Check a New Zealand employer, recruiter and job offer

Match the business named in the offer

Ask which legal entity will employ you and for its 13-digit New Zealand Business Number (NZBN). Search the NZBN Register by the number or business name. Compare the legal name, any trading name and the number with the offer and proposed employment agreement. Similar names are common enough that a name alone is a weak match. A trading name can differ from the legal name, so ask the employer to explain the relationship in writing when the documents use different names.

The register identifies a business and may show contact details that the business has made public. It cannot tell you whether the person messaging you works there. Record the exact result and the date you saw it. If you cannot find a matching record, keep the identity question open and ask the employer for its legal details; do not substitute a near match.

Check published accreditation separately

If the proposed job depends on an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), use Immigration New Zealand’s accredited employer list and search the NZBN or exact company or trading name. INZ says the list is updated daily. Some accredited employers choose not to appear in public results, so a missing listing calls for a question to the employer rather than a conclusion about its status. Copy the name and any NZBN shown, compare them with the business in the offer, and record the date checked. Ask the employer about a result you cannot tie to its legal or trading name.

Accreditation is about the employer. For an AEWV, INZ also describes a separate approved job check for the role and other applicant requirements on its AEWV page. A published employer result does not establish that a particular recruiter, message, job or visa promise is genuine. Keep these checks distinct.

Reach the employer without using the approacher’s contact details

Find a contact route yourself through the business’s official website, the NZBN record or another independently established channel. Ask the business whether the named recruiter represents it and whether the specific role, location and offer came from it. If the business uses an agency, ask it to identify that agency. Record how you found the contact route and the answer, including a non-response or a mismatch. A familiar business name or copied logo can be used by someone else.

Request the proposed written employment agreement and compare the employer’s name, work, place, hours and pay with the offer. Employment New Zealand says every employee must have a written agreement and lists terms for an individual agreement. Use the offer comparison to record terms and dates if you have one or two offers to consider.

Pause when money or promises need checking

INZ’s scam guidance warns about payment for a job, pressure to use a particular adviser, guaranteed immigration outcomes and packages that combine a job with costly accommodation. It says New Zealand employers cannot charge for a job or pass their recruitment costs to a worker, including through a third party. A recruiter or immigration adviser may offer a separate service, so ask what any proposed fee pays for and use the official guidance before paying. Keep messages and payment instructions in your own secure files.

If a claim, contact or request remains doubtful, pause the payment or document transfer and contact INZ through its published route. If you are already working in New Zealand and face exploitation, Employment New Zealand’s reporting guidance explains how to seek help. For your own visa conditions or application, use INZ’s current information or qualified help.

Keep a dated evidence card

Write only short findings and questions here. Keep passports, signed offers, account numbers and message attachments in your own secure files. The worksheet stays in this browser tab temporarily; download the editable file to keep it, or print a reading copy. This site receives none of the entries.

Business identity

Name on the approach or offer NZBN supplied by the employer, if any NZBN Register result Legal name shown on the NZBN record Trading name shown, if relevant NZBN shown on the record Register page or source note Date you checked the business record

Published accreditation, if relevant

INZ list result Exact company or trading name shown by INZ 13-digit NZBN shown by INZ, if available Other INZ result details or earlier saved note INZ result page or source note Date you checked the INZ list Employer's answer if no public result appeared

Recruiter, contact and offer

Who approached you, and which business or agency do they claim to represent? Independent contact route and how you found it Employer's response through that route Date of the independent contact or reply What the employer actually said Written offer and proposed agreement Offer source note, such as a letter date or email subject Was payment requested for the job or recruitment? Source or message date for the offer Unanswered question and next person to contact

Checks to finish

Your unanswered identity, accreditation and contact questions will appear here as you fill in the card.

Check again when circumstances change

The INZ list can change from day to day. Search again before relying on an older result, especially if the named employer, recruiter, role or contact channel changes. Date each new observation in your card.

Official sources checked 18 October 2026: NZBN Register; INZ accredited employer list, AEWV and scam guidance; Employment New Zealand agreement and migrant exploitation guidance. The source pages can change. Use their current text when you act.

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