LINKZ
WHEN YOU ARE NEW TO NEW ZEALAND
ISSUE 58 2014
20
Volunteering
for successful
settlement
REGION WELLINGTON
LINKZ is published quarterly by:
CONTENTS
Immigration New Zealand,
Ministry of Business, Innovation and
Employment.
PO Box 3705
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
[email protected]
Editor: Chris Clarke/
Mary de Ruyter
Design: Abi Holt
Contributors:
Wellington City Council
Prof. Rawiri Taonui
The Office of the Banking Ombudsman
Te Papa Tongarewa
Stoked for Saturday
Photographers/Images:
Ivor Earp-Jones
Ian Robertson
Phillip Capper
Te Marae at Te Papa
Nature’s Pic images
Tekapo Springs
Steve and Jem Copley
06
Disclaimer
Immigration New Zealand is part of
the Ministry of Business, Innovation
and Employment, a New Zealand
Government department.
The information included in this
publication was current at the time of
print. The Ministry cannot guarantee
its accuracy. Views expressed in
this publication are not necessarily
those of the Ministry and may not
accurately reflect the Ministry’s policies.
Inclusion of contact information for
external agencies in no way implies an
endorsement of that service or agency
by the Ministry.
WELLINGTON
REGIONAL
ISSN 1174-4162 (PRINT)
04Broadcast
Welcome from Steve McGill
ISSN 2324-3848 (ONLINE)
Copyright
06 Wellington – Capital Culture
© Ministry of Business Innovation and
Employment 2014
11 Rohe: Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Text may be reproduced without
permission but acknowledgement of
source is required.
13 Engineering an outdoor
kiwi life
16 Silver screen dream
20 Volunteering for settlement
success
25 New Zealand a land of
opportunity
16
2 LINKZ ISSUE 58
MĀORI
11 Rohe: Te Whanganui-a-Tara
32 Te Reo – Basic pronunciation
33 Māori Society and Culture –
The Hangi
HEALTH
42
35 Healthline – Where to go for
health help
COMMUNITY
28 Information for new migrants
IMMIGRATION
30 Helping students and partners
get ready for New Zealand
CONSUMER RIGHTS
36 Labour day and public holidays
in New Zealand
38 Complaining about your bank
32
GETTING AROUND
40 Safe driving in New Zealand
LEISURE
42 Hot pools in New Zealand
LOCAL INFORMATION
40
44 Find the CAB office nearest you
LINKZ ISSUE 58 3
BROADCAST
WELCOME TO
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand in bloom
As the weather warms up, spring festivals
around the country show off beautiful
gardens and colourful blooms. Here are
some highlights:
Hello to our regular readers, and to all new
subscribers and recent arrivals, welcome.
As the General Manager of the Settlement, Protection and Attraction Division within Immigration
New Zealand, my role is to ensure you are feeling
welcome here, and have the right information to
help you settle well and make a contribution to our
country.
This quarterly magazine is one way we work to provide you with the information you may need.
We value the skills and knowledge you bring and
want to ensure you can use your talents to grow
our existing companies – or to invest in or start
your own.
We have a great country, here on the edge of the
world. New Zealand is a fantastic place to live, with
an engaging climate, landscape and culture, and
real opportunities to be what you want to be.
We also value your feedback. If there are things we
can do better to help you settle, please take the
time to let us know.
A Rare and Curious Country
Garden Tour, Wairarapa
October 19
This tour of three large, private country
gardens, including a category-one historic
homestead, raises money for Wainuioru
School, a country school near Masterton.
The three gardens will also host free talks,
food stalls, a plant sale and places to relax.
www.eventfinder.co.nz
Powerco Taranaki Garden Spectacular
October 31–November 9
Events around the Taranaki region showcase
a range of stunning public and private gardens, some of which are not usually
open to the public.
www.taft.co.nz/gardenfestnz
Parnell Festival of Roses, Auckland
Email us: [email protected]
November 15–16
Many thanks and best wishes for your future here.
Enjoy this large garden of heritage and new
roses at its best, when the roses have just
bloomed. The festival also includes a market,
food stalls and live performances.
www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/newseventsculture
Steve McGill
General Manager, Settlement, Protection and
Attraction Division
Immigration New Zealand
4 LINKZ ISSUE 58
BROADCAST
Watch out for waste
Now in its third year, Recycling Week NZ
(November 10–16) is a chance to think about
how much waste we create in our lives, and
how we can protect our beautiful country by
recycling more. Around 2.5 million tonnes of
waste is still going to landfills each year in
New Zealand, which goes against our ‘clean,
green’ image. So what can we do?
Scam alert - fake phone calls
threaten Indian nationals
Indian nationals living here should be aware
of scammers who are making phone calls
claiming they are from Immigration New
Zealand and demanding money.
The callers are aggressive and – by having
some details of the person they are calling –
manage to convince people they are genuine.
They are not.
During Recycling Week, each day of the week
has a theme: on Choose Nude Tuesday, you
can ensure you only use recyclable packaging
for your lunch at school or work; on Fling It
Out Friday, it’s time to dig out all that old
paper at home or at the office and recycle it;
on Shop Smart Saturday, you can look at the
products you buy, make sure the packaging is
recyclable, and say no to plastic bags.
Immigration New Zealand, Inland Revenue or
local banks will never email, call or text you
asking for information or money to be sent
using money transfer services. If you receive
one of these calls, do not pay the money.
Simply hang up, and contact the New Zealand
Police or report the call to Scamwatch.
[www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/scams]
So tell your friends and family, and use this
as an excuse for a satisfying spring-clean (a
big clean-up) while doing your best for our
environment. For more details and ideas, visit
www.recycle.co.nz/recycleweek.php
Baker book 25 years in the making
Ellie Baker has been thinking and writing about migration since
she first moved here from the UK 25 years ago, and understands
what it’s like to live “with a heart in two homes”. She shares that
experience in her book The Emotional Challenges of Immigration.
Launched in Pukekohe, Auckland in September, it is now available
through her website (www.migrantemotions.com).
LINKZ ISSUE 58 5
WELLINGTON
Kia ora!
Wellington is a wonderful city to live in. There are great beaches,
museums, parks, shops and world-class eateries, along with great
schools, libraries and community centres that provide a superb quality of life for our residents. One of the best things about Wellington is
the huge array of cultures from around the world that make our city a
diverse, exciting and welcoming place for new migrants.
The Wellington City Council and residents celebrate our city’s ethnic
diversity. One-third of our population was born overseas, and a recent
Quality of Life Survey revealed Wellington is the most welcoming city
to new migrants.
At citizenship ceremonies, I have the great privilege of meeting many
outstanding new Wellingtonians from all walks of life, who choose
to begin new lives in Wellington for themselves and their families for
good reason. I’m excited about the valuable role that all of our residents and our many cultures will play in our city’s future.
Wherever you are from in the world, you will find a welcome home
in Wellington.
Celia Wade Brown
Mayor
6 LINKZ ISSUE 58
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WELLINGTON
Wellington city is the vibrant and creative capital of New Zealand.
LINKZ ISSUE 58 7
WELLINGTON
Greater Wellington is home to almost 500,000
people, most of whom live around the connected
city areas of Wellington, Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt
and Porirua. To the north, the Kapiti Coast and the
Wairarapa region over the Rimutaka Range both
offer weather and lifestyle benefits for those who
don’t mind an hour or so each way on the train.
Over time the strategic importance of government has helped the city attract many of New
Zealand’s best and brightest. Wellington regularly
tops national qualifications and salary tables.
The early adoption of a fibre optic network and
then the success of Peter Jackson and the WETA
companies has seen the region become an international force in IT development.
Wellington is now a global industry leader in
screen and digital technologies, and the city is
brimming with innovative people.
It has the highest concentration of web-based and
digital technology companies in New Zealand, and
the most companies in the Deloitte Technology
Fast 500 Asia Pacific index for the region’s fastest-growing tech businesses. Wellingtonians are
more than twice as likely to work in ICT (information and communications technology) as people in
other parts of the country.
