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New Zealand has launched a new website that aims to attract New Zealanders who have moved abroad to move back home, by listing job opportunities, relocation information, plus information on the school system and the arts. The site was launched on 1 Nov.
"New Zealand is a great place to live, work and play. We want to remind expats that New Zealand has an incredible amount to offer," New Zealand Immigration Minister David Cunliffe said.
The website is the start of a programme to make it easier for New Zealanders living offshore to come home, and ensure that those people who intend to return have the information they need to help them.
Mr Cunliffe said the programme was set against a background of a strong economy, the lowest unemployment rate in the developed world, increasing international competition for skills and around 500,000 New Zealanders living offshore.
"New Zealanders have always travelled and we know that three quarters of our overseas population are either intending to come home some time or will consider the option of coming home," he said.
"They have the skills our employers are crying out for and with unemployment at just 3.7 per cent this is a great time to begin talking to them about living here."
Department of Labour Communications and Marketing Director Richard Ninness said the programme centred around a website, newzealandnow.info, divided into categories around living, working, playing and moving home to New Zealand.
"The website aims to make it easier for New Zealanders to come home by keeping them in touch with what is really happening in New Zealand and the opportunities that are available here now."
The Department's marketing to attract skills to New Zealand would become more important as global demographics like ageing populations and shrinking workforces increased international competition for skilled labour, he said.
"Skilled New Zealanders are going to be in increasing demand offshore. That means it's important that we take new initiatives now to make sure that they know more about what's good about being home."
The website can be viewed at http://newzealandnow.info/.
