Seasonal work and how we can help
Every year there are hundreds of seasonal jobs in New Zealand – including jobs on farms, forests, ski-fields, orchards and vineyards.
With seasonal work you can:
- learn new skills
- get work experience
- be active and get fit
- meet new people
- gain confidence
- earn good money.
It's worth coming off the benefit and doing it on your own - even for a little while. You may even get a permanent job out of it - or be able to move into other types of work using skills and experience you learn. Some people can end up working most of the year.
While you're working we may be able to give you extra financial help.
What skills are needed?
Often you won’t need any extra skills or experience to do the job. But if you do, we can help you find out about training courses or put you in touch with the right people.
How much will I earn?
How much you can earn depends on your employer and the job you do. Some jobs are paid by the hour and others by a contract rate (like a set amount for picking a bin of apples). To give you a rough idea, you could earn $200 to $500 a week picking fruit and vegetables.
How do I find the work?
There are lots of places you can look to find seasonal work, for example:
- read the local newspapers
- check community or supermarket notice boards
- visit your local Work and Income service centre
- ask local orchards or packing sheds
- ask friends or family
- look on the internet.
You may need to move to get the work, but many places that offer seasonal work are also great places to be in - like Nelson or Hawke's Bay in summer. Often you can get cheap accommodation at orchards (some even offer housing for families) and many people choose to stay in nearby motor camps.
The chart on the below shows you the types of seasonal work you can get around the country.
Seasonal work around the country
If you need to travel to get to a seasonal job, talk with your Case Manager about how we may be able to help with your extra costs.
| What type of work? | When? | Where? |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit and vegetable harvesting, packing, processing and pruning | All year round | Northland, Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay, East Cape, Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury, South Canterbury, Otago |
| Vineyards | Often something available all year round | East Coast, Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury, Otago |
| Forestry | All year round, particularly autumn | Waipukurau/Central Hawkes Bay, Tokoroa, Wairarapa, North Otago, Southland |
| Dairy industry | Almost year round | Waikato, Waipukurau/Central Hawkes Bay, Central North Island, Manawatu, Wairarapa, South Canterbury |
| Freezing works, meat processing | Oct-May Jul-Aug | Waikato, Waipukurau/Central Hawkes Bay, South Canterbury, North Otago |
| Lambing and shearing gang work | Mar-May Sep-Feb Aug-Nov (lambing) | Waikato, Taranaki, Manawatu, Central North Island, Wairarapa, Marlborough, South Canterbury, Otago, Southland |
| Fisheries/seafood | Jun-Sep | Mid North/Kerikeri, South Canterbury |
| Ski-related work on ski-fields and in local towns | Jun-Sep | Tongariro, Marlborough, South Canterbury, Central Otago |
| Tourism work everything from waiting tables to being a tour guide | Nov-Feb Jun-Sep (ski resorts) | Resort and tourist towns such as Paihia, Taupo, Rotorua, Queenstown, Te Anau |
| This is a general guide as seasons vary from place to place. Your Case Manager can tell you more about the seasons in your area. | ||
When you find work?
Remember you need to tell us straight away about any paid work you are doing, even if it's only part-time or short-term work.
How your benefit is affected by working depends on whether depends whether you work full or part-time:
- If you work full-time, your benefit may stop, depending on your circumstances - but you may be able to get it again as soon as your job ends.
- If you work part-time, you can earn some income before your benefit is affected (but any other income support you get from us may be affected, so please ask us for details)
Even if your benefit stops or goes down, we may still be able to help with things like accommodation and childcare costs. For more details read:
If you can't work because of problems like bad weather, or your employer wants you to work fewer hours, let us know because you may be able to get some of your benefit or get another type of income support.
When your job ends
Make sure you tell us as soon as your seasonal job ends so we can help you sort out your benefit payments (we can’t backdate your payments).
You’ll also need to start looking for full-time work again (you maybe able to use the new skills you’ve learnt) – or find another seasonal job. We can help you with you job search.
