The best labour hire companies in New Zealand, ranked
Ten firms that can supply casual, temporary or contract staff into a New Zealand business, scored on the things that actually matter when you need people on site: genuine Recruitment Consultants Act / Labour Hire compliance, real branch coverage, published or evidenced rates, and how fast they can actually get someone working.
| # | Provider | Score | Branch coverage | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AWF | 9.0 | 25+ branches nationwide | Largest blue-collar labour hire network, NZX-listed |
| 2 | OneStaff | 8.4 | 20+ branches nationwide | Trades, industrial and warehousing on-hire at scale |
| 3 | Drake New Zealand | 7.9 | Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch + more | Long-established international staffing brand |
| 4 | RemotePeople | 7.7 | No physical branches; remote-first | Flexible EOR-based staffing without opening a branch network |
| 5 | Allied Work Force | 7.4 | Auckland and Waikato | Regional blue-collar and construction labour hire |
| 6 | Extrastaff | 7.1 | Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch | Multi-branch industrial and logistics staffing |
| 7 | Momentum Recruitment | 6.8 | Auckland-based | White-collar temp and contract placements |
| 8 | First Recruitment Group | 6.6 | Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch | Technical and engineering contract staffing |
| 9 | Programmed | 6.3 | Nationwide via parent group | Facilities and industrial staffing bundled with maintenance services |
| 10 | Hays New Zealand | 6.0 | Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch | Global brand recognition for white-collar temp and contract roles |
Rates below are published headline figures or independently reported ranges as at September 2026. On-hire labour is typically charged as a pay rate plus a margin (often 20-45% depending on sector and role), rather than a flat per-employee fee like EOR/PEO providers. Ask each provider for a rate card specific to your role and location before comparing.
AWF is New Zealand's largest and longest-running labour hire business, publicly listed on the NZX and operating for over 60 years. Its scale means genuine same-week supply of casual and temporary staff across trades, manufacturing, warehousing and logistics in most major centres, backed by a public company's reporting obligations rather than a small private operator's.
- Largest branch network of any labour hire provider in New Zealand, with 25+ locations
- NZX-listed, so financials and governance are publicly reported
- Deep bench of vetted casual and temporary workers across blue-collar sectors
- 60+ years of trading history in New Zealand specifically
- Primarily blue-collar and industrial; not the first call for white-collar contract roles
- Margin structure not published; ask for a rate card per role
- Coverage
- 25+ branches nationwide
- Rates
- Pay rate plus margin, not published
- Speed
- Same-day to same-week for most casual roles
- Reviews
- Google 4.0+ across most branch locations
OneStaff operates as a sister brand to AWF under the same NZX-listed group, but runs its own branch network and client base, giving it a genuinely separate footprint rather than being a duplicate. It is particularly strong in trades, warehousing and general industrial on-hire, with a branch count that rivals AWF's own.
- 20+ branches nationwide under its own brand
- Backed by the same listed group as AWF, so similar financial stability
- Strong specialisation in trades and industrial on-hire
- Overlaps with AWF in some regions since both sit under the same parent group
- Margin structure not published; ask for a rate card per role
- Coverage
- 20+ branches nationwide
- Rates
- Pay rate plus margin, not published
- Speed
- Same-day to same-week for most casual roles
- Reviews
- Google 4.0+ across most branch locations
Drake has operated in New Zealand for decades as the local arm of an international staffing brand, giving it a longer institutional history than most independents here. Its New Zealand branch network is smaller than AWF or OneStaff's, but it covers the main centres and spans both blue-collar on-hire and white-collar temp and permanent recruitment.
- Long-established international brand with genuine NZ trading history
- Covers both blue-collar labour hire and white-collar temp/permanent recruitment
- Presence in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch
- Smaller branch count than AWF or OneStaff outside the main centres
- No published rate card; margin structure by quote
- Coverage
- Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and other centres
- Rates
- Pay rate plus margin, not published
- Speed
- No verified average time-to-fill
- Reviews
- Google ratings vary by branch
RemotePeople isn't a traditional labour hire firm with a branch network of on-hire casuals — it's included here because it solves the same underlying problem for a specific case: getting a worker legally employed and paid in New Zealand fast, without opening your own entity or building a branch relationship. Through its Employer of Record model, it becomes the legal employer of a worker you've found or sourced yourself, handling payroll, tax and compliance, which suits businesses adding one or two people rather than a shift-based industrial crew.
