Spreading warmth and understanding

‘‘Hi, I’m Johnsy Johnsy. I’m from Absolute Energy and I’ve come to install your insulation.’’

The greeting is simple, but it shows how far the Myanmar refugee has come in his new Nelson home – a career to support his young family, and an ability to communicate with Kiwis.

Absolute Energy owner Paul Brockie gave Johnsy Johnsy and five other Myanmar refugees a job that was also a window of opportunity to improve their English.

Brockie hired the refugees in 2016, when he needed reliable staff. He had heard about them through a friend who coached their football team in Richmond.

Interpreters were used early on in the hiring process, but Brockie saw a chance to connect with English Language Partners New Zealand (ELPNZ) to also improve the workers’ skills.

Last year they were enrolled in English For Employees through ELPNZ, and dedicated two hours every Wednesday to learning English.

Brockie paid the team for one hour of class, and they volunteered their own time for the other hour. The programme was also crucial in teaching them health and safety.

Brockie said many Myanmar refugees worked together in market gardens and only spoke the Hahka Chin language, as they had no need to use English.

At Absolute Energy, Brockie’s workers have had different encounters with Englishspeaking customers every day, which have helped to continue their improvement.

They have secured fulltime jobs with a good wage, so have no need to be on benefits that many refugees require when working in low-paying jobs.

‘‘The money goes to their families, they’re buying houses and saving, they’re good citizens,’’ Brockie said.

Their story made the front cover of the Connecting Cultures magazine for 2018, a national booklet by ELPNZ about the success of former refugees throughout New Zealand.

Manager of the ELPNZ Nelson branch, Tony Fitzwater, said he was excited about the success of the team at Absolute Energy.

‘‘Once they get a job, we either go to them in the workplace or they come to us at night. We always want to give that constant support.

‘‘Language is crucial to successful settlement, and that’s what we’re passionate about here.’’