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offshore kiwis

Originally from a small city in Malaysia, Jen and her family relocated to New Zealand in her late teens. Several years later after studying and working in New Zealand she decided to move back to Malaysia, where she discovered entrepreneurship and tech startups in Kuala Lumpur.

“I worked on various stages of the tech startups lifecycle, and also worked for aMalaysian Government agency to help boost the startup and social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Malaysia. I was then offered the opportunity to work for a start up in Singapore so I moved again.”

In 2020 her contract in Singapore came to an end, and with Covid causing uncertainty and closing borders around the world, Jen decided to move back to Tauranga to be closer to her family.

Despite being familiar with New Zealand, Jen says returning to Tauranga was still something of a culture shock, especially from a professional viewpoint.

Jen and her team at a startup Government agency in Malaysia

“I had built up some really strong networks in Malaysia and Singapore over the years, but it wasn’t until I was back in New Zealand that I realised how important those networks were. I really struggled in New Zealand not having anyone to reach out to during those first few years when I was setting up a digital innovation consultancy for a US-headquartered company. I knew I would have to build networks fast if I wanted to make this transition work.”

Jen focused on meeting new people and building communities and as someone who likes to stay active she realised team sport would be a great place to start, and signed up for competitive ultimate frisbee.

“I’ve met a lot of people through ultimate frisbee – there’s a good global community. When I went to Singapore last year I trained with a team there, similarly when I went to Kenya for work I decided to join one of the club trainings in Nairobi. It’s definitely helped to expand my network.”

Jen playing ultimate frisbee in Tauranga

Jen also had to adjust to New Zealand’s slower place of life, and smaller less dynamic cities but she says in time she has found her place in Tauranga.

“To be able to move somewhere, to have that choice is a privilege which not everyone has. I think you have to be clear about why you want to return to New Zealand. There is no doubt that New Zealand offers a great lifestyle, but if you want to grow professionally at the same level of exposure you’ve been used to overseas, it’s definitely a bit harder. It’s a different market, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it work, you just have to commit to it.”

Jen is lucky enough that her job allows her to work from offshore a few times a year, and last year she was mainly based in Singapore for two and a half months over the New Zealand winter. While she says she wouldn’t rule out another move overseas for now she is happy to build a life in New Zealand.

“I think that it’s important to keep your pulse on what’s happening globally, I am lucky I have been able to do that by working for a global tech company which has offices around the world. What I miss most about Singapore and Malaysia is its ease of travel and access to a diversity of people, different ways of working, ideas and discourse. But then New Zealand has its own benefits like lifestyle, friends and family, and now that I am settling back into New Zealand life, I think it would be a shame to lose it, so it’s about finding a balance that keeps you happy.”

Her advice to others is to get out and meet people when you land in a new city, and grow your networks as fast as you can.

“It’s good when you find people who you are comfortable with and generous with their network. You can hold an event like dinner or drinks, and then you can ask them to bring more people to join. It’s a great way to get to know more people and expand your network. It’s also important that you reciprocate generosity too.”

Ultimately however, she feels it’s not location that’s important, but rather the life you create no matter where you are based.

“The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. It’s people that make a home, not places. Be open to new experiences, and know that you will always have challenges. Once you understand those two concepts you will be happier for it – home is then wherever you make it to be.”

Filed Under: Global Kiwi, Kiwi coming home Tagged With: Coming Home, kiwis overseas, living in Malaysia, living in Singapore, offshore kiwis, returning kiwi

Madison Wilson, London

How long have you lived offshore?
I moved away from my home in Auckland in March 2023. After a quick solo trip to Italy for a month, I made my way to my new home in London. I have been living here for nine months now.

What do you love most about London?
How could you not love London? Of course, there are some hardships in moving – London is so big compared to New Zealand. I love the culture and diversity here. I have met so many people I would never have had the opportunity to meet had I not left my small coastal town in New Zealand.

I love the vibrancy, the opportunity to work and travel. I love the glamour of the West End and the amazing parks. But, most of all I love my friends. As cliche as it is; I have made the most amazing Kiwi friends here. I couldn’t do it without them all, and having someone from the same country as you in a new place is like having a big hug when you’re a little lonely. Meeting like minded Kiwis has made this adventure so much more worthwhile.