Wellington has also become the New Zealand city
of choice for an increasing number of international
students. It has three universities, two institutes
8 LINKZ ISSUE 58
WELLINGTON
Wellington
Population
471,315
Climate
Average maximum
temperature
mid-summer: 20.3°C
Average minimum
temperature
mid-winter: 5.9°C
Average house price
$420,000
2014
From bright sunshine to winter storms, Wellington weather is always striking.
LINKZ ISSUE 58 9
WELLINGTON
Mountain biking is popular in the public
'green belt' areas that contribute to
Wellington's character.
of technology, and well-respected private training establishments offering a range of courses
including design, culinary arts, agriculture, film
and English language.
coastline. Lonely Planet dubbed Wellington
the "coolest little capital in the world" and it
was named the fourth top city to visit in the
publisher’s Best in Travel awards.
It’s no surprise then that the region’s economy
is also growing: recent figures show increases
in GDP (gross domestic product, or the size and
health of the economy), employment, retail sales,
visitors and migrants.
For all its other qualities and even with the
warm welcome most migrants enjoy across
New Zealand, Wellington can still claim to be
something special when it comes to hospitality.
It is unlikely there is another city anywhere, in
which people have more eating choices per head
of population. Ask any Wellingtonian why they
live here and you’ll see why the city’s tagline is
Absolutely Positively Wellington! ▪
Its size makes it a great place for businesses to
connect and collaborate.
A diversity of natural resources means within
10-15 minutes you can be walking or mountain
biking in native bush, or kayaking around the
10 LINKZ ISSUE 58
WELLINGTON
Rohe: Te Whanganui-a-Tara – Wellington
by Prof. Rawiri Taonui
Mythology
Traditional history
The Wellington region is steeped in māori mythology. Māori lore says the cultural hero, Māui,
fished a great stingray from the depths of the
sea which petrified and became the North Island
(Te-Ika-a-Māui – Māui’s fish). Northland formed
the tail of the stingray, Taranaki and the East
Coast its wings, and Wellington became Te Ūpokoo-te-ika-a-Māui (or the Head of the Fish of Māui).
Pōneke (another name for Wellington) has a
layered history. The explorer Kupe was the first to
visit Wellington, where he named islands in the
harbour, Matiu (Somes Island) and Mākaro (Ward
Island), after two of his daughters. The Kurahaupō canoe ancestors, Tarataraika and Tautoki,
who followed after Kupe, named the harbour Te
Whanganui-a-Tara (the Great Harbour of Tarataraika). Their descendants – the tribes of Ngāi Tara,
Muaūpoko and Rangitāne – settled the region.
Another myth says Wellington Harbour was
originally a lake until a taniwha (guardian) named
Ngake, which lived there, carved a route to the
open sea. Another taniwha, Whātaitai, attempted
to follow but was washed up exhausted on the
southern shore – that taniwha petrified and
became the hill above Hātaitai that you can
see today.
Between 1600 and 1700, several East Coast tribes
that were migrating south joined them, including Ngāti Ira, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāi Tahu.
During the disruptive Musket Wars of the 1820s,
the northern Waikato and Taranaki tribes of Ngāti
Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Tama and
LINKZ ISSUE 58 11
WELLINGTON
Ngāti Mutunga displaced many of the Wellington
tribes. Ngāi Tara and Ngāti Ira almost ceased to
exist. Muaūpoko and Rangitāne were displaced.
Colonisation
Māori declined under European colonisation.
Most of the land was lost, the population was
much reduced; by 1900, no traditional marae
(cultural centres) remained in Wellington. The
last Māori settlement at Waiwhetū (Lower Hutt)
disappeared in the 1920s.
Renaissance
Māori began returning to Wellington after
World War One in search of employment. This
accelerated after World War Two. Over time the
Māori population became more concentrated in
the region.
There was also a new energy. Several new marae
were built: the Hutt Valley Te Tatau-o-te-pō
(Doorway of the Night) meeting house in 1933;
the elaborately carved Toa Rangatira in Porirua;
the first urban marae, Tapu te ranga in Island Bay
in 1974; and in 1986, New Zealand’s first university
marae, Te Herenga Waka (the Tethering Place of
Canoes) at Victoria University.
Wainuiomata was the location of the first
Kōhanga Reo (total-immersion language programme) to teach young Māori children the
language, which grew into a national movement
comprising more than 400 centres throughout
New Zealand. The Te Rūnanganui-o-Te Āti Awa
and the Wellington Tenths Trust tribal organisations play an important part in the cultural and
social fabric of Wellington.
This renaissance is nowhere more evident than in
the contemporary marae at Te Papa, the national
museum. Opened in 1992, the marae atop the
museum is embellished with traditional designs
in a contemporary form, in a way that illustrates
the journey of Māori into the modern era.
The museum runs multiple Māori-centred exhibitions and has been at the forefront of an effort to
retrieve the remains of ancestors taken overseas
as curiosities and exhibits during the colonial era.
12 LINKZ ISSUE 58
Sunrise at Rongomaraeroa, the marae
at Te Papa, our national museum.
Photo – Te Marae at Te Papa
WELLINGTON
ENGINEERING AN
OUTDOOR KIWI LIFE
A sense of adventure brought Jordan Poste and
Jenna Cock across the ocean from Canada to
Wellington, in more ways than one.
Their curiosity prompted them to leave
behind houses, jobs, friends and family,
to follow a long-held desire to live in and
explore New Zealand. They were also
attracted here by the intrepid achievements of many Kiwis, says Jordan.
asked my grandparents. Nobody seems
to know!” he laughs. "It just made me
dream of climbing those mountains.
To this day, on my list of things to do
that we haven't done yet is to climb
Mitre Peak.”
“Kiwis tend to have an awesome entrepreneurial spirit, which has led to some
of the coolest inventions of all time, like
Zorb, and bungy jumping, and the Britten
V1000 [racing motorcycle],” he enthuses.
“That mentality of creating cool, fun
things because you can really connected
with me.”
The two Canadians both have engineering backgrounds, and met in 2010 while
both studying for an MBA (Master of
Business Administration). Jenna says
throughout their studies, “New Zealand
came up a number of times as actually
being one of the best countries in the
world to do business” – less corruption
and good protection for investors were
among the reasons.
The very first seed was sown, though,
when Jordan was a child – he had a
poster of Milford Sound on his bedroom
wall. “I have no idea how the poster of
New Zealand ended up on my wall. I've
asked my parents that question, I've
After they graduated, Jordan says, “There
was nothing really holding us back other
than ourselves.” So they set the wheels
in motion. Being do-it-yourself people,
LINKZ ISSUE 58 13
PLAY
VIDEO
WELLINGTON
Jenna and Jordan researched their visa
options online, and Jenna successfully
applied for one of the 300 Silver Fern
Job Search visas given out each year,
to people under 35 whose skills are in
demand. (Jordan came here on a Working
Holiday visa, but switched to a Partnership visa.)
After sensing recruiters would prefer
to hire people already in New Zealand,
they sold both their houses and came
here without secure jobs. Jordan explains
they decided to “have faith that everything will work out, that our skills will be
required by companies and we'll each get
a job that we like”.
“A tamarillo almost looks like a tomato, yet it's got a bit of a fruit texture to it. It's really
interesting and it's got a unique taste.”
“I have no idea how the poster of New Zealand ended up on my wall."
Jenna had one interview via Skype before
they arrived here in September 2013,
and when she met with that company in
Wellington, they offered her a project
management job in banking. After a
month of hunting, Jordan had two job
offers and is now happily employed as
a business solutions manager in the
retirement-village industry.
Because having an outdoor life was a
major goal, the couple were very particular about where in Wellington they would
live. “We wanted to go surfing right next
to our doorstep,” Jordan explains – so
places such as Lyall Bay or Breaker Bay
were top of their list.
Their next challenge was to find somewhere furnished, as many places didn't
come with whiteware (fridge, freezer,
washing machine). After searching for
nearly two months, they found “the
perfect place” in Lyall Bay, says Jordan.
Although the rent is a little higher than
they expected, and houses aren’t as well
insulated, Jenna loves the city. “There are
not many places in the world I can live on
14 LINKZ ISSUE 58
WELLINGTON
the beach and be a 10–15-minute scooter
ride to my downtown work in a fairly
large city,” she smiles.
