Your right to work
New Zealand citizens can generally live and work in Australia without applying for a visa in advance. You arrive on a passport and are usually granted a Special Category visa (subclass 444) at the border. That gives you work rights, which is all a mine employer needs to see.
Rules around benefits, Medicare and the path to citizenship have changed over the years and depend on when you arrived. Check the current position on the Department of Home Affairs site before you plan around any of it. The Visa Path guide covers the other passports.
The choice that matters: where is home?
There are two ways Kiwis do this, and they are not the same job.
- Move to Australia, usually Perth, Brisbane or a regional hub, and fly out from there. This is what most employers expect. You are on their local flight roster, you can join a crew's ride-to-airport arrangement, and you are treated as a local candidate.
- Stay in New Zealand and fly in. Some contractors and recruiters do run NZ-to-Australia FIFO programs, and some listings say experience is not required. They are the exception, not the rule. The trade-off is travel time on either side of the swing, and a more complicated tax position.
Pay attention to the tax point. Whether you are an Australian tax resident or a foreign resident for the income earned there is decided by residency tests, not by your passport. Foreign residents don't get the tax-free threshold. If you live in NZ and fly in, you might also have to deal with both countries. Get the ATO's residency tests in front of an accountant who knows both sides before you sign.
Kiwi check
Where will home be?
Pick your plan to see what changes. Then convert a package into New Zealand dollars.
My home base will be
Living in Australia, flying out from there
- This is the setup most employers expect, so your pool of jobs is widest.
- You'll normally need an Australian address, bank account and tax file number before payroll can pay you.
- Your tax position is usually simpler, but residency is decided by the ATO's tests. Confirm yours.
- Flights are usually covered from the employer's usual airports, often Perth, Brisbane or a regional hub.
In NZD, before tax
$119,670
Per fortnight (÷26)
$3,846
AUD, before tax
Rough rate used: 1 AUD ≈ 1.20 NZD.
What to ask before you accept an offer
- Where does the flight start, and who pays for it? (Some employers cover flights from an Australian city only.)
- Do you need an Australian address, bank account and tax file number before day one?
- How is travel time paid, and what happens if a flight is cancelled on changeover day?
- Is the pay shown as a package including super, or cash only?
- Does the roster suit a long-haul trip home? A short break between swings can eat your time off if you're crossing the Tasman.
The money side
Pay is quoted in Australian dollars, so the exchange rate moves your take-home in New Zealand terms. The calculator above uses a rough rate for illustration. Before big decisions, look at a live rate and remember you'll pay tax and fees on the way.
To see what tax takes out of a FIFO package, try the free FIFO pay calculator and switch the tax status to foreign resident. The Why FIFO page lays out the typical pay bands, and the Wealth & Exit guide shows what to do with the money once it lands.
The full version
Relocation Guide
The paperwork, bank accounts and first-week plan for moving to Australia and starting FIFO from a standing start.
See the guide · A$49Where this comes from
- pvtistes: FIFO in Australia, the working holiday guide (for how employers describe visa checks)
- SEEK NZ: FIFO mining jobs listed for Perth
- ATO Community: tax residency and FIFO (not an official ruling)
General information only. Pay, tickets and visa rules change and differ by employer, so confirm the details before you commit money.