New Zealand wine sector welcomes new seasonal visas

After years of short-term stopgaps, New Zealand’s wineries welcome new visa schemes to secure the seasonal workforce they need.

Global workforce seasonal visa

The Global Workforce Seasonal Visa (GWSV) will allow experienced international workers to return over multiple vintages on a three-year visa, offering flexibility for both staff and wineries.

New Zealand Winegrowers CEO Philip Gregan said: “Each year our wineries need to lift the capacity of their workforce for a short period of time during vintage. Our first priority is to employ New Zealanders but there is always a gap which we need to fill from offshore. Seasonal workers support over 7,000 full-time wine industry jobs that are held by New Zealanders. Without these international staff the wine industry would not be able to manage the winemaking process of all the grapes from more than 42,000 hectares of vineyards across New Zealand.”

Gregan noted that the creation of the GWSV pathway recognises the importance of experienced international staff in peak seasonal roles.

Peak seasonal visa

Alongside the GWSV, the government has also introduced the Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV), which will allow single entry for up to seven months for winery cellar hands.

“We thank the Minister for listening to industry and particularly for the recognition of the new role of Winery Senior Cellar Hand,” Gregan added. “We look forward to receiving more details on the operational requirements for each visa, so we can support our members.”

A step on from temporary measures

The announcement marks a more permanent solution compared with the temporary immigration law change made in 2022, when the New Zealand government moved to relax restrictions in order to bring in 12,000 overseas workers.

At that time, Immigration Minister Michael Wood said: “These measures are about providing immediate relief to those businesses hardest hit by the global worker shortage.”

Under that scheme, working holiday visas were re-introduced from October 2022, with the intake doubled and visas extended by six months for those already in the country. A one-off increase was also made to working holiday visas to make use of unused allocations, prioritising countries including Malaysia, Chile, Argentina and Taiwan.