15+ Realistic Ways to Make Money Online in New Zealand
Updated 5 November 2024
Summary of Making Money Online
Summary of Making Money Online
- We have put together a guide to making money at home and online, please note this is for guidance only
- Unlike ‘trading schemes’ or similar investment-based opportunities, our suggestions do not involve any upfront investment, other than your time and incidental expenses
- We continue to update this page - if you would like to share any other methods you use to make money online (or outside of formal employment), please email us.
- Important - we frequently release new surveys - Like MoneyHub.co.nz on Facebook and Sign Up to Our Newsletter to be the first to know.
Warning: If you’re interested in ‘online FX trading’, ‘crypto’, ‘futures trading’ and any other online-based-invest-and-make-money-schemes, we strongly suggest you get financial advice first and read online reviews. You should also Google the name of the program with the word 'scam' to see what results you get. Many of these 'programs' are scams and/or advertise with fraudulent statistics, suggesting that investors are successful when they are not.
Our Guide covers:
Advertising Disclaimer - Our list below is comprised of trusted and reliable companies that help New Zealanders to make money online. MoneyHub may be paid if you click or sign up to an offer, but this does not influence the ordering or reporting below.
Our Guide covers:
- Online Surveys and Market Research Data Gathering
- Start a Business from Home
- Join the Gig Economy
- Creative Work
- Create Income Using Your Home
Advertising Disclaimer - Our list below is comprised of trusted and reliable companies that help New Zealanders to make money online. MoneyHub may be paid if you click or sign up to an offer, but this does not influence the ordering or reporting below.
MoneyHub's Top Reliable Picks - Quick Registration, Guaranteed Rewards
We've identified three outstanding survey websites renowned for their reliability and consistent rewards for New Zealanders.
Why choose these platforms?
Know this: Signups take around 30 seconds to a couple of minutes, and the rewards offered are long-term, making them more attractive than one-off survey opportunities. |
Christopher Walsh
MoneyHub Founder and Head of Research |
Online Surveys and Market Research Data Gathering
Sign up for iSay, the trusted market research websiteiSay has over three million participants in their survey community earning different rewards from a variety of surveys. These survey questionnaires come from a wide range of industries such as entertainment, advertising, etc.
iSay is a popular survey network in New Zealand, with many of its users being impressed by its reliability. Why iSay? We like it because it's reliable - as part of a massive global company, iSay rewards you as promised, with no trickery. How to Join
Pros
Cons
Rewards
Sign up to iSay here - it takes less than 30 seconds, and rewards are available straight away. |
Work with Nielsen's Digital Voice platformsDigital Voice is a trusted Nielsen platform that offers the best way to make money online. They reward you for going about your everyday browsing on the internet. It's simple, fun for the family and an effective way to earn without investing any extra time.
Please note, as of July 2024, registrations have closed. We will update this listing when it returns - for now, please consider Signing up to iSay - it takes less than 30 seconds, and rewards are available straight away. |
Complete Online Surveys for Cash and Gift CardsPerhaps the best-known way of making money online is completing online surveys. If you are between 18 and 65, chances are a company wants to hear your thoughts so it can fine-tune its marketing. There are dozens of websites offering to pay you to complete surveys, but getting paid and making sure the offer is legitimate can be a big problem. Our short list below includes the companies most trusted to deliver.
Online Surveys essentials:
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MoneyHub's Top Reliable Picks - Quick Registration, Guaranteed Rewards
We've identified three outstanding survey websites renowned for their reliability and consistent rewards for New Zealanders.
Why choose these platforms?
Know this: Signups take around 30 seconds to a couple of minutes, and the rewards offered are long-term, making them more attractive than one-off survey opportunities. |
Christopher Walsh
MoneyHub Founder and Head of Research |
Take Part in Research Panel GroupsResearch Panel groups frequently run throughout major cities like Auckland and Wellington, where you can be paid for your thoughts on a particular product or service. The frequency of panels isn't reliable, and getting accepted can be a bit of a lottery. For example, if you're not a smoker, you wouldn't qualify for a panel on smokers. But, despite the limitations, participating in panels can be a nice way to spend a few hours and be paid for your thoughts. The panels are either virtual (i.e. conducted online) or in person at the research company's office or a venue of their choosing.