They’ve settled in well to windy Wellington life, learning Kiwi words such as
‘heaps’ and ‘dairy’, and taking advantage
of New Zealand’s social culture. “It's
helped us build some strong relationships with our co-workers, and make
some friendships,” Jenna says.
She also enjoys buying fresh produce at
local markets, and trying new foods such
as feijoas and tamarillos. “A tamarillo
almost looks like a tomato, yet it's got a
bit of a fruit texture to it. It's really interesting and it's got a unique taste.”
The desire to share their adventures
with loved ones back home prompted
Jordan and Jenna to start a blog, originally named Living a Kiwi Life but now
www.stokedforsaturday.com (‘stoked’
means to be very pleased or excited)
where they write about their experiences
with visas and Kiwi culture, for others
looking at moving to New Zealand, and
share videos and photographs of their
adventures here.
The couple are learning a lot about
writing, social media and making videos
along the way. Jordan’s even upgraded
from a couple of GoPro cameras to a
high-quality digital SLR camera. “The
video just keeps getting more and more
involved and more and more dramatic,
and we really enjoy showing off New
Zealand because we love it so much,”
he laughs.
They’re planning to go skiing soon in
Wanaka and Queenstown. Jenna says,
“We love all the outdoor activities we
can do on our evenings and weekends.
We’ve never been bored since we've
been here.”▪
LINKZ ISSUE 58 15
PLAY
VIDEO
PLAY
VIDEO
YASMINE
BRIAN
WELLINGTON
SILVER-SCREEN
DREAMS
16 LINKZ ISSUE 58
WELLINGTON
Twenty years ago, if you wanted to create special effects in films, you had to move to
Hollywood – but now, Wellington's weta Digital encourages highly skilled migrants
like Brian Goodwin from South Africa and Yasmine El Ghamrawy from Egypt to settle
and help build iconic movies here in Wellington.
Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, and now The
Hobbit, films have done wonders for New Zealand
tourism, showcasing the country’s spectacular
landscapes and encouraging tourists and locals
alike to explore them.
world.) Before Weta came along, Hollywood was
virtually the only place people thought special
effects could be done, says Brian.
The company Peter co-founded in 1993, Weta
Digital, has also helped New Zealand’s industry, but in a different way – and Brian Goodwin
and Yasmine El Ghamrawy are two of the many
migrants who’ve benefited from what Weta
Digital does.
Originally from South Africa, Brian studied filmmaking and television and dreamed of moving
to the United States to work in visual effects for
films. “Then Peter Jackson released The Lord of
the Rings [in 2001], and really shook things up,”
says Brian. He and his classmates realised “this
is a huge triumph for the country and for the
company”.
Weta Digital is a digital visual effects company,
providing special effects for films such as the
Lord of the Rings and Hobbit series, Avatar, King
Kong and many others. (The weta is a native New
Zealand insect, one of the biggest insects in the
After finishing his studies, Brian moved to London
for work; Yasmine shifted to London from Egypt
for the same reason, and spent 14 years there
working as a compositer (someone who combines
various visual elements into a single picture). She
LINKZ ISSUE 58 17
WELLINGTON
came to New Zealand in early 2011 because her
husband David had worked at Weta Digital before
on short-term contracts, and the opportunity
came up for them to work on the same project.
Yasmine was unsure if she would adjust to living
in a smaller city, but she loves it and she and her
husband have stayed longer than they meant to.
The transition was made easier by Weta Digital’s
human resources department, which provides
useful advice to help newcomers settle in.
“They were very keen on making sure that we got
a house that was on the sunny side of the hill,”
she says. “Because if it’s not on the sunny side of
the hill, it could be really cold. We were lucky.”
Although Yasmine doesn’t think she’ll ever get
used to the earthquakes she has experienced
here, she likes how windy Wellington is. “No
matter how horrible the weather is, usually within
two days it blows over and it’s really nice, sunny
weather afterwards.” Less light pollution means
it’s easier to see the stars at night, and “we even
managed to see craters on the moon one night
with just binoculars”.
The quality of fresh fruit and vegetables means
Yasmine and her husband eat more healthily,
instead of relying on pre-packaged meals. They’ve
also discovered Wellington’s famous coffee culture. “There’s really nice coffee everywhere and
everybody is so passionate about it, so you get
really involved in tasting the different flavours.”
Brian initially moved here in 2009 for a few
months to work on the film Avatar, but he has
stayed on and enjoys going snowboarding and
snorkelling, and having a four-minute commute
to work. He also appreciates how consumer
culture (always buying the newest clothes or
television) is less strong here, and there are fewer
advertisements everywhere.
As the lead FX technical director at Weta Digital,
Brian creates digital versions of elements (like fire
and water) for scenes that would be impossible
to film in real life (such as hobbits travelling in
barrels down a fast-flowing river and going over a
waterfall). It’s a high-pressure industry with tight
deadlines. He says often people from overseas
have more experience in the computer programs
used in this work, and by bringing them to
New Zealand, they can help train local workers.
“Fifteen years ago there was a shortage of skills.
You couldn’t pull people off the streets and talk to
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“There’s really nice
coffee everywhere
and everybody
is so passionate
about it, so you get
really involved in
tasting the different
flavours.”
them about what they needed to do, and expect
them to do it without training,” says Brian, adding
that Weta now ensures they employ more locals
than migrants. “That’s going to start allowing the
company to have senior people who are local –
whereas traditionally a lot of the senior people
were foreign.”
Brian also praises the help Weta gave him
when he moved to New Zealand. They help new
migrants find a house, go on a driving course,
set up bank accounts and get mobile phones.
“It’s a big company but they do try as far as they
can to treat you as part of the family. They really
make sure that you’re happy – and that’s been
pretty cool,” he says.
It looks like work at Weta Digital will keep both
Yasmine and Brian here for a while. But even if
things change, Brian says he’s still keen to stay in
Wellington. “There’s a lot I could do – there’s a lot
of entrepreneurial energy going on in this city.”▪
LINKZ ISSUE 58 19
WELLINGTON
VOLUNTEERING FOR
SETTLEMENT SUCCESS
20 LINKZ ISSUE 58
PLAY
VIDEO
WELLINGTON
Well qualified in her own country, Shikha Mahajan never dreamed it
would take her so long to find a paid job in New Zealand. But doing
voluntary work rewarded her in unexpected ways – and ultimately
helped her settle in to Kiwi life.
Shikha arrived in Wellington in February
2010, full of excitement about building
a life with new husband Rupesh. But
while the wait to rejoin her husband
was over, the hunt for a job was only
just beginning.
Back in Mumbai, India, Shikha’s degree in
sociology and a post-graduate diploma
in mass communications and journalism
meant she had no trouble finding jobs
in magazines, and with charities helping
disadvantaged children and women.
But in New Zealand, she found it very
hard even to get interviews. Volunteer
work was what set her on the path
to employment.
LINKZ ISSUE 58 21
It all began in 2008, when Shikha and
Rupesh connected on an Indian matrimonial website; they met in person when
Rupesh (who’d lived here since 2005)
travelled back to India, and in 2009 he
proposed. “It was not the typical Indian
wedding where families make you meet
your groom,” Shikha laughs. “I was
telling my family, ‘This is my choice!’”
They married that same year, and two
days later Rupesh returned to New
Zealand. The separation was difficult,
but Shikha believed that with patience
and the right documents, all their
preparation would pay off. And it did.
WELLINGTON
Shikha got her partnership-based Visitor’s visa on February 17, 2010, and the
next day she was on a plane to New
Zealand.
She expected Wellington to be a fastpaced city like Mumbai or New York.
“When I came here, it was completely
different to that! It had its own laidbackness and slow pace,” she says.
“That was a blessing in disguise for me.
In the past four years, I’ve enjoyed looking after my family, my work and myself.”
For the first two months, Shikha concentrated on getting to know her new home.
She learned to navigate her way around
the city, and overcome her nervousness
about talking to people. “Getting groceries using the Eftpos card was quite
different to cash transactions that we
are used to in India,” she says.
22 LINKZ ISSUE 58
When she began looking for a job, life
became trickier. “I was probably quite
overconfident that I would get a job very
soon, as I had never been rejected for
interviews in India,” Shikha explains. She
found the constant rejection frustrating
and it affected her self-confidence.
