Resume rules in New Zealand
What employers in New Zealand expect on a CV / Resume, what the law lets them ask for, and where the two disagree.
Call it a CV for New Zealand or a resume for New Zealand: it's the same document. Employers there usually want it written in English.
This is research, not legal advice. Employment and data protection law changes, state and provincial rules matter in federal countries, and practice varies by industry and seniority. Each entry shows when it was looked up and how confident we are. Where nothing reliable was published it says Not found rather than a guess.
Law and practice, side by side
The label on the right is what local hiring expects. The two lines under it are the law and the habit, which often disagree.
Photo: Optional
Optional, uncommon in modern practice — increasingly discouraged due to discrimination concerns
What the law says: No legal requirement; protected under Human Rights Act 1993 and Privacy Act 2020 — employers must not discriminate based on protected characteristics or request unnecessary personal information
Date of birth: Uncommon
Uncommon — should be avoided due to age discrimination risk
What the law says: No legal requirement for applicant; Privacy Act 2020 and Human Rights Act 1993 restrict employer collection
Marital status: Avoid
Avoid — not required and creates discrimination risk
What the law says: No legal requirement; Human Rights Act 1993 prohibits discrimination based on marital status
Sex or gender: Optional
Optional but uncommon — modern practice avoids unless role-specific
What the law says: Not required; Human Rights Act 1993 protects against sex/gender discrimination
Nationality: Optional
Optional — typically addressed at interview if employment authorization is relevant
What the law says: Employment Relations Act 2000 applies to workers; no specific CV requirement but immigration status may be job-relevant
National ID number: Avoid
Avoid — collect only if necessary and secure storage required
What the law says: No requirement; Privacy Act 2020 restricts collection of NZeID/IRD number
The rest of the entry
- Local name of the document
- CV / Resume
- Language to submit in
- English
- Typical length
- 1-2 pages typical
- Address detail expected
- Optional, typically city/suburb only rather than full address
- Signature and date
- Typed signature and date optional; no formal requirement
- Officially prescribed form
- None — Europass used in some sectors but not mandated
- Religion, ethnicity or caste
- Human Rights Act 1993 prohibits discrimination; no requirement on CV
- Health, disability or pregnancy
- Privacy Act 2020 and Human Rights Act 1993; Disabled Persons Employment Promotion Act 1999 — disclosure optional, must not disadvantage applicant
- Other customary attachments
- References commonly requested; qualifications and certifications for professional roles
- Employer may not ask for
- Photo, date of birth, marital/family status, health/disability (unless job-specific), national ID, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, criminal history (with limited exceptions)
- Named statutes
- Human Rights Act 1993, Employment Relations Act 2000, Privacy Act 2020, Disabled Persons Employment Promotion Act 1999
- Data protection regime
- Privacy Act 2020 (amended 2020 with stronger principles); Privacy Commissioner oversight
- Anti-discrimination statutes
- Human Rights Act 1993 (sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief, disability, age, national or ethnic origin, political opinion, employment status); Employment Relations Act 2000
- Local language source
- English only
Where this came from
Looked up 2026-08-15. Independently checked 2026-08-15. High confidence. Result of that check: Confirmed.
Notes: New Zealand has well-documented employment law reflecting Commonwealth tradition and strong privacy/anti-discrimination protections. Privacy Act 2020 significantly restricts employer collection of personal data on CVs. Photo and DOB are legal but increasingly discouraged in practice.
Researched with AI assistants working from a written checklist, then independently checked. How we researched this