Research Panel essentials:
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Sign up for UserTesting.comUserTesting.com is a popular platform offering anyone with a computer and microphone the ability to earn between US$10 and US$60 for 20 minutes work. You sign up, fill out your profile and wait for an invite to a test. You’ll then be paid to test a website experience and record your observations in a screen capture and voice video, with software provided by UserTesting.com. New Zealanders are accepted, but must be able to speak clear English.
UserTesting.com Essentials:
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Start a Business from Home
​Start your own website – it’s really easy, and the skills you’ll learn are unteachableWith Instagram ‘influencing’ now saturated, many people are running their own websites in an area they are passionate about. The more you write and meet the needs of readers, the faster your business grows.
Time investment: 10 minutes to set up the base of a website via a website builder, then your own writing time. You make money from the website by installing Google Adsense and/or referring visitors to products and service (known as affiliate marketing). Your success comes down to what you write about, how competitive it is to get visitors, and the value of your visitors. For example:
Website essentials:
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Join the Gig Economy
Make money as an UBER Eats driverWhile UBER Eats delivery wouldn't be working from home, it's flexible and an in-demand job. Uber Eats is hiring in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. If you live in or close to the CBD, have a smartphone and own a bike, you can work the hours you want and get some exercise.
UBER Eats Essentials: 1. Time Investment: Up to you, but the busiest times are 6-11pm Monday to Saturday 2. What can I earn? Each delivery earns you three fees:
4. Where do I start? Sign up to Uber Eats here 5. Difficulty Level: Medium – it’s physical work, but flexible work-your-own-hours, although you’ll be self-employed and have to organise your own taxes etc. Also, you are not guaranteed deliveries - how much you earn depends on your speed, the number of orders placed and the availability of other delivery people in your area. |
​Become a 'Clickworker' and complete administration tasks on-demandClickworker.com offers paid tasks, usually in the form of proofreading, categorising data, online research and completing surveys. You earn cash, not vouchers, and tasks are available if your profile matches what they are looking for.
Clickworker.com Essentials:
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Using Fiverr.comFiverr.com is a massive site used by businesses and entrepreneurs looking for one-off projects - examples include proofreading, graphic design, translation, video creation, Pinterest and Instagram image creation, photoshopping... – the list is endless. What you offer is called a 'gig' and you set a price for it. For example, make a logo for $25. To get a feel for what the site is offering, browse around the homepage for the latest gigs, search for work or services that you specialise in and decide if Fiverr is worth your time.
Want to know more? Our extensive guide to working on Fiverr explains everything you need to know. Fiverr.com Essentials:
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Dog walking and careDog walking is big business - websites like Pawshake have sprung up to let dog owners meet dog walkers. If you like dogs and are willing to exercise them in all weather conditions, rain or shine, then it's a great way of making extra money. Beyond Pawshake, you can promote your services using local Facebook groups as well.
Dog walking Essentials:
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Teach English Online to Chinese and Korean StudentsThere is an insatiable demand for English teachers working online with Korea and China-based students, the pay is good and the work is rewarding. It would be perfect, except for the fact that the working hours run into the early morning for NZ based teachers, as Chinese students typically study English from 6pm to 11pm their time, which is 11pm to 4am New Zealand time. Korea is not much different.
Nevertheless, if you're keen to progress, you will need to be both fluent in English and have a bachelor’s degree. It works like a normal private school - you are hired directly, and they supply you students to teach. Before you rush off to apply for a position, check that the organisation accepts teachers based in New Zealand. And make sure the school has a positive reputation and won't weasel out of paying you later on. Teaching to China and Korean Students Essentials:
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Babysitting and childcareBabysitting is always in demand, as is childcare in general. While it depends on the children, babysitting has a reputation of being very relaxed and easy going. If you are happy to 'work' unsociable hours (evenings, weekends, etc), it can be very rewarding financially. Nowadays you don't put flyers in letterboxes advertising your services - you list online. BabySits New Zealand, Trade Me Services and local Facebook groups are good places to start.
