Investing sustainably for your values

Many investor migrants choose NZ based on personal feelings of alignment with our social, business and political environment.

In the latest Cambridge Chats webinar organised by Cambridge Partners, Mobile’s Founder & Principal Bridget Romanes had the opportunity to join Roger Robson-William, Chief Sustainability Officer, Plant and Food Research and Dominic Sheehan, Financial Adviser, Cambridge Partners to discuss the links between values-based migration and sustainable investment.  

Bridget also talks about why more people are moving to New Zealand, seeking the clean green dream, and what may happen when they get here.

Dr Robson-Williams discussed what sustainability actually is and some of the key opportunities and challenges we face. He also provided insights into initiatives that Plant and Food Research are doing and the decisions consumers can make to be more sustainable.

Dominic discussed what sustainable investing means and introduced some of the key terms and concepts, including options available to investors. He addressed some of the challenges that accompany sustainable investing and investigating the trade-off between targeting an environmental/social return and targeting the best financial return.

If you are a recruiter or HR Professional bringing international talent to NZ Mobile Relocation has a range of settlement support services to suit your candidates and your business - from baseline support to meet Immigration New Zealand’s AEWV Accreditation requirements through to personalised programmes to support your most valued international employees.

To book a demo of our AEWV Resettlement Portal, or to better understand how Mobile can help you to ensure you are offering the right resettlement services for your candidates and your business, contact our Principal Bridget Romanes.

Bridget is a New Zealander who has lived and worked as a diplomat in Singapore and India.  After experiencing all facets of the relocation experience, she founded Mobile to work with private individuals moving to NZ and leading local and international businesses bringing in offshore talent. 

Making the most of Christmas as an expat in New Zealand

I spent a total of 10 Christmas Days as an expat based in Singapore and India. What I learned from the experience is that being away from your home country for a significant holiday is what you make of it, and is best approached with creativity and positive thinking.

Here are some ideas for how expats in New Zealand might spend 25 December:

Establish new traditions

Many expats want to follow some of their home country’s Christmas practices regardless of where they are in the world.  That can be as simple as connecting with your extended family through a zoom call. 

We always enjoyed hosting some form of Christmas meal together with friends or visiting family, or sometimes just us!

But we have brought back one element of Christmas from India that still appears each year in our home in New Zealand.  While travelling in Goa, one of India’s most Christian states, I came across a set of Christmas tree placemats which we’ve used for our first Christmas in New Delhi, and every year since.

What Kiwi element can you introduce to your traditions this Christmas?

Eat out

On the other hand, some of my least-stressful expat Christmas’s were spent with someone else doing the catering!

Most Kiwis wouldn’t dream of eating out on Christmas Day as it’s a day for family and home, but living in Singapore was a release from that expectation.  All the major hotels offered amazing buffet meals on 25 December - so easy to just gather a group of friends and book in for a novel experience.

If you are concerned that trying to replicate a home-based Christmas won’t work for you, why not explore what New Zealand’s hospitality sector has to offer?

Building a whanau

When you’re living overseas, the concept of whanau is a great way of shaping who you’d like to have around your Christmas table.  Whanau means not just your blood relatives, but also close friends and people you form relationships with.  Many expats build strong networks like this as they don’t have family living in the same country.

Consider having a Christmas celebration involving your whanau, and also reaching out to other expats - perhaps workmates who’ve recently arrived in New Zealand.

If you’re offered the opportunity to join a Kiwi family, jump at it!

One of the most heartwarming stories I’ve heard from a client was how much they appreciated their manager inviting all the expats in his team to Christmas Day at his house. 
To help you prepare for what to expect, take a look at our recent blog here

Going back home for Christmas

This year, in particular, many New Zealand-based expats are heading back to Christmas in their  home country for the first time since COVID hit in 2020.

Our Kiwi Christmases as an expat were wonderful - to be back in New Zealand summer with family and friends - but also very busy and not super-restful. 

It’s important to set yourself up for success not exhaustion. We often found it easier to set a couple of dates for big gatherings and invite everyone to come to us, rather than racing around to see people individually. 
Also take a look at our blog with tips on how to manage the big trip home here.

Volunteer

Why not spend some time giving back by volunteering on Christmas day?

Check what’s around your area and if any groups need help. There could be a homeless shelter nearby that needs extra hands for serving Christmas lunch, or a nursing home that’s looking for people to make their clients feel loved on Christmas day. Perhaps there’s an animal shelter and you can spend the day snuggling with kittens and puppies.

Who knows, you may even make some new friends or find a new calling.

Holiday

One of the best things about living in New Zealand is that Christmas coincides with the long summer holidays.  Most people combine statutory holidays and leave to get at least 10 days off.  Many businesses even shut down for around three weeks.

So one option is to take a completely different approach to Christmas and use it as an opportunity to explore this part of the world - either around New Zealand, the Pacific Island, Australia or even up into Southeast Asia.

Regardless of how you choose to spend your Christmas we wish you a very safe and Merry one!

Mobile Relocation connects you with what you need to thrive in New Zealand.   Contact us today to talk about how we can carry your relocation burden.  

