Assemble are specialist recruiters for the Property, Infrastructure and Construction industry in New Zealand. We are always striving to support our job seekers, and have put together a series of articles to assist job seekers living offshore to move to New Zealand.
Our previous two articles have covered ‘The Talent Market in New Zealand’ and ‘Crucial info to know before you move’. Today we explore ‘A kiwi lifestyle’, highlighting our work–life balance showcasing why New Zealand is famous for its quality of life. Within a stunning landscape, New Zealand offers its people a balanced lifestyle, a safe and friendly environment for families, great career opportunities and endless opportunities to travel and explore the many attractions on offer.
These articles are intended to provide useful information and insights to make the move to Kiwi soil as easy as possible. New Zealand employers are committed to bringing in overseas talent and have proven strategies to help make this transition as seamless as possible. Here at Assemble, we help connect the best NZ employers with talented offshore job seekers.
HSBC's 2021 Expat Explorer survey ranked New Zealand first in the world for future outlook, second for lifestyle, and third best place overall for expats to live and work. So, it makes sense that the one thing many expats have in common in their desire to move here is for the ‘New Zealand lifestyle.’ This is often a combination of work-life balance, healthcare, free education, connection to the natural environment and safety, but what does this really look like?
New Zealand employers know the importance of prioritising time spent with family and friends and this is balanced with a solid day’s work. New Zealanders work hard, and getting ahead is important, but this is not done at the expense of work-life balance. Standard office hours are 8.30am – 5.00pm and a range of flexible options are available within this. Working from home is common, shorter working days the norm and many part time options are available.
Further to this, leave entitlements are protected by law. Full time employees are entitled to four weeks paid vacation leave per year, and this is highly encouraged to be used, typically people take a long Summer holiday over December / January. New Zealand also has 12 paid public holiday days per year, the majority of these are concentrated around the Summer months. Parents are entitled to 52 weeks leave from work to care for a new child and the government provides up to 26 weeks paid parental leave for qualifying parents. With all this time off, you will have ample opportunity to explore this exceptional Country.
Another reason you will find you have more spare time in New Zealand is because we spend little time travelling to and from work; cities and towns tend to be smaller and less crowded than other centres around the world. This means our commutes are much less congested and shorter. Regional New Zealand and city centres vary greatly in what your experience will be, but most people in NZ have a shorter commute than they are used to, there is accessible public transport in city centres, but many people utilise private transport. Most New Zealand households will have access to a vehicle and peak hour traffic congestion is limited to our major cities.
New Zealand offers all year-round activities, and no matter where you are in the Country, you are never far away from a beach, lake, bike trail or national park. As a nation our people are active, and there is a lot of opportunities to get outdoors with a lifestyle centered around the natural environment. Whether this is hiking, activities on the ocean or lake, skiing in the winter, mountain biking or at the beach, the options are endless.
We have vibrant and diverse multicultural cities to explore with each one offering something a bit special and different, from food, fashion and art. New Zealand is privileged to have many exceptional restaurants to sample from and you are likely to be pleasantly surprised by the cuisine on offer here.
You will be able to choose from our many rural or urban lifestyle options and find one to suit your needs perfectly. Towns and cities have apartments or suburban homes with backyards to choose from. If city living doesn’t appeal, we have endless rural options where you can live on farmland, or near wide open spaces.
A big part of feeling settled in a new place is finding your community. New Zealanders are open and warm, and you will quickly feel welcomed here. Communities are often formed through workplaces, church and community groups, sports clubs and school communities. There is a strong and engaged network of expats living here who have active groups that you can join. The growing population of New Zealand has ensured that it’s hugely multicultural, and residents are used to mixing with people with different cultures and accents.
In addition to all these lifestyle benefits, the public healthcare system, which gives all residents access to free public healthcare, and education on offer in New Zealand is exceptional. New Zealand is the second safest Country in the world according to the 2019 Global Peace Index. It is also fast becoming one of the most environmentally progressive Countries in the world and has been world leading in responding to climate change, passing the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act in 2019 and setting up a Climate Change Commission in January 2020.
We are confident that you will find New Zealand a truly incredible place to live, so what are you waiting for? Give one of the Assemble recruiters a call to discuss your move and follow our LinkedIn page for more insights.