# I wish to move to New Zealand from the Ukraine



## ukrberserker

I hope I'm posting in the right place. I'm an American currently residing in Ukraine with my wife and 3 kids. I would like to relocate to NZ as I heard it was a great country to live in. I have worked construction, and security, half my life. I'm 45, and won't last much longer in this country. I'm hoping some employers on here might offer me a job.


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## anski

ukrberserker said:


> I hope I'm posting in the right place. I'm an American currently residing in Ukraine with my wife and 3 kids. I would like to relocate to NZ as I heard it was a great country to live in. I have worked construction, and security, half my life. I'm 45, and won't last much longer in this country. I'm hoping some employers on here might offer me a job.



Hi & welcome to the Forum.

Yes New Zealand is a great country.

Why not send your CV to various companies to see if they are interested in your qualifications. Many people have been offered jobs by this method.

Anski


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## ukrberserker

Well, I guess I have to keep posting until I have 5 posts before I can access the employment forum. Life here is a real bummer in Ukraine. I've worked hard all my life, and sitting around drives me nuts. Been sitting here for a year straight with no way out. Reminds me of Willy Wonka. You have to go forward to go back. I have over 20 years experience in construction. I'm used to working outdoors.


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## anski

ukrberserker said:


> Well, I guess I have to keep posting until I have 5 posts before I can access the employment forum. Life here is a real bummer in Ukraine. I've worked hard all my life, and sitting around drives me nuts. Been sitting here for a year straight with no way out. Reminds me of Willy Wonka. You have to go forward to go back. I have over 20 years experience in construction. I'm used to working outdoors.


I have a friend from the Ukraine although he has been living in Cyprus for past the 15 years.
I realise it must be a very different lifestyle & the weather must get extremely cold so working in the construction industry must be hard.
How is the work situation there? How did you end up in Ukraine?
Christchurch is going to need a lot of skilled construction tradesmen so it may be of benefit to you.
Let us know if you have more questions but post them in the general section & your posts will attract more attention.

cheers,

Anski


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## ukrberserker

anski said:


> I have a friend from the Ukraine although he has been living in Cyprus for past the 15 years.
> I realise it must be a very different lifestyle & the weather must get extremely cold so working in the construction industry must be hard.
> How is the work situation there? How did you end up in Ukraine?
> Christchurch is going to need a lot of skilled construction tradesmen so it may be of benefit to you.
> Let us know if you have more questions but post them in the general section & your posts will attract more attention.
> 
> cheers,
> 
> Anski


I'm married to a Ukrainian woman. I don't work here at all, except writing books which are unpublished. I only had 80 points on the assessment test, and my wife had 75. Funny because she has a Master's degree, and I never fini:ranger:shed my Bachelor's degree. I just have real world experience in all types of construction.


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## anski

ukrberserker said:


> I'm married to a Ukrainian woman. I don't work here at all, except writing books which are unpublished. I only had 80 points on the assessment test, and my wife had 75. Funny because she has a Master's degree, and I never fini:ranger:shed my Bachelor's degree. I just have real world experience in all types of construction.


As an Australian I did not have to apply for entry to New Zealand, my Australian passport sufficed.

Because of this I do not understand or profess to have any knowledge of the points system or the immigration process.

However I recall reading several posts on this forum where people submitted their CV's to various companies & received job offers. Not sure if these were in the construction industry or other professions.
You might want to ask others if they came to New Zealand this way & you may get some information.
As a writer I imagine you could produce a pretty credible CV & with time to spare you have nothing to loose.
Another way is by paying NZ a visit (possible on your own to save on additional expenses) & try to get a job I believe if you get a job you qualify for a work visa & that's a start.

For construction companies I just did a very quick Google search & came up with 3 names 1) Fletcher 2) Mainzeal 3) Fulton Hogan
These are some for you to start on.

Anski


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## anski

ukrberserker said:


> I hope I'm posting in the right place. I'm an American currently residing in Ukraine with my wife and 3 kids. I would like to relocate to NZ as I heard it was a great country to live in. I have worked construction, and security, half my life. I'm 45, and won't last much longer in this country. I'm hoping some employers on here might offer me a job.


