New Zealand has a work visa only for Korean citizens: the Republic of Korea Special Work Visa, for people living in Korea with a full-time job offer in an occupation listed by Immigration New Zealand (INZ), such as Korean language instructor, taekwondo instructor, traditional Korean medicine doctor or software engineer. It is temporary and limits you to the job, employer and place it names. Younger Koreans can also use the Korea Working Holiday Visa, a working holiday visa allowing temporary jobs without a job offer. Residence takes a separate application, such as under the Skilled Migrant Category, New Zealand's residence visa for skilled workers, which asks for a job or job offer from an employer INZ has accredited to hire migrants.

Get the Korean credential your occupation needs before an offer arrives, because INZ asks for it: for a Korean language instructor, the teaching certificate issued by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; for a taekwondo instructor, a certificate from Kukkiwon, the World Taekwondo Headquarters, at the grade INZ sets. The visa also requires a chest X-ray and a medical examination, and proof, such as utility bills, that you live in Korea. For a police certificate, INZ directs Korean citizens to a local police station in Korea or, from abroad, to a Korean embassy or consulate; a certificate in Korean needs an official English translation certified by a notary with no link to your application.

The mistake to avoid is planning to switch to the Special Work Visa from inside New Zealand, for example when a working holiday job turns into an offer. INZ requires applicants to be living in Korea when they apply, as their permanent home; only someone already holding that visa may apply from New Zealand, and only for the rest of the time it allows. If a working holiday employer offers you a listed job, plan to return to Korea and apply from there.