Working Holiday Guide for New Zealand & Australia
We met on a working holiday in New Zealand — now we're helping you plan yours, in New Zealand or Australia.
This is a free, honest, no-nonsense guide covering everything from visa applications to job hunting to what to actually pack. No agency fees, no upsells — just what we wish someone had told us before we left.
Where do I start?
Pick whichever sounds like you — we'll point you the right way.
I haven't decided between NZ and AU yet
Take our quiz and compare climate, cost of living, vibe and visa length side by side.
Compare NZ vs Australia →I know where I'm going — help me plan
Visa eligibility, budgeting, flights and packing — everything to get you from "idea" to "boarding pass."
Start planning →I'm already there and need practical help
Finding work, sorting super and tax, insurance claims — the stuff that matters once you've landed.
Get practical help →Plan your trip
Pick your country to jump straight to the guides that matter.
New Zealand visa guide
Check eligibility in 30 seconds
New Zealand budget guide
Realistic costs & a live calculator
Australia visa guide
Check eligibility in 30 seconds
Australia budget guide
Realistic costs & a live calculator
New Zealand at a glance
Australia at a glance
Or start wider: the complete New Zealand working holiday guide · the complete Australia working holiday guide
Before you fly
Flights guide
Ticket types, airlines, airport transfers and luggage. There's a quiz that picks the ticket to suit your plans.
New Zealand packing list
An interactive checklist by category. Print it for the night before you fly.
Australia packing list
An interactive checklist by category. Print it for the night before you fly.
Explore before you fly
Work out where you want to be, and what to put on your phone before you get there.
New Zealand
Australia
Still weighing the two up? Compare New Zealand and Australia side by side →
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Already there? Here's what matters next
The practical stuff that trips people up once they've landed. Teal cards are New Zealand, orange ones Australia, blue covers both.
Finding work
Finding work in New Zealand
The job timeline, the sectors that actually hire backpackers, and what to say in an interview.
Finding work in Australia
Hospitality, farm work and everything worth sorting before you start applying.
CV & résumé
A local-format one-pager beats your home CV. Here's the layout employers there expect.
RSA & RCG certificates
Most Australian bar and pub work needs an RSA. It takes a few hours online and each state runs its own.
Farm work & 88 days
What counts as specified work, which postcodes qualify, and how to prove your days later.
Harvest calendar
Which crop is picking where, month by month. Turn up in the wrong month and there is no work.
Settling in
Travel insurance
Compare providers and work out what a working holiday policy really has to cover.
Banking
The local banks worth using, what you need to open an account, and Wise or Revolut as a bridge.
SIM cards & phone plans
The best providers in each country, prepaid against plan, and where to buy one on arrival.
Buying a car
A live buy-against-rent calculator, what to check before you hand over money, and how to sell it on.
Super & tax back
Estimate your Australian super reclaim and follow the steps for getting it out once you leave.
Solo travel safety
Hitchhiking, hostels, night buses and remote farm jobs. What to check, and when to walk away.
Sponsored by Wise. A multi-currency account gives you a local account number for your wages to land in, a card that doesn't charge you for spending in the wrong currency, and a cheap way to send what you earn back home. If you open an account through this banner we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — see our affiliate disclosure.
The 5-step roadmap
This is the order we'd do it in, if we were starting again.
Check your visa eligibility
Passport, age and visa history all matter. Run the NZ or AU eligibility checker before you plan anything else. Still choosing between the two? Compare them first.
Sort your flights
One-way, return or flexible return depends on how fixed your plans are. Our flights guide walks through the trade-offs.
Get travel insurance sorted
It's boring. It's also the one thing you can't fix retroactively, so do it before you fly. Start with our insurance comparison.
Land, get set up, start applying
Tax number, bank account, SIM card, then job hunting. Our NZ and AU jobs guides cover exactly how, and a local-format CV makes a real difference.
Who's behind this
Matt & Sebi
We're two mates — one from Germany, one from the UK — who met by chance in New Zealand and ended up travelling the whole country together. We've explored every corner of New Zealand and spent plenty of time in Australia too, getting to know what both countries really have to offer. On top of our own trips, we've done the research to make sure everything here stays accurate and current — so you get real, firsthand advice, not recycled guidebook fluff.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions about a working holiday in New Zealand and Australia.
What age can I apply?
New Zealand: most nationalities are 18–30, though UK, Ireland and Canadian passport holders can apply up to 35. Australia: 18–35 for most eligible countries. Use our NZ or AU checker to confirm for your passport.
How long does the visa take to process?
Processing times vary, but most applications are decided within a few weeks. Some are approved within minutes if your application is straightforward and complete.
Do I need travel insurance?
Yes. Comprehensive travel insurance is required for most working holiday visas and can be checked at the border. See our insurance guide for what to look for.
Can I apply again if I've held this visa before?
Generally no. Most working holiday visas can only be held once per country, with a handful of bilateral exceptions. Our eligibility checkers flag this for you.
What kind of work can I do?
Casual and temporary work is the norm. Permanent employment usually isn't permitted under a working holiday visa. See our NZ and AU jobs guides for what's realistic.
Do I get my Australian super back?
Yes, if you worked in Australia and leave for good. It's taxed heavily on the way out, but it's still worth claiming. Our super & tax back guide has the process.
Got a question we haven't answered? Send it to us and we'll add it.