Hi ukrberserker,

I have moved your posts & given your posts a title. It may attract more attention here.

cheers,

Anski


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## ukrberserker

anski said:


> Hi ukrberserker,
> 
> I have moved your posts & given your posts a title. It may attract more attention here.
> 
> cheers,
> 
> Anski


Thanks. Maybe someone will give me a shout.


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## dawnclaremaddox

Hi there, we are not yet in NZ but we did send my hubby's CV to 1 company only, by email and he was offered a job over the phone the next day. His life experience was in the appliance repair and then he decided to retrain as an Electrician. At 52, this was a real confidence boost for him and we should know by the end of May or beginning of June.

Anski's right, just get on the computer and start looking for companies in the area and send your CV, what have you got to lose?


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## ukrberserker

I've been sending CV's for a month. Since your from UK, you have same basic qualifications as NZ I guess. American qualifications don't seem to carry any weight. I was a licensed electrician for 3 years in the States, and have done most everything else in construction except run heavy equipment. No one is biting, probably because of my location.I've used Hay's, Seek, many other recruiters online. Nothing yet.


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## dawnclaremaddox

ukrberserker said:


> I've been sending CV's for a month. Since your from UK, you have same basic qualifications as NZ I guess. American qualifications don't seem to carry any weight. I was a licensed electrician for 3 years in the States, and have done most everything else in construction except run heavy equipment. No one is biting, probably because of my location.I've used Hay's, Seek, many other recruiters online. Nothing yet.


Other half will still have to sit exams and train for 3 months and we still have to get the thumbs up from immigration as well.

Don't give up, keep on trying...


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## anski

I wonder if there are any other American trained tradesmen who have made the move to NZ that can advise you. Or if there is any information online as to what trade qualifications are recognised in NZ.

Maybe start a new thread stating you are American etc & it might provide some answers.

Do not give up sometimes you have to try every angle you can think of & be inventive, lots of people have found the task difficult but with tenacity & persistence have made it through the hurdles.


Anski


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## ukrberserker

Does anyone here on the forum have a copy of the International Building code in PDF format that they can email to me? I need to study up if I wind up working in construction. I tried searching online, but they wanted almost $200. for download.


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## 80cmills

ukrberserker said:


> I've been sending CV's for a month. Since your from UK, you have same basic qualifications as NZ I guess. American qualifications don't seem to carry any weight. I was a licensed electrician for 3 years in the States, and have done most everything else in construction except run heavy equipment. No one is biting, probably because of my location.I've used Hay's, Seek, many other recruiters online. Nothing yet.


We are moving to nz in July as we have a job offer. We found doing it on line doesn't work, nz seem to prefer the telephone


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## ukrberserker

80cmills said:


> We are moving to nz in July as we have a job offer. We found doing it on line doesn't work, nz seem to prefer the telephone


I'll have to give it a try if my wife ever un-pawns our phones.


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## anski

ukrberserker said:


> Does anyone here on the forum have a copy of the International Building code in PDF format that they can email to me? I need to study up if I wind up working in construction. I tried searching online, but they wanted almost $200. for download.


Is this what you are looking for?

Building Code Compliance Documents - Department of Building and Housing 

Building Act : New Zealand Building Code

Specifier Resources: New Zealand Building Code, Standards NZ, Goverment Links, Associations, Institutes...

New Zealand Legislation

the website seems to have other issues covered.

You can find most things online these days by doing a google search.

No need for telephone & if you do I hope you have Skype for calls. It costs us 1.9c a minute to call Australia & New Zealand from here.

Anski


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## ukrberserker

anski said:


> Is this what you are looking for?
> 
> Building Code Compliance Documents - Department of Building and Housing
> 
> Building Act : New Zealand Building Code
> 
> Specifier Resources: New Zealand Building Code, Standards NZ, Goverment Links, Associations, Institutes...
> 
> New Zealand Legislation
> 
> the website seems to have other issues covered.
> 
> You can find most things online these days by doing a google search.
> 
> No need for telephone & if you do I hope you have Skype for calls. It costs us 1.9c a minute to call Australia & New Zealand from here.
> 
> Anski


Thanks.I did Google it, but only found the second link you sent. No free downloads. The first link is great, and will give me some background in differences between America and NZ


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## anski

ukrberserker said:


> Thanks.I did Google it, but only found the second link you sent. No free downloads. The first link is great, and will give me some background in differences between America and NZ



There is also big demand for renovation projects particularly in Auckland, new bathrooms, kitchens, decks, additions to houses, etc & I found this information which you may find handy.

