Australia vs New Zealand

Companies in Australia register with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and receive an Australian Company Number (ACN); most also obtain an Australian Business Number (ABN) and register for GST. A proprietary limited company (Pty Ltd) is standard.

Companies register online with the Companies Office — one of the fastest processes globally — and need at least one director resident in New Zealand or Australia. An IRD number and NZBN accompany registration.

Australia's banking is led by four major banks and is highly digital. Newcomers can often open an account online before arrival and activate it with ID afterwards. A Tax File Number avoids higher withholding tax on interest.

New Zealand banking is highly digital and dominated by a few major banks. Migrants can often open an account before arrival and activate it with ID; an IRD number avoids higher withholding tax on interest. The Reserve Bank oversees banks.

Australia is open to foreign investment, promoted by Austrade, but proposals above monetary thresholds (and any in sensitive sectors or land) need Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval. There are no exchange controls, so profits repatriate freely; R&D and other incentives are available.

New Zealand welcomes foreign investment through New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), with no exchange controls. Investments in sensitive land or significant business assets need Overseas Investment Office (OIO) consent under the Overseas Investment Act; incentives include the R&D tax incentive and Callaghan Innovation support.

Australia taxes income federally through the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) at progressive rates and levies a Goods and Services Tax (GST) on most supplies. Residents are taxed on worldwide income; the tax year runs 1 July to 30 June.

New Zealand's taxes are run by Inland Revenue (IRD): income tax and GST, with no general capital gains tax. Residents are taxed on worldwide income; a transitional exemption can apply to new migrants' foreign income.

Australia uses a points-tested and employer-sponsored visa system. Common routes include the employer-sponsored Skills in Demand / Temporary Skill Shortage visa and points-tested skilled visas. The Department of Home Affairs administers visas, often via SkillSelect.

Foreign nationals need a work visa; the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is the main employer-sponsored route, and skilled migrants can use the points-based Skilled Migrant Category. Immigration New Zealand administers visas.

The Student visa (subclass 500) lets you study full-time at a CRICOS-registered provider. You apply online through ImmiAccount with an electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE), Overseas Student Health Cover for the whole stay, evidence of funds and English, and you must satisfy the Genuine Student requirement. The visa allows limited paid work during study — confirm the current hour limits with Home Affairs.

International students need a student visa to study in New Zealand, based on an offer of place from an approved education provider plus proof of funds, and for longer courses health and travel insurance. The work rights are unusually clear: student visa holders can usually work part-time during term and full-time in scheduled breaks. Immigration New Zealand decides applications.

Everyone needs a visa or travel authority before arriving in Australia. The main options are the Visitor visa (subclass 600), the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) for eligible passports, and eVisitor for eligible European passports. Stays are typically up to three months per entry, and visitor visas do not allow ongoing work.

Visitors from visa-waiver countries travel to New Zealand on an NZeTA, requested before flying; everyone else applies for a Visitor visa. Visits generally run from three to nine months depending on circumstances. Since 27 January 2025, visitor visas and the NZeTA allow incidental remote work for an employer outside New Zealand — but you still cannot work for a New Zealand employer or provide services to people in New Zealand.

Australian permanent residence comes through skilled (points-tested or employer-sponsored), family, or business/investment streams. PRs can live and work indefinitely; a separate Resident Return Visa is needed to re-enter after the initial travel period.

New Zealand’s resident visa becomes a permanent resident visa (PRV) once you have held residence for 2 years and shown a commitment to New Zealand. Both let you live, work and study indefinitely, but the PRV also lets you re-enter freely without travel conditions; citizenship follows after around 5 years.

Australian citizenship generally requires four years of lawful residence including at least one year as a permanent resident, good character, and passing a citizenship test. Australia allows dual citizenship.

You can apply for New Zealand citizenship by grant after holding residence-class visa status and being present in New Zealand for at least 1,350 days over the last 5 years (and at least 240 days in each of those years). You must be of good character and have sufficient English. New Zealand permits dual citizenship.

Australian employment is governed by the Fair Work Act and the National Employment Standards (NES) — a national minimum wage set by the Fair Work Commission, four weeks' paid annual leave, and unfair-dismissal protection. Most jobs are also covered by a 'modern award' or agreement; the Fair Work Ombudsman enforces the rules.

New Zealand employment is governed by the Employment Relations Act and minimum standards: a national minimum wage, four weeks' paid annual leave, and protection through the personal-grievance process. You must have a written agreement; KiwiSaver is the retirement-savings scheme, and disputes go to mediation and the Employment Relations Authority.

Australian traders import and export through the Australian Border Force using the Integrated Cargo System. You need an ABN, classify goods under the Customs Tariff to find duty (plus 10% GST), check biosecurity and permit rules, and lodge import declarations for consignments over AUD 1,000. Tariff advice and disputes go through the ABF and Home Affairs.

New Zealand trade clears through the NZ Customs Service via the Trade Single Window. You need a customs client code, classify goods under the Working Tariff to find duty, and pay 15% GST on imports. Import entries are required for goods valued NZD 1,000 or more; biosecurity (MPI) rules and free-trade agreements also apply.

