New Zealand First announced on October 11, 2026, its plan to scrap the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and introduce a “shortage-led” Skilled Work Visa system. The party criticizes the current system for allowing migrant recruitment without verified skills shortages.
Structure and Controls of AEWV
The AEWV, implemented in July 2022, requires employers to obtain accreditation before recruiting migrant workers. It uses a three-gate process: employer accreditation, job check by Immigration New Zealand (INZ), and migrant visa eligibility.
Employer accreditation is mandatory but does not grant permission to recruit on its own; a job check is usually required to approve the vacancy’s location, pay, occupation,
and skill requirements.
Labour-Market Testing and Lower-Skilled Roles
labour-market testing within the AEWV mandates that employers demonstrate genuine recruitment efforts for New Zealand workers, especially for lower-skilled ANZSCO level 4 and 5 occupations such as labourers, cleaners, and kitchen hands. For these roles, employers must advertise vacancies for at least 21 days, coordinate with Work and Income, and justify why suitable New Zealanders were not employed.
Immigration New Zealand has authority to decline job checks when appropriate local candidates are available, enforcing protections against displacing New Zealand workers.
Adjustments to AEWV Since 2022 Introduction
Since its launch, the AEWV policy has been modified repeatedly to address post-Covid labour shortages and exploitation
risks. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC News) reported changes include adjustments to wage thresholds, visa duration, English language requirements, and enhanced labour-market testing.
The initial universal median wage threshold for visas was removed in March 2025, leaving employers to meet minimum wage laws and pay market rates. Visa conditions and employer obligations have alternated between easing and tightening since 2022.
New Zealand First’s Policy Proposals
New Zealand First seeks to restore a binding proper wage floor, potentially reintroducing a formal wage threshold above current minimum wage levels. The party advocates restricting migrant access to named occupations and regions based on demonstrated labour shortages. This may limit
visa approvals by geographical area and occupation sectors.
The party also aims to end routine access for migrant workers in retail roles, which currently is permitted if job checks and immigration criteria are met, representing a tightening that could exclude some retail jobs from eligibility regardless of labour market need.
Expert Commentary and Policy Uncertainty
Auckland-based immigration adviser Hemant Kaushal identified workers in Skill Levels 4 and 5, including cleaners, kitchen hands, and labourers, as most vulnerable under the AEWV. He stated, “The most vulnerable AEWV workers are those in Skill Levels 4 and 5 positions — the labourers, the cleaners, kitchen hands, etc.” and
emphasized that if restrictions are imposed, these groups should be targeted first.
Kaushal criticized repeated changes to the AEWV since 2022, saying, “Every time a government tinkers with policy it leads to more confusion and uncertainty. Consistency should be the key. Everything else is just election talk.”
Unknown Policy Details and Practical Impacts
Details on how New Zealand First would calculate the proper wage floor, define regional occupation shortages, or expand employer accreditation remain unspecified. It is unclear whether new recruitment evidential requirements or formal training mandates would exceed current standards.
The policy could increase competition for lower-skilled temporary work visas and require employers to meet
stricter proof-of-need standards. This may complicate migrant access to jobs in sectors like retail and hospitality and impose higher employer obligations to verify genuine labour shortages.
Current AEWV provisions already incorporate employer accreditation, labour-market testing, and requirements to prioritize training and employment of New Zealanders before hiring migrants, indicating that New Zealand First’s proposals would tighten some existing elements while leaving core structures largely intact.