Many tradesmen either work through a company or operate themselves although initially I think the requirement is you find employment unless you enter under a business migration visa which is more expensive.


http://www.dbh.govt.nz/UserFiles/Fi...de-for-building-work-consent-not-required.pdf

Anski


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## Darla.R

anski said:


> There is also big demand for renovation projects particularly in Auckland, new bathrooms, kitchens, decks, additions to houses, etc[/url]


Is there? 

I know that I've been out of New Zealand longer than you have Anski but even I know that renovation work has taken a down-turn in New Zealand, mostly because people can't afford it in the recession and also because of the high fees councils are charging to approve plans.

Ukrberserker Before you launch yourself head long into emigrating to New Zealand you really need to do your research and make sure the work is there to support yourself and your family.

This was published yesterday, you should read it

Kiwi housing in decline - business | Stuff.co.nz


> Building research organisation Branz found that only 41 per cent of homes were in good or excellent condition, compared with 50 per cent in 2005.
> 
> The state of New Zealand homes is slipping, with new research showing more buildings in a worse condition than they were five years ago.
> 
> Just under a quarter of homes were reported as being in poor condition – an increase of about 10 per cent since 2005.
> 
> Homeowners were spending less on general maintenance and renovations, Registered Registered Master Builders Federation chief executive Warwick Quinn said.
> 
> "A home, for a large number of people, isn't maintained as well as their vehicle yet it costs 20 times the price."
> 
> The cost to build or renovate had increased in the past four years and landlords were not investing in improving properties, rather they were just doing the "bare minimum" to keep them tenantable, Mr Quinn said.
> 
> Porirua homeowners Florence and David Aiono had put off much needed maintenance to their Whitby home, including painting the outside and repairing the roof.


Is there another skill or trade you could do, insulation perhaps?



> However, people were spending money on insulation as they got a "direct comfort benefit", Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority spokeswoman Vicki Connor said.
> 
> Nearly 100,000 homes have been insulated under the Government's Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart subsidy scheme, introduced in mid-2009 with the aim of insulating 188,500 homes by 2013.


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## anski

Darla.R said:


> Is there?
> 
> I know that I've been out of New Zealand longer than you have Anski but even I know that renovation work has taken a down-turn in New Zealand, mostly because people can't afford it in the recession and also because of the high fees councils are charging to approve plans.
> 
> Ukrberserker Before you launch yourself head long into emigrating to New Zealand you really need to do your research and make sure the work is there to support yourself and your family.
> 
> This was published yesterday, you should read it
> 
> Kiwi housing in decline - business | Stuff.co.nz
> 
> 
> Is there another skill or trade you could do, insulation perhaps?


Sorry but that is not accurate. It may be the case for parts of New Zealand but certainly not the case in Auckland particularly in Central Auckland which covers not only the city but the very affluent eastern suburbs of Orakei, Mission Bay, Kohimarana, & St. Heliers. In these suburbs many older homes are purchased with prices in excess of $1,000,000 only to be demolished & replaced with very expensive large homes. 

Not everyone is doing it tough in Auckland, & people who have the means to spend are doing so.

$2.8m Aston Martin NZ's most expensive - Cars - NZ Herald News


New Zealand Probably Avoided a Recession in 2010 on Confidence, Building - Bloomberg

Barfoots reports best monthly property sales in nearly four years; says average price hit record NZ$581,190, up 11.4%. Why is Auckland different? | interest.co.nz

I certainly would not encourage anybody in the construction business to go to any impoverished part of NZ, but I can assure you anyone coming to Auckland would do very well if they were competent.

There was another story but I cannot find it & it stated tradespeople in Auckland were all flat out because home owners were getting in before all the tradesmen left for Christchurch.

Yes homes in parts of NZ where incomes were low probably do have badly maintained homes but the same applies to parts of Australia. Just as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane & Perth have the affluent areas there are also suburbs which are the exact opposite.