- Published NZ onboarding timeline of 1-2 weeks, or 3-6 weeks where a work visa is required
- Owns a live New Zealand entity rather than relying on a partner
- Lowest published headline rate of any provider here, from US$199 per employee per month
- Also offers recruitment and entity incorporation, useful if the relationship grows beyond one or two hires
- Not a fit for bulk casual or industrial on-hire; it employs individuals you've already identified rather than supplying a workforce
- No branch network or walk-in presence, since the model is remote-first
- NZ entity
- NZBN 9429051023157, registered January 2023
- Pricing
- From US$199 per employee per month
- Onboarding
- 1-2 weeks published
- Reviews
- G2 around 4.7
Allied Work Force is a regional specialist covering Auckland and the Waikato, with a strong reputation in construction and general labouring roles. It doesn't have the national footprint of AWF or OneStaff, but for businesses operating in its core regions it offers a more localised relationship than a national branch network can always provide.
- Deep regional relationships in Auckland and Waikato construction and trades
- Smaller operation can mean more direct access to decision-makers than a national chain
- Limited to Auckland and Waikato; not useful for multi-region supply
- No published rate card or independent review volume found
- Coverage
- Auckland and Waikato
- Rates
- Pay rate plus margin, not published
- Speed
- No verified average time-to-fill
- Reviews
- Limited independent review presence
Extrastaff runs branches across several of New Zealand's larger centres and positions itself around industrial, logistics and warehousing on-hire. Its multi-branch model sits between the scale of AWF/OneStaff and the single-region focus of a business like Allied Work Force.
- Branches across Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch
- Focused specifically on industrial and logistics on-hire
- Smaller national footprint than AWF or OneStaff
- No published rate card; margin structure by quote
- Coverage
- Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch
- Rates
- Pay rate plus margin, not published
- Speed
- No verified average time-to-fill
- Reviews
- Google ratings vary by branch
Momentum focuses on white-collar temp and contract placements out of Auckland, rather than industrial on-hire. It's a reasonable option if the need is office-based contract staff in one region, but it isn't built for multi-region blue-collar supply.
- Specialist focus on white-collar temp and contract roles
- Established Auckland presence with sector-specific consultants
- Single-region operation; no evidence found of branches outside Auckland
- Not suited to industrial or blue-collar on-hire
- Coverage
- Auckland
- Rates
- Pay rate plus margin, not published
- Speed
- No verified average time-to-fill
- Reviews
- Google ratings available, volume limited
First Recruitment Group specialises in technical, engineering and infrastructure contract staffing across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. It's a strong niche option for engineering-heavy projects but not a general-purpose labour hire supplier for casual or industrial roles.
- Deep specialisation in technical and engineering contract roles
- Presence across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch
- Narrow sector focus; not a fit for general casual or industrial labour
- No published rate card
- Coverage
- Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch
- Rates
- Pay rate plus margin, not published
- Speed
- No verified average time-to-fill
- Reviews
- Google ratings available, volume limited
Programmed bundles industrial and facilities staffing together with property maintenance services under one parent group, which suits businesses that want a single supplier for both people and site services. As a pure labour hire comparison it ranks lower here because staffing is one part of a broader offering rather than the core specialism.
- Nationwide reach via its parent group's existing facilities operations
- Useful if bundling labour hire with maintenance or facilities services is a priority
- Staffing is secondary to the group's core facilities and maintenance business
- No published rate card specific to labour hire
- Coverage
- Nationwide via parent group
- Rates
- Pay rate plus margin, not published
- Speed
- No verified average time-to-fill
- Reviews
- Group-level reviews only
Hays is one of the most recognised staffing brands globally, with New Zealand offices in the main centres. It ranks lowest here specifically for on-hire industrial labour, since its New Zealand business leans toward white-collar temp, contract and permanent recruitment rather than blue-collar bulk supply — worth knowing before assuming global brand size means the largest local on-hire bench.
- Globally recognised brand with strong systems and processes
- Offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch
- Leans white-collar; not the strongest option for bulk industrial or casual on-hire in New Zealand
- No published NZ-specific rate card
- Coverage
- Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch
- Rates
- Pay rate plus margin, not published
- Speed
- No verified average time-to-fill
- Reviews
- Google ratings vary by branch
How we scored these providers
- Genuine on-hire employment relationship, with the provider as the legal employer of record for supplied workers
- Branch or operational coverage across New Zealand's main centres, versus a single-region footprint
- Evidence of an established New Zealand trading history and, where applicable, public reporting or group backing
- Published or evidenced pricing structure, even where the exact margin is by quote
- Speed of supply for casual or contract roles, where evidence was available
- Sector specialisation and whether it matches blue-collar, technical or white-collar staffing needs
- Independent review presence and standing where it could be found
What we could not verify: most providers here do not publish a standard margin or rate card, since on-hire pricing depends heavily on role, sector and location. We have not independently confirmed average time-to-fill for most providers, and have said so rather than assuming a figure. Verify current rates and coverage directly with each provider before deciding.