People often migrate because of the push and not the pull, migrants are looking for a better quality of life, keen to establish a better work life balance, somewhere better to bring up the kids and to escape some of the problems of their own countries.
Very often the reality of life in New Zealand can be a terrible disappointment for them when they realise that they are worse off as a result. This is representative cross section of the sorts of issues migrants face, they relate mostly to common problems such as lack of money, their qualifications and experience not being recognised, bullying, racism, poor living/working environment, lower education standard, finding it hard to get a job, etc. These are taken from various migrant sites around the web and are all recent:
“I’m a professional female from the UK. With two lots of separate qualifications under my belt. I am a UK qualified paramedic, with plenty of experience, as well a fully qualified and experienced Early childcare educator. I’ve paid ridiculous amounts of money getting both sets of qualifications assessed by NZQA. (Not to mention the hours of gathering all the crazy information they expect you to have, to meet their crazy demands!!). I’ve been subjected to all sorts of racist comments and other down heartening experiences also since arriving here a few months ago, which as I’m sure you imagine has also left me somewhat upset as I all I wanted was a job. (And I was under the impression that both careers are on the skills shortage list, which made it that much easier for me to get my work visa).
Today I have received my long overdue results from NZQA just to be told that they have been dumbed down to a standard far below that of a Kiwi’s?! I along with a kiwi have been through the standards and compared them and in the case of my paramedic qualifications, I more than exceed the requirements, and I am also more than equal to those of the ECE qualifications. …….I was taken aside after an “informal meeting” to discuss future vacancies and was told “We don’t like pom’s in our organisation, in fact we can’t stand them, if I was you I would find work elsewhere“
E2NZ.org 
Having lived here 18 years before in this beautiful land but at times infuriating when it comes to overseas qualifications.
I have heard it all from nurses,doctors teachers and anything in between including plumbers and electricians.
Most of them who,come from overseas and doesn’t matter where have dealings with NZQA.
My Dutch 1987 diploma in childcare was recognized then in 1994 on a point system since then the government has changed it mind more times than we change shoes.
Have been a director and supervisor in several childcare centres.
In 2005 most of the staff needed to have a degree in early childhood.
Unfortunately I made the choice being stubborn not to do it and pay that price now.
Moved back overseas and come back due to change in family circumstances to NZ.
And yes like most of you have to start all over again.
And they have just changed the rules again.
I live in a rural town with not easy acces to training and most you need to have a job in a childcarecentre.
Most do not want to take on a student.
But neither can I affored to study 3 years without an income.
A lot of diploma and degrees are recognized in Australia where i currently work as a respected qualified diploma childcare educator and supervisor.
I believe NZ does not get any easier.
So maybe for all of your people who want to emigrate check out Australia.
Good luck to anyone trying.
The problem with INZ is that it is populated with a bunch
of incompetents who do not understand their own policy. That is the
only conclusion possible when 35% of appeal decisions go against
INZ. What do you expect. Kiwi INZ managers with no or low level
qualifications. INZ officers who are recent migrants who struggle
in English, and who make assessments on the ability of someone to
integrate into the NZ way of life yet don’t even know that Papakura
is a suburb of Auckland.
The thing that “gets” me: NZ standards are sub-standard.
I’m currently pretty open-minded on whether NZ is a good or bad place to live. However, I’m getting a sense that there is an inverted arrogance about the place, particularly when it comes to the UK (after all, the Empire declined and NZ is on the up…). I have a degree from Cambridge University and am looking to do a postgrad course in NZ. I’ve asked a few questions about what I’d need to do to gain entry, which was met with a pretty convoluted reply that doesn’t seem to match any other nation’s approach to university student selection in the subject. Plus, they seem to be suggesting that a degree from Cambridge doesn’t cut it when it comes to NZ courses: I’d need to do modules from *their* undergraduate course in psychology in order to qualify for entry to postgraduate level.
Seems like a real turn-off. It seems that NZ doesn’t need international students.
…I meant ‘unfounded’ arrogance.