Luckily, her husband encouraged her to
stick to her dreams – and one of their
friends recommended she talk to
Volunteer Wellington and Volunteering
New Zealand.
Her first job involved working on a
newsletter for Age Concern, then she
worked with members of the Seafarers’ Association (she once worked as a
journalist in India’s shipping industry).
Next, she trained as a volunteer for the
Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), which provides free advice on a range of consumer,
WELLINGTON
property, financial and legal issues. This
helped Shikha learn more about how
New Zealand’s society works, and meant
she could also help others.
“I started meeting so many different
people from different cultures having
the same struggle, no job,” she says. “I
tell them that this would be a part of
any other person’s struggle because you
don’t go into a country and expect them
to initially give you a job without any
experience.”
Adjusting to different ways of communicating in the workplace was tricky,
especially when greeting people. “We
wouldn’t address anybody with their
first names, even in work culture, if
someone is elder to us or in a higher
position. We would say Sir or Madam,”
explains Shikha. She’s still getting
used to Kiwi slang words, too.
After more volunteering, at a community radio station and an Asian women’s
refuge, she received a Volunteer Connect Award from Wellington Settlement
Support, for completing 100 hours of
volunteer work. And in January 2011, the
regional manager of the CAB offered
her a part-time paid role.
“Getting groceries
using the Eftpos card
was quite different
to cash transactions
that we are used to
in India.”
she says. “They offered me the role!
Perseverance, in the end, paid off
for me.”
Shikha became a permanent resident in
November 2011, and is now an addictions
counsellor at Arohata Prison. “When
I left Mumbai I left my whole family, I
left all my friends, and that was a big
thing,” she says. “But this society is very
welcoming to the new people who are
coming here and to volunteers, and if
you offer yourself, you know you’ll be
accepted.”▪
That experience, combined with help
from an English Language Partners
mentor to tailor her CV to the New
Zealand market, helped her get a fulltime job as a clinical administrator. In
fact, Shikha had applied for that same
job a few months after she came to New
Zealand; she didn’t get the job then, but
one year later it came up again.
“This time they called me for an interview and they were stunned to see the
growth that I had made in one year,”
LINKZ ISSUE 58 23
WELLINGTON
24 LINKZ ISSUE 58
PLAY
VIDEO
WELLINGTON
NEW ZEALAND
A LAND OF OPPORTUNITY
Four years ago, New Zealand was a mystery to Los Angeles-born Dylan Schwartz –
but now this country is his home and it’s offering him plenty
of room to grow, in his studies and now in his working life.
Many people dream of moving to the
United States for a better life and more
job options – but one American found
moving to New Zealand gave him professional opportunities he wouldn’t have
found in a larger country.
Dylan first had the idea of coming to
New Zealand when he was an economics student – exchange programmes
offered the opportunity to study in
another country for six months. Most of
his fellow students chose countries such
as France, the United Kingdom and Italy,
or far-flung places such as Ghana. Dylan
planned to head to Sweden, until a friend
mentioned New Zealand. “All I knew of it
at the time was that it was where they
filmed The Lord of the Rings, and was
famous for having more sheep than
people,” he says.
Fellow students, neighbours and family
were all enthusiastic about the wonderful hospitality and outdoor activities
LINKZ ISSUE 58 25
on offer. “For such a small country, New
Zealand certainly makes a large, positive
impact on those individuals lucky enough
to live, work and travel here,” says Dylan.
The process of getting a Student visa
was quick and easy, then he flew to
New Zealand.
Before settling in to study at the University of Auckland, Dylan explored the
South Island for two weeks with other
American students. There were many
highlights, such as driving through the
snow-capped mountains of Arthur’s
Pass and climbing on Fox Glacier. But
his favourite parts of the trip were
“meeting colourful locals at smalltown pubs, camping, and of course the
never-ending backdrop of vast, open
meadows, dramatic rock formations and
crystal-clear lakes”.
After six months of study, Dylan had
made friends with local students and
started to think New Zealand could
WELLINGTON
become home – but he wasn’t quite
ready to commit to living here permanently. So he returned to complete an
honours degree in economics at the University of Auckland; his thesis looked at
a new initiative in residential aged care.
He originally thought New Zealand’s
small size would mean there were
fewer chances for work experience and
research. “But in reality you actually have
a lot better access to researchers at the
top of their field in the country because
it's so small and well connected, and
that's really helped me professionally.”
Halfway through his honours year, Dylan
began applying for jobs in the economics
field. He found a job as an analyst for
the National Health Committee, which
26 LINKZ ISSUE 58
WELLINGTON
makes decisions about funding the most
effective health services for Kiwis. This
meant a change of scenery, as almost all
government jobs are based in Wellington
– but Dylan liked the city, as it reminded
him a lot of San Francisco, one of his
favourite cities in the United States.
“And I was ready to experience something different – I was ready to experience cold weather!” he laughs.
Not long after arriving in Wellington,
Dylan applied for a Skilled Migrant Visa,
adding up the points he gained from
his university studies, the job he had
found and how long he’d already been
in New Zealand. Within six months, in
February 2013, he was accepted.
Like all new migrants, Dylan found it
difficult to adjust to certain aspects of
Kiwi life. He had no trouble driving on the
left-hand side of the road, instead of the
right-hand side – “But parallel parking on
the other side of the road has been a bit
challenging!”
In Los Angeles it's usually warm enough
to go to the beach all year round, but
that isn’t the case in Wellington. Missing
his favourite American foods, and
New Zealand’s geographical isolation,
also affect him: “Being a 12-hour plane
ride from home doesn't sound like much,
but you can realistically go home once
or twice a year, if you're lucky, to visit
family.”
In his spare time Dylan works as a
volunteer ambulance officer with St
John, which runs most of the ambulance
services in New Zealand. This helps him
meet a wide range of New Zealanders.
“They're very open-minded and very
interested to find out where you come
from,” he says. “They go out of their
way to help you, more so than you
would think would be humanly possible.”
It’s now been three years since Dylan
came to New Zealand on his first student
visa, and he’s loved the opportunities
working in a smaller country has given
him. “I'm actually able to take on a lot
more responsibility and get exposure
to a lot more areas within such a specialised field than I would normally in a
larger environment. That's been great
for career development.
“Four years ago I really didn't know very
much about New Zealand,” Dylan says.
“It's exceeded my expectations both
professionally and in terms of making
friends.” ▪
LINKZ ISSUE 58 27
COMMUNITY
Thirty CAB offices are now
providing Information for
New Migrants. Look for
the CAB logo, and the new
blue signs and posters.
A new information service for new migrants
Finding the right information at the right time is an important part of settling in to a new country,
community and workplace. Immigration New Zealand provides an extensive information service
for new migrants from before they arrive until well after they arrive to live and work in New
Zealand. This makes sure that new migrants are connected with the services and information that
can help them settle quickly and well. A new information system started in July 2014 and it is
available free for all new migrants.
The internet comes first – with New Zealand Now
New Zealand Now (www.newzealandnow.govt.
nz) provides detailed information for potential migrants offshore and new arrivals to New
Zealand. Depending on whether you visit New
Zealand Now from offshore or onshore, you’ll find
a different home page. This makes it easier for
users to find the information they are likely to be
looking for.
28 LINKZ ISSUE 58
COMMUNITY
The New Zealand Now website has a huge
amount of information about life in New Zealand
in general, and it also has specific information
about regions and the services available in
local communities.
A wide range of resources for new migrants
is available on the website – booklets, PDFs,
articles, video, emails and social media. These
include New Zealand workplace communication
advice, and specific information for migrants
working in the aged care, construction and
dairy industries – many of them are translated.
Resources in Pacific languages for people from
the Pacific are available too.
Social media
Social media, in particular Facebook, has quickly
become an important way people communicate.
Some look for information and others are keen
to share their experiences, but it can be difficult to know which information can be relied on.
Government social media provides an important
balance in this area – and it’s a great way for new
migrants to link up and create their own local
networks in New Zealand.
