Straight answers on rates, timeframes, compliance and getting work, gathered from the questions employers and candidates actually ask us. Anything not covered here, call 0800 277 724 and a person will answer.
Transparent rates, quoted up front, 24/7 support with staff dispatched in 1-2 hours, reliable pre-vetted workers with ACC cover and site inductions, and staffing planned around your business targets. AR Staffing can staff an entire operation, from labourers to site managers.
Construction and trades, logistics and warehousing, FMCG and food manufacturing, and general manufacturing across New Zealand, plus traffic management and healthcare and disability support.
For urgent cover we can dispatch pre-vetted workers within 1-2 hours, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Planned placements are typically filled within 24-72 hours. On sites we have already inducted, most requests are filled within 24 to 48 hours from our pre-vetted pool.
Yes. The 24/7 line (0800 277 724) is answered by a person and urgent cover can be dispatched within 1-2 hours. Clients on an active engagement get a direct after-hours line for next-day no-shows, weather-delay catch-up shifts or sudden labour gaps, without waiting on a standard recruitment cycle.
Yes. AR Staffing supplies the labourers, operators and drivers, the STMS and traffic management crew, and recruits the engineers, quantity surveyors and site or project managers for the same project, coordinated by one account team on one weekly invoice. A dedicated account manager can manage headcount and compliance reporting across multiple active sites under a single engagement.
One induction process, one point of accountability, one invoice, and an account team that understands the whole project rather than one trade. When the programme moves, every layer of staffing moves with it from a single phone call.
You are assigned a dedicated team who manage your requirements end to end: they learn your site, your roles and your standards, handle the bookings and replacements, and stay accountable for the numbers. They are contactable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including for urgent after-hours cover.
Machine operators, packers, warehouse staff, general labourers, forklift drivers, truck drivers and heavy-plant operators, across food production, FMCG, manufacturing, warehousing, logistics and construction. Our construction pool also covers labourers, scaffolders, traffic management staff and licensed machine operators, sourced against your specific trade mix and project compliance requirements.
Civil engineers, quantity surveyors, project managers, site managers and estimators, plus related professional and technical roles across construction, civil and infrastructure. We also recruit other salaried professional roles on request.
Support workers, disability care staff and orderlies, for residential facilities, community providers and in-home support across New Zealand.
Labour hire is rapid supply of pre-vetted casual workers. White-collar recruitment is a search-and-selection service: targeted sourcing, technical screening and culture-fit assessment for salaried appointments. Many clients use both, and the same account manager coordinates them.
Yes. We place staff nationwide across New Zealand. We dispatch across South Auckland, East Auckland, West Auckland, the North Shore and central Auckland from our Newmarket base. Auckland is where our bench is deepest and where 1-2 hour urgent dispatch is most reliable; elsewhere we plan crews with more lead time.
Yes. Most of our FMCG work is planned seasonal volume: we build the crew around your forecast, manage rotation and replacements, and bill on a single weekly invoice.
Yes. We maintain a pool of workers experienced in food production and FMCG environments, and every placement includes a site-specific induction covering your hygiene and safety requirements.
No. We support both permanent and temporary staffing needs, depending on your business requirements.
Verified project history, referee checks with the people they answered to, and in many cases direct feedback from crews who have worked under them on site.
Experienced QS remain among the scarcest construction professionals in NZ, and estimating is a small professional community where most are settled and demand rises every time tendering activity lifts. Direct approach recruitment, realistic salary banding and a fast, decisive process are what actually work, and we advise on all three. The talent pools overlap, so we frequently fill both roles for the same employer from one search.
Yes, both, including three waters, roading and subdivision civil works, plus commercial and residential construction.
As an indication, general labour charge-out rates in New Zealand typically range from around $30 to $40 per hour excluding GST, with skilled operators, drivers and STMS-qualified traffic staff higher. AR Staffing publishes indicative ranges openly and quotes an exact rate before any placement, and the invoice matches the quote.
The charge-out rate covers the worker's wages, PAYE, holiday pay, ACC levies, our vetting and induction process, replacement cover and account management. There are no hidden margins or surprise line items: the rate quoted is the rate invoiced.
AR Staffing charges transparent rates with no hidden fees, positioned as the best rates in New Zealand. You receive a clear quote before any placement and the invoice matches the quote.
Most agencies price each client differently and prefer to negotiate from an unpublished position. We publish indicative ranges because transparent pricing is one of our founding promises: you should know roughly what staffing costs before you ever pick up the phone.
Standard Auckland metro placements carry no travel surcharge. Sites well outside the metro area may include a travel allowance, which is quoted before placement so there are no surprises on the invoice.
