RSE scheme New Zealand: who is eligible

The RSE scheme New Zealand is an employer-led route for seasonal horticulture and viticulture work, and you normally cannot apply for it on your own. You need a job offer from a Recognised Seasonal Employer first, and most workers must come from one of the eligible Pacific countries. Most visa holders can stay for up to 7 months in any 11-month period.

Last checked 8 November 2026. This article is part of our guide: New Zealand AEWV guide.

What the RSE scheme New Zealand offers seasonal workers

Immigration New Zealand runs the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, usually called RSE. Approved growers use it to recruit overseas workers for seasonal jobs when there are not enough New Zealand workers to fill them.

The scheme works in two linked steps. First, the employer must be approved. Then it offers a job to a named worker, who can apply for an RSE Limited Visa. That visa names the employer, and no other.

This differs from the wider accredited employer system. Under that route the job must be full-time, with at least 30 hours a week, and the stay can run for up to five years depending on the job. If you want the wider picture first, read our New Zealand work visa guide.

In practice, RSE work is for growers in horticulture and viticulture. Typical jobs include planting, maintaining, harvesting and packing crops. The work is seasonal, so it starts and stops with the crop.

Which countries can join the RSE scheme New Zealand

Employers may normally recruit only from a named list of Pacific countries. The official list includes Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati and Tuvalu, along with the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, the Republic of Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste.

Timor-Leste deserves a careful check. Sources online can describe its position differently, so confirm the current country list on the official page before you rely on it. A list on an agent’s website is not proof.

Recruiting from other countries is possible only in exceptional circumstances, and only with Immigration New Zealand’s agreement. Do not assume this applies to you because an agent says it does. Ask the employer to show the agreement in writing.

Lists can change. Immigration New Zealand has announced staged changes to the scheme, starting in early 2027, and current settings stay in place until then. Read the official changes announcement and check the country list yourself.

Who can join the RSE scheme New Zealand through approved employers

To be eligible, you normally need to be a citizen of one of the listed Pacific countries. You must also meet health and character requirements, and show that you have arrangements to leave New Zealand when your stay ends. The RSE Limited Visa page sets out these conditions.

Most workers do not apply alone. The approved employer recruits, makes the job offer and supports the visa application. The pages we checked do not say whether you can approach an employer without a registered agent, so do not treat it as settled.

This route is not for you if one of these applies:

You are a citizen of a country that is not on the list, and no exceptional agreement covers you.
You cannot meet the health and character requirements.
You plan to change employers while in New Zealand, because the visa is tied to one employer.
You plan to stay longer than the limit on your visa.

RSE scheme New Zealand requirements workers must meet

The requirements come from two places. Immigration New Zealand sets the visa rules, and the employer controls the job offer. The table shows who sets each rule and where to check it.

Requirement	Who sets it	Where to check
Citizen of an eligible country	Immigration New Zealand	RSE Limited Visa page
Health and character requirements	Immigration New Zealand	RSE Limited Visa page
Arrangements to leave at the end of the stay	Immigration New Zealand	RSE Limited Visa page
Job offer from a Recognised Seasonal Employer	Employer, then Immigration New Zealand	RSE Limited Visa page
At least 30 paid hours a week, averaged over four weeks	Job offer terms	RSE Limited Visa page

Visa, health and character checks for RSE scheme New Zealand workers

Immigration New Zealand requires health and character checks for every RSE worker. You must also show that you have arrangements to leave New Zealand when your stay ends. Start collecting documents early, because checks take time.

The official pages we checked do not list every required medical test. Read the current visa guide for that list, and do not rely on an agent to tell you what is needed.

Job offer and employer approval

You must already hold a job offer from a Recognised Seasonal Employer before you apply. The offer should guarantee at least 30 paid hours a week, averaged over four weeks. If the offer promises less, ask why before you sign anything.

Ask the employer to confirm its approval in writing, and ask for a copy of the offer. The employer handles the offer, and Immigration New Zealand makes the visa decision, so send each question to the right party.

Typical pay for RSE scheme New Zealand work

Work is seasonal, so the job follows the crop. Tasks usually include planting, maintaining, harvesting and packing. Every offer must guarantee 30 paid hours a week, averaged over four weeks.

Employers must pay returning workers who have done two or more seasons a higher rate than first-time workers. That rate is the adult minimum wage plus 10%. We could not confirm the current adult minimum wage rate, so check the official figure before you accept an offer.

Use this checklist when you read an offer:

Hours: at least 30 a week, averaged over four weeks.
Rate: stated clearly, and at least the adult minimum wage.
Returning worker rate: adult minimum wage plus 10% if you have worked two or more seasons.
Dates: a clear start and end date for the job.
Deductions: anything taken from your pay written down before you start.

Keep your own record of hours and pay each week. Compare it with the offer, and if the two do not match, raise it with the employer in writing. A written record protects you if a dispute starts later.

How long you can stay and how the time counts

Most RSE visa holders can stay for up to 7 months in any 11-month period. Citizens of Tuvalu and Kiribati who live in their home country get an extra 2 months. Check the rule that applies to you on the official visa page.

Who	Time allowed
Most RSE visa holders	Up to 7 months in any 11-month period
Citizens of Tuvalu or Kiribati who live in their home country	An extra 2 months

The limit runs over any 11-month window, so a second season soon after the first can use up your time quickly. Plan your dates before you accept a second offer, and count the months from the dates on your visa.

