NEW ZEALAND
Hire with ease with an Employer of Record in New Zealand
Hiring employees in New Zealand can create immediate compliance and payroll obligations for overseas businesses, particularly when no local entity is already in place.
Where appropriate, an Employer of Record in New Zealand can provide a pathway to employ people in New Zealand without immediately establishing your own local employing entity. The respective operational and employer-side responsibilities are agreed for each engagement.
EPG helps businesses hire and support employees in New Zealand through expert-led EOR services.
Depending on the engagement, our team can manage agreed employment administration, onboarding and payroll processes, helping your business navigate local requirements with practical support.
Be managed by experts for New Zealand employment
Where an EOR arrangement is appropriate, employees are engaged through EPG’s local employment structure and responsibilities are allocated between EPG and the client under the agreed arrangement.
This can help international businesses hire locally without immediately establishing their own employing entity or building local payroll infrastructure from scratch.
Our team supports the local employment processes relevant to the agreed arrangement. This can include preparing employment documentation with regard to applicable requirements, coordinating onboarding and supporting payroll administration after the employee starts work. Ongoing HR, legal and employment support may also be available depending on the engagement.
EPG’s Employer of Record services are designed to support businesses that need practical workforce solutions backed by local employment understanding and managed delivery.
What EPG manages for you under New Zealand employment law
Employment agreements
Employment agreements Employees must receive written employment agreements that reflect the correct employment terms, minimum entitlements and role conditions. Employment agreements also need to align with current employment requirements in New Zealand and be suitable for the employee’s role and engagement structure.
EPG helps prepare and administer employment agreements with regard to applicable New Zealand requirements and the agreed employment arrangement.
Pay as you earn (PAYE) and payday filing
Pay as you earn (PAYE) and payday filing Employers in New Zealand are required to submit employment information each payday. Depending on the payroll arrangement, payday filing obligations may need to be submitted electronically within specific reporting timeframes.
EPG supports payroll administration and employment reporting processes allocated to it under the agreed arrangement, helping reduce the local payroll administration required from the client.
KiwiSaver
KiwiSaver KiwiSaver obligations form part of the onboarding and payroll process for eligible employees in New Zealand. Employers may need to collect and manage relevant employee information as part of compliant payroll administration.
Our team supports KiwiSaver administration as part of the employment and payroll management process.
Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) levies
Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) levies ACC levies form part of the employment cost landscape in New Zealand and should be considered during workforce planning and payroll administration.
EPG helps businesses account for these obligations as part of the employment and payroll administration process.
Leave and public holidays
Leave and public holidays Employment laws in New Zealand include obligations relating to annual holidays, sick leave and public holidays. Eligible employees are generally entitled to four weeks of paid annual holidays after 12 months of continuous employment, while current entitlements also provide eligible employees with 10 days of paid sick leave each year.
EPG supports leave administration and payroll processes in line with applicable employment obligations and employee entitlements.
Ending employment
Ending employment Ending employment in New Zealand requires careful handling and appropriate process management. Notice obligations, employment agreement terms, fair process requirements and recordkeeping responsibilities can affect offboarding and separation procedures.
While an EOR can simplify international hiring, it does not remove the need for compliant employment practices and ongoing operational oversight. EPG supports businesses through these requirements while helping reduce administrative complexity and employment governance risks.
Trusted by more than 1,000 businesses internationally
Hire in New Zealand without setting up a local entity
An EOR arrangement can suit businesses that want to hire in New Zealand without immediately establishing their own legal entity or internal payroll infrastructure.
This is commonly relevant for businesses:
- Hiring a first employee in New Zealand
- Testing the local market before entity setup
- Expanding regional operations across ANZ
- Moving appropriate contractor arrangements to employment
- Supporting remote employees locally
- Managing payroll without establishing an internal New Zealand HR function
For many international businesses, the challenge is not simply finding talent but also managing local employment obligations, payroll administration and workforce compliance in a market where the business may not yet have operational infrastructure in place.
If contractor-specific engagements are more appropriate than direct employment, EPG also provides Agent of Record services to support contractor administration, subject to the engagement and applicable local requirements.
How our Employer of Record services support hiring in New Zealand
EPG’s Employer of Record in New Zealand is designed to support the practical realities of international hiring rather than operate as a software-only platform.
Our team supports agreed employment administration, payroll coordination and compliance processes as part of the EOR arrangement.
Employment administration and compliance support
EPG supports New Zealand employment administration by managing agreed payroll obligations, employment agreements, employee records and local processes throughout the employment lifecycle.
The client may continue providing operational direction as set out in the engagement, while EPG manages the employer-side administration allocated to it. Depending on the working arrangement, the client may also have responsibilities under New Zealand law.
