6 Things I wish I knew before starting my New Zealand Working Holiday

I started my New Zealand Working Holiday (NZWH) in December 2015, and I left NZ in May. It was something that I have always wanted to do since 2006, before it exploded in popularity among Malaysians (you could still get the visa in June back then, unthinkable these days). It was definitely an interesting and valuable experience. These days there are tonnes of information and advice that can be found online regarding life on the NZWH. Still, there were still some things that I wish I knew before starting my NZWH experience which might have helped me prepare better and set more realistic expectations.

Here are 6 things I wish I knew before starting my NZWH experience

6 months visa length can be a handicap

Malaysians hold a 6 months NZWH visa. This 6 months limit can be a handicap in finding jobs, because most other nationalities, including Americans, Europeans, China, Hong Kong, etc, hold a 1 year visa. This means that they can commit longer to jobs, and therefore more favourable to most employers, especially with “better” jobs in retail, tourism and hospitality. You will find that most retail, tourism and hospitality jobs will want a minimum commitment of 3 – 6 months.

It is also a matter of timing and smart planning. Say you immediately find horticulture work for the visa extension; after that 3 months you could at most have 6 months at a “better” job. And this is if you don’t spend anytime travelling full time. Of course it is possible to get these jobs if you are lucky. The reality is as a Malaysian I found myself limited to seasonal jobs like horticulture (fruit picking, vineyards, vegetable farms), which runs for short seasons anyway and hire staff on a casual basis.

NB – Not that horticulture jobs are “bad” jobs. They are an honest living, and I reckon it’s good for Malaysians to experience jobs like these because we hold such biased stereotypes of blue collar workers. Just saying – don’t put your hopes too high in getting a “cushy” job.

Seasonal agriculture work holds no promises

I spent about 2 weeks in a carrot packhouse, and then another 2 months in kiwifruit packhouses. I was pulling 5-6 hours of work per day in the carrot packhouse, with hours slowly increasing to 8 or even more. And then I quit to go join the kiwifruit season, thinking that there will be plenty of work, and ended up only working 30 hours in a span for 30 days. That season was late to harvest, and slow to pick up. The hard lesson I got from this experience was that agricultural work works within the laws of nature. There is no definite start date that this fruit will be ready for harvest, and even when harvest starts don’t expect too many hours of work as the harvest slowly picks up. If you do picking work in the fields, work may depend on weather. If you work in a packhouse, there won’t be work if there is no picking. So don’t be fooled by promises of working x-hour days y days a week. It can happen, but maybe at the peak of seasons for a couple of weeks. Don’t expect a steady and predictable income like you would from a office 9-5 job, and I don’t recommend starting work only when you’re desperate for money, because it is hard to plan a budget with unpredictable work days and hours.

Not all agriculture work falls into this category. I believe vegetables are pretty steady throughout the year, although it also depends on the variety of produce offered by the business. The more types of produce, the more likelihood their seasons overlap and therefore steadier hours. (Those carrots I packed – their season is from March to June/July).

Freedom camping is a myth

I think a lot of us go over to NZ with a romanticised plan of travelling in a car or van, touring the country, camping on the road at random and cool spots. This fantasy in reality is true only to a certain extent. I think because NZ has had so many backpackers come through their country with such a plan, that in past years they have suffered where their public parks were thrashed by backpackers randomly camping out in their vehicles. We need to keep in mind that a lot of these beautiful parks and recreational spaces are maintained by a municipal council or agency, and they cost money to keep clean – emptying bins, wash the free bathrooms, restock toilet paper, etc. Therefore in reality, most public parks specifically prohibit free camping. There are a small number of parks that do allow free camping, but a majority of them are limited to certified “self contained vehicles”, ie. vehicles that have their own toilet systems ie. big campervans. From my observation it is easier to find freedom camping spots in South Island than North Island.

So unless you are going to invest in a van with toilet facilities, the plan of sleeping on the streets for free in your car may not be realistic. And the cost of hostels or campervan parks can add up quickly, so budget wisely.

Cheap cars may cost more in the long run

I think the standard plan for most Malaysians going on WHNZ is to “buy a cheap car, and travel around in that car as much as possible”. What many may not be aware of is that in NZ, any car that is older than the year 2000 must get a Warrant of Fitness (WOF) every 6 months. Cars from the year 2000 or later needs a WOF every 12 months. This usually includes all the clunky old cars that are within the budgets of backpackers like us. The car must be inspected by a mechanic to meet a list of requirements in order to get a WOF, in order to be allowed on NZ roads. What this means is that you can’t bank on spending $500 on a lemon, use it for the duration of your stay and hoping it won’t tank during your time, and palm it off to someone else. If you plan to keep the car up to 4 months or more, it is worth budgeting a couple of thousand dollars for an old car that is in relatively good working condition. If you buy a cheap ass car, you might end up spending more money to fix it up in order to get a WOF. Also it is easier to sell a car that has WOF, so you have less trouble getting rid of your car when you plan to leave NZ.

Make sure you get paid

It is important that even though you are a backpacker, you still have legal rights as a wage earner. Know beforehand starting a job your wages, make sure they are of at least minimum wage in NZ (as of April 2016 – $15.25). Holiday pay is the extra pay that an employer needs to pay you to supplement all the annual leave, sick leave and public holidays that you will NOT get as a casual worker – it is at 8% during my time. Certain employers pay out the holiday pay every week; certain employers work it differently, like paying you out only on your last paycheck etc. It is important to keep track of your salary slips every week, and to ensure that they are paying you what you are entitled to. You should have ALL the information before you start any work, and have a signed contract that lays out all the details, and you should keep a copy of this contract.

I would recommend not leaving the country before you can be sure you are fully paid by your employer – I got stiffed of my holiday pay. It was supposed to be paid out 1 week after my last paycheck, but at that stage I have already left NZ, and there were no responses to my efforts to contact the employer multiple times. Yeah, shit happens.

Also another interesting tip or fact – for fruit picking work that pay by bin or by piece, it is by law that the employer must guarantee that an employee can make at least minimum wage for the hours that they work, despite the amount of picking that end up happening. For example, if you are new to picking and are a slow picker, you only end up picking 2 bins of apples which is worth $100, but you spent 8 hours doing that which entitles you on hourly minimum wage 8hours x $15.25 = $122. By law the employer must pay you $122. In reality though if you are making a loss for the employer like that, AND if they legally top up your age, they will not call you back for work the next day, as there are plenty of other backpackers willing to do the work. And thus that is the harsh reality of the fruit picking world.

Shit can happen – beware of scams

New Zealand is a great country, but every great country still has shady people. Backpackers are easily gullible, unknowledgeable and often times, desperate, and therefore there are plenty of scams in the backpacking world. Examples – getting work only by staying at a certain hostel and putting down a deposit for a certain length of stay; working under an “agent” that supply fruit pickers to orchards so you end up going to different places every day, with no contract signed or paper promise of entitlements; signing documents to say that you have undergone “training” but in reality you have not, and being treated badly because you are new and make mistakes.

The reality is – employers are legally bound to provide training, explain work health and safety, have a detailed work contract, and you should be free to leave the job if you want to. Any promise of a job based on cash in hand, or requiring you to “pay” for training or accommodation or any other costs, I would be very wary and careful of such arrangements.

 

Those are just some of my own personal lessons based on my own NZWH experience. If you have other insights, especially as a Malaysian, feel free to share your thoughts.

Check out my other post on Travel Hacks for your NZWH experience.