Breakfast : 08.00

Each day will vary. You will normally be spending one to two weeks in each location. You will be working with a team of up to 10 volunteers under the guidance of an experienced team project leader.

Jobs may include:

• Tree planting
• Constructing walkways
• Seed collection
• Wildlife surveys
• Weed control and eradicating foreign species
• Conservation fencing
• Heritage restoration

Finish :16.00

At the beginning of each day your team leader will run through safety procedures and instruct you on how to perform the task in hand.

The evenings and weekends are for you to enjoy socialising or independent travelling and exploring. Make the most of the exciting location that you are in and fully immerse yourself into local Kiwi community life.

You can chose from two locations on the North Island and one on the South Island. Auckland and Wellington are your gateway cities to exciting projects. Christchurch projects and for longer stays,  the west coast of the South Island in Punakaiki. Please be aware that the type of project that you will be participating in cannot be determined before you arrive in New Zealand.

Whilst late-availability is possible, we would advise booking as soon as you can to guarantee your ideal dates. Our projects are very popular and spaces can fill up several months in advance, especially for the months of June to September.

Most of our volunteers are independent travellers, but you can also apply with a friend. You will join a group of between 6 and 10 people from all over the world who have the same keen interests as you. You make friends very quickly by getting involved cooking and completing domestic chores as a team. If you are applying with a friend then be sure to let us know by writing their name on your application form.

To be eligible you need to be over 18 and have a reasonable level of fitness.

The hours vary but typically between 8am until 4pm with lunch and morning and afternoon breaks. Usually you will be working 5 days a week with 2 days free for relaxing and sightseeing. If you finish a project early then you will move to a new project on a free day.

The projects take 1 or 2 weeks. You will be working for 5 days per week with 2 days free. These free days include travel time if you are moving from one project to another.

New Zealand is known as one of the world’s most remote destinations and the last island in the world to become inhabited by humans. With one third of the islands made up of National Park, it is vital that this amazing biodiversity is protected for years to come.

Taking part in a conservation project genuinely aids towards restoring land to its former, purer state. You will be protecting endangered species, clearing up the environment and reintroducing native plants.

This project will give you great work experience and a greater understanding of a country and culture. Live and work with the locals in areas off the beaten tourist track. Make new friends, boost your CV and contribute to the planet’s need for conservation.

On the whole, both the North and South Islands enjoy mainly moderate climates throughout the year. The far north has sub-tropical weather during summer months and the inland alpine areas of the South Island can be as cold as -10c in winter. Given that you are never that far from the coast, most of the country experiences mild temperatures, moderate rainfall and an abundance of sunshine. Summer is December to February and the coldest months are from June to August.

We would recommend budgeting up to £50 a week for activities during your time off, souvenirs or meals out.

You can apply for a visitor online at the New Zealand immigration website . There are some countries that do not have to apply for a visa before they come to New Zealand and can obtain a visa waiver

For further information and to ascertain your eligibility, please visit the website above.

Please visit your doctor or travel nurse to find out. It is unlikely that you will need anything in addition to your routine vaccinations, which should be up to date.

For any information related to Covid-19, please see the Fit for Travel website or the UK government’s travel advice page for New Zealand.

New Zealand, alongside Denmark, is considered the least corrupt country in the world. It is an extremely safe place with low crime rates. As when travelling in any country, it pays to keep your wits about you. Be sure to make use of safes to lock away your valuables and keep an eye on your luggage and personal belongings at all times.

This really depends on your location, but you will never be too far from civilisation. At times you will be based in urban areas, at others you will be in very rural locations. You will always be with a group and catered for well, whether it be for food or drink or general necessities.

This will depend on your project and where you are staying; unless you are staying in a hostel you probably won’t have internet access until your days off, and this would rely on you being close to a town.

In New Zealand the power sockets are of type I. The standard voltage is 230 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.

New Zealand is 12 hours ahead of  GMT (GMT/UTC + 12). Please note New Zealand practices daylight savings so it is +13 during some months of the year.

Auckland has so much to offer that it is impossible to list it all here.

• Enjoy a coastal walk past the volcano cone of Mt Eden and One Tree hill. Visit the Auckland museum and Art Gallery, both of which are free to enter
• A pub crawl is always a great way to meet new people and why not enjoy a free backpacker tour giving you advice on the top sites, eateries and parties in the local area
• Watch a free movie in the park, walk to Silo park or take a ferry trip to visit the picturesque town of Devonport
• Some of New Zealand’s highlights as a whole include the glaciers and mountain walks of Milford Sound, Tongariro National Park, Bay of Islands, Lake Wanaka
• The Hobbiton Movie set and Waiheke Island. You are never far from the coast so there is always the option of a fantastic beach somewhere on your travels

The simple answer to this question is, yes absolutely!

It is important to bear in mind however that this may not be like other holidays that you have taken. Remember that you are volunteering, and this means that you will be put to work! This sort of holiday is a world away from sun loungers and cocktails, with our volunteers often heading home tired but immensely satisfied. If you think that you will need a bit of relaxing time on your trip too, do make sure to factor this in when your time on the project is complete.

Supervision will be fairly intensive during the first few days, when you will receive a thorough induction and work-related training.  Once you are comfortable with things, you might not always have a supervisor working alongside you, but there will always be staff and other volunteers around to help, and you will always be accompanied for any high risk activities.

Staff at Oyster’s head office and in-country will be responsible for your safety and welfare while you are at the project.  This will start from 11 am on the Friday morning of your induction. Before and after these times, you will be outside Oyster’s responsibility and should make sure that you act safely and avoid risk.  This is also true if you choose to leave the project during your time off. We will give you plenty of guidance and advice about this.