Why did you choose to move to London?
Ever since I was little my mum and my dad have shared stories with me about their adventures in London. They told me the bars they visited, the tube lines they caught every day, the wild nights and the trips to the countryside. I have made most of my life’s decisions in anticipation of moving here myself. I was never trying to run away from New Zealand or leave for good, I just wanted to experience London the way my mum had. I wanted to share the stories with her and be able to look back on this magical shared experience we both had had. I wanted to call her and tell her about her clock and Dad’s Tower. I wanted to get advice on all the amazing spots to visit. Really, I wanted to be like her and live the amazing life she had at my age. So, when my mum passed away over a year ago, I knew I still needed to travel here so I could find all the missing pieces of her life before me, so I could feel her with me – leading the life she wanted me to have.

What is your favourite hidden gem destination that you would recommend to anyone visiting London?
I love Neal’s Yard in central London. It is bright and quirky and a perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of London. A great place to shop is Brixton Village which has some amazing small shops and a rooftop bar (Lost in Brixton). London always has new exciting and fresh pop ups to go to so you are never bored here.

What is the best thing about being a Kiwi offshore?
As New Zealanders, we have a great reputation with foreigners. Everyone I meet in London or in Europe is always so interested in where I come from and they want to learn about me. Employees also are always interested in Kiwis because we have a reputation for being hard working. But, the best thing is coming from a country on the other side of the world and being in a bar and hearing that familiar accent on the other side of the room. The instant connection and friendship that is formed in work spaces, bathroom stalls or in line for McDonalds. Hearing the iconic Kiwi twang and ‘yeah, nah’ is the most exciting thing in the world when you live so far away from home.

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about making the move overseas?
If you have nothing tying you to New Zealand right now such as a job you love, a family or any other commitments, then you would be crazy to not try living in a new country. I know it sounds scary and overwhelming, but it is one of the most amazing and beneficial experiences you will ever have. It’s true New Zealand is the most beautiful and amazing place to live, but there is only so much you can learn about the world and your place in it when you keep yourself on that small island. Take any opportunity you can to get out and explore the world around you.

Neil Emery and Chriss Kavanagh, Andalusia

How long have you lived offshore?
We live in a small Spanish village called El Gastor which is 30 minutes from Ronda or an hour from Seville, in Andalusia. We bought our house in 2017 and currently spend six months in Spain running our business Edible Bike Tours – gourmet ebike tours of local white villages, and then we spend six months in New Zealand working in hospitality.

What do you love most about Spain?
We love the community spirit in our Spanish village. There is no crime, everyone knows everyone and they look out for each other. You always see the elderly being taken for walks with the adult children. It is very family oriented. The village always has something happening throughout the year like festivals, running competitions, dancing groups etc. Also, we love the weather as it never rains in summer and the scenery is beautiful.

Why did you choose to move to Spain?
We chose this place because it was near Ronda which is a small city but has all the amenities you need. It is also in the countryside with back roads joining other white villages. This gave us the idea of doing ebike tours incorporating local food and wine.

What is your favourite hidden gem destination that you would recommend to anyone visiting?
One of our favourite hidden gems would be the route from the village of Grazalema to Zahara, it is a mountain road that goes through magnificent scenery.

What is the best thing about being a Kiwi offshore?
The best thing about being a Kiwi offshore is that we get to promote New Zealand. We always bring back New Zealand products like local honey and iconic sweets (pineapple lumps) to our neighbours in Spain. We are always asked where we are from by people doing our tours and that gives us the chance to talk about New Zealand.

Annuska Menoita, Amsterdam

How long have you lived offshore?
I left New Zealand in March 2023 to travel and see the world with my partner, KJ. After many unforgettable adventures, in August, we found ourselves running out of the holiday cash and decided we should start sorting out our next moves. We applied to jobs in our four favourite cities (Berlin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Madrid) to see what bites we would get. KJ went through five rounds of interviews and landed a job at the headquarters of Tesla in Amsterdam. We officially moved here only at the start of November 2023 as there was a lot of paperwork to be done!

