Salary Payment in New Zealand

1) Salary Payment Basis

Salary Payment in New Zealand are paid on a weekly basis, and the

On the weekend if you are working, the company is required to pay you at 1.5 times the rate.

If you are working overtime, the company is required to pay you at a higher rate which is agreed with you. However, if you work with a job agency that helps you to look for job, there is a high chance that there is no overtime pay because you are working for different customers.

If you are working on a public holiday, the company is required to pay you at least 1.5 times the rate.

2) Minimum Wage

Minimum wage is currently at $14.75 / hour before tax as at January 2016. There is also an 8% holiday pay. This holiday pay is given to you to compensate you for the 4 weeks of holiday in New Zealand if you work for one annual year. As backpackers who are on the working holiday visa, does not work for a whole year, this 8% holiday pay is given as compensation for the 4 weeks holiday.

3) Payment of Jobs

While working for the seasonal jobs, the company can choose to pay you in two different types of methods:

a) Productivity method

If you are paid based on productivity method, the company will choose to pay you an $X amount per unit, and based on the number of units performed, the company will pay you.

Even if you work less then the minimum wage when recomputed back for your hourly wages, the company is still required to pay you your minimum wage.

However, this will then lead to the fact the company will terminate you the following day, as you are not productive enough, thus resulting in them losing money.

This is one of the concern of the unpredictability of seasonal jobs as stated in the following blog post.

For the productivity method is mainly used when there is time essence such as cherry picking and also planting of grape plants.

b) Per hour method

Most jobs are paid on hourly basis, and this pertains to odd jobs such as weeding, construction etc. This kind of jobs are not as unpredictable as the productive method jobs, however, there are still risk of being terminated the following day if you are not seen working hard in your work, and you were busy talking.

This is one of the concern of the unpredictability of seasonal jobs as stated in the following blog post.