THE NEW ZEALAND GREEN LIST

To attract and retain highly skilled individuals, Immigration New Zealand has compiled a list of occupations, known as the Green List.

The green list consists of two tiers of occupations. Tier one category occupations who qualify are able to come to New Zealand via the ‘Straight to Residence’ route and gain immediate New Zealand residency.

Tier 2 occupations who qualify can gain residency after working in New Zealand for two years – this is what’s known as the ‘Work to Residence’ pathway.

If your business is seeking to hire someone from overseas who meets requirements specified on the Green List, you are exempt from having to prove that there are no suitable candidates available locally.

If you are looking to hire candidates who do not meet the Green List requirements, you may still be able to support their work visa application, but you will need to conduct labour market testing.

We can help you navigate the process, whatever your situation.

Green List Tier 1 Occupations

  • Construction Project Manager
  • Project Builder
  • Quantity Surveyor
  • Surveyor
  • Chemical Engineer
  • Civil Engineering Technician
  • Civil Engineer
  • Electrical Engineer
  • Electronics Engineer
  • Electrical Engineering Technician
  • Electronic Engineering Technician
  • Environmental Engineer
  • Geotechnical Engineer
  • Industrial Engineer
  • Materials Engineer
  • Mechanical Engineer
  • Production or Plant Engineer
  • Structural Engineer
  • Engineering Professionals (Not Elsewhere Classified)
  • Telecommunications Engineers
  • Telecommunications Network Engineers
  • General Practitioner
  • Anaesthetist
  • Psychiatrist
  • Specialist Physicians (Not Elsewhere Classified)
  • Surgeons (Including General Surgeons, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Neurosurgeons, Orthopaedic Surgeons, Otorhinolaryngologist, Paediatric Surgeon, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Urologist and Vascular Surgeon)
  • Other Medical Practitioners (Including Dermatologist, Ophthalmologist, Diagnostic and Interventional Radiologist and Radiation Oncologist)
  • Resident Medical Officer
  • Medical Laboratory Scientist
  • Clinical Psychologists & Psychologists
  • Physicist (Medical)
  • Orthoptist
  • Obstetrician and Gynaecologist
  • Specialist Physician (General Medicine)
  • Cardiologist
  • Clinical Haematologist
  • Medical Oncologist
  • Endocrinologist
  • Gastroenterologist
  • Intensive Care Specialist
  • Neorologist
  • Paediatrician
  • Renal Medicine Specialist
  • Rheumatologist
  • Thoracic Medicine Specialist 
  • Paediatric and Reconstructive Surgeon
  • Emergency Medicine Specialist
  • Pathologist
  • Medical Practitioners nec
  • Midwife
  • Registered Nurse (Aged care, Child and Family Health, Community Health, Critical Care and Emergency, Developmental Disability, Disability and Rehabilitation, Medical, Medical Practice, Mental Health, Perioperative, Surgical, Paediatrics, nec)
  • Veterinarian
  • Other Spatial Scientist
  • Environmental Research Scientist
  • Food Technologist
  • Chief Information Officer
  • ICT Project Manager
  • ICT Managers
  • Software Engineer
  • ICT Security Specialist
  • Multimedia Specialists
  • Analyst Programmer
  • Developer Programmer
  • Software Tester
  • Software and Applications Programmers nec
  • Auditor

Roles to be added in May 2023:

  • Auditor
  • Addiction practitioner/alcohol & drug clinician
  • Audiometrist
  • Chiropractor
  • Clinical dental technician
  • Clinical physiologists (sleep, renal, exercise, respiratory, neurology, and cardiac)
  • Counsellor
  • Dental specialists
  • Dental technician
  • Dental therapist
  • Dentist
  • Dietician
  • Dispensing optician
  • Drug and alcohol counsellor
  • Enrolled nurse
  • Genetic counsellor
  • Medical laboratory pre-analytical technician
  • Medical resonance imaging technologist
  • Nuclear medicine technologist
  • Nurse practitioner
  • Optometrist
  • Oral health therapist
  • Orthotic and prosthetic technician
  • Orthotist/prosthetist
  • Osteopath
  • Paramedic/emergency medical technician
  • Perfusionist (cardiac)
  • Pharmacist
  • Physiotherapist
  • Play therapist (hospital)
  • Social worker
  • Speech language therapist
  • Sterile processing technician
  • Anaesthetic Technician
  • Audiologist
  • Medical imaging technologist
  • Medical laboratory technician
  • Medical radiation therapist
  • Occupational therapist.
  • Podiatrist
  • Sonographer

    Green List Tier 2 Occupations

    • All Secondary School Teachers
    • Automotive Electrician
    • Diesel Motor Mechanic (including Heavy Vehicle Inspector)
    • Skilled Motor Mechanics
    • Electrician (General) – registered
    • Plumber – registered
    • Dairy Farm Managers
    • Civil Construction Supervisors
    • Gasfitters
    • Drainlayers
    • Skilled Crane Operators
    • Skilled Civil Machine Operators
    • Halal Slaughterers
    • Skilled Telecommunication Technicians
    • Secondary School Teacher (Science, Mathematics, Technology, Pacific languages)
    • Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher – registered

    To be added in May 2023

    • Civil Construction Supervisors
    • Gasfitters
    • Drainlayers
    • Skilled Crane Operators
    • Skilled Civil Machine Operators
    • Halal Slaughterers
    • Skilled Motor Mechanics
    • Skilled Telecommunication Technicians
    • Primary School Teachers
    • All Secondary School Teachers