The facts we checked do not say how an early end to a job affects your stay. Do not assume you can stay on. Ask Immigration New Zealand before you make any plan that depends on it.

Worked example: one season from offer to pay

Worked example (illustrative, not a real case): Ana is a fictional worker from Samoa, an eligible country, who wants to join the RSE scheme New Zealand.

Approval: Ana’s employer confirms in writing that it is a Recognised Seasonal Employer.
Offer: The job offer covers harvest work with at least 30 paid hours a week, averaged over four weeks.
Visa: Ana applies for an RSE Limited Visa. Immigration New Zealand lists the fee from NZD $325, so she checks the current Fees Guide first. It sets a processing target of 80% within 4 days, which is a target and not a guarantee.
Arrival and first pay: Ana keeps her own hours record and compares it with her first pay slip.
Stay: Her visa allows up to 7 months in any 11-month period, so she plans her dates around the season.
End of season: She shows her arrangements to leave New Zealand when her stay ends.

Ana does not pay anyone a job fee at any step. If she returns for a second season, the higher pay rule for returning workers applies. The visa page does not say who pays the visa fee, so Ana asks the employer whether it covers the fee.

Other seasonal visa options if your country is not eligible

If your country is not on the list, the RSE route is normally closed to you. Other options may suit you, depending on your situation and the job. Do not assume any of them applies until you have checked the conditions.

The Peak Seasonal Visa covers jobs that appear on its own job list. Workers from any country can apply if the job is on that list and the employer qualifies. Check the list on the Peak Seasonal Visa page.

The Supplementary Seasonal Employment Work Visa is different. It is for people already in New Zealand on a student or visitor visa, for horticulture or viticulture work. It is not for people applying from overseas. See the supplementary visa page for the conditions.

Accredited Employer Work Visa and family

The Accredited Employer Work Visa is a wider route, and it needs a job of at least 30 hours a week. The application starts with a job offer from an accredited employer, who sends you the application link.

Immigration New Zealand lists the main applicant fee at NZD 1,540. It says 80% of applications are decided within five weeks. If your job is at skill levels 3 to 5, you must show you can speak and understand English.

You cannot name a partner or dependent children on the Accredited Employer Work Visa itself. Whether they can be supported on another visa depends on earnings and the skill level of the job. Read the Accredited Employer Work Visa page before you plan family moves.

Paying for seasonal work: what is legitimate and what to refuse

Immigration New Zealand says employers and their agents must not charge a worker for a job or for the employer’s recruitment costs. That ban also covers payments routed through a third party. Any request for a job fee is a red flag.

Immigration New Zealand itself charges only an application fee. Some evidence costs, such as a medical examination, go to third-party providers, so ask for the official fee list and keep receipts. Never pay someone who promises to skip the official process.

Official checks for an RSE scheme New Zealand employer

Ask the employer to confirm in writing that it is a Recognised Seasonal Employer.
Check the country and job details against the scheme pages on the Immigration New Zealand website.
If you use an adviser, choose a licensed immigration adviser, a certified New Zealand lawyer, or another person legally allowed to give immigration advice.
Ask Immigration New Zealand directly about an employer’s status. The pages we checked did not show a public searchable list, so do not rely on a list you cannot check.

The same approach applies to accredited employers, and our step-by-step employer check shows how to do it.

Warning signs of someone selling places

They ask for a processing or placement fee for a job.
They offer to fast-track your visa application for a payment.
They work through an app or social media and avoid official routes.
They promise a guaranteed place before any employer has made you a written offer.

Immigration New Zealand’s scam warnings treat these as signs of fraud, and it advises people to use approved routes instead. If you have already paid, stop further payments, keep every receipt and message, and report it to Immigration New Zealand. Ask your bank whether the payment can be reversed.

Next steps before you accept an RSE offer

Confirm your country is on the eligible list on the RSE Limited Visa page.
Ask the employer for written approval, and read the scheme overview on the Immigration New Zealand website.
Read the written offer against the 30-hour rule and the pay rules, and check the employer support rules on the Immigration New Zealand website.
Keep copies of every document, offer, receipt and pay record, and read the official worker guidance on the Immigration New Zealand website.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for RSE work directly?

Not normally. You need a job offer from a Recognised Seasonal Employer before you can apply for the RSE Limited Visa. The pages we checked do not say whether you can approach an employer on your own, without a registered agent. Ask the employer directly, and do not pay anyone who says they can give you a place.

Which industries can use RSE workers?

The scheme covers horticulture and viticulture, which means fruit and vegetable growing and grape growing. Workers can help with planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing crops. Other sectors sit outside the RSE scheme, so a job outside these areas is not an RSE role.

How do RSE workers find seasonal jobs in New Zealand?

Workers normally get an RSE job through an approved employer, not by applying alone. Ask for a written job offer, check the employer’s approval with Immigration New Zealand, and keep copies. Immigration New Zealand says employers and agents must not charge a job fee or recruitment costs, so refuse any request for payment to find the job.

RSE Scheme New Zealand: Who Can Do Seasonal Fruit Work

What the RSE scheme New Zealand offers seasonal workers

Which countries can join the RSE scheme New Zealand

Who can join the RSE scheme New Zealand through approved employers

RSE scheme New Zealand requirements workers must meet