I can’t believe I will be getting on a plane again next week to make the journey back to the UK for our expos in London and Manchester. It has only been 3 months since I was last there but so much has happened. The world economy is making a slow recovery, kind of one step forward two steps back and we are just coming out of winter here in New Zealand and the season is going out with a bang with some high winds and even snow on the South Island.
Many of you will be aware of the Earthquake that hit Christchurch on the south island recently and it was a huge one at 7.1 on the Richter scale. The rebuild is well underway but I think what has been great is how well the country has coped with such a massive event. Over 80% of Christchurch was actually unaffected by the quake and luckily no one lost their life. There has been a lot of damage to buildings in the area and immigration has announced that it may relax immigration rules allowing builders and engineers to come in from overseas to help with the rebuild. One of the other things I wasn’t aware of was the fact that the earthquake commission has money put aside for these events which luckily don’t happen very often so although the quake is going to cost billions of dollars the country was prepared. For those of you who may not be used to earthquakes (like me) New Zealand only feels around 20 per year and most cause no damage at all. Events like the Christchurch quake are rare and we were well prepared. I have only felt one quake in the 8 years I have lived in New Zealand and actually experienced 3 while I lived in the UK!
As we head into summer there is more positivity in New Zealand with the economy and job vacancies traditionally pick up. Getting ready to make the move in 2011 is a good idea and the Rugby World cup is being held in NZ during October 2011 and will be huge for the country. We are expecting over 80,000 visitors from overseas and many will be looking at the visit with a view to moving to the country permanently. We are holding two expos during the Rugby world cup so that people who are visiting can meet employers and find out what your options are for making a move here. The first will be in Rotorua and the other will be in Auckland and I’ll keep you updated.
Speaking of expos, we have just finished South Africa which was a huge success with people leaving the event very satisfied with the help and info they received. We now have the largest team of licensed advisors for New Zealand and Australia in the industry and we are offering people the opportunity to purchase a Journey Down Under package where we will assess your visa and employment options for both countries and have a consultation with you at the expo. I have learned a lot about Australian immigration in the past few months and the economy there is also doing very well. There have been huge changes to the immigration policy in Australia and we will be able to update you at our expos in the UK so do make sure you come along.
Our journey to work service is very popular as most people want to migrate with a job offer secured. Our teams in Auckland and Sydney have been creating relationships with more and more employers and recruiters which is great news for the people who do use our visa service. Can you tell I’m excited about these upcoming expos?
Here is something to remember if you are coming along to London or Manchester. Take your time, talk to people in the stands and get all the information you can. Grab a coffee and make sure you come to one of our Australia/ New Zealand seminars so that you can get some clarity on how the immigration process can apply to you and your family. Make sure you come and talk to us about the visa stand or better still pre-book your journey down under consultation. This way you will get all the information you need but also all the answers so that you can make the move down under a reality.
I look forward to seeing you there
Paul Goddard
