Wage thresholds for the following visa categories – Skilled Migrant Category, the Green List Straight to Residence and Work to Residence visas, and the Parent Category residence class visa – increased in line with the median wage (NZD$31.61 an hour) on 28 February 2024.
To note, however, that this increase does not apply to the Acredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), which the Government signaled in December will remain at the current rate of NZD$29.66 an hour.
All sector agreements and exemptions to the median wage will also remain in place with current wage rates until further decisions are taken on the use of the median wage under the AEWV.
The expiry of the tourism and hospitality wage exemption to paying the median wage has been delayed. This currently enables certain roles in hospitality and tourism to be paid at 95% of the median wage and was due to expire in April 2024. Further information on these sector exemptions is available here. We will notify of any further development regarding the sector exemption as information is released.