Tourism Wage Update and March 2025 AEWV Reset

This policy update covers TWO related Accredited Employer Work Visa wage changes: the 2023 tourism/hospitality minimum-wage introduction, and the March 2025 reset that removed the general median-wage requirement entirely. Both affect employers sponsoring AEWV workers.

2023: Tourism and hospitality minimum wage introduced

From 24 April 2023, employers had to pay workers in designated tourism and hospitality roles a minimum of NZD 28.18 per hour, representing 95% of the median wage at the time.

Affected occupations (2023 framework)

The wage requirement applied to 27 job categories, including:

• Management roles: hotel managers, club managers, event organisers
• Service positions: waiters, bartenders, baristas, receptionists
• Specialised roles: tour guides, diving instructors, trekking guides
• Support staff: kitchen hands, housekeepers, luggage porters

Progression to full median wage

The minimum was scheduled to increase to 100% of the median wage by April 2024, aligning tourism and hospitality with other sectors.

March 2025: General median-wage requirement removed

The general median-wage requirement for the AEWV was removed entirely effective 10 March 2025. This was part of the broader 2025-26 AEWV overhaul, which also changed skills evidence, visa lengths, and police-certificate rules.

Under the current (post–March 2025) framework:

• Employers must pay at least the New Zealand minimum wage
• A market-rate test applies (employers can’t pay the minimum wage if comparable New Zealanders earn more)
• Some roles may have specific thresholds under sector agreements (meat processing, seafood, care workforce, tourism/hospitality continue to have minimum-skill-requirement exemptions but no longer have a separate wage track)

What this means for employers now

If you employ migrant workers under AEWV (including tourism and hospitality roles):

• Confirm current wage requirements via INZ
• The 2023 NZD 28.18/hr tourism specific threshold no longer applies as a separate track
• Market-rate evidence is now load-bearing: your Job Check evidence pack should show what the market rate is for the specific role
• Non-compliance affects employer accreditation status

Practical next step

Confirm your current wage compliance against INZ’s published guidance, as the policy environment has changed twice in the past 18 months, and assumptions based on either the 2023 framework OR the early-2024 transition may now be outdated.