Tipping in New Zealand: What you should know
New Zealand has one of the highest minimum wages in the world. Thanks to having a living wage, tipping is not customary in New Zealand culture.
Tipping is generally only seen from North American tourists visiting New Zealand — in fact, many locals are staunchly anti-tipping (I’ll explain why below).
If you’re wondering whether you need to tip in New Zealand, the short answer is no. However, if you want to tip in New Zealand, here’s what you should know.
Key takeaways
Tipping is not expected in New Zealand, but it is appreciated if you receive exceptional service.
Service charges are usually included in the bill, so you don't need to tip unless you want to.
If you do decide to tip, a small amount is usually enough and it's best to tip in cash.
Should you tip in New Zealand?
Tipping is not expected in New Zealand. This is because a service charge is often included in the bill, especially at restaurants and cafes. If you do receive exceptional service, however, leaving a small tip is always appreciated.
If you do want to tip in New Zealand, remember it's a merit-based system. This means tips are generally only given for exceptional service, rather than as a standard practice.
While some people might occasionally choose to tip at restaurants and cafes, it's not expected in other industries like hairdressing, taxi services, or retail.
New Zealand has a strong tradition of egalitarianism, which means that there is a focus on treating everyone equally. This can influence tipping culture, as it's seen as unfair to reward some service staff more than others.
What is the tipping etiquette in New Zealand?
As a general rule, New Zealanders don’t tip. It is becoming more common in larger cities, particularly at restaurants, but locals almost never tip.
Because we don’t have a tipping culture, you’ll probably find that New Zealanders are generally quite uncomfortable with the idea of tipping.
And don’t worry, you won’t be treated with disgust if you don’t tip, as tipping really isn’t a local custom.
The current minimum wage in New Zealand is NZ$22.70 per hour, which is reviewed and raised frequently (the most recent minimum wage raise was on 1 April 2023). This ensures that hospitality workers are paid a living wage, and don’t rely on tips.
The overall view is that if a business isn’t paying a living wage to employees, they should go out of business, and not rely on customers to tip workers enough that they stay afloat.
Obviously, no one is going to turn down money if someone wants to give it to them. But, because we don’t tip in New Zealand, it can be complicated trying to decide when and how much to tip.
If you do decide to tip, it is best to tip in cash directly to the service provider.
When to tip in New Zealand
Tipping in New Zealand is not expected but appreciated if you received exceptional service.
It’s really not something you need to worry about, but if you do feel moved to tip someone, here are some tipping guidelines.
Restaurants
Tip 5-10% for exceptional service
In New Zealand, it’s not necessary to tip at restaurants as a service charge is usually included in the bill. However, if you received exceptional service, you can leave a tip of 10% of the total bill.
Tipping isn’t expected, so don’t feel obligated to tip if you don’t want to.
Some card machines will present the option to tip before you pay, but this is more common in Auckland and other urban centres.
Most locals skip straight past that guilt free, so don’t feel like you have to tip, or should tip. You’ll actually see servers themselves push the no button to skip straight to payment sometimes.
In general, people only tip here if they are really wowed by the service they receive — it’s a lovely gesture, but it’s not built into the economics of our country.
Instead of tips, locals prefer to give kind words and smiles, which might sound cheap to you, but it’s our culture.
We don’t appreciate other cultures trying to tell us how to do things, and we like to pay a bill that includes ALL costs, then smile and walk out the door.
Another thing you can do is leave a great review online to show your appreciation. This will help other visitors find the place you dined, sending more business their way.
Baristas and cafe staff
Tip loose change ($1 and $2 coins)
If you have coins, you can always drop them in tip jars which you’ll see on counters at cafes and restaurants around New Zealand.
It’s common to pay at the counter at most cafes and restaurants here, so having a small jar next to the till is common practice, but it’s not expected.
Also, rumour has it that a lot of those tips just get swallowed by the business and don’t even get shared out to the workers, depending on how scrupulous an operation is.
