Thousands of skilled British eager to move to NZ

Thousands of skilled British eager to move to New Zealand

By the time the doors opened at the Opportunities New Zealand Expo in Manchester, last weekend, there was already a long queue of people at the door, who couldn’t wait to find out how to get started with their move to New Zealand.

The event, organised by Working In Ltd, was a tremendous success for New Zealand employers, not only attracting the usual large crowds that characterise Working In events, but also high calibre migrants with the skills that New Zealand needs.

Nearly 32% of visitors who intend to move to New Zealand hold a Bachelors Degree, while 17% hold a Trades Qualification. Additionally, 17% of wannabe migrants have a Masters or PhD.

Visitors to the expo were more than just curious about New Zealand, rather they were fully committed to making the move. A total of 65% of visitors said they would move within the next 12 months, while 25% believed their move would happen within the next one to two years.

Amanda Robinson was one of them. The registered nurse from London visited the expo with her husband Duncan and left with invaluable contacts with New Zealand employers and even an interview lined up. “Moving to New Zealand was a dream yesterday and it feels so much more real now that we found out it really is possible. The expo put us in the right track,” said Amanda.

New Zealand businesses and employers witnessed the high quality of visitors and believe the Opportunities New Zealand Expo is the right place for New Zealand to meet its future migrants and recruit the skills the country’s economy needs in order to flourish.

“The impact of the recession is still being felt in the UK and our expos show that people are more interested in moving than ever. Skilled migrants consider New Zealand a prime destination, for its lifestyle and opportunities,” says Working In’s Director Hayley Roberts. A total of 34% of visitors were engineering workers keen to bring their skills to New Zealand shores. The healthcare and construction sectors were also heavily represented.

Bill Harris is a mechanical engineer in Liverpool who travelled to Manchester to attend the Working In Expo. “My wife and I have been dreaming of New Zealand for many years now. We’ve gone there on holidays three times and every time we go we come back determined to move but it’s too hard to know where to start, when you’re doing it on your own,” says Harris. In the engineer’s opinion, “there is a lot of confusion and some misinformation mainly around visas and immigration issues and it’s great to come to a place where everything comes together and your questions can be answered.” The Harris couple left the expo determined to make the move “before 2011, if all goes well.”

The Opportunities New Zealand Expo moved from Manchester to London, where it took place this weekend. Final visitor numbers are yet to be counted but online ticket pre-sales predicted a very busy show, with approximately 5,000 people.

Working In held, under the same roof, expos for Australia and Canada, as well as the Health Jobs Around the World Expo, for healthcare workers wanting to take their skills abroad. Johannesburg will be the next city to welcome the event, on 18 and 19 September.

New Zealand-based Working In Ltd was set up in 1998 to help people find out about new opportunities Down Under, as well as make it easier for overseas Kiwis to return home.

Today we are an award-winning global company with offices in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and South Africa and help people move to New Zealand, Australia and Canada, as well as helping health professionals move to countries around the globe.

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