Moving to New Zealand in the current global pandemic of Covid19 seems a hot topic on the lips of many kiwis and citizens across the globe.
What was once the Achilles heel to New Zealand’s prosperity, its remote location and low population, has fast become its golden ticket to lifestyle envy of the world.
The digital era has connected and virtually connected us to the rest of the world, but our physical remoteness and low population, safe environment (excluding earthquakes and volcanoes) has enabled NZ to eliminate coronavirus from our shores, with the remainder of the world looking on in awe and envy.
This has inadvertently lead to increased talk of many migrants across the globe looking to move to New Zealand, to find a job from overseas and begin a new career and life in NZ.
New Zealand has many positives as a drawcard for international migration and migrants, our climate, safe, friendly people, low population, high quality of life, work life balance. Auckland is repeatedly in the Top 5 International cities for quality of life or best place to live, with Wellington not far behind.
With a population of 5 million and a working population of just over half that, New Zealand for the past 10 years has had an undersupply of skilled labour in comparison to available workers. Unemployment has been around the 3%. Many New Zealand businesses have had to actively recruit workers from overseas countries, working closely with immigration advisers in New Zealand. Unemployment Forecasts for the 2020-21 are around 9-15%.
The uncertainty of Covid19, the potential GFC 2.0, impending recession and suspended air travel has put a temporary pause on migrants moving to New Zealand to begin a new life abroad and begin their new career working in NZ. But this is just a pause. Things will recover and New Zealand is incredibly well placed to be the first Western economy back on its economic foils and sailing into the land of economic recovery.
As that recovery begins, the demand to hire workers in New Zealand will increase. Unemployment will drop and New Zealand business will begin looking for skilled workers internationally.
Prizing the best and most highly skilled workers to New Zealand has been a challenge in the past, but NZ is now well placed to attract high skilled workers to move to NZ more so than ever.
These workers moving to New Zealand will increase NZ business efficiency, make them more globally competitive, raise wages and repeat the cycle of attracting top talent to move to NZ.
As wages rise, New Zealand workers quality of life improves. This all helps to boost the NZ economy, which becomes a self-perpetuating cycle for success.
Overseas workers moving to New Zealand also bring different work perspective from their native countries, which can help improve local business processes and efficiencies. Skilled migrant workers moving to NZ also bring investment capital into New Zealand, which can help grow the local economy.
So if you are a worker living outside of New Zealand, but would like to move to New Zealand and live permanently in NZ, making NZ your home so you can live and work in NZ, how do you go about landing your dream move to NZ?
Unless you move to NZ under the investor category, or family visa scheme, the majority of migrants moving to New Zealand come under the skilled migrant’s visa.
Specific information can be found on the below links, but to summarise how to find work in New Zealand so you can move to NZ and live in NZ is below.
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/options/live-permanently
- Ensure your CV is completely up to date.
- Register on New Zealand job boards and jobs sites such as gigexchange.com and search and apply for jobs in New Zealand as and when then appear.
- Promote your skills and service on gigexchange.com so employers can find you.
- Register with recruitment agents in your specialist field or locations in NZ you would like to live and work in. Most migrants want to move to Auckland or live in Wellington or Christchurch. The New Zealand government is working hard to entice migrants to move to regions of New Zealand to distribute the skills and workforce of NZ.
- Be available for digital interviews with employers. Practise your interview technique, especially over video.
- Speak to immigration advisers in New Zealand.
- Join online forums relating to working in New Zealand, jobs in NZ, living in NZ, moving to NZ. Expat groups are especially helpful to hear and meet people who have walked in your future shoes to gain their perspective of living in NZ and working in NZ and moving to New Zealand.
- Research if your skills and experience are in high demand for NZ businesses. Websites like gigexchange.com show what jobs are trending in NZ, what jobs are paying the best salaries and wages in NZ. What areas in NZ are creating the most jobs in New Zealand.
- Land that dream job in New Zealand, begin the adventure of moving to NZ and beginning your new life in NZ.
Once you have found that job in NZ and completed your move to New Zealand. The work opportunities to develop your career are huge. With the right skills, attitude and ability, you can accelerate your career and live the dream life you had hoped for.
Things to know about New Zealand
Language
Kiwis speak English & Te Reo, but they like to change the vowels around so some words sound very different to others.
Climate
The weather will be a mixture of sunshine (there is a whole in the ozone layer above NZ, so sunscreen is essential in the summer months) showers, heavy rain, wind, gales & snow. Mostly its fine and mild.
Geography
New Zealand is a miniature world by itself. We have beaches, mountains, volcanoes, glaciers, lakes, forests. The North Island is sub-tropical to temperate. The South Island is more rugged mountains and sheep.
Cost of Living
The cost of living is relatively high. The physical distance and low population means products are never competitively purchased in bulk in comparison to US and Europe. Wages are increasing, but in global terms still relatively low. New Zealand has an opportunity to change that and become a leading Tech zone with highly skilled digital, software and creative workers moving to New Zealand.
Housing
The majority of housing in NZ is wooded bungalows with minimal to no insulation or double glazing. Migrants moving from Europe and US are always shocked to find the quality of housing (rentals especially) so poor. Renovating to retrofit insulation and double glazing is increasingly popular.
Safety
NZ is in large a very safe country to move your family to. No place is perfect, but safety and lifestyle is a big tick for NZ.
Health System
ACC contributions and paid doctors visit ensure kiwi health system is one of the best in the western world. Things can always be improved, but our system works well. Covid19 highlighted this.
The people
New Zealand is a cultural mixture of Maori, European, Pacific & Asian in the majority.
Main Cities
Auckland is New Zealands largest city. Wellington is the Capital. Larger centres include Whangarei, Tauranga, Hamilton, Rotorua, Taupo, Napier, New Plymouth, Palmerston North. Nelson, Dunedin, Queenstown & Invercargill.
Holiday spots
There are so many to choose from and to be honest, every person has their own private favourite.
NZ currently has a boom in construction work and civil construction jobs in Auckland, Wellington. Tech roles in IT and programme or project management are always needed. Big Data and Business Analysts, software engineering, particularly web development and app development jobs are in high demand.
Goodluck with your move to NZ, we hope gigexchange can help you land that dream job in NZ and lifestyle you and your family deserve.