Visas for 'digital nomads' a positive step, commentators say, but there are potential complications

Tourists will be able to work while on holiday in New Zealand. Photo: AFP

Allowing tourists to work for overseas companies while on holiday here is a positive step - but commentators say it comes with potential complications for travellers, companies and New Zealand.

The visa policy change for so-called digital nomads has been hailed as a win-win for the country and migrants. All overseas visitors, including tourists on ETAs and people visiting family, can now work here for up to nine months.

It means more GST-take from hotels, restaurants and attractions, and possible investment from rich travellers - and it has already attracted a lot of international attention since yesterday's announcement.

Immigration adviser Katy Armstrong said it was a welcome, obvious and necessary step, "because we're all taking our laptops with us nowadays and we're all doing a bit of work while we're away.

"People are talking about, for example, demand from the USA because there might be people who are looking for temporary respite from the LA fires or situations like that."

Immigration adviser Arunima Dhingra said it was quite different from other countries' digital nomad visas, but an overdue change.

"But to truly make it sustainable and for people to actually choose to be in New Zealand to do the remote work, we need to think about a whole lot of other things - being able to open bank accounts here, what are the tax implications?

"Has the government thought about all the other things to do if you are really trying to attract people from different parts of the world, the younger professionals to actually come here and work?"

Other people have pointed to unintended consequences in other countries with digital nomad visas, including rental price increases and over-tourism.

Immigration lawyer Simon Laurent, chairperson of the Association for Migration and Investment, said the policy legitimised things people were already doing, such as writing reports or emails on holiday.

But he wanted greater clarity as there were possible complications, which might affect employers and those travelling and working.

An employee could still get into strife if they were working for a NZ company on assignment, secondment or under contract for an NZ company, for example - even if they were being paid by an overseas company.

"I can see potential for the people involved in that sort of arrangement thinking that getting the digital nomad visa will be good enough. Now it would be good if that person was sitting in a cafe in Mission Bay doing the work that they're being asked to do for their overseas employer, but if they're going to sit in someone's office and do that work, that's not okay."

He described it as a pragmatic solution to a potential problem for travellers.

"They usually can get away with it now. This essentially legitimises what is probably happening already. And I think that's a good way of clearing the table of some potential pitfalls people could fall into.

"Whether it plays out in large numbers of people actually coming over to do this more than they were already, remains to be seen."

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