[sternip]

Hi there, I am currently in an unusual situation and I'm not sure how to proceed.

I am from the UK (Bedfordshire) and have been in NZ on a WHV since Dec 2005 (I went back home for a few months last year though).

My visa is going to expire soon - Nov 8th to be precise - however, I have an employer who is willing to sponsor me - the trouble is it's not that straightforward - I have been working for him (proprietor of a backpackers and motels) on a voluntary basis in exchange for accommodation for quite a while, and we have a plan to set up a webdesign business with another local designer (creating new websites for his businesses is a large part of the work I have been doing and we already have some work lined up just through word of mouth).

He is willing to sponsor me, but he can't afford to actually pay me a salary (all his employees work on a voluntary basis), though the intention would be for me to support myself via the webdesign business. If there was some loophole we could exploit (eg him paying me a salary which I pay back to him straight afterwards, though I don't know how that would work out with tax), I believe he would be willing to do so. It would be useful to know exactly what the specifics are with regards to what counts as employment, what his liabilities are etc - I don't know why it's the case but this sort of information seems to be impossible to find.

I should have got this sorted out much sooner but typically it's all down to the last minute. I really don't want to leave NZ, I love it here, I feel more at home here than I ever did in the UK and I have a good lifestyle here. I have a car and tons of stuff that I will have to sell if I am leaving so I need to get this sorted ASAP.

I am guessing I have to fill out form 1015, but it's rather confusing - what does my 'employer' need to fill out, and I'm not sure about many of the options on 1015 -

Should I apply for a work permit, a work visa or both? Both would clearly be best for me but if it meant my application was less likely to be successful than just applying for a permit then I would just do that.

I'm really pretty confused and daunted by all this, and I will really be gutted if I can't at least stay longer in NZ, any advice I am extremely grateful for in advance.