It needs them, but mostly for the cash they bring in to the country. The international student market is worth billions.
Read our blogs:
Migrant Tales: Studying in New Zealand (postgrad) and
International Students “Only Seen as Cash Cows“
Be advised that modules from “their” undergrad courses may not be up to the high standard you experienced in your Cambridge degree. Their requirement to study them may be nothing more than a revenue raising exercise to ‘milk’ a few dollars more.
Sites like this one below are more than offensive, because they exploit old British class tensions –
http://www.shelteroffshore.com/index.php/living/more/living-in-christchurch-new-zealand-appeals-to-expats
“Looking at why Christchurch is such a popular city in New Zealand with the posher British expats emigrating!”
“It’s a very different city to Auckland in that it really does hang on to its colonial past and there are class and social status issues in Christchurch that you just won’t come across in Auckland!” (this is a good thing? if you can benefit from it, I suppose so!)
Not to mention the appealing school snobbery that follows, finally a country club these emigrants will be permitted entry to. Ha ha!
Seems truly laughable in its transparent and coarse appeal to these sensitivities, unless you have a large chip on your shoulder. Exactly the sorts of emigrants who fit in, in New Zealand. And these are the types who would not even see this appeal for what it was. As they say, raise the IQ of both nations…
It’s not only UK qualifications not recognised in NZ. It’s NZ ones as well!
I did a 4-year apprenticeship here in Auckland with a 100+ year-old NZ printing company. I later went overseas for added professional experience. At the time I was not a NZ citizen and had accidentally let my Returning Residents Visa lapse. To get it reinstated I had to prove I had got a NZ work qualification.
I managed to get my former bosses in Auckland to certify that I had done this apprenticeship only to be told by the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union that they did not recognise it.
I only got a positive response to my application after I revealed how much cash I would be bringing back to NZ.
Neither do we.
Not only is that NZQA fee is exorbitant it’s also outrageous that your lengthy lecturing experience is not recognised because you worked in a private institute.
I chanced into this website and was quite shocked to read all the negative posts about NZ. But thanks for sharing, and I might have to reconsider my decision about migrating to NZ.
Recently, after hearing some good reports about NZ from a migrated friend, I submitted my EOI (Expression of Interest) under NZ skilled migrant category (“University Lecturer”). To apply, I had to pay $400 (I have 10 years lecturing experience in both state uni and private institutions in my home country, and am also a qualified early childhood education professional for more than 14 years).
When the immigration told me that I was selected to be in the “pool” I was happy, but only for 2 weeks. Then I was told that my lecturing duration is only less than 1 year and will not qualify (because they don’t consider private institutions lecturing experience at all). So I have wasted my $400 on this.
They told me that I could reapply under “preschool teacher” category if I wish. However, I would have to spend more than $800 to get my qualification assessed by NZQA, then register to be a NZ teacher with NZTC, then pay another $400 for the EOI to try my luck to be selected to the “pool” again, which is no guarantee.
I wonder if this is the way NZ try to make quick money from all the migrant hopefuls, like myself. I do not know of another country that charge so much to potential migrants.
This is so bad, but at the same time good for you. I tell you, please don’t waste your time on NZ, you will only lose time, money and your health, do yourself a favour and throw the NZIS papers into the trash bin, where they belong, and look at other countries that will really value your experience.
They have trouble accepting A-Level qualifications as well.
I laughed as I signed their threatening waiver “You accept that you do not hold the university responsible if you do not have a sufficiently advanced grasp of English to understand your courses”.
Mainly because they also accepted German and Chinese Masters’ students with an inability to string grammatically correct sentences together.
Gotta love the “cover-your-ass” mentality.
The question that remain is how could those people you mention get acceptance and student visas when one of the requirement is supposedly being able to speak english?
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ anyone?
I am not sure but it may have something to do with them being Masters’ students. So the idea is, if they can communicate properly in their own language, they can submit research in mangled English to be marked in NZ for the requirements of their qualification?
Yes, I know how that sounds. I also say that truth is stranger than fiction, because fiction has to make sense.