Two New Seasonal Subsets Visas of the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)

From 8 December 2025 applications will open for two new seasonal visa options under the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) framework. These are designed to help accredited New Zealand employers recruit for genuine seasonal work roles.

The Global Workforce Seasonal Visa (GWSV) — a route for longer-term seasonal work;

The Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV) — a route for short-term “peak” seasonal roles.

Some of the standout criteria and features include:

No requirement for the employer to first advertise the role in New Zealand in some cases (i.e., no labour market test) for genuinely seasonal roles.

Applicants must have at least three seasons of relevant seasonal work experience in the last six years.

Applicants may be required to spend a specified period outside New Zealand each year.

Designed for short seasonal work during “peak” times (for example harvest/production peaks) and is for a shorter duration: up to seven months .

Employers must advertise the job in New Zealand and show they have tried to hire New Zealanders (labour market test) for roles under this visa.

Applicants need at least one season of relevant experience in the last three years.

For jobs longer than three months, comprehensive health insurance is required.

These new visa options give employers more flexibility when hiring for seasonal fulfilment. Rather than always using the standard AEWV process, these visas are tailored to genuinely seasonal work demands.

For workers, these visas open defined opportunities to work in New Zealand during seasonal labour-demand peaks, with more tailored rules around duration and experience.

The introduction of both a longer-term seasonal visa (GWSV) and a shorter-term peak seasonal visa (PSV) helps match different kinds of seasonal labour demands (e.g., harvest vs. short-burst tourist season work).