The programme runs from Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm, with weekends free. Each day you’ll be working in a different location and tasks will be assigned depending on the needs of the project and in response to mother nature!

Team leaders typically decide what volunteers will be doing around 1–2 weeks before your arrival. You will then find out exactly what activities you’ll be doing during your induction on arrival. At the beginning of each day your team leader will run through the plan for the day as well as any safety procedures, and instruct you on how to perform the task in hand.

On evenings and weekends food and accommodation is still provided but you will have free time to socialise or explore independently. Team coordinators are happy to provide lots of ideas for things to see and do, so that you can make the most of the exciting location you are in and fully immerse yourself into local Kiwi community life.

You can chose from three locations – Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch – all vibrant landscapes with their own unique character! To read more about the different locations, do have a read through the ‘Project locations’ section above.

Yes! This is a fantastic way to see both the North and South Islands, and experience the rich diversity of New Zealand.

If you decide to visit multiple locations, just bear in mind that you will need to organise and fund your own transport between your chosen cities. We also ask that you run any flights by us before you book, so that we can make sure the arrival times work with the local team.

Whilst late-availability is often possible, we always advise booking as soon as you can to guarantee your ideal dates. This also gives you more time to prepare and it means we can break your payment down into manageable instalments, spaced out between when you book and a few months before travel. To read more about our booking process, just click here.

Absolutely! While most our volunteers join us as independent travellers, we warmly welcome bookings from friends and pairs. Embarking on a trip like this with a friend is a fantastic way to share a life-changing adventure and create memories that will last a lifetime.

If you are applying with a friend, just book separately through the availability calendar and make a note of your friends name in the note section of the application form, so that we know you will be travelling together.

Travelling solo? Don’t worry! The majority of our volunteers apply individually and find that they make friends almost immediately. You will be part of a close-knit team of 2 to 8 people from all over the world. By working, cooking, and completing daily tasks together, you’ll quickly form a strong bond with your fellow teammates.

Volunteers can join the programme from 1 to 12 weeks. Most volunteers choose to stay for around four weeks to truly immerse themselves in the experience, but we welcome you for as long as your travel plans allow.

While all of your essentials are covered, we recommend budgeting between $150 and $220 NZD per week for personal spending. This should comfortably cover a few visits to local pubs, a weekend dinner out with your teammates, and public transport for exploring the city.

If you plan on booking any adventure activities like skydiving or guided tours, you will need to set aside additional funds for this. We recommend researching the costs of any special activities like this before you arrive, so that you can set aside a dedicated fund for them.

Please note that most places in New Zealand use cards for payment, so having a travel-friendly debit card (or two) with you is often more convenient, and safer than carrying large amounts of cash.

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.

This really depends on your preferences and what kind of weather you enjoy! On the whole, both the North and South Islands enjoy fairly 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 from December to February and the coldest months are during Winter, from June to August.

You will need to make your own way to our regional office to meet the team. However, getting to us is very straightforward and the meetup location will be shared with you a few weeks before arrival.

You will need to apply for a visitor visa online before you travel, via the New Zealand immigration website. There are some countries that do not have to apply for a visa before they come to New Zealand however and can obtain a visa waiver.

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

Please visit your doctor or travel nurse to find out if you need any boosters. If you tell them where you are going, they will be able to make recommendations based on your personal medical history. It is unlikely that you will need anything in addition to your routine vaccinations, which should be up to date.

New Zealand is an incredibly safe country to visit. In fact, New Zealand was recently ranked as the 3rd most peaceful country in the world on the Global Peace Index.

That said, we always recommend practicing the same common-sense precautions you would at home. This includes keeping an eye on your personal belongings in busy areas and using the safes provided at your accommodation to secure valuables like passports and electronics. By staying aware of your surroundings, you can focus fully on enjoying your conservation adventure.

To protect the wellbeing of New Zealand’s wildlife, the project rarely involves direct contact or handling. This can cause stress to native species, impacting their safety and natural behaviour. That said you will have plenty of opportunities to spot wildlife on location and your team leader will readily be pointing out wildlife to you to help you identify the different species you see.

Internet is provided at the volunteer accommodation, but phone reception can’t always be guaranteed on location in rural sites. We recommend that you get a SIM card when you arrive at the airport, so that you have reception during your free time and when you are exploring the city.

Absolutely! Many people choose our projects as a meaningful and active alternative to a traditional holiday. It is a fantastic way to see the “real” New Zealand and connect with like-minded people, though it is important to remember that this is a working experience rather than a typical tourist trip.

Instead of a resort stay, you will be “getting your hands dirty” in the heart of Aotearoa’s wilderness. While the work is fun and social, it is physically engaging, and most volunteers find the sense of achievement far more rewarding than a standard sightseeing tour. If you are looking for traditional relaxation, we recommend scheduling some time for independent travel before or after your project, to ensure you get the best of both worlds.

Supervision will be fairly intensive during the first few days, when you will receive a thorough induction and 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 support, and you will always be accompanied for any high risk activities.

Before any new activity or location, the team leader will provide safety and information inductions, these cover:

• The conservation aims of the specific task
• How it will be carried out, including any instructions or training required
• Essential safety information
• Signposting of facilities on site or nearby

Before and after your project, and during any free time activities you will be responsible for your own safety so we ask you to take care in choosing the kinds of things you do for fun, and if you are organising extra activities (i.e. bungee jumps, sky dives) make sure you book them with reputable organisations that have impeccable safety records.

All Oyster volunteers are provided access to a 24/7 emergency line which you can call should any incident happen to you on your trip. But for any smaller matters the local team will be there to assist you, and your booking manager at Oyster is always there to support you within our work hours of Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 (UK time).

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.