Education & Careers > Guide for Internationals
Guide for International Planners
Working in New Zealand.
The First Step: Deciding if New Zealand is the Right Choice …
Every person has an individual and unique personality with different interests, goals, and lifestyles. Living in a place can be very different from visiting that same place on holiday. If you decide to relocate to New Zealand, it is very unlikely that bungee jumping and jet boating will be part of your daily routine (even though New Zealanders do their fair share of sailing, sunning at the beach, and snow skiing).
Even if you have visited New Zealand on holiday, you might consider another visit so you can spend time talking to people in the planning profession and generally just experiencing life in New Zealand not as a tourist but as someone thinking about living here. Do your basic research at home; the Internet is an extremely valuable resource. You should investigate the cost of living and how your day-to-day lifestyle and routine may be similar to or different from what you now experience. In short, not all immigrants find the transition easy, and some do not stay in New Zealand.
If you are used to the hustle-and-bustle of a large city like London or New York, you may find the transition more difficult, as the Auckland region, New Zealand’s largest, has a 2013 estimated population of 1.42 million making it close in population to regions like; Ottawa/Gatineau, Ontario/Quebec; Glasgow, Scotland; and Jacksonville, Florida. But if you enjoy nature and the outdoors, New Zealand can offer a spectacular landscape for almost any kind of activity all year long.
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Community profiles and population data can be found at Statistics New Zealand (http://www.stats.govt.nz).
Useful Information
Authorisation to Work in New Zealand
Once you have decided to come to New Zealand, you will need to support yourself. If you are an independently wealthy planner, you should share your secret with the rest of us. But if you are like most planners, you will need to work.
NZPI cannot provide advice to anyone with regard to obtaining work permits or residency in New Zealand. Your age, family status, education, experience, health, and other factors all play a role in your ability to immigrate to New Zealand. Having said that, however, we can offer a general overview of the options available, but your first source of current and accurate information must be Immigration New Zealand , a service of the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment.
Depending on your country of origin, young professionals may have an opportunity to obtain a Working Holiday Visa. If you are between 18 and 30 years of age, from an eligible country, and meet other criteria, you can obtain a Working Holiday Visa. Citizens of countries throughout the Americas, Asia, and Europe are eligible.
Temporary work permits are also available for a variety of situations. Generally speaking, however, these require an offer of employment, and most employers are reluctant to employ individuals that do not already have authorisation to work. Some employers, including local councils that hire planners, are able to fast-track immigration approvals if they find a qualified candidate from abroad. If you are able to obtain a temporary work permit, however, you may later be able to apply for a residence visa.
If you want the broadest range of opportunities, a permanent residence visa may be your best option. The process can be difficult and lengthy, but with a permanent resident visa, you will be able to seek employment from most potential employers without restrictions. You can employ an immigration consultant to help you with the process, but a meticulous individual can complete immigration forms without assistance.
If you have obtained authorisation to work, your next step will most likely be to seek employment. Needless to say, Australian citizens have free access to New Zealand’s employment opportunities with no work authorisations or visas required.
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Immigration information can be found at the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment - http://www.dol.govt.nz/ and Immigration web site at http://www.immigration.govt.nz .
Finding Employment
For many new immigrant planners, understanding the New Zealand planning system can be a challenge. New Zealand’s legislative basis for land use planning comes both from the Resource Management Act (RMA) and the Local Government Act (LGA). In addition, New Zealand’s cultural duality is governed by the principles established by the Treaty of Waitangi. It is most helpful for new immigrants to understand the foundations of New Zealand legislation, and a great number of resources are available online. In addition, Massey University offers intensive block courses that can be especially valuable to new planners.
An additional challenge that new immigrants may encounter are the subtle differences in applying and interviewing for positions. This can be almost as challenging for North Americans as it is for non-English speakers, as the “brand” of English spoken in Canada and the United States is a little bit different. Even simple written explanations of your work experience on your CV can be read in a different context and may not be understood in the same way. Learning the differences in culture and language is an individual trial-and-error process.