Structured onboarding from day one
International hiring often slows down when onboarding requirements are unclear or fragmented across multiple providers.
EPG helps coordinate the onboarding process from the beginning, including employment agreements, payroll setup, employee tax details, KiwiSaver information when applicable and employment record preparation so the relevant employment processes are in place before work begins.
Support as employment and payroll requirements change
Employment and payroll obligations can change over time, particularly across leave administration, payday filing and workforce compliance processes.
Our team monitors relevant developments within the scope of the service and helps businesses respond to changes affecting payroll and employment administration.
Ongoing compliance and advisory support
Support does not stop after onboarding.
EPG continues to support payroll administration, workforce processes and employment-related administration throughout the employment lifecycle, including offboarding and record management.
EOR vs setting up a New Zealand entity
| Decision Factor | EOR in New Zealand | New Zealand Entity Setup |
|---|---|---|
| Speed to hire | Faster onboarding and workforce setup | Setup can take longer due to registrations and local administration |
| Employment compliance | Supported through the agreed EOR arrangement; client obligations may still apply | Managed by the business and its advisers or providers |
| Payroll administration | Payroll processes are coordinated through the EOR | Payroll infrastructure managed internally or through separate providers |
| Upfront setup effort | Lower setup administration | Higher setup and governance workload |
| Best suited to | First hires, market testing and smaller teams | Larger long-term operations with permanent local presence |
| Level of control | Operational direction and employer-side responsibilities are allocated under the agreed arrangement | Direct operational and employer responsibilities sit with the local entity |
For businesses comparing New Zealand EOR models against entity setup, the decision usually depends on hiring scale, internal resources, operational timelines and long-term expansion plans.
Why EPG Group
Why global clients choose EPG Group for New Zealand EOR
Many global EOR providers focus heavily on software automation. EPG takes a more hands-on approach by combining technology with local employment understanding, payroll support and managed workforce delivery.
Our team supports businesses through the operational side of employment rather than leaving payroll, onboarding and compliance administration entirely self-managed.
Simplified workforce management in New Zealand
EPG helps reduce the operational burden associated with hiring and managing employees in New Zealand, particularly for businesses without local infrastructure or dedicated in-country HR resources. This allows businesses to expand into the market without needing to establish internal payroll and workforce administration functions right away.
Employment admin and compliance support
Our team supports the employment administration processes that typically create the largest workload for international businesses. This includes employment agreements, onboarding coordination, payroll administration, employee records, leave management, KiwiSaver if applicable and ACC-related employment administration. The focus remains on managed service delivery instead of relying solely on technology.
Faster market entry without entity setup
Where appropriate, an EOR arrangement can help businesses begin hiring in New Zealand before committing to full entity setup and ongoing governance obligations. Onboarding may begin sooner than establishing a local entity, subject to the role, documentation and applicable requirements. EPG can also support broader expansion through its global staffing solutions.
Rely on full visibility
Technology supports delivery, but EPG’s team remains central to workforce management and service support.
Through Xemplo, businesses gain visibility into onboarding workflows, payroll administration, leave balances, compliance tasks and workforce records within a centralised platform. This helps improve visibility and operational oversight while supporting clearer coordination between EPG and the client.
You can explore our tech to learn more about how Xemplo supports EPG’s workforce delivery model.
faqs
Common questions about EOR in New Zealand
What does an Employer of Record do in New Zealand?
Under an EOR arrangement, the worker is employed through EPG’s local employment structure. EPG manages the employer-side administration allocated to it under the arrangement, while the client may provide operational direction as agreed. Depending on the working arrangement, New Zealand’s triangular-employment rules may also be relevant to the client’s responsibilities.
Can I hire employees in New Zealand without setting up a local company?
Potentially. Where an EOR arrangement is appropriate, it may allow a business to employ people in New Zealand without first establishing its own local employing entity. Suitability depends on the proposed role, working arrangement and the business’s broader activities, and separate tax, registration or other obligations may still apply.
How do trial and probation periods work in New Zealand?
Trial and probation arrangements in New Zealand need to be set up correctly within the employment agreement and managed in accordance with the current employment law requirements. Eligibility and enforceability can depend on how the arrangement is structured and implemented.
Is EOR better than setting up a New Zealand entity?
The right structure depends on hiring volume, operational timelines, internal resources and long-term market plans.
An EOR may be a practical option for first hires or earlier-stage market entry, while entity setup may be more appropriate for larger, long-term operations with permanent local infrastructure.
Your New Zealand workforce starts here
EPG helps businesses hire, onboard, pay and manage employees through our expert-led EOR services, designed to support international workforce expansion in line with applicable employment requirements.
If your business is preparing to hire in New Zealand, let's connect and discuss the right workforce structure for your expansion plans.