What do you love most about Amsterdam?
I have some family here and have grown up making multiple trips over to this magical city. It is bustling with creative people who constantly seek new connections and innovation. I adore the community that is created here by the mix of the local Dutch and expats surrounding the city. It is full of opportunity and growth and for me, it is a great place to develop as a creative and designer.

Why did you choose to move to Amsterdam?
It was a combination of good timing, having a thirst to grow, and a will to experience another facet of this world we live in.

What is the best thing about being a Kiwi offshore?
Everyone is so interested in life in New Zealand, it is great being able to give new friends recommendations of where to get their fish and chips back in New Zealand and which hikes to go on. But also, there are so many Kiwis everywhere, it is great to kill the homesickness with a walk in the park with a fellow Kiwi.

What is the biggest similarity and difference between New Zealand and Amsterdam that some people might not expect?

A similarity is people take their time! Although it is one of the central spots for business and commerce in Europe, as soon as the sun shines on a Wednesday afternoon, everyone is outside breathing in the crisp air and hanging out with a pint or coffee on hand. The Dutch know how to chill too.

A difference — the humour. If you love dry, direct, and sarcastic humour, you will feel right at home. At a slightly deeper level, I would say connection. The community itself is very uplifting and most people want to lift each other up and work together to solve bigger problems. It is just something that I have experienced and observed here. It forms a connection and a chain reaction.

James Yu, Shanghai

Where are you living right now?
I am currently living in Shanghai, China.

How long have you lived off shore?
One year and a half.

What do you love most about your current home?
What I love about Shanghai is the transport system. It makes my life much more convenient without a car, and it also allows me to easily access every corner of the city.

If someone was coming to visit the area where would you recommend them visiting and why?
Yu Garden Tour. A traditional Chinese garden situated in the center of the city, which contrasts
its classic beauty from surrounded modern architecture.

What’s the best thing about being a Kiwi offshore?
The best part is to experience the hospitality of Chinese people and enjoy the diversity of local culture.

What do you miss the most about New Zealand?
My friends back in New Zealand are what I miss the most, weekends away on the beach, visiting nice vineyards, hiking in the mountains or playing in a rugby tournament.

How do you remind yourself of home on days when you miss New Zealand?
Photos and videos taken back in New Zealand can always remind me of the best days at home.

Filed Under: Global Kiwi Tagged With: Kea community., kiwis in amsterdam, kiwis in london, kiwis in shanghai, kiwis in spain, offshore kiwis

A key focus for New Zealand in 2022 is to refresh and strengthen our global trade relationships, and to not only reconnect our country to the world but also the world to Aotearoa. And it is here that our offshore and returning Kiwi community should play a vital role. 

One million Kiwi live offshore. This community offers New Zealand an incredible resource of skills, knowledge, connections and experience. Harnessing the power and inspiration of this community is key to ensuring a smooth and successful recovery and navigating the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead as we work to re-energise our economy and show our trading partners we remain competitive on the world stage. 

Research shows 18% or almost a fifth of Kiwi live offshore, many of them in countries which are several months further down the track with their opening up strategies. These Kiwi have already navigated various reopening challenges and are keen to share this knowledge particularly with the business community. The recent discovery of the Covid Omicron strain is a timely reminder that the pandemic situation will continue to shift and evolve. This is yet another reminder of the huge potential to be gained from learning from the ongoing experiences of this community. 

Ganesh Nana, Chair of the New Zealand Productivity Commission – Te Kōmihana Whai Hua o Aotearoa, recently urged New Zealand to “be proactive in ensuring the distinctive skills, knowledge, experience, and connections of our offshore and returning Kiwi community are used to lift innovation, productivity, and the wellbeing of all in Aotearoa.”

Utilising the power of a country’s offshore community or diaspora, is not a new phenomenon. In fact many countries around the world are actively engaging in research on how best to leverage this growing opportunity.

The International Organisation for Migration predicts that over the next decade, governments, multilateral organizations and corporations will be drawn to the diaspora sector, with investment in it growing substantially. The sector will be seen as a “whole-of-government” issue that needs time, attention and resources. 

IOM spokesperson for Asia and the Pacific, Itayi Viriri, says diasporas have a huge potential for leading sustainable development in their countries of origin and this potential is often most evident in island nations with large diaspora communities such as New Zealand. 