Mobile Relocation delivers resettlement and relocation programmes for businesses employing offshore talent. Our goal is to get your expat and migrant talent up and running in NZ as quickly as possible - reducing their time to effectiveness in their new role, and enabling them to deliver their skills and expertise to your the benefit of your business.

Bridget is a New Zealander who has lived and worked as a diplomat in Singapore and India.  After experiencing all facets of the relocation experience, she founded Mobile to work with private individuals moving to NZ and leading local and international businesses bringing in offshore talent.  bridget@mobile-relocation.com

Ready to move to New Zealand? Get our FREE Move to NZ Checklist here.

Where’s the value in expat settlement support?

The New Zealand government’s new AEWV visa scheme makes it compulsory for all employers to provide settlement information when they recruit internationally.

So, any expat or migrant relocating to New Zealand for a job will be given a head start on setting up here - everything from how to find a place to live, obtain a drivers licence, open a bank account and more.

That’s a game changer for candidates.

But where do businesses, recruiters and HR teams get value from their investment in settlement support?

The data

Our annual survey of 50 NZ-based international recruiters and HR teams answers this question.

We discovered their three top value points for settlement services were:

1. saving time and work 

2. keeping stakeholders happy

3. making offers more competitive

So, how does this play out in terms of business outcomes?

Candidate care

The war for talent demands that employers go the extra mile to look after candidates throughout the hiring process.

Candidate care is even more complex for international hires, as they need to be supported not just into a new role, but also through relocating and setting up in a new country.

For recruiters this impacts their workload, and pulls time and energy away from core functions.

Outsourcing the settlement support component of candidate care to a trusted provider, with a body of expert knowledge to meet the AEWV requirements, buys back hours in the day.

Stakeholder relationships

On one hand is the hiring manager, desperate for the skills and experience the new employee is bringing from offshore.

On the other side is the candidate, keen to start work, but also frantically trying to sort out all the logistics like schooling, housing etc in an unfamiliar new city.

Recruiters and HR teams satisfy both sets of stakeholders by providing a settlement support solution.  Candidates get the help they need, while managers are assured that their new talent will turn up on day 1, settled and ready to focus on work.

Attraction

Presented as a benefit, settlement support can be a deal-maker for international candidates.

Preliminary data from our latest client survey shows that 40% of candidates saw a personalised resettlement programme as super-important for their decision to take the role.  A further 57% appreciated that their employer offered this benefit to support their wellbeing.

The decision to take a role in another country is not just about the job.

It’s also often a whole-family decision and the support settlement benefit targets those wider personal needs that just don’t exist for a domestic candidate.

If you are a recruiter or HR Professional bringing international talent to NZ Mobile Relocation has a range of settlement support services to suit your candidates and your business - from baseline support to meet Immigration New Zealand’s AEWV Accreditation requirements through to personalised programmes to support your most valued international employees.

To book a demo of our AEWV Resettlement Portal, or to better understand how Mobile can help you to ensure you are offering the right resettlement services for your candidates and your business, contact our Principal Bridget Romanes.

Bridget is a New Zealander who has lived and worked as a diplomat in Singapore and India.  After experiencing all facets of the relocation experience, she founded Mobile to work with private individuals moving to NZ and leading local and international businesses bringing in offshore talent. 

Moving home to Aotearoa? Here is what you need to know

Earlier this month our Principal, Bridget Romanes, was part of a webinar hosted by Kea and BNZ offering advice to our returning Kiwi community to assist with a smooth transition home.

The Moving to New Zealand webinar touched on:

• How to get a head start on finances, including opening bank accounts from offshore and transferring money to New Zealand

• Tips on the relocation process including five things that should be top of your checklist and why your first few months in New Zealand could be a bit of a roller coaster

• Insight from a Kea community member who recently moved to NZ – including tips on packing, job hunting and the value of good Kiwi networks.

So if you are a Kiwi looking to move home in the next 12 months and have some questions you would like answered be sure to watch the webinar below.

Mobile Relocation connects you with what you need to thrive in New Zealand. Contact us today to talk about how we can carry your relocation burden.

Bridget is a New Zealander who has lived and worked as a diplomat in Singapore and India.  After experiencing all facets of the relocation experience, she founded Mobile to work with private individuals moving to NZ and leading local and international businesses bringing in offshore talent.  bridget@mobile-relocation.com

Ready to move to New Zealand? Get our FREE Move to NZ Checklist here.

5 Settlement Tips for Kiwi employers of international talent

With record skill shortages, Kiwi businesses are competing fiercely for international talent.  Financial incentives may seem the only way to stay in the game, but rest assured there are other solutions.

In the 7 years that I’ve worked with international recruiters and employers I’ve seen many creative initiatives and strategies delivering tangible results to attract and retain expats and migrants.

Here are my top 5:

1. Set up a migrant/expat employee network

International employees are a unique community within your business, and helping them to support each other is key.  

For example, Mobile Relocation client, T+T, has a Teams Channel exclusively for the use of their expats.