YouTuber IShowSpeed’s visa being ‘assessed’ by Immigration New Zealand

A popular American YouTuber on a whistlestop tour of New Zealand is being “assessed” by immigration authorities over whether he has the correct visa to work in the country.

IShowSpeed, nicknamed “Speed”, is touring New Zealand live-streaming himself doing various activities in Auckland and Rotorua to his audience of 33 million international subscribers.

Immigration New Zealand general manager risk and border Richard Owen confirmed to the Herald that Speed was on a visitor visa to New Zealand, after travelling to the country as a visa-waiver traveller.

“A person cannot work in New Zealand while holding a visitor visa.

“In general, individuals require a work visa [or hold a visa with conditions that allow for work] to engage in activities that result in gain or reward [such as payment] during their time in New Zealand.”

Owen said any further action from Immigration NZ would depend on the nature of the breach and how it fits with compliance activities and priorities.

“We are currently considering whether any action will be taken in this particular case, however we will be reaching out to Mr Watkins to ensure he understands the conditions of his current visa.”

YouTube streamer IShowSpeed leads a haka in front of Whakarewarewa with Kiwi YouTuber Jimi Jackson and dozens of participants.

The Immigration NZ website states that when a report is made about a possible immigration breach or offence, an assessment is made to determine the veracity and severity of the allegation and how it is best addressed.

Speed, real name Darren Jason Watkins Jr, has built a large following across various social media platforms and is known for his wild stunts, high energy, and collaborations with some of the most famous people in the world.

He is on the final leg of his five-day New Zealand visit heading to the South Island telling fans he planned to visit Queenstown. He is due to fly out and land in Australia today.

During the trip he has broadcast hours-long livestreams to his myriad of fans across the globe.

On Sunday he visited Rotorua, where he led the haka, ate a steak and cheese pie, and entered a Zorb race with Kiwi internet star Jimi Jackson before appearing to lose consciousness after falling 43m in a ride at Velocity Valley - although the venue later confirmed the 19-year-old was “absolutely fine”.

Speed uploaded a clip of him performing Ka Mate in front of Whakarewarewa - The Living Māori Village, complete with barks and a backflip, which gained close to 20 million views on Instagram before being deleted.

The following day Speed was swarmed by hundreds of young fans at the base of Auckland’s Sky Tower as he travelled across the city, visiting professional Kiwi boxer Dan Hooker and training with the Warriors before touring the skyscraper.