Visa rules for 'digital nomads' to be loosened

Nicola Willis. Photo: RNZ
Nicola Willis. Photo: RNZ
The government says it will loosen visa requirements for overseas visitors who want to tour New Zealand while working remotely for their employer at home.

The so-called 'digital nomads' include visitors such as IT specialists, as long as they are not receiving any income from New Zealand sources.

It would also extend to influencers, provided they were being paid by overseas companies.

In 2023, National campaigned on a 12-month digital nomad visa to attract skilled mobile people, with the option to apply for a work or residence visa later.

The announcement is Finance Minister Nicola Willis' first since taking on the new economic growth portfolio, and will be followed by more announcements this year as the government hones in on economic growth and productivity.

She will be joined by Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston.

Last week, Willis said boosting tourism numbers was a top priority for the government's growth plan.

"Our job is to make it easy for them to come in the door, easy for them to come to New Zealand... then when they get here I've great faith in our tourism providers that they'll do everything they can to get as many dollars out of those back pockets as possible," she said on Wednesday.

However, Queenstown Lakes Mayor Glyn Lewers said the government would need to provide more infrastructure investment to cope with additional visitors, so ratepayers were not left picking up the tab.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has also identified medium-term changes to international education settings, and more direct foreign investment, as ways to boost growth.

Today's announcement comes after a high-profile economist said New Zealand's economy recently performed the worst in the developed world.