The New Zealand International Visitor Levy: What Agents Tell Groups

Few clients mind paying a conservation levy. What annoys them is meeting it for the first time on the NZeTA form, a week after they paid the deposit. The New Zealand International Visitor Levy is easy to explain in one line of the quote, and our New Zealand team has written the full International Visitor Levy briefing. This note is for agencies that sell New Zealand next to Thailand, Japan or Korea and want to get the levy right for a mixed group.

How Does the New Zealand International Visitor Levy Work?

• The amount. Immigration New Zealand lists the levy at NZ$100. It went up from NZ$35 on 1 October 2024.
• When it is paid. With the NZeTA request or a visa application that includes it. It is paid every time a traveller applies.
• No refunds. Immigration New Zealand does not refund it, even when it declines the application.
• Its full name. You will also see it called the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy, or IVL.

Which Passengers Do Not Pay?

Immigration New Zealand lists, among others: Australian and New Zealand passport holders, holders of passports from many Pacific Island nations, transit passengers arriving at and leaving from Auckland International Airport, New Zealand and Australian resident visa holders, and Business Visitor Visa or APEC Business Travel Card holders.

That list is the reason to check every name, not just the group's main market. A group from Singapore can include an Australian spouse who pays nothing and a colleague on a work trip whose position depends on the visa. Our group visas briefing covers the online visa side.

What Did the Levy Pay For in 2026?

On 4 September 2026 Conservation Minister Tama Potaka announced two IVL-funded projects in the Waikato. Whangamarino wetland, a Ramsar site in north Waikato, gets NZ$2 million over two years to start the Whangamarino Action Plan. Otorohanga Kiwi House gets NZ$75,000 for captive breeding of the Māhoenui giant wētā, a programme run with Te Whare o Mōkau ki Runga (Ngāti Maniapoto) that has bred more than 300 wētā since 2021.

That gives a guide something better to say than "it is a tax". Clients on a Waikato day pass close to the kind of work the levy pays for. Our New Zealand conservation tours guide shows how to build that into a programme.

What Goes in the Quote?

One line: entry to New Zealand needs an NZeTA or visa, most passengers also pay the levy when they apply, and it is paid to the government, not to us. Ask for passport nationality for every traveller at the quote stage, and confirm the levy was paid with the application. Cruise groups have a separate levy question, which our cruise border levy briefing covers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the New Zealand International Visitor Levy?

Immigration New Zealand lists it at NZ$100. It rose from NZ$35 on 1 October 2024.

Can a client get the levy back if the NZeTA or visa is declined?

No. Immigration New Zealand does not refund the levy, even if it declines the application.

Do Australian clients pay the levy?

No. Holders of Australian passports do not pay it, and neither do New Zealand passport holders.

What did the levy fund in September 2026?

NZ$2 million over two years for Whangamarino wetland and NZ$75,000 for Māhoenui giant wētā breeding at Otorohanga Kiwi House.

Sources

• Immigration New Zealand: Paying the International Visitor Levy
• Department of Conservation: New funding for Whangamarino wetland, insect heavyweight (4 September 2026)

Where Explera Fits

Our New Zealand team plans group programmes and wildlife days through tours and experiences. See our New Zealand destination page, or visit the Explera DMC New Zealand website.

Write to b2b@explera.co.nz or message +66 93 656 8090 on WhatsApp. Explera DMC is IATA TIDS-registered (96215733) and an ASTA member (900408341).