A new, New Zealand-based Facebook page has
been created to help new arrivals access information and connect with other newcomers. The
page ‘New to New Zealand’ is moderated by
Immigration New Zealand staff, with email invitations sent to new visa holders as they arrive in
New Zealand.
are answered by the Immigration Contact Centre.
Remember, your questions about living and working in New Zealand are important and staff are
ready to help you.
For people who speak languages other than
English, Language Line a free telephone interpreting service is available and can provide a live
interpreter in any of 70 languages.
Face-to-face assistance widely available
Some people prefer to talk to someone local,
face to face about the questions they have. To
meet this need Immigration New Zealand has
partnered with the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)
to provide a face to face settlement information
service in 30 locations around New Zealand. The
CAB is a well-known, New Zealand wide information service, that can help any person with
their questions, and Immigration New Zealand is
pleased to be working with them to extend their
service to new migrants.
CAB will also deliver workshops and seminars
to new migrants in local areas throughout the
country covering key settlement topics such
as understanding the New Zealand education
system, finding a job in New Zealand, and employment rights and responsibilities.
The Facebook page is a key place where existing
local networks can touch base with new arrivals
to their regions.
For settlement information:
Email and phone enquiries
New migrants can call a freephone number
0800-776 948 to speak directly to someone
about their settlement information questions.
They can also email their questions to [email protected]. These calls and emails
www.newzealandnow.govt.nz
Freephone: 0508 558 855 (then press 2)
Or: 0800 776 948
Email: [email protected]
www.facebook.com/newtoNewZealand
LINKZ ISSUE 58 29
IMMIGRATION
NZ Ready – for partners and students
When it comes to planning a new life in New Zealand, the partner of an executive or IT
professional has different information needs from those of an international student.
These two groups of people – partners and international students are important to New Zealand
and that is why Immigration New Zealand has
developed new information sections for partners
and for international students on its popular
online planning tool for migrants- NZReady.
Information for partners of Principal
visa holders
When a family or couple migrates, one person
is likely to be the Principal visa holder – and this
is almost always the person with the most indemand employment skills at that time.
This person is highly likely to get a job, and will
often already have a job offer. At work they will
meet new people and start to learn about Kiwi
culture. Their new life will quickly have a sense
of direction and purpose.
For the partner, usually the Secondary visa holder,
things can be quite different. They may also want
to participate in work, or connect with others, but
may find things more difficult.
The partner can feel isolated and unsure about
where to go for information, advice and to make
connections. This is when good planning and
support can make a critical difference.
With new questions in NZ Ready identifies
partners, and tailors the information and task
lists they receive to direct them towards plans,
actions and services that can help them to build
a network of knowledge and personal connections. Those points of contact can help them feel
more at home and to settle in more easily, once
they are living in New Zealand.
30 LINKZ ISSUE 58
IMMIGRATION
“ … you can't bring your knowledge from home because it's quite different
here …”
“If you have no help, it really becomes challenging and difficult, because
back home we have so many family friends and relatives.”
Iko Sato – Japan, to Wellington, N.Z.
Shambhavi Manjrekar – Mumbai, to Auckland, N.Z.
Information for international students
information they need to plan well and make
good choices, so that their time in New Zealand is
safe, productive and successful.
International students are extremely important
to New Zealand. Almost 40% of skilled migrants
were formerly international students; others
return here regularly after their studies strengthening New Zealand’s international ties, and
creating important export opportunities.
Often international students accepted for study
in New Zealand are travelling overseas by themselves for the first time, and they can be easily
misled by incorrect information picked up on
social media or in casual conversation. Perhaps
more than any other migrants, international students can greatly benefit from planning and good
information.
A well-informed international student will be
prepared for our weather, our student accommodation options and Kiwi culture, and what their
rights and responsibilities are, if they choose to
work while studying.
Students who want to stay in New Zealand can
make the most of opportunities, such as networking, or finding temporary jobs or work experience.
Those who work while studying can get valuable
cultural experience – or become vulnerable to
exploitation if they are not aware of their rights
and the obligations of New Zealand employers.
The new Study section of NZ Ready prepares
international students by giving them the
Visit and try. Tell your friends and family
NZ Ready is Immigration New Zealand’s online
planning tool for migrants. Answer a few questions and you will receive a list of things to know
and do – you can edit this list as you like, and
because it’s online, it’s the plan you can’t lose.
See http://nzready.immigration.govt.nz
• The Institute of International Education
ranks New Zealand as having the 15thlargest international student population
in the world – but if the calculation was
adjusted according to population, New
Zealand would be ranked number one.
• 22% of international students gain
residency within five years of holding
a Student visa.
• 42% of principal skilled migrants
previously held a student visa.
LINKZ ISSUE 58 31
MĀORI
Te Reo Māori
by Prof. Rawiri Taonui
Basic pronunciation – AEIOU
There are five vowel sounds in Māori;
they are pronounced ‘short’ or ’long’. In
written form, the long vowel is usually
signalled with a macron, eg ā. The following English equivalents are a general
guide to pronouncing vowels in Māori:
There are fewer consonants in Te Reo
(the Māori language) than in English, but
only some have a different sound from
English, such as:
• wh acts as a consonant; the standard
pronunciation is close to the 'f' sound;
• ng counts as one consonant and is
pronounced like the 'ng' in the word
'singer'.
a as in hat
ā as in car
e as in desk or pen
ē as in end
i as in fee, me or see
ī as in tea
o as in for
ō as in your
u as in put
ū as in blue
Try these place names:
Kaitaiā
Kai-tie-ar (as in car)
Whāngarei
Far/ung-a-ray
Tāmaki (Auckland)
Tar-muck-ee
Kirikiriroa (Hamilton)
Ki-ree-ki-ree-row-a
Pōneke (Wellington)
Paw-neck-ee
Whakatū (Nelson)
Facka-two
Ōtautahi (Christchurch)
Aw-toe-ta-he
A common mispronunciation
Learning speakers often mispronounce ‘au’ like ‘our’ – it should sound like ‘o’, as
in toe. They also mispronounce o/ō as ‘o’ when it should sound like ‘oar’ or ‘paw’,
for example:
Lake Taupō
Lake Toe-paw
Tandem skydiving over
Lake Taupo (Toe-paw) with
Taranaki in the background
32 LINKZ ISSUE 58
MĀORI
Before and After. The meats here were
browned first in a hot oven. A modern
touch with a great looking result!
Māori society and culture – the hangi
by Prof. Rawiri Taonui
The hangi is a traditional form of cooking that
has its origins in the umu (earth ovens) of ancient
Polynesia. Its unique taste comes from the combination of smoking (burnt wood), steaming (wet
cloths) and the distinctive baked bouquet of the
earth oven.
Māori regard the elements of the hangi as
descendants and gifts from the gods. The foods
come from Haumia (wild vegetables), Rongo
(kūmara – sweet potato – and cultivated foods)
and Tangaroa (fish). Tāne provides the firewood
(forests, birds), the earth is from Pāpa (Earthmother), water to make steam is from Ranginui
(Skyfather) and Hineawaawa (streams), and fire
comes from the goddess Mahuika.
Preparation
Hangi can be time consuming to prepare, so do
as much as possible the day before. Make the
baskets, cut firewood, dig the hole. The size of
the hole depends on the size of the food basket/s
and the number of people attending. Hangi for
50-100 people usually measure around 2 metres
square and 1 metre deep. Place wood and stones
by the hole; cover the hole and wood if left overnight. Prepare as much of the meat and vegetables as possible. All varieties of meat, poultry,
vegetables and even steamed puddings wrapped
in cloth can be cooked in a hangi.
LINKZ ISSUE 58 33
MĀORI
Selecting the umu (oven hole) site
A good hangi site is close to water for soaking the
cloths and bags to create steam. Ash is a good
fertiliser, so a site near the vegetable garden is
often ideal.
Stones
Collect good-sized river stones. Light igneous
(volcanic) stones or heavy, round river rocks are
better than brittle stone such as sandstone. Many
people use old iron railway tracks cut into rocksized lengths. These are great but very heavy!
Place the stones and iron in the hole, filling it to
about half a metre deep.