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## Darla.R

Ukrberserker I would take any real estate agents reports about the condition of the housing market with a large sized pinch of salt. For every positive story there is a negative one a few days later, and unless you're on the ground selling a property it is very difficult to tell what the market is like.

But that is a red herring. Regardless of the true state of New Zealand's housing market that has little bearing on how much money people are spending on renovations and improvements to their properties, or what proportion of that cash will be given to contractors, people may well decide to do it themselves. Whilst the work may be around will you get a large enough slice of the pie to support yourself and your family?

The BRANZ link I gave you earlier is about an annual report compiled by New Zealand's building research body and it clearly says that Kiwis are cutting back on their spending on their properties. These are the industry professionals and one would think they know what they're talking about.

And whilst what Anski says is true about people in Auckland driving flash cars that does not also mean they are prepared to sink that sort of money into their homes (and we all know the problem Auckland in particular has with leaky building sydrome, even in the millions of dollars mansions) This is hinted at in the report


> "A home, for a large number of people, isn't maintained as well as their vehicle yet it costs 20 times the price."


The other important thing to realise is that a significant proportion of homes in Auckland are not owner occupied and landlords are cutting back on the amount of money they invest in their properties. 

Many of them don't live in New Zealand and the amount of money they have available to spend on renovations in NZ has been curtailed by the high NZ dollar. They will do the absolute minimum to keep the property rentable and maximise their returns. This sort of work will be carried out by tradies the rental agencies already have on their books - how easy will it be for you to break into that cartel?

Remember also that New Zealand isn't a large country and the job market is comparatively small compared to where you are now.

I'm advising you to do your research very well indeed. Find a way to ask immigrant trades people in New Zealand what the work is_ really _like and how well it pays. I've seen stories around where people in your position have ended up re-training as corrections officers. Not that there's anything wrong with that if that's where the opportunities are these days.


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## ukrberserker

Darla.R said:


> Ukrberserker I would take any real estate agents reports about the condition of the housing market with a large sized pinch of salt. For every positive story there is a negative one a few days later, and unless you're on the ground selling a property it is very difficult to tell what the market is like.
> 
> But that is a red herring. Regardless of the true state of New Zealand's housing market that has little bearing on how much money people are spending on renovations and improvements to their properties, or what proportion of that cash will be given to contractors, people may well decide to do it themselves. Whilst the work may be around will you get a large enough slice of the pie to support yourself and your family?
> 
> The BRANZ link I gave you earlier is about an annual report compiled by New Zealand's building research body and it clearly says that Kiwis are cutting back on their spending on their properties. These are the industry professionals and one would think they know what they're talking about.
> 
> And whilst what Anski says is true about people in Auckland driving flash cars that does not also mean they are prepared to sink that sort of money into their homes (and we all know the problem Auckland in particular has with leaky building sydrome, even in the millions of dollars mansions) This is hinted at in the report
> 
> 
> The other important thing to realise is that a significant proportion of homes in Auckland are not owner occupied and landlords are cutting back on the amount of money they invest in their properties.
> 
> Many of them don't live in New Zealand and the amount of money they have available to spend on renovations in NZ has been curtailed by the high NZ dollar. They will do the absolute minimum to keep the property rentable and maximise their returns. This sort of work will be carried out by tradies the rental agencies already have on their books - how easy will it be for you to break into that cartel?
> 
> Remember also that New Zealand isn't a large country and the job market is comparatively small compared to where you are now.
> 
> I'm advising you to do your research very well indeed. Find a way to ask immigrant trades people in New Zealand what the work is_ really _like and how well it pays. I've seen stories around where people in your position have ended up re-training as corrections officers. Not that there's anything wrong with that if that's where the opportunities are these days.


Main thing was all the reconstruction in Christchurch. Once I get established with a builder, I'll be able to work all I want. Even if I just make custom furniture in my spare time to make a living from.I'm from West Virginia, and it is same story there. People drive around in $40000. vehicles, and park them in front of run down homes.They do this to keep the property taxes down.:ranger:


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## ukrberserker

Well, I'm getting back replies, but all negative. " Sorry to inform you, but you don't meet our requirements. Blah,blah, blah. Looks like me the wife, and my son might get to go to States after all. Shriners hospital accepted my son for treatment.


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