When I worked in a cafe, visitors from the United States would often leave gold coins (1 and 2 dollars) on the tables, which was appreciated but not expected.
Bars
Tip loose change ($1 and $2 coins) or round up
Tipping is not expected for bar staff, but you can round up the bill or leave a small amount for exceptional service.
In the same way with food, buying alcohol in bars is expensive in New Zealand, so locals aren’t that keen to add a tip to a price that already includes a service charge.
But, if you come across a mixologist or bar staff that really blow you away, you can easily round up the price or leave some cash on the bar.
Room service in hotels
Tipping at hotels in New Zealand is not expected, but you can leave a few dollars per day for the housekeeping staff, or you can leave a larger tip at the end of your stay.
Tipping the concierge or front desk staff isn’t necessary, but you can do so if you received exceptional service.
Although I have seen envelopes suggesting people leave tips in hotel rooms (typically in higher end places, like the QT in Wellington), it’s not common practice to leave tips for your hotel room cleaners.
If you have cash you can leave tips, which is a lovely gesture, but it’s by no means expected.
Tour guides and drivers
Franz Josef Wilderness Tours, photo by Roady NZ
Tour guides and drivers don’t depend on tips, as with all other professions in New Zealand.
However, as tourists often come from North America, tips for tour guides and drivers are more common. You can always give a tip if you were really pleased with the service.
If you go on a three week tour, obviously you would tip more than if you go on a day tour to wineries, or around a city.
One of my friends is a driver guide for tour companies that run 2-3 week tours of New Zealand. This means he goes on the road for weeks at a time, driving the bus for a group of visitors.
He likes getting tips at the end — if feels like free money.
But interestingly, one of the more reputable tour companies he drives for has a code of conduct which says he can’t ask for tips. Because the service fee (his wages) are already covered in the cost of the tour, it would be untoward for him to actively encourage them to give him more money on top of that.
If the people on the tour feel grateful for his work though, he can happily accept any gratuities they offer him.
(To my knowledge not all the tour companies he works for have this policy).
According to him, most people give around $50 per person for a 2-3 week tour.
Taxis
Round up
Tipping is not expected, but you can round up the fare to the nearest dollar or leave a small amount (5-10% of the fare) for exceptional service.
Hairdressers
If you ever try to tip a hairdresser in New Zealand, you will be met with complete confusion. It doesn’t even occur to us to tip for services like a haircut, massage, or beauty appointment in New Zealand.
It blew my mind when I found out that in North America it’s standard practice to tip your hairdressers, nail artists, or the person who gives you a wax.
I still don’t really understand how the cost of someone’s time and work isn’t built into the final price? I’m a true New Zealander in this sense.
Here, the price you see is the price you pay, and that’s how we like it.
Why don't New Zealanders tip?
New Zealand has a strong culture of egalitarianism, so tipping is not seen as a way to buy better service.
More often, you’ll hear people grumble about tipping culture sneaking into New Zealand.
We don’t like it because it makes the cost of things more expensive, when the price of a meal here already has wages and tax built into it (and it’s expensive as it is).
It’s not because New Zealanders are cheap, or because we don’t think service workers should be remunerated fairly — we do, and have the minimum wage to prove it.
A lot of it comes back to the idea of fairness, and the price being the price.
We’re a humble people, and don’t love the idea of people handing us money as well. You might notice some people get awkward if you try to tip them, and they might not feel comfortable taking the money.
It’s fine if that happens (we’re human and we like money for the most part), and don’t let it stop you if you really want to tip someone here.
Just be aware that accepting a tip can be outside the comfort zone of a lot of people.
Most of the time, having someone hand over a tip comes as a surprise for New Zealanders.
Tipping FAQs
Can you tip US dollars in New Zealand?
If you want to give someone a tip in New Zealand, you should do so in the local currency — New Zealand dollars. US dollars aren’t used in New Zealand.
Thanks for reading this far! I hope this has helped answer all of your questions about tipping in New Zealand.
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