If you are moving to New Zealand, it’s important to grasp the local customs and culture so that you know what’s expected of you before you get there.
Tipping is one of those customs that is good to understand so that you don’t offend anyone.
Tipping is not expected or customary in New Zealand.
Service workers generally earn a higher wage than in most other countries ($22.50/hr minimum) and are not reliant on tips. New Zealanders also very rarely carry cash and overwhelmingly prefer to pay for their goods and services by card. Tipping isn’t practical for a country of people who never have any coins.
Furthermore, there is a heavy emphasis on employees paying their workers a living wage. Most New Zealanders view tipping as something only tourists do or something they do on occasion when the service is very good. That being said, as American tourists continue to travel to New Zealand, tipping culture has become more popular, especially in tourist areas. Here are the services you can tip for.
No. You won't be expected to tip when you visit a restaurant or enjoy an experience in New Zealand. Not tipping won’t affect the level of service you receive nor will it impact the livelihood of the service workers looking after you. That being said, New Zealanders are very gracious people and most likely won’t be offended if you choose to tip at a bar, hotel or on a tour.
You may be asked to provide a ‘koha’ from time to time in New Zealand. A ‘koha’ is a donation, contribution or gift, usually in the form of money, that you can present as a symbol of your appreciation or as a show of reciprocity.
Koha is most often asked for at community events or as a Maori custom. For example, if you attend a free community class or eat somewhere for free, a koha of a couple of dollars is a nice way to show your appreciation. Koha is different from a tip as it’s not asked for in exchange for a service you are paying for.
If you really enjoy your service, you may want to tip. Here are some instances where it is most common to leave a gratuity.
At most restaurants in New Zealand, you pay the bill at the counter after you have finished the meal. Unlike in America or some European countries, you don’t have to ask for a cheque. Additionally, there’s nowhere to write down how much tip you want to pay. Instead, you can ask the maître d if you can add a tip. As it’s not customary to tip in New Zealand, a tip of 10% is more than sufficient to show your appreciation. However, tipping is never expected.
There are two ways you can tip at cafes. Most cafes have a tip jar on the front counter for spare change. These jars are an easy way to rid yourself of loose change and a nice way to say thank you to your barista. Alternatively, some Eftpos machines will ask if you want to pay a gratuity. You can select yes or no and the percentage is added to your final bill. Some cafes in bigger cities are cashless and won’t be able to accept your tip, even if they want to!
It is not customary to tip the concierge, porter or bellman at your hotel. However, most hotels in tourist towns are accustomed to receiving tips every now and then. If you want to tip, a few dollars is perfectly acceptable.
It’s not common practice to tip at beauty spas, however, if you want to you can add a few extra dollars to your bill. It’s not expected to tip your hairdresser or beauty provider. Most New Zealanders do not tip when they get their hair cut or receive a beauty treatment and this does not affect the level of service they receive.
There aren’t many places in New Zealand that offer valet parking outside of upscale hotels. It’s not expected that you tip your valet driver as this service is complimentary.
Tipping your tour guide is one of the only areas where tipping is more common in New Zealand. Again, it is not expected. However, because many tourists visit these experiences guides are somewhat more accustomed to receiving gratuities. If you feel like your tour guide has been exceptional you can tip anywhere from $5 to 5% of your experience to the guide. Again, tipping is not essential.
Because most people use cards rather than cash in New Zealand it’s not common to tip your taxi driver. However, if you are paying in cash you can tell them to keep the change to make it easier for your driver. It’s up to you whether you want to tip your Uber driver. Uber drivers tend to earn less than taxi drivers and the tip can help make up for the loss in income.
There’s no expectation that you should tip your movers for performing their services.
However, if you are extremely happy with your service or felt like your movers took extra special care of your items or pets, a 5% tip at the end of the day would be greatly appreciated. Again, professional movers don’t rely on tips as part of their day. If you want to do something nice for your mover, a positive review is another way to show your appreciation and help their business.
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