Yes. One of our core strategies is streamlining the hiring process to cut down unnecessary costs while ensuring quality hires.
You pay a success fee only when a candidate you choose starts in the role. No retainers, no advertising charges, no fee if we do not deliver someone you want to hire.
If a permanent placement leaves within the guarantee period agreed in your terms, we replace them at no additional fee. The specifics are in writing before the search begins.
Yes, and it is one of the safest ways to hire. A worker proves themselves on real shifts first, then converts to permanent by agreement, with the conversion terms agreed up front.
Yes, both. Contract suits a single project, a project peak or parental-leave cover, and can convert to permanent by agreement. Permanent suits ongoing pipelines and carries our replacement guarantee.
A vetted shortlist is typically presented within 7-21 days, depending on the seniority, scarcity and location of the role. Contract staff can often start sooner.
Eight sectors: engineering and construction, renewable energy, manufacturing, procurement and logistics, IT, sales and marketing, corporate services, and health services. Plus supervisors and skilled operators from our casual workforce converting to permanent.
If your documents are ready (ID, work eligibility, any licences), you can often be placed within days, and same-week starts are common for warehouse and labouring roles.
Photo ID, proof of your right to work in New Zealand, your contact details and any licences or certificates you hold (forklift, Class 2-5, STMS, etc.).
You are employed by AR Staffing Solutions and paid weekly, with PAYE, ACC and holiday pay handled correctly, no surprises.
Refer a business that becomes a client and we pay a $500 Prezzy card once their first invoice is settled. Refer a worker and we pay a reward once they complete their qualifying hours with us.
Anyone. Current workers, past workers, clients, suppliers and friends of the business are all eligible, provided the person or business referred is not already registered with us.
Client referrals are paid once the new client's first invoice is settled. Worker referrals are paid once the referred worker completes their qualifying hours. We contact you to arrange payment, you do not need to chase us.
Yes. Every worker we place is employed by AR Staffing Solutions Ltd. and covered under ACC, with PAYE and holiday pay handled correctly.
Yes. Every worker is screened, reference-checked, covered by ACC and given a site-specific induction before starting, reducing your risk and liability. We complete our own pre-placement vetting and safety briefing, then coordinate your site-specific induction so every worker arrives ready to start safely.
Yes. AR Staffing Solutions holds Tōtika prequalification, the CHASNZ national health and safety prequalification standard recognised by councils and major contractors across New Zealand, and is a Site Safe member.
Police vetting, reference checks and verification of relevant qualifications and experience are completed before any placement, alongside ACC cover and a service-specific induction.
Yes. We verify licences, endorsements and operator tickets (diggers, rollers, Class 2-5) before placement, and keep copies on file for your records.
Yes. We verify certifications are current and appropriate for the road category before placement, and keep records available for your compliance file.
Yes. To hire someone on an Accredited Employer Work Visa you must hold Immigration New Zealand employer accreditation, and the role must pass a job check. Where a labour hire company places staff with a third party, the labour hire company also needs Controlling Third Party accreditation. Ask any agency to confirm the accreditation they hold before they place migrant staff on your site.
Several settings have loosened since 2025: the median wage requirement was removed from the AEWV in March 2025, so market rate applies with the minimum wage as a floor; the migrant work experience requirement dropped from three years to two; and visa durations for lower-skilled roles were extended to three years. The National Occupation List replaced ANZSCO for job checks in late 2025. Settings change often, so check Immigration New Zealand for the current position before you rely on any of it.
You must pay a migrant worker the same as you would pay a New Zealander doing the same job with the same experience. Immigration New Zealand assesses this at job check. In practice it means you cannot use migrant labour to undercut local pay rates, which is the point of the rule.
Roles on the Green List have straight to residence or work to residence pathways, including registered nurses and a range of engineering and construction roles. Care and support workers have their own work to residence pathway based on sustained hours at a set hourly threshold. Thresholds move, so confirm current settings before making commitments to a candidate.
We are a staffing agency, not licensed immigration advisers. We can tell you plainly what a role needs, what we hold, and how we vet right to work, and we work alongside licensed immigration advisers and lawyers where advice is required. We will not give you immigration advice we are not qualified to give.
Yes, where the local market is short we source from eligible offshore markets and manage the process end to end, including verification of qualifications and work eligibility.
If your question is not here, the fastest route is the 24/7 line on 0800 277 724, or send it through the contact form and we will come back to you. Employers can get an indicative rate from our published rates page; job seekers can register here. Our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy cover how this site and your information are handled.