Firewood
Place firewood on the stones until it reaches
higher than the edge of the pit. Place lighter
timber (such as pine) underneath and hard woods
(such as mānuka and kānuka) on top. Light the
fire and burn for 2–4 hours so the rocks are as hot
as possible. Keep a watchful eye on your fire and
make sure it is well away from buildings, trees or
anything that may catch fire. When the fire burns
down, push the ash to the sides of the hangi to
expose the heated stones/iron below. The more
ash you leave in the pit, the smokier the taste of
the food.
Food and baskets
Load the food into metal baskets; welded wire
trays are a handy option. Baskets made from
mesh or chicken-wire netting with folded sides
are a good cheap alternative. As a rule, place red
meat at the bottom, chicken in the middle, hard
vegetables such as kūmara, pumpkin and potato
above that, and leafy vegetables on top.
Covering
Cover the baskets with two layers of cloth soaked
in water. Cotton sheets or mutton cloth (also
known as muslin or cheese cloth) are an ideal
first thin layer to protect the food – perhaps layer
them over cabbage or taro leaves, which are a
tasty addition. Don’t forget to cover the sides
of the baskets as well. Lay thicker material, such
as old sacks, on top of the thin first layer. The
heavier layer keeps the soil from getting into the
food. Spray liberal amounts of water over the
sacking. This prevents fire and provides the steam
needed for cooking.
Cover the outer layer of sacking with soil. Check
the hangi at regular intervals and cover any
escaping steam with additional soil. If too much
steam escapes, the food won’t cook! Cook for
2–4 hours, depending on the size of the hangi.
If steam emerges from the hangi after the first
shovel of soil is removed, the hangi will be successful. If no steam appears, cover it up and buy
fish and chips!
Alternative oven hangi
Prepare this meal in a roasting dish with a
tight-fitting lid. It will serve 4–5 people.
Heat the oven to a moderate heat, about 170°C.
Sprinkle some parsley and a few pieces of diced
celery in the dish. Start layering your meat in
the dish, with beef at the bottom, pork in the
middle and chicken on top – separate each
layer with tin foil.
Place 3–4 potatoes, 3–4 trimmed kūmara and 3-4
pieces of pumpkin on top. Lay cabbage over the
top. If possible add some watercress.
Add 1.5 cups of water (no salt is needed). Cover
the dish with tin foil. Place lid on top and bake for
3 hours.
As the smell of cooked food drifts through the
air, it’s a great time to think about the blending
of traditional Māori cooking with equally delicious
techniques from the modern world. Enjoy your
meal!
34 LINKZ ISSUE 58
HEALTH
Where to go for health help
Know who to call and when
Emergency departments at hospitals are for
emergencies only. If you are uncertain how
serious a problem is, you can call Healthline
(0800 611 116) or your GP (doctor) for advice,
or contact your local emergency department.
Because illness and injury don’t always happen
during normal working hours (Monday–Friday
8am–5pm), most primary health care providers
and GPs have arrangements in place to care for
their patients after hours. This could be an
accident and medical centre or an after-hours
duty doctor. Next time you visit your doctor, ask
what you should do if you have a minor illness or
injury outside their normal working hours.
0800 611 116 free of charge, from a mobile
phone or your home phone (landline). The service
is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Healthline is staffed by registered nurses who will
assess your health needs, and give information
and advice to help you decide on the best level of
care. If English is not your first language, Healthline uses Language Line Monday-Friday 9am–6pm
and Saturday 9am–2pm. When you call Healthline
during these hours, the nurse or call handler can
usually arrange for an interpreter. Outside these
hours Healthline uses other interpreter services
as much as possible. It is not always possible to
locate an interpreter in a particular language at
short notice.
Emergency departments
Emergency departments can be contacted
through your local hospital’s main phone number,
which will be listed online, and in the front of the
phone book.
Healthline
Healthline is a free telephone health-advice
service for all the family. You can phone
Free health care – are you eligible?
To see whether you’re eligible to receive
free health care in New Zealand hospitals
visit: www.moh.govt.nz/eligibility
Healthline also has a free symptom
checker app for iPad and iPhone. Download it from: tinyurl.com/HealthlineApp
LINKZ ISSUE 58 35

CONSUMER RIGHTS
Labour Day, on the fourth Monday in
October, is the first public holiday of the
spring season. When the weather’s fine,
Kiwis head for the beach.
Explaining Labour Day
Everyone loves a public holiday – it’s a day off work when you can spend time with friends or
family and get paid for it (if you have a full-time job). The reason for most public holidays is easy
to understand from their names: Queen’s Birthday, New Year’s Day. But what about Labour Day?
This public holiday occurs every year in New Zealand on the fourth Monday of October: this year it
falls on October 27. Labour Day celebrates the
introduction of the eight-hour working day in
1840. This was good news for builders and other
labourers, who often had to work very long days
at that time – after all, in 1840 New Zealand was
a new colony, and there were many houses and
roads to build.
The eight-hour working day happened because of
a London-born carpenter named Samuel Parnell.
He arrived in Wellington in 1840, and was soon
asked to build a house in Petone, near Wellington.
Samuel declared he would work no more than
eight hours a day.
As Te Ara – The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
(www.teara.govt.nz) says, “There were only three
other carpenters in Wellington at that time, so
Parnell’s employer had little choice but to agree.
36 LINKZ ISSUE 58

CONSUMER RIGHTS
Samuel Parnell. Photo: Alexander Turnbull Library - 1/1-020463-G.
After that, tradesmen arriving in Wellington were
warned that if they worked more than eight hours
a day without being paid overtime rates (a higher
hourly rate), they could be ducked (thrown in to)
in the harbour.”
Samuel encouraged other tradesmen to insist
on the same conditions, and in October 1840, a
group of Wellington workers officially stated their
support for the idea. The idea spread around the
country, although there were no official unions
to enforce the idea for many years. From 1890
onwards, Kiwis began celebrating that October 1840 meeting, and in 1900 the government
declared a public holiday to mark the event.
region they live in.
Who gets public holidays?
If the public holiday is on a day you would normally be working, you are entitled to the public
holiday. However, if you work irregular hours
check with your employer. If you don’t agree with
them check your options, and other employment
conditions, online at the MBIE-labour website.
(See below).
What is a public holiday?
Public holidays are separate to the annual leave
earned as part of employment. They are for
everyone, and are usually taken on the day they
fall – or on the agreed alternative day.
If you are entitled to the holiday you do not have
to work and your employer must pay you what
they would normally have done – unless an alternative arrangement has been previously agreed
in writing (emails do count).
Most New Zealanders get eleven public holidays
each year, including an anniversary day for the
LINKZ ISSUE 58 37
Annual Holiday definition
tinyurl.com/nzholidays1
Transferring a public holiday
tinyurl.com/nzholidays2
NZ Public Holiday calendar tinyurl.com/nzholidays3
Public Holiday entitlement tinyurl.com/nzholidays4

CONSUMER RIGHTS
If you think your bank has acted
wrongly, contact the Banking
Ombudsman’s Office.
Banking Ombudsman Scheme helps
customers, including non-English speakers,
with bank complaints
In New Zealand, bank customers have the legal right to complain if they are not
happy with their bank.
The Banking Ombudsman Scheme is the dispute-resolution service all New Zealand’s major
retail banks, their subsidiaries and related companies are members of. The scheme’s service is free
and independent.
Complaints must go through a bank’s internal
complaints process before we investigate. Problems are often resolved at this stage. We can help
you make a complaint to your bank if you have
not done so and need help doing this. We can help
you whether you speak English or not.
If you and your bank cannot resolve your problem,
we will investigate and find a resolution. We are
not advocates for either customers or banks, and
do not take sides. This means we listen, consider
the relevant facts and give both the customer and
the bank a fair hearing.
38 LINKZ ISSUE 58

CONSUMER RIGHTS
The bank must accept the Banking Ombudsman’s
decision, but you can accept or reject it. The
scheme can award up to $200,000 compensation for direct loss and up to $9,000 for inconvenience, which recognises stress, embarrassment
or financial disruption. We can also recommend
other ways of resolution, including not seeking
repayment of all or part of a debt, or making an
apology.
As long as a complaint is within our terms of
reference, we can look into it. This does not
automatically mean you have a good case. We
need to understand the issues to form a view.