These challenges can be compounded by the fact that more experienced planners from abroad may not have the professional contacts or networks to which they have grown accustomed in their home country. You should not underestimate the value of these networks or the difficulty that you may face in coming to a new country without such networks in place. As such, you may need to attend many interviews before you receive an offer of employment. Rather than get discouraged, you should think of this as a learning process; take away what you can from each interview and learn from it for your next interview.
NZPI is among the best resources for employment opportunities. Planners are currently in demand; there is a shortage of qualified planning professionals. NZPI has an online database of planning consultants on our Internet site that provides a list of potential private-sector employers. Local, district, and regional councils, as well as central government ministries, also employ planners.
There are online sources for planning jobs, but a search for planners on these sites will result in many non-planning positions, as we think of them. In addition, not all planning positions will be found by common search words, even though the position may actually be advertised on that site.
NZPI's Situations Vacant service connects you with planning opportunities throughout the country. Many of the positions listed are not usually advertised elsewhere, or as comprehensively. Members are notified of new position via our weekly e-bulletin, to keep your eye on the latest job opportunities bookmark our Jobs Online page. We encourage international planners to join NZPI as an Associate, and we will also make available a variety of member-only services, such as a subscription to the Planning Quarterly magazine and e-mail updates that can be valuable in learning planning issues in New Zealand. International members enjoy a 40% discount off the domestic membership rates in New Zealand, so this is an affordable way to research the planning profession in New Zealand before you arrive.
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The New Zealand Planning Institute’s web site address is http://www.planning.org.nz You can view our online consultant’s directory, membership information, and contact details for NZPI® staff.
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Quality Planning Website The QP website is designed for council practitioners and consultants, environmental managers and others involved in resource management practice under the RMA. http://www.qualityplanning.org.nz/
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The Ministry for the Environment publishes a citizen-oriented Every Day Guide to the Resource Management Act at http://www.mfe.govt.nz/rma/rma-processes-and-how-get-involved/everyday-guide-rma and a practitioner’s guide for planners at http://www.mfe.govt.nz/rma
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The Department of Internal Affairs publishes information about the Local Government Act at http://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/wpg_URL/Legislative-Reviews-Local-Government-Act-Review-Index
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New Zealand History Online publishes basic information about the Treaty of Waitangi at http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/politics/treaty-of-waitangi
Benefits of NZPI Membership
Many employers prefer that candidates are members of NZPI; many employers require membership in NZPI. Those without an NZPI Accredited degree can apply for Associate membership. After gaining seven years of planning experience, including two full year of New Zealand experience, Associates can apply for Full Membership. Full Membership will open up many more opportunities, especially for senior and management positions. If you are a member of your countries professional Planning Institute you may be able to join under our reciprocal agreement, please see below for further details.
Relocating to New Zealand
New Zealand is probably very far from where you live now. Do not underestimate the cost and challenging logistics associated with moving house across the ocean. If you are bringing pets, you will most likely face added costs and difficulties with veterinary exams and pet quarantine requirements. Even moving your basic household goods has special challenges, given New Zealand’s efforts to keep undesirable plant and animal pests from invading. You will need to avoid bringing certain items into New Zealand, including untreated wooden pallets you might use as part of your relocation.
In addition, if you relocate to New Zealand before you have a permanent resident visa, you may be required to pay GST and import duties on your household goods. Once you have a permanent resident visa, you may be eligible for a one-time importation of your used household goods into New Zealand without paying customs duty or GST.
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The Ministry for Primary Industries has a wide range of information regarding pet importation and products that have import prohibitions at http://www.mpi.govt.nz/ .
This information is based on the best available information at the time of writing (10 January 2015). NZPI takes no responsibility for incorrect information, and we encourage planners interested in coming to New Zealand to conduct their own research on immigration and the requirements of planners working in New Zealand.