Can I go to Australia on a holiday while contracting to an Australian company over there through my NZ business?

Question

I want to spend three month in Australia on a holiday, however I will be doing freelance work for an Australian company while I am there, and they will be paying it to my NZ business..
Is this okay? Or do I need a working Visa or something?

griselda · Answer

Hi there,
If you are a NZ citizen, then that's all fine. You can work for an Aussie company while you are there on holiday as the SCV gives you the right to live & work in Australia. 
Cheers,
Grace

workingholiday · Answer

Hi Grace, thank you for your response.

I am waiting for my citizenship to come through - could be another 6 months. 
So, given that I contract to this company through my NZ business, I am really deemed as a NZ employee. My company just contracts to them. So would I be able to go to Australia now and class it as a "holiday" while I continue doing my freelance type work for this company? I just want to be sure, don't want to get in trouble :-)

Thanks very much!

griselda · Answer

Hi again, 
So you have applied for a holiday visa for Australia is that right? I 'think' that should still be okay, but I'm not 100% sure as I have heard of customs officials in Australia questioning people who are on a holiday visa but look like they might be trying to find work there. Obviously you aren't, but I would suggest clarifying with Australia Immigration or the Australian consulate in NZ to ensure there won't be any problems. Lots of people do some work while they are holidaying overseas and take a laptop with them etc, so they should be okay with it...but it's always safest to check these things first.