We cannot consider complaints about:
• a bank’s commercial judgement
• bank interest rates, fees and charges policies
• an issue more than six years old
• an issue you and your bank have previously
settled.
We also cannot give legal advice or rule on points
of law.
You can make a complaint through our website,
by email, telephone, letter or Facebook. Tell us
about your complaint, what you think your bank
did wrong, how it has affected you financially and
otherwise, and what you want your bank to do.
The website also has a collection of Quick Guides
on banking issues to help you avoid disputes, and
case notes showing how we have resolved cases.
Seek advice and complain in your own language
Non-English speakers who require an interpreter
can call us for help on 0800 805 950. They just
need to say "Language Line", the language they
speak, and a contact number (if possible) in case
the call is disconnected. We can then have an
interpreter on the phone within minutes.
assisted a less-skilled English speaker who had
taken out a life insurance policy with her bank.
There was a critical-condition benefit attached
to it.
She had a stroke and could no longer work, but
her bank declined her claim because her poststroke disability did not meet the threshold to
receive the benefit. It also wanted her to pay for
an independent medical assessment.
After the woman complained to us, the bank
agreed to pay for the assessment. We explained
the bank’s offer to her using a Language Line
interpreter. She accepted the offer and settled
her complaint.
New Zealand’s anti money–laundering law –
how it affects your banking
The purpose of the 2013 anti money–laundering
law is to ensure businesses take appropriate
measures to guard against money laundering and
terrorism financing, and enhance New Zealand’s
reputation as a safe place to do business.
Banks are required to be more strict when verifying customer identity, and have to gather more
customer information. This may cause some
inconvenience, particularly for customers who
send or receive money from overseas. Find out
more in our ‘Quick Guide to anti-money laundering legislation – changes to banking’ on
our website.
Contact us by:
Freephone: 0800 805 950
Phone: 04 915 0400
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.bankomb.org.nz
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bankombnz
We have helped a number of non-English speakers through the service. In a recent case, we
LINKZ ISSUE 58 39
GETTING AROUND
When the road is empty,
remember - KEEP LEFT!
Safe driving in New Zealand
Getting a car and starting to drive around your new environment is one of the first steps to
becoming independent and feeling at home in New Zealand. So what do you need to do to get
safely on the road?
When you arrive
If you have a current and valid overseas driver
licence or international driving permit, you will
be able to drive the types of vehicle covered by
that licence immediately. However, if you have
been disqualified from driving or your licence is
currently suspended, expired or revoked in either
New Zealand or your former home country, then
you are not allowed to drive in New Zealand.
Your overseas licence allows you to drive in
New Zealand for up to one year. If your overseas
licence or permit isn't in English, you must also
carry an acceptable translation.
Converting your licence
If you wish to continue driving after a year, you
must obtain a New Zealand driver licence. It’s a
good idea to apply early to make sure you have
40 LINKZ ISSUE 58
GETTING AROUND
a new licence before the year is up. The forms to
apply for an overseas licence conversion are available from NZ Transport Agency driver licensing
agents: the Automobile Association (AA), Vehicle
Inspection New Zealand (VINZ), and Vehicle Testing New Zealand (VTNZ).
You’ll need to provide evidence of your identity
and address and pass an eyesight screening
check. Depending on the country where you
obtained your licence, you may also have to
pass theory and practical tests.
Getting a licence for the first time
Driving safely
Preparing to drive safely involves a number of elements – these include buying the safest vehicle
you can afford, always travelling at a safe speed
for the road and conditions, and sharing the road
safely with others.
Safety belts or child restraints must be worn by
everyone in your car, whether they’re in the front
or back seat. It’s also illegal to use a hand-held
mobile phone, whether you’re calling or texting,
while driving.
Drugs and driving
New Zealand has a graduated licensing system.
This is to assist young and inexperienced drivers
to get the necessary experience they need to
drive safely on our roads. There are three steps
- a learner licence, restricted licence, and a full
licence. These all have different conditions under
which the holder can drive.
Tips for driving in New Zealand
KEEP LEFT. The first thing to remember is that
you must always drive on the left side of the
road. If you drive on the right side of the road in
your home country, please remember to keep left
when pulling out onto the road. It can be easy to
forget where you are.
DON’T OVERTAKE ON YELLOW LINES. Most roads
in New Zealand – other than motorways (freeways) – have a single lane each way, and some
provide passing lanes at regular intervals. You
should use these where possible when overtaking. You must not cross a solid yellow line on your
side of the centre line to pass a vehicle, as the line
indicates it’s too dangerous to overtake there.
DRIVES TAKE TIME. It’s easy to underestimate
travelling times here, because while distances
may seem short on paper, New Zealand roads may
be narrower than those you’re used to, cover hilly
country, and vary from motorways to unsealed
gravel roads. Allow plenty of time to reach your
destination and take time to rest before each long
drive.
Finally, don’t drink and drive! The New Zealand
Police and transport authorities take the issue
of driving while affected by alcohol or drugs very
seriously and impose appropriate penalties.
To create a road system where fewer people die
or are seriously injured, we need to improve the
safety of all parts of the system – roads and roadsides, speeds, vehicles, and road use. This is a job
for all of us – for drivers and for those working in
the transport sector. Please ensure you do your
bit to help create safer journeys on our roads.
More information:
Driving in New Zealand
http://tinyurl.com/nzdriving
The Road Code
www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/roadcode/
Getting a licence
http://tinyurl.com/nz/licence
LINKZ ISSUE 58 41
LEISURE
At Hot Water Beach on the
Coromandel Peninsula, bathers
dig their own holes which are
filled by warm water.
Photo by Steve & Jem Copley. Creative Commons 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Hot stuff
There’s nothing like a long soak in a mineral-rich hot spring to ease your aching muscles and
appreciate New Zealand’s natural riches.
Many of this country’s natural wonders are
above ground, from snow-capped mountains
to golden beaches – but one of our greatest
delights bubbles up from below our feet.
are more than 100 hot pools around the country, from commercial pools to free springs in the
‘wild’, and locals and visitors alike enjoy soaking
in the steaming waters.
Hot springs are pools of naturally heated water,
perfect for soaking in on a cold winter’s day or
after you’ve been for a walk in the bush. There
These pools occur when water is heated underground and rises to the surface – along the way,
the water absorbs minerals from the rocks it
42 LINKZ ISSUE 58
LEISURE
passes. The minerals can help people with
medical problems, from arthritis to insomnia.
Hot springs are usually located near volcanoes
that were active in the past, or are still active
today. Historically, Māori used hot springs for
cooking, bathing and washing; from the 1880s to
the early 1900s, thermal spas were a big tourist
attraction. Today, some commercial hot pools
also offer camping and playgrounds.
COMMERCIAL HOT POOLS
• Ngāwhā Springs, near Kaikohe, Northland
• Waiwera Thermal Resort, northern Auckland
• Miranda Hot Springs, southern Auckland
Ngāwhā Springs near Kaikohe.
• AC Baths, TaupŌ
• Hanmer Springs, Canterbury
• Tekapo Springs, Tekapo
• Onsen Hot Pools, Queenstown
FREE HOT POOLS
• Hot Water Beach, Coromandel Peninsula
• Kerosene Creek, south of Rotorua
THINGS TO REMEMBER
Take off all your jewellery (including earrings)
before getting into a hot pool. Minerals in the
water can turn jewellery a very strange colour!
Kerosene Creek.
Don’t put your head underwater in a hot pool;
there is a very small chance that you may get
amoebic meningitis, which can be fatal.
Find out more
www.nzhotpools.co.nz
Tekapo Springs, Tekapo.
LINKZ ISSUE 58 43
INFORMATION
Local information for new migrants
Immigration New Zealand provides a free local information service for new
migrants about living and working in New Zealand. This service can be accessed
at the Citizens Advice Bureau in 30 locations around the country.
