Hiring a Japanese Chef in New Zealand: AEWV Guide for 2026

New Zealand is a small market for Japanese food, but its employer sponsored visa is simpler than Australia's in one important way: there is no fixed salary threshold for most roles. What it asks for instead is a correct occupation code, genuine local advertising and pay at the market rate. This guide sets out the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) process for a restaurant hiring a Japanese chef, and the working holiday option for younger cooks.

1. New Zealand in numbers

• 21,471 Japanese nationals lived in New Zealand on 1 October 2025, up 5.7% on the year, of whom 12,529 were permanent residents. Auckland alone had 10,952 (MOFA).
• Japan's agriculture ministry counted 500 Japanese restaurants in New Zealand in 2025, up 20 on 2023, against 2,230 in Australia.

A community of that size produces a real but thin local pool. For a senior role, most restaurants will end up looking at the AEWV.

2. First, the median wage rule is gone

A lot of older advice still says AEWV jobs must pay the median wage. That stopped on 10 March 2025. Immigration New Zealand (INZ) removed the median wage requirement for the AEWV, and there is no set pay threshold except the New Zealand minimum wage. Employers must still pay migrants on par with New Zealanders doing the same job, which INZ calls the market rate.

• Adult minimum wage: NZ$23.95 an hour from 1 April 2026 (Employment New Zealand).
• Market rate: a range of pay that a New Zealander would be paid for the same or equivalent work. INZ approves a pay range at the job check and checks the actual rate at the visa stage.

Two wage figures still appear in the rules and are worth knowing. If the job pays at least NZ$67.12 an hour (twice the 2024 median wage), the worker does not need to provide extra evidence of meeting the skill requirements. If it pays at least NZ$70.00 an hour, you do not need to advertise before the job check. Neither is common for a restaurant kitchen.

3. Chef or cook: why the code matters

AEWV rules depend on the job's skill level, from 1 (most skilled) to 5, under ANZSCO or INZ's new National Occupation List. For a Japanese kitchen the two codes are:

The English point is the one to plan around. A chef coded at skill level 2 does not need to show English ability. A cook at level 3 does, through an accepted test no more than 2 years old or another route INZ accepts. For a Japanese candidate with limited English, whether the job is genuinely a chef role (planning menus, supervising, costing, training) or a cook role is not a detail.

Be accurate. INZ says that if you apply for a job check at one skill level and it assesses the role at a lower one, it may decline the application and you will have to start again with the correct code.

4. Step 1: employer accreditation

Only an accredited employer can support an AEWV. The main types are standard accreditation (up to 5 migrants at a time) and high volume accreditation (6 or more). Your first accreditation lasts 12 months; renewals of standard or high volume accreditation last 24 months.

Accredited employers take on obligations, including not passing recruitment costs on to workers and supporting migrant workers to settle. There is a fee for accreditation and a separate fee for each job check (see the INZ fee pages).

5. Step 2: the job check and advertising

Before the job check, you must make genuine attempts to recruit New Zealanders and advertise the job, unless it is exempt.

• Where: a general national job site where New Zealanders are likely to apply (INZ gives Seek and TradeMe as examples), or a more targeted site if it is more likely to reach qualified New Zealanders.
• How long: at least 14 days for skill levels 1 to 3; at least 21 days, plus good faith engagement with Work and Income, for levels 4 and 5.
• What the ad must include: a job description with key tasks, the minimum and maximum pay (or estimated earnings), the type of work and minimum guaranteed hours, and the minimum skills, experience and qualifications.
• Timing: apply for the job check within 90 days of the ad closing.

A "suitable and available New Zealander" is a citizen or resident who is qualified or trainable, lives close enough or can move, can get to work, and is available for the full time hours you need. If one applies, INZ expects you to consider them seriously.

6. Step 3: the chef's AEWV application

Once the job check is approved, the chef applies. The main requirements:

• A full time job offer from an accredited employer with an approved job check.
• Skills: 2 years or more of relevant work experience, or a qualification at level 4 or higher on the New Zealand framework. Experience does not need to be consecutive or full time but must add up to 2 years full time equivalent, shown on verifiable employer certificates.
• English, if the job is skill level 3 to 5.
• Health and character requirements.

The visa fee starts at NZ$1,540, and INZ reports 80% of applications decided within 6 weeks. The visa can be granted for up to 5 years for skill levels 1 to 3.

The 2 year experience rule (reduced from 3 years on 10 March 2025) is easy for a Japanese chef with a real apprenticeship. The practical difficulty is the evidence. INZ wants employment certificates on the employer's letterhead that are complete and independently verifiable, showing positions, dates, the employer's contact details and hours worked. Ask candidates for these at the interview stage, along with translations, because collecting them from former employers in Japan can take weeks.

7. The Japan Working Holiday Visa

For junior roles, the working holiday route avoids accreditation altogether. INZ's Japan Working Holiday Visa:

• Japanese citizens aged 18 to 30, once only.
• Up to 12 months, fee from NZ$770, with at least NZ$4,200 in funds.
• Work in temporary jobs for up to 12 months; study for up to 6 months.
• The holder cannot take a permanent job on this visa, so offer a fixed term role.

INZ offers a separate Working Holiday Extension Work Visa for holders working in certain industries. Check INZ's current list before assuming it covers kitchen work; the safe assumption for a restaurant is 12 months.

8. New Zealand or Australia?

Many Japanese chefs weigh both. For an employer, the headline differences as of September 2026:

For a traditionally trained chef with little English, New Zealand is often the more accessible system. Australia's side is covered in hiring a Japanese chef in Australia, and a wider comparison in visa sponsorship for Japanese chefs.

General information checked against official sources in September 2026, not legal or immigration advice. INZ is moving from ANZSCO to the National Occupation List and settings change frequently. Confirm skill levels, fees and requirements with Immigration New Zealand or a licensed immigration adviser before acting.