Interest in Emigration to New Zealand Still Strong Despite Canterbury Quake

The Opportunities New Zealand Expo that was held in Manchester and London last weekend attracted record crowds, showing that British interest in emigration to New Zealand is still strong, despite the recent Canterbury earthquake.

The expos attracted upwards of 5,000 people eager to meet with the employers, recruiters, shipping companies, migration agents, banks and other emigration service providers that attended.

“This has been our biggest expo in recent years. We have more employers and more jobs than seen in the last two years, which tells us a few things about how the market’s picking up in New Zealand,” said Hayley Roberts, CEO of Working In Ltd and organiser of the Opportunities New Zealand Expo.

“After the Canterbury earthquake we did consider the possibility of a plateau in ticket sales, but what we actually saw was quite the opposite. Builders, engineers, tradespeople – they all see it as an opportunity to transfer their skills,” said Roberts.

Employers at the expo were looking to hire in the engineering, manufacturing, IT, trades, transport and health industries.

Grant Harsent, Human Resources Manager from Christchurch-based company Hamilton Jet, said “Our objectives were to recruit specialist skills that we could not find in New Zealand. We were looking for senior mechanical engineers, high-level technicians and senior production management. We collected about 100 CVs and are expecting 10-15 hires from our UK trip.”

He also said that most people he met at the expo were still positive about moving to New Zealand and were keen to help with the rebuild in Christchurch.

Other New Zealand employers at the expo included The New Zealand Transport Authority, Ballance Agriculture and Accent Health Recruitment.

The Opportunities New Zealand Expo is backed by Immigration New Zealand, who distributed a letter on the door reassuring people that New Zealand is still open for business and presented seminars on the skills currently needed and the visa requirements to enter New Zealand.

The Opportunities New Zealand Expo will be held again in London and Leeds in July.

ENDS

© Scoop Media