“Members of a diaspora can help open doors for their country of origin politically, through public diplomacy and economically, through nostalgic trade and their own commercial activities. These opportunities would otherwise be difficult for the country to achieve due to limited visibility on the international stage, lack of connectivity due to geographic remoteness, and/or limited resources for formal diplomatic or trade promotion activities. This bridging role of diaspora communities is an invaluable resource for countries of origin, however it cannot be assumed as a given. Institutions in the country of origin must work to build and maintain the trust of their offshore community who may easily feel neglected or disconnected if there is a lack of proactive outreach.”

Across the world we can see inspiring examples of how connecting with a country’s offshore community has a positive impact on the growth and development of a nation. 

For example, the Institute for International Economics found that Koreans living in the United States have generated an increase of trade between the two countries by around 15-20%. 

The Korean Government considers offshore communities to be valuable sources of global talent and potential investment. By leveraging its overseas population with an eye towards enhancing national economic competitiveness, Korea trades more with countries where a larger number of ethnic Koreans reside. In 2017, more than 600 small and medium-sized companies in Korea signed deals with Korean entrepreneurs living overseas to further enhance Korea’s economic profile.

Further research this time into offshore Indian communities in the US further supports this economic advancement theory. Indians living and working in Silicon Valley in California, showed  27% regularly exchanged information on jobs or business opportunities and technology with people back in India. 46% had been a contact for domestic Indian business and 23% had invested their own money into Indian start-ups. 

There is no reason why New Zealand shouldn’t be able to harness similar benefits from our offshore community. Our Kea Future Aspirations Survey showed 25% of Kea’s offshore community are interested in being a brand ambassador for New Zealand, 18% are interested in New Zealand board and advisory positions and 17% are interested in giving time and mentorship to NZ businesses. The opportunities that this community presents are there for the taking. 

As we look ahead to 2022 and focus on reconnecting with the world we must make sure that we are not wasting an opportunity to harness the power of our offshore community. Next year will represent a key turning point in our battle against Covid and it is vital that we all work together to ensure the best outcomes for the productivity of all Aotearoa. 

Kāhore taku toa i te toa takitahi, he toa takitini – we cannot succeed without the support of those around us.

If you’d like to enlist the ideas, experience and networks of our offshore Kiwi to support your business, get in touch with Kea and let’s engage more of our global explorers for a more productive New Zealand. 

CONTRIBUTOR

Toni Truslove

Kea Global CEO

Kea New Zealand

Kea member


COMING HOME?

Join

Join the Kea community, NZ’s online home for returning Kiwis.

READ MORE

Resources

We’re here to support returning Kiwi. Here’s our list of resources to help you plan your return and next steps.

READ MORE

Jobs

Looking for a new role in New Zealand? Visit the Kea job portal and find your next career opportunity.

READ MORE

Filed Under: COVID-19 recovery, Global Kiwi, Kiwi coming home Tagged With: Coming Home, Covid-19, Economic Recovery, Future Aspirations Survey, Growth, offshore kiwis, opportunity

New Zealand needs to ‘work smarter, not harder’ is the implication – and an injection of smart, skilled, internationally experienced Kiwi and their capital could certainly help New Zealand improve this statistic.

But that opportunity currently hangs in the balance as thousands of talented offshore Kiwi reassess their place in the world, and if there is a better life for them ‘back home’.

The Kea Future Aspirations Survey of offshore Kiwi and those recently returned, suggests a large group of these global citizens still plan to return, but the landscape is rapidly changing.

Takutai Atrium

Sir Peter Gluckman recently said, “The window of opportunity for New Zealand to attract talent is evaporating as the developed world becomes vaccinated. Other countries, like Singapore, have moved swiftly, turning Covid-19 into opportunities to their advantage. 

“Start-up and scale-up are very different, and scale-up requires globally orientated expertise we are short in – we need to work with these returning Kiwis or risk being left behind,” he said.

A key issue for returning Kiwi is satisfactory employment.  While local businesses talk about skill shortages and a desperate need to attract international talent, our Kiwi explorers are expressing a growing disillusionment about the return home, with an issue of feeling valued front and foremost.

In fact, there is a significant mismatch between what Kiwi employers say they are offering and the experience of returnees. 

