Special Purpose Work Visas have been introduced by the Government to boost seasonal working industries.
The Special Purpose Work Visa is an interim, time-limited, streamlined pathway and is more in line with the length of seasonal work. This will have a great impact on New Zealand’s food and beverage industry, specifically viticulture and for fisheries. The visa was announced by the Government as a way of assisting employers in industries with seasonal peaks.
New Zealand Winegrowers said this initiative will be warmly welcomed by wineries. The creation of the Special Purpose Work Visa pathway recognises the importance of international workers filling short-term peak seasonal roles that are not intended to be permanent.
New Zealand Winegrowers has welcomed the new Special Purpose Work Visa (SPWV) for seasonal workers. It said this will provide confidence and certainty for wineries to access the experienced seasonal international workers they need for the 2025 grape and wine harvest.
“Each year our wineries need to lift the capacity of their workforce for a short period of time during harvest. Our first priority is to employ New Zealanders but there is always a gap which we need to fill from offshore. Without these international staff we would not be able to manage the intake of all the grapes from more than 42,000 hectares of vineyards across New Zealand,” said New Zealand Winegrowers CEO Philip Gregan.
Gregan added that this initiative will be warmly welcomed by wineries. He said the creation of the SPWV pathway recognises the importance of international workers filling short-term peak seasonal roles that are not intended to be permanent.
“We support the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) settings being recalibrated to balance the integrity of the immigration system, the opportunity of New Zealanders to gain work, and to enable employers to source the workers they need, when they need them.”
The association said that previous AEWV settings did not deliver for the wine industry for these peak seasonal wine roles. It thanked the Minister for responding positively and in a timely way to the concerns we raised about existing visa settings.’
“These changes will make a difference and are very welcome.”
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