Australian trademarks are registered with IP Australia. You search the register, file an application classifying goods/services under Nice, and after acceptance it is advertised for a two-month opposition period before registration. An Australian trademark lasts 10 years and is renewable; IP Australia also grants patents and registered designs.

New Zealand trademarks are registered with the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ). You search the register, file under Nice classes, and after examination it is accepted and published for a three-month opposition period. A New Zealand trademark lasts 10 years and is renewable; IPONZ also handles patents and registered designs, with copyright automatic.

Workforce Australia is the Australian Government's official employment service and job board, delivered by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, and it replaced jobactive in 2022 — so older references to jobactive are out of date. It is open to any job seeker. Skilled foreign workers usually need a work or skilled visa, and because many regions and occupations have skills shortages, the official skilled-occupation lists are the practical tool for targeting where you have the strongest case.

New Zealand has no government-run job board for the private sector — the official site, Careers.govt.nz, provides career guidance rather than vacancies, so the hiring itself happens on commercial boards and company sites. The structural gate for most foreign workers is employer accreditation: the common route, the Accredited Employer Work Visa, requires a job offer from an employer that Immigration New Zealand has accredited, which means an employer's accreditation status is a filter to apply before you invest in an application, not after.

Australia is unusual in that minimum pay is set mainly through the award system rather than a single national floor: most employees' minimum pay comes from the award covering their industry or occupation, and the National Minimum Wage covers award-free employees only. Rates are reviewed annually by the Fair Work Commission and updated on 1 July. The Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool gives official rates for your specific award.

New Zealand does have a straightforward statutory minimum wage, set by the government and reviewed annually — and it comes in three rates rather than one: adult, starting-out and training. Knowing which of the three applies to you is the practical task, since the starting-out and training rates sit below the adult one. Pay is quoted gross with PAYE income tax deducted, and KiwiSaver retirement contributions are common. Employment New Zealand carries the official rules and Stats NZ publishes earnings data.

Australia's best-known government scholarships are the Australia Awards (funded by DFAT, largely for students from developing countries) and Destination Australia (for study in regional Australia), alongside the Research Training Program for HDR students and many university scholarships. Explore options on Study Australia and each university's site, and apply by their deadlines.

New Zealand's main government scholarships are the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships (funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, largely for students from developing countries), alongside university scholarships for international students. Explore options on the Manaaki and university sites and apply by each deadline.

To study in Australia you apply to a registered provider and, once you accept, receive an electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE). You use the eCoE to apply for the Student visa (subclass 500), showing Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), funds and that you are a Genuine Student. Explore options on Study Australia and apply by the deadline.

To study in New Zealand you apply to an education provider; once you accept the offer of place and pay, you apply to Immigration New Zealand (INZ) for a fee-paying student visa, showing funds and health/travel insurance. Teaching is in English. Explore options on the provider sites and apply by the deadline.

Renting in Australia uses a residential tenancy agreement with a bond (usually about four weeks' rent) lodged with a state bond authority. Buying by foreign nationals generally needs Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval and is usually limited to new dwellings, not established homes; buyers use a conveyancer, the state land titles office and pay stamp duty plus a foreign-purchaser surcharge.

New Zealand restricts foreign purchase of existing homes: under the Overseas Investment Act, non-residents generally cannot buy established residential property (with exceptions, e.g. Australians and Singaporeans, and some new-build apartments). Renting uses a residential tenancy with a bond of up to four weeks' rent lodged with Tenancy Services. Eligible buyers use a lawyer and register title at Land Information New Zealand (LINZ); there is no stamp duty.

Australia's public scheme, Medicare, covers citizens, permanent residents and people from the eleven countries with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement. Most other temporary residents need private cover, and international students must hold Overseas Student Health Cover. Medicare does not cover everything — most dental, ambulance and private-hospital care sit outside it — and higher earners without private hospital cover may pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge.

New Zealand's publicly funded system (Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora) covers citizens, permanent residents and people on work visas valid for two years or more, giving eligible residents free or subsidised public hospital and many primary-care services. The rule worth knowing separately: ACC covers everyone in New Zealand, including visitors, for treatment of accidental injuries. Anyone outside public eligibility should hold health insurance.

Australia's main form of social insurance is compulsory superannuation: employers must pay a percentage of your wages into a retirement fund. There is no separate payroll social-security tax beyond the Medicare Levy. Compulsory Third Party motor insurance is required to register a vehicle — it attaches to registration, not merely to driving — while home and life cover are optional. APRA prudentially regulates insurers and super funds, ASIC oversees conduct, and the government's Moneysmart site gives independent consumer guidance.

New Zealand inverts most of this topic's assumptions. Its standout scheme is ACC, a universal no-fault accident insurance that covers everyone in the country for injuries, funded by levies rather than personal contributions. There is no broad European-style social-security contribution, retirement saving runs through the voluntary KiwiSaver scheme, and — unusually — motor insurance is not compulsory. Insurers and financial services are regulated by the Financial Markets Authority and the Reserve Bank.