Recognised Seasonal Employer Limited Visa — Support a candidate's visa application
You should consider becoming a Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) if you are a horticulture or viticulture employer who cannot find New Zealand workers to plant, maintain, harvest and pack crops. If granted RSE status, you can then apply for an Agreement to Recruit which allows you to recruit workers from offshore to fill these roles.
What an employer needs to do
You must offer a job planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing crops
You must provide a written employment agreement, which must:
- include your Agreement to Recruit (ATR) and specific employment numbers relating to the potential employees in question and contact details
- comply with the conditions set out in your ATR
- detail any voluntary deductions
- comply with New Zealand employment law.
Employee rights and responsibilities — Employment New Zealand
Improvements were made to the RSE scheme on 2 September 2024. Learn more about what these changes mean for RSE employers and workers. If you are a seasonal worker on an RSE Limited Visa you can give your employer permission to deduct money from your pay to cover costs like: Your employer can only make deductions if: You can withdraw by giving your employer notice in writing. Your employer must vary or stop the deductions within 2 weeks of getting notice from you, or as soon as it is practical to make the changes.
Agreeing to voluntary pay deductions when you work on an RSE visa
If you are working in New Zealand on a Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Limited Visa you can give your employer permission to take money from your pay to cover some costs.
Note
Costs that can be deducted from your pay
Giving permission for deductions
Withdrawing permission
Note
People employed under the RSE policy may stay in New Zealand for up to 7 months during any 11-month period. Exceptions to this are workers from Tuvalu and Kiribati, who can stay for 9 months because of the distance from New Zealand and the cost of travel.
What happens next
-
1
Step 1: Workers apply for work visas
Your workers must provide a copy of a written employment agreement from you along with their visa application.
-
2
Step 2: Wait for a decision
We make a decision about your candidate’s application as soon as we can.
-
3
Step 3: Workers arrive in New Zealand and start work
As soon as your workers have been granted visas, they can come to New Zealand and start work.