What age you can work, what you must be paid, the tax code for a first job, which jobs take under 18s, and the roles on FindMeAJob open right now that read as suitable for you. Plain answers, then the jobs.
See the open roles → Build a CV from nothingIf you only read one part of this page, read these.
Under 16: not during school hours, not between 10pm and 6am, and school comes first. Under 15: no dangerous work.
For 16 and 17 year olds in their first six months with an employer. Then the adult minimum. Under 16 there is no legal minimum, so agree the rate in writing.
Apply before your first pay day or you are taxed at the highest rate. M is the code for your only job.
Casual, part time, weekends, it does not matter. Read it, get someone you trust to read it, sign before you start.
Fifth thing: KiwiSaver does not start automatically until you are 18. You can join earlier with a parent or guardian's signature if you want to.
Employment New Zealand and Inland Revenue set these. The links go to their pages, which carry the current numbers.
You can work, but not during school hours and not between 10pm and 6am. No machinery, construction sites, heavy lifting, driving vehicles at work or anywhere the work itself could hurt you. Paper runs, babysitting, lawns, weekend cafe and shop work are the usual first jobs.
Still no work during school hours or between 10pm and 6am. The dangerous work rule eases at 15 for some settings, but the employer has to keep you safe and train you properly, and you can say no to anything that does not feel safe.
The school hours rule ends. You can be paid the starting-out wage, 80% of the adult minimum, for your first six months with a new employer. After six months, or the day you supervise or train anyone, it is the adult minimum. You can also sit your learner licence.
Starting-out wage for the first six months with each new employer, then the adult minimum. Note that it resets with a new employer, not a new year. If you are doing at least 40 credits a year of industry training, a training wage at the same 80% can apply instead.
Working behind a bar is 18 and over. Completing an alcohol sale on your own, at a checkout for example, usually needs someone 18 or over. KiwiSaver enrols you automatically when you start a job from 18. From 18 the adult minimum wage applies from your first day.
Rest and meal breaks on every shift. Four weeks of paid annual leave a year, or 8% added to each pay if you are casual. Sick leave after six months in the job. If something is wrong and talking to the manager does not fix it, Employment New Zealand runs a free helpline and will talk to you whatever your age.
Three things. Do them in this order and your first pay arrives right.
Apply on the Inland Revenue website as soon as you start looking for work. It takes a few days. Under 16, a parent or guardian helps with the application. Without an IRD number on your first pay day you are taxed at the highest no-notification rate until you supply it.
Your employer gives you this one page form. Your tax code is M if this is your only job and you have no student loan. If you take a second job at the same time, the second one is S. That is all most 16 and 17 year olds need.
Tax comes out before the money reaches you. Your pay slip shows your hours, your rate, the tax taken and any holiday pay. Check the rate matches your agreement. At the end of the tax year Inland Revenue works out whether you paid too much and refunds it to your bank account.
Where first jobs actually come from in New Zealand. Walking in with a CV on a quiet weekday afternoon still works for most of these.
Checkout, shelf filling, trolleys, online order picking. The biggest employer of school students in the country. Alcohol sales need someone over 18 nearby.
Crew member, counter, kitchen hand, barista once trained. Set shifts, uniform provided, and they are used to training people with no experience.
Shop assistant, stockroom, fitting rooms, Christmas casuals. Weekends and late nights are where the hours are.
Commercial cleaning after hours, car wash and detailing. Often the quickest to say yes.
Summer fruit, kiwifruit, packhouse lines, farm hand work. Seasonal, early starts, good money for the weeks it runs.
Coaching juniors, refereeing, holiday programme assistant, lifeguard with the qualification. Usually casual and weekend based.
Word of mouth work. Cash agreed in advance and written down, even a text message counts.
Paper runs and leaflet drops for under 16s. Food delivery on a bike or e-bike usually needs 18.
Dish hand and food prep in restaurants and hotels. Evenings and weekends, which suits school hours.
Some take 16 and 17 year olds for picking and packing. Anything with a forklift, heavy lifting or night shifts is 18 and over.
Live roles on this site that read as suitable for someone 16 or 17. Bar work, forklifts, driving, security and night shifts are left out. Check the ad for any age line before you apply.
By city: AucklandWellingtonChristchurchHamiltonTaurangaDunedin
Managers hiring for these roles are not looking for experience. They are looking for someone who will turn up.
School, sport, any paper run or babysitting, your licence if you have one, and two people who have watched you work. That is a full CV at 16. Here is exactly how to lay it out, with an example.
How to write a CV in NZ →Four paragraphs. Which job, what you bring with an example each, why this place, when you can start. Under 250 words. The guide has one written by a school leaver you can copy the shape of.
How to write a cover letter in NZ →Most first interviews are five questions and a chat. Practise them out loud with the free interview coach so the first time you say them is not in front of the manager.
Practise the interview →This page explains the rules in plain words. It is not legal advice. The current wage rates and the full rules are on the Employment New Zealand and Inland Revenue websites.