On the positive side, the report shows that 64% of Kiwi businesses are proactively seeking internationally experienced Kiwi to fill positions.

Yet, while 46% of businesses indicate international experience is highly desired and a plus, only 38% of returnees expect local businesses to fully understand and value their overseas experience.

And while local employers suggest that returnee wage expectations are too high, returnees say they’ve already discounted themselves to meet the market.

In fact, 52% of returnees indicate that they expect to earn less, or significantly less, in New Zealand – a financial set-back, coming on top of the many issues of getting through MIQ, finding somewhere to live, getting visas for partners, school for kids and more.

The ongoing call for the careful opening of borders to allow more skilled migrants essential to business and exporters, is getting louder by the day.  NZTech CEO Graeme Muller said recently there could be as many as 10,000 open tech roles in the market this month alone. Are we missing the opportunity to engage Kiwi who have, or are about to return home?

It seems that New Zealand employers are underestimating the total package that internationally trained and skilled expats present. 

Ganesh Nana, Chair of the New Zealand Productivity Commission Te Kōmihana Whai Hua o Aotearoa recently commented that: “Internationally experienced Kiwi contribute to Aotearoa through distinctive skills, knowledge, and connections that can help lift innovation and the governance of our businesses and industries. 

“We should look to capitalise on the strengths of returning and offshore Kiwis to deliver productivity lift and improvements to the wellbeing of all New Zealanders,” Nana said.

However, returnees are only half the story. The offshore Kiwi community is telling us they want to proactively contribute to New Zealand’s post-Covid recovery and ongoing success – if we give them the opportunity. The Kea report shows that of the 59% of Kiwi choosing to remain offshore, half of these are wanting to contribute to New Zealand in some meaningful way – with 18% of these interested in board and advisory positions. Their understanding of international business, the latest in technology, business processes and importantly their networks all serve to give our businesses a distinct advantage – if utilised!

The race is now on – with other nations starting to emerge from lockdown, vaccinating their populations and opening borders, the post-Covid talent grab has begun. 

With New Zealand having one of the highest offshore populations in the OECD, the time is now if we are to take the opportunity to leverage their skills, knowledge and networks.

So, more needs to be done – urgently – to engage with our most talented Kiwi explorers whether they are remaining offshore or coming home, to help them with the hurdles they face and to properly value their skills and experience for the benefit of all. 

This means as a nation we must recognise the value of our offshore population and better factor their potential into our planning and policy decisions.

It should also include: 

  • Closing the gap between returning kiwi and employers – encouraging employers to see the longer term, bigger picture implications of employing, valuing and retaining internationally experienced and skilled talent.
  • Looking further afield for board appointments, advisory positions, hard to fill roles or investment with our offshore Kiwi a great place start. A gift from the COVID-era is a new appreciation for distance working, let’s set this in motion.
  • Recognising that while the world’s borders remain closed now, the Post-Covid era will come, and with it, new opportunities and a need for fresh ideas and capital. Let’s foster our relationships with offshore Kiwi now and plan to be part of that future.

At Kea, we engage with our offshore and returning Kiwi every day. We field constant emails offering support and connection, we match offshore Kiwi with those on the ground who need them and we celebrate every successful integration we participate in.  

If you’d like to enlist the ideas, experience and networks of our offshore Kiwi to support your business, get in touch with Kea and let’s engage more of our global explorers for a more productive New Zealand. 

Click here to access the full #KeaFutureAspirations report

CONTRIBUTOR

Toni Truslove

CEO

Kea New Zealand

Kea member

COMING HOME?

Join

Join the Kea community, NZ’s online home for returning Kiwis.

READ MORE

Resources

We’re here to support returning Kiwi. Here’s our list of resources to help you plan your return and next steps.

READ MORE

Jobs

Looking for a new role in New Zealand? Visit the Kea job portal and find your next career opportunity.

READ MORE

Filed Under: COVID-19 recovery, Global Kiwi, Kiwi coming home Tagged With: Coming Home, Covid-19, Economic Recovery, economy, Future Aspirations Survey, Growth, offshore kiwis, opportunity

In the MIQ video below, hear valuable insights on:

  • How to prepare for MIQ and what to expect from the experience
  • The release of new vouchers and the availability around Christmas
  • What quarantine is like for families and how to best prepare children
  • When and how MIQ requirements might change for people who are vaccinated

A huge thank you to Mobile Relocation Principal Bridget Romanes for giving our Kea Community the opportunity to participate in the Q&A. 

