New Zealand
Make employment in New Zealand easy. Let us handle payroll, benefits, taxes, compliance, and even stock options for your team in New Zealand, all in one easy-to-use platform.
- Capital City
Wellington
- Currency
New Zealand dollar ($, NZD)
- Languages
English and Māori
- Population size
5,122,840
Facts & Stats
- Capital City
Wellington
- Currency
New Zealand dollar ($, NZD)
- Languages
English and Māori
- Population size
5,122,840
- Ease of doing business
Very easy
- Cost of living index
$$$$ (15 of 139 nations)
- Payroll frequency
Bi-Monthly/Monthly
- VAT - standard rate
15%
- GDP - real growth rate
2.8% (2019)
New Zealand is an island nation in the South Pacific. Aotearoa is the traditional Māori name of New Zealand, predominantly made up of two main islands, the North Island and the South Island (as well as other smaller islands). The North Island is home to two-thirds of the 4.9 million residents.
New Zealand has a very strong economy, consistently ranking highly on quality of life measures, making it an attractive place to do business. The land of the long white cloud is home to skilled workers across a diverse range of industries. Agriculture is its largest sector, with dairy farming at the top. The manufacturing, service, construction, and tourism industries are also growing.
The country is known for its beautiful landscapes. Because New Zealand is geographically separated from others, the country offers flora and fauna visitors can’t find anywhere else. This unique natural beauty, combined with New Zealand’s high quality of life is becoming an attractive draw for digital nomads and remote workers looking for an English-speaking relocation option.
Grow your team in New Zealand with Remote
Looking to employ workers in New Zealand? Companies hiring in New Zealand must either own a legal entity in the country or work with a global employment solutions provider, usually one that provides employer of record services.
Remote can employ your team in New Zealand on your behalf through our local legal entity in the country and handle payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance for your New Zealand team. You can also pay contractors now in New Zealand with Remote.
Risks of misclassification
New Zealand, like many other countries, treats self-employed individuals or contractors and full-time employees differently. Misclassification of contractors in New Zealand may lead to fines and penalties for the offending company.
Employing in New Zealand
Remote makes it easy for companies of all sizes to employ workers in New Zealand using our employer of record solution. We can help employ your Kiwi team using our local New Zealand-based entity. We can handle your payroll, benefits, taxes, and local legal compliance. So you can focus on more important strategic work.
Minimum Wage
The Workplace Relations and Safety Minister has announced that the adult minimum wage will be rising to $23.15 per hour from 1 April 2024. This is an increase of 45 cents per hour from the current hourly rate of $22.70.
The training and starting-out minimum wages will also both increase to $18.52 per hour, remaining at 80% of the adult minimum wage. This is a rise from the current minimum rate of $18.16 per hour.
For an employee who works 40 hours a week, the minimum wage increase to $23.15 per hour means they’ll earn an extra $18 each week before tax.
All rates are before tax and any lawful deductions, for example, PAYE tax, student loan repayment, child support.
Payroll Cycle
For customers of Remote, all employee payments will be made in equal monthly instalments on or before the last working day of each calendar month, payable in arrears.
Onboarding Time
We can help you get a new employee started in New Zealand fast. The minimum onboarding time we need is only 4 working days.
Our team ensures your employees are onboarded and paid as quickly as possible while keeping your business compliant with all local employment legislation. The minimum onboarding time begins after the employee submits all required information onto the Remote platform. The onboarding timeline is also dependent upon registration with local authorities.
For all non-nationals of the country of employment, the Right to Work assessment (if applicable) will add three extra days to the total time to onboard. There may be extra time required if we need to follow-up on the right to work assessment.
Please note, payroll cut-off dates can impact the actual first day of employment. Remote has a payroll cut-off date of the 10th of the month unless otherwise specified.
11 Public holidays
Want to see and manage all holidays? Sign up for our free HRIS!
Effortless HR in New Zealand: Take the Tour
Competitive benefits package in New Zealand
At Remote, we’re obsessed with helping you craft the best possible employee experience for your team. We are leading the way in practising “fair equity,” which means making sure employees everywhere have access to both the required and supplemental benefits they need to thrive (and that will allow you to attract the best local talent).
Our benefits packages in New Zealand are tailored to fulfil the local needs of your employees. Typically, our packages contain some or all of the following benefits:
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Mental Health Support
Pension or 401(K)
Life and Disability Insurance
Fair Pricing in New Zealand
Employer of Record
Hire and pay your global team
Starting at US$599/month
for annual plans
Top features
Satisfaction guaranteed
No deposits or hidden fees
Zero onboarding or offboarding fees
Compliant equity incentives support including withholding and reporting
Built-in security and compliance
Fast onboarding (average 2-3 days)
Flexible, localised benefits
Contractor Management
Compliantly onboard and pay contractors
US$29
per contractor/month
Top features
Only pay for contractors you actively work with
Work with contractors in 200+ countries
Create, edit, and sign tailored, localised contracts
Approve contractor invoices with one click or auto-pay
Transparent payments with complete visibility
Payroll
Consolidate your multi-country payroll
US$29
per employee/month
Top features
Simplify: Comprehensive platform that integrates all payroll functions
Support: Personalised assistance with a dedicated team and specialists
Accuracy: Test runs and parallel pay runs before implementation
Compliance: Adhere to local labour laws in every country
Timeliness: Accurate and on-time payroll with labour authority reporting handled
Top features
Guided onboarding and offboarding
Employee profile and document management
Time and attendance (time off and tracking)
Expense management and reimbursement
Employee self-serve on the platform and mobile app