SOUTH ISLAND
MARLBOROUGH
CANTERBURY
CAB Marlborough
Marlborough Community Centre,
25 Alfred Street, Blenheim
Monday–Friday 9.30am – 4pm
CAB North Canterbury
Trevor Inch Memorial Library,
141 Percival Street, Rangiora
Monday-Friday 9am – 4.30pm
NELSON–TASMAN
CAB Nelson-Tasman
9 Paru Paru Road, Nelson
Monday–Friday 9am – 4.30pm
WEST COAST
CAB Buller
Clocktower Building,
113 Palmerston Street, Westport
Monday–Friday 10am – 3pm
SOUTHLAND
CAB Christchurch City
Christchurch Polytechnic Student
Association Building,
5 Madras Street, Central City, Christchurch
Monday and Friday 9am – 12pm,
Tuesday-Thursday 9am – 3pm
CAB Christchurch West
Hornby Community Care Centre,
8 Goulding Avenue, Hornby, Christchurch
Monday-Friday 9am – 5pm
CAB Christchurch North
Fendalton Library,
Cnr Clyde and Jeffreys Roads,
Fendalton, Christchurch
Monday and Friday 10am – 4pm,
Tuesday-Thursday 10am – 1pm
CAB Invercargill
97 Spey Street Invercargill
Monday–Friday 9am – 5pm,
Saturday 10am – 12pm
OTAGO
CAB Dunedin
283-301 Moray Place, Dunedin
Monday–Friday 8.45am – 5.30pm,
Saturday 9.30am – 12 noon.
CAB Outreach Mosgeil
Mosgiel Library, Hartstonge Avenue, Mosgiel
Wednesday 11.30am – 1.30pm
CAB Queenstown
44 Stanley Street, Queenstown
Monday- Friday 9.30am – 4.30pm
44 LINKZ ISSUE 58
INFORMATION
NORTH ISLAND
NORTHLAND
WHANGANUI–MANAWATU
CAB Whangarei
Municipal Building,
71 Bank Street, Whangarei
Monday-Friday 9am – 4.30pm
CAB Palmerston North
Community House,
77 King Street, Palmerston North
Monday–Friday 9am – 4.30pm
AUCKLAND
BAY OF PLENTY
CAB New Lynn
New Lynn Library Building,
3 Memorial Drive, Auckland
Monday-Friday 9am – 4.30pm,
Saturday 10am – 1pm
CAB Tauranga
38 Hamilton Street, Tauranga
Monday–Friday 9am – 5pm
CAB Northcote
Northcote Library Buildings,
5 Ernie Mays Streey, Northcote, Auckland
Monday-Friday 9:15am – 3:30pm
CAB Eden Albert
82 St Lukes Road (by Public Library)
Mt Albert, Auckland
Monday-Friday 9am – 4pm
CAB Manurewa
Library Complex,
7J Hill Road, Manurewa, Auckland
Monday-Friday 9am – 4pm,
Saturday 9am– 11am
CAB Auckland Central
1st floor, Auckland Central City Library,
44-46 Lorne Street, Auckland
Monday 11am-3pm
Tuesday-Thursday: 9.30am – 4.30pm,
Friday 11am – 3pm,
Saturday (JP only) 10am – 12noon
CAB Pakuranga- East Manukau
Library Building, Aylesbury Street,
Pakuranga, Auckland
Monday-Friday 9am – 4.30pm,
Saturday 9.30 – 11.30am
CAB Browns Bay
2 Glen Road, Browns Bay,
North Shore, Auckland
Monday-Friday 9am – 4.30pm
WAIKATO
CAB Rotorua
Community House,
1115 Haupapa Street, Rotorua
Monday–Friday 9am – 5.30pm
GISBORNE
CAB Gisborne
124A Bright Street, Gisborne
Monday–Friday 9.30am – 4pm
HAWKES BAY
CAB Napier
Community Hub, Community House,
62 Raffles Street, Napier
Monday–Friday 9am – 4pm,
Saturday 9:30 am – 12 pm
WELLINGTON
CAB Lower Hutt
Apex House, Cnr Queens Drive and
Laings Road, Lower Hutt
Monday–Friday 9am – 5pm
CAB Upper Hutt
18 Logan Street, Upper Hutt
Monday–Friday 9am – 4.30pm
CAB Porirua
2nd Floor, Pember House,
16 Hagley Street, Porirua
Monday–Friday 9am – 4.30pm
CAB Hamilton
55 Victoria Street, Hamilton
Monday-Friday 8.45am – 5pm
CAB Kapiti
1st Floor Coastlands Shoppingtown,
Paraparaumu
Monday–Friday 9am – 4pm
TARANAKI
CAB Wellington City
Mezzanine Floor Central Library,
65 Victoria Street, Wellington
Monday 9.30am – 5.15pm, Tues–Thurs
9.30am – 6.30pm, Friday 9.30am – 3.30pm,
Saturday 11am – v1pm
CAB New Plymouth
Community House,
32 Leach Street, New Plymouth
Monday-Friday 9.30am – 3.30pm
LINKZ ISSUE 58 45
INFORMATION
Immigration New Zealand funds the following specialist services to support the
settlement of new migrants, and to assist New Zealand employers to easily locate
the skills their businesses need.
CAB Language Link – free help in your language
Citizens Advice Bureau is an independent community
organisation providing free, confidential information,
advice, support and advocacy. CAB Language Link is
funded by Immigration New Zealand to provide the
CAB service to newcomers in more than 20 languages.
To contact CAB Language Link about any issue, phone
0800 78 88 77 or go to: www.cab.org.nz and search for
"Language Link".
Chinese New Settlers Services Trust – workshops about living in New Zealand for Chinese
and Korean newcomers
The Chinese New Settlers Services Trust provides a
series of workshops across Auckland that help Chinese
and Korean newcomers learn more about settling in
New Zealand. For more information, phone 09 570 1188
or go to: www.chineseservice.org.nz and follow the
links on the home page.
Immigration New Zealand funds several services that match newcomers with the skills employers
are seeking. These services assist newcomers with careers guidance, CV reviewing and interview
performance and improves access to employment opportunities that match their skills and
experience.
In Wellington and Canterbury…
In Auckland and nationwide…
New Kiwis
Newcomer Skills Matching Programme – Wellington
Are you looking for employment?
Connecting Canterbury Employers and Newcomers’
Skills Programme – Christchurch
www.newkiwis.co.nz is a free job site for skilled
returning Kiwis and new migrants who are seeking
employment.
These programmes match newcomers with the skills
that employers are seeking in the Wellington and Canterbury regions. They assist newcomers to New Zealand with career guidance, CV reviewing, and interview
techniques; and improve access to employment opportunities that match their skills. For more information
about the Newcomer Skills Matching Programme:
• in Wellington: phone 04 470 9949,
email [email protected] or go to:
http://tinyurl.com/weccskills
• in Canterbury: phone 03 353 4161,
email [email protected] or go to: www.cecc.org.nz
Benefits:
• Access a network of around 20,000 NZ employers
• Employers advertise vacancies and can search for
you
• Access to an information centre with relevant
information for newcomers
• Understand the NZ job market with specialist
online training courses.
46 LINKZ ISSUE 58
INFORMATION
Previous Issues
ISSUE
57
2014
INSIDE
7 REGIONAL FEATURE
Christchurch
39 MĀORI
The greenstone trails
ISSUE
INSIDE
6 REGIONAL FEATURE
27 MĀORI
40 LEISURE
2014
Auckland
Culture and society
Fit for Kiwi lifestyle 56
46 LEISURE
Beautiful country
LINKZ
LINKZ
MAKING YOUR WAY IN NEW ZEALAND
MAKING YOUR WAY IN NEW ZEALAND
Family
decision
works out
right
10
Family dream
becomes reality
12
ISSUE
ISSUE
INSIDE
6 REGIONAL FEATURE
30 MĀORI
2013
Social organisation
55
Rotorua
54
2013
42 LEISURE
Southern rides
LINKZ
INSIDE
6 REGIONAL FEATURE
30 MAORI
42 LEISURE
Social organisation
Southern rides
Otago-Southland
LINKZ
M A K I N G Y O U R WAY I N N E W Z E A L A N D
MAKING YOUR WAY IN NEW ZEALAND
17
A marriage
of career
and lifestyle
16
Dunedin
first
choice for
family
To read: www.newzealandnow.govt.nz/resources/linkz
To order or subscribe: [email protected]
LINKZ ISSUE 58 47