DESPERATELY SEEKING A SOLUTION
We arrived back in New Zealand in December after being away for 15 years. We were never meaning to be away for that long, but, you know, life gets in the way.
Just as we started gathering the information for the copious amounts of information and paperwork we would need to get my non-kiwi husband here with me, Covid took a further two years of our time wanting to get back and start our life back here in New Zealand.
We’re now finally here and very happy to be here. Our intention is to commit long term; live and work 100% in New Zealand.
Coming back was the easy decision, it’s a beautiful, safe country and according to the media, companies in every industry are crying out for workers – the wails of desperation can still be seen and heard on print, online and radio. No bias allowed here we heard, people of all ages and levels of experience are welcome, no, not just welcome, begged to be here to start working.
So, when we had eventually gathered our paperwork as per immigration requirements, from very slow government departments, the application for my husband’s partner support permit was submitted online with relief and joyous anticipation in September 2022.
The waiting game began. There were many attempts to contact Immigration NZ to find out what, if anything, else was needed to expedite our application. In the meantime, we both applied for many New Zealand jobs online, based in New Zealand or remote, that we could start before we got back, but had a pitiful few responses.
Most of the very few responses we received said please apply when you get back here, so after having no response from Immigration NZ as to when our permit would be approved, we decided we couldn’t wait around without working any longer, and not being based in New Zealand seemed to be the only obstacle for us finding employment, so we applied for a visitors visa and arrived in December 2022 to start working and contributing to the economy and our Kiwisaver.
Sadly, what we hoped would be a story of success, just isn’t. Our permit from Immigration NZ has still not been approved to date (late February), so that means my husband is not allowed to work, or it seems, even allowed to apply for roles even though he is here and available for interviews.
I am a New Zealand citizen and have now applied for more than 90 roles in the last six months and have had only four online meetings/interviews and two informal face-to-face catch-up meetings, not one offer of any sort.
We have been successful in our industries and have evidence and references so we believed we should have little or no issues. We are flexible and understanding of some of our work history being from outside New Zealand so we have applied for roles that suit our level of experience and industry as well as entry level roles and roles outside our industry.
We have spoken to industry bodies who don’t understand why we haven’t been ‘‘snapped up’’ and to just keep trying ... but still nothing. It is excruciating and so bad for self confidence that I’m questioning myself because surely after all the applications that have been ignored/rejected, it must be me that’s the problem
... because ‘‘New Zealand is desperate for workers’’, right?
Getting a job is the first step to your life in New Zealand, because without a job, you can’t find a place to live as rental applications include a need to prove your employment status and therefore the ability to pay your rent. Without a place to live you can’t get a bank account, drivers’ licence, register at the doctor’s...
Maybe, just maybe, the unnecessarily lengthy and detailed recruitment process should be looked at, and the people, not the process, should come first.
Could this be a solution to the ‘‘New Zealand is desperate for workers’’ crisis?
Name withheld on request, as the writer does not want to hinder their chances of getting a job.
(Abridged – Editor)