For more help in planning your return to Aotearoa, see our coming home resource list here.

Watch the full webinar recording below.

Filed Under: Kiwi coming home Tagged With: Coming Home, Managed Isolation, MIQ, moving home, offshore kiwis, returning kiwi

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

Borders May Close – Minds Need Not

As a Kiwi who lived offshore for almost eight years, I relished the opportunity to build on my New Zealand based skills and perspectives. 
Operating a digital business in a highly competitive market sharpened my ability to understand audience behaviour. It taught me how to use data to drive strategy, ways to develop alternate revenue streams and importantly, how to lead teams through change.
I was beyond excited at the prospect of bringing these, often hard-learned skills home to Aotearoa to see how I might be able to help grow a company on the soil where I grew up.  

Rude awakening

Arriving home four years ago, however, proved to be a rude awakening.
I was told by more than one recruiter that my skills were irrelevant in NZ, that I should be ready to halve my salary and hope to work my way back into a leadership position over the coming years. 

This is my story, but it is also the story of so many Kiwi returning home.  
We are a passionate nation, proud of what we achieve collectively. 
We love to see companies like Xero and RocketLab on the world stage. 
Yet we are also more than a little unwelcoming of tall poppies, particularly if they come in the form of Kiwi returning home. 
For some reason we feel a sense of abandonment that they left us, and more than a dash of incredulity that in a reality-shifting moment like a global pandemic, they would want to be home amongst family, familiar faces and places. 
As a small island nation on the edge of the globe we have learnt to be self-reliant and to build things our way.
Our response to the covid-19 pandemic was also purpose-built to make the most of our natural maritime border.  

Risk of closed minds

But I sense that in the current moment we are at risk of closing our minds, as well as our borders. 
As a country we need more high value innovative companies like Soul Machines and Seequent, we need to increase our frontier firms and our productivity. 
Part of this could be achieved through driving diversity of thought and including not only cultural differences from amongst our resident population, but also the different perspectives gleaned from our whānau offshore and recently returned.
In my work with Kea, I have seen the breadth and depth of passionate thought leadership and experience within our offshore network. 
These unique global Kiwi deliver innovation in a wide range of industries, for other nations. What might it take for NZ to open our mind to what they have to offer us?  
With the country riding high in global brand perception, we have more global Kiwi than ever wanting to support the country they are so proud of – through the talent or investment of those who choose to return, or the ideas and perspectives of those who remain offshore.

Carpe Kiwi

It is up to us as a community to navigate the solution, grabbing on to the amazing opportunity that exists.
On my return to Aotearoa, I had some soul searching to do. 
I needed to rethink my skill set and find the right terms of reference to appeal to a New Zealand-based company. 
Importantly, I had to find the right way to integrate myself into its team and culture. 
Returning Kiwi would do well to do the same.
But an enormous opportunity also exists for NZ to be open to new ideas and to find ways to amplify returning Kiwi skills that might not sit in a job description. 
We need to lose the fear of being told there’s another way of doing things and be ready to embrace healthy challenges to the status quo – the impact could be far-reaching.

Open minds

While it may take a few years to improve cost of living, housing and traffic issues, the one thing every one of us can do right now, is to open our minds.
We are the employers, the policy makers, the community and the whānau who can welcome these valuable Kiwi back home.
 And for a group who largely made the call to give up their lives to return to the familiar, this emotional support could go an awfully long way to securing their ongoing loyalty and value.

CONTRIBUTOR

Toni Truslove

CEO

Kea New Zealand

Kea member

COMING HOME?

Join

Join the Kea community, NZ’s online home for returning Kiwis.

READ MORE

Resources

We’re here to support returning Kiwi. Here’s our list of resources to help you plan your return and next steps.

READ MORE

Jobs

Looking for a new role in New Zealand? Visit the Kea job portal and find your next career opportunity.

READ MORE

Filed Under: COVID-19 recovery, Global Kiwi, Kiwi coming home Tagged With: Coming Home, Covid-19, offshore kiwis

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