8 Profitable Side Hustles Specific to New Zealand

There’s no point logging on to drive for Uber at 8am on a Saturday when there’s no demand - you’ll earn peanuts. However, with a few simple tactics, it’s much more lucrative. Sporting events and concerts can often be big honeypots of Uber bookings; people leaving stadiums and theatres all at once increases what you can earn.
 
Additionally, not everyone goes home – they can bar hop and then need a ride home when the bars close (another time for surging demand). So, a rugby match that finishes at 9:30pm can provide 3-4 hours of high-demand Uber bookings and reward drivers with some extra money. If there’s bad weather, more demand equals more money. Traffic may be heavier (i.e. leaving the roads around a stadium), but the laws of supply and demand mean the value of the rides surge. The problem, however, is car insurance – most standard policies don’t cover it, so you’ll need to invest in appropriate insurance.
 
As an alternative, Uber Eats and other food delivery apps let you take advantage of surge times (i.e. 5pm to 9pm), and if you use your bike, you won’t need to worry about insurance.
 
Estimated earnings: $25-$35 per hour is standard for an Uber or Ola drive, but you need to deduct petrol and car costs from that. This is why only logging it during surge periods is far more lucrative.  

There are plenty of part-time jobs available, and dedicated part-timers get more opportunities for better shifts. Part-time jobs provide money, new friendships and a variation from the routine.
 
The hours may be inflexible - you may start on Friday night and Saturday night hours, which aren’t sociable, but those loyal (and reliable) are often rewarded with better shifts. Part-time positions tend to pay weekly, so you won’t wait long for money, and can lead to full-time jobs. Our guide to part time jobs extensively lists options available.
 
Estimated earnings: Around $18 - $20/hour (minimum wage, or slightly above minimum wage)

Fiverr is a huge marketplace for business owners looking to engage professional services, such as logo design, content writing, PowerPoint preparation, web design and even app building and video marketing. What you earn depends on the value of the services you offer, known on Fiverr as ‘gigs’. For example, a web design gig is more valuable than a data entry gig, but it also can be more competitive as many sellers offer their services.
 
Our guide to working on Fiverr explains the opportunities, pros and cons. If you’ve been thinking about becoming a Virtual Assistant, Fiverr lets you ‘try before you commit’ by taking on ad-hoc work for specific one-off projects.
 
Alternative: If you’re skilled on crafts and not so much design services, ETSY is a popular platform to sell homemade craft items. The website attracts millions of buyers every day, and customers can order from all over the world. Like Fiverr, ensuring a long and happy existence on the platform revolves around keeping buyers happy, informed and consistently delivering quality.
 
Estimated earnings: Fiverr charges a 20% fee. For example, if you charge $100 for a service, you’ll receive $80, and Fiverr keeps $20. How much you earn depends on what you offer and how many clients order your services.

Using Trade Me to flog imported goods is possible, but it takes a lot of skill, and there is some risk. The most popular items are phone chargers and cases, as well as battery packs and adaptors. However, there is no golden ticket to Trade Me riches – it’s hard work fielding questions, and if you don’t deliver or ship on time, you risk reputation damage.
 
Estimated earnings: It’s impossible to put a number as every Trade Me business is different, but there is money to be made from regular small-value item sales. Our Trade Me selling tips has helpful information to boost sales.

Dog walking is big business. People love their dogs, and many are comfortable spending whatever it costs to ensure their dogs are happy. If you’re available from 9am to 5pm, setting up a dog walking service can be lucrative. Better still, the more dogs you manage, the higher your hourly earnings.
 
If dogs aren’t your thing, becoming a local babysitter is another option. While the hours will almost certainly be in the evening, babysitting and child-minding are in-demand services. While apps and websites exist to list your services, the old-fashioned approach of word-of-mouth often works best. 
 
And, if dogs or children aren’t your thing, many households are happy to pay for cleaning services. If you find cleaning stress-relieving or deeply satisfying, this could be the side hustle for you.
 
Estimated earnings: It ranges; a one-hour dog walk could command as much as $20, but if you have five dogs on the go, that’s $80 to $100 per hour. Babysitting earns minimum wage; a three-hour booking will earn around $60. Cleaning can pay low, so you’ll need to market yourself as a premium service to avoid getting minimum wage rates. If you do so, a house clean that takes an afternoon (four hours) could earn as much as $150. 

Online surveys are never going to be as lucrative as a part-time job or starting a business. Still, they do provide reliable, incremental income to those prepared to help market researchers know more about your spending habits. Best of all, they can be completed whenever – this NZHerald podcast explains how they work, and why they can be a good idea.
 
Estimated earnings: Someone who regularly submits surveys can realistically make around $100 - $200 per month. Our guide to online surveys highlights the best companies operating in New Zealand. For example, Nielsen Digital Voice pays $10/month in vouchers just to have its software installed on your computer - no effort is needed.

The easiest way to have more money is to spend less. Expenses big and small add up – it’s far easier to cut back on unnecessary purchases than it is to spend 10 hours a week on a side hustle.
 
Estimated earnings: Cost-cutting, if done with discipline, can easily ‘earn’ an average household around $50 to $100 a week. Our 20 Easy Ways to Save LOTS on Household Bills guide covers how you can cut down on costs you won’t miss, or don’t see the benefit of. 

Challenge what your time is worth and price your services accordingly. For example, don’t undersell your time and skill. If you’re launching a business, never offer to do anything for free – you won’t be taken seriously, and it will be hard to win clients. Additionally, your expertise has value – don’t agree to do online surveys if it takes one hour to earn $2. There are great market research survey platforms desperate for more New Zealanders; sign up for the right one.

Side hustles need to be nurtured and developed; for this to happen, they need to fit in with your lifestyle and routine. People like online surveys, because they can load them up on their phone while they wait for an appointment or relax at home. If you live near a supermarket, working there part-time is more accessible than having to cross town using a bus (which may not be running after your shift finishes). In summary, the easier it is to do the side hustle, the longer it will last.

Life is too short for toxic side hustles – they have to be fun. If you don’t like dealing with helicopter pet owners, dog walking may not be for you. If you don’t like deadlines, working online using Fiverr or Etsy probably isn’t suitable. And if you are in the habit of being a TV remote hog, sharing your home with a flatmate may cause issues. The success of a side hustle comes down to how much you enjoy it. If you find something that you like, you’re giving yourself the highest chance of success.