Babysitting Essentials:
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MoneyHub's Top Reliable Picks - Quick Registration, Guaranteed Rewards
We've identified three outstanding survey websites renowned for their reliability and consistent rewards for New Zealanders.
Why choose these platforms?
Know this: Signups take around 30 seconds to a couple of minutes, and the rewards offered are long-term, making them more attractive than one-off survey opportunities. |
Christopher Walsh
MoneyHub Founder and Head of Research |
Creative Work
Sell crafts on ETSYEtsy is an online marketplace for anyone making unique and creative products such as jewellery, crafts and clothing. It has 200 million sellers, but a lot more shoppers who like to buy on the site. If you have a talent for making creative products, then ETSY may be for you. You determine your own work hours and process the orders as they come in. Standing out in the crowd can be a challenge, and it does take some time to get momentum, yet many New Zealanders make a living on ETSY.
ETSY.com Essentials:
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​Write an e-bookE-books are free to publish and sold in their millions via Amazon’s Kindle store. Best of all, authors earn around 70% of the price of a book. Even though millions of people download e-books every day, selling one can be very tricky. Data released in 2017 suggested only around 1% of all the people self-publishing e-books are making more than $100 a year from doing so. If you know a lot about a subject, such as guides to common problems, it costs nothing to give it a shot. Many authors advertise their e-books on Facebook and other social media websites, which may or may not be cost-effective.
e-book Essentials:
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Create Income Using Your Home
Convert unused items into cash with Trade MeIt's likely that the average home in New Zealand has more than it needs by way of clothing, electronic equipment, household items and unused toys and games. Trade Me is a perfect way to de-clutter and sell items, and get paid for doing it. Membership is free and the majority of users respect how Trade Me works, so sending items to your buyers is very easy and safe. It's not a one-off money-maker - you can set a reminder every year to hunt and gather items you no longer need.
Trade Me Essentials:
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Airbnb HostingIf you have a spare room, Airbnb is a popular way to make some extra money for very little effort even during the COVID-19 era. Thousands of New Zealanders are doing it all over the country, and enjoying the experience of meeting visitors while earning money for every guest. It's free to sign up; you'll need to get some photos of your home and decide what to offer. Best of all, despite the name, hosts are under no obligation to provide breakfast. Basics requirements tend to be WIFI, reliable heating and hot water, and a comfortable bed.
Airbnb Essentials:
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Hosting an International StudentThousands of international students attend New Zealand schools every year, with most coming from Asia and living all over the country. With the exception of 'exchange students', who come via a program such as Rotary or AFS, most others pay for accommodation and to attend school. If you have a spare room and are open to the idea, it can be financially rewarding - many schools and programs pay at least $250+ a week. It's not a full-year commitment either, as students usually return to their country in the holidays.
International student hosting has had a bad reputation, primarily from New Zealanders using it as a cash cow and putting students into a 'farm'. A 'farm' is when 3, 4 or even 5 students live with a single man often disinterested in the students' experience. It's not that they don't specialise in haute cuisine (they don't), the issue has been students feeling unwelcome in the home they've been assigned. New Zealand has so much more to offer, so if you're a family or couple, you are likely to be welcomed by a school who is itself looking to attract more international students. Hosting an International Student Essentials:
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MoneyHub's Top Reliable Picks - Quick Registration, Guaranteed Rewards
We've identified three outstanding survey websites renowned for their reliability and consistent rewards for New Zealanders.
Why choose these platforms?
Know this: Signups take around 30 seconds to a couple of minutes, and the rewards offered are long-term, making them more attractive than one-off survey opportunities. |
Christopher Walsh
MoneyHub Founder and Head of Research |
Related Guides
Do you Work from Home and Have Tips to Share?
We continuously update this page and would love to hear from you - please contact our research team.