow and adventure tourism
• transport.

Wage exemptions

The tourism and hospitality sector had a temporary exemption that allowed them to pay less than NZD $29.66 an hour.

Find out if your job was a part of a sector agreement or wage agreement before March 10 2025.

AEWV jobs that were part of a sector agreement or wage exemption

AEWV minimum skill requirement exemptions

You may not need to provide evidence showing you meet minimum skill requirements for the AEWV, if your job was part of the:

• meat processing sector agreement
• seafood processing sector agreement
• care workforce sector agreement, or
• tourism and hospitality wage exemption.

This exemption still applies for these jobs, even though sector agreements and wage exemptions ended on 10 March 2025.

Find out if your job is exempt from meeting AEWV minimum skill requirements here:

AEWV jobs that were part of a sector agreement or wage exemption

Sector agreements and pathways to residence

Some jobs that were covered by a sector agreement provide a work to residence pathway. This means the migrant worker can apply for residence once they have completed 24 months of work experience in New Zealand.

Unless there is an exception in place, AEWV workers wanting to claim work experience as part of their residence application must be paid at least:

• the median wage that was in place when their visa application was accepted, and
• the current median wage when they apply for their resident visa.

Wage rate requirements for visas

Work experience exceptions and median wage exceptions

AEWW jobs that were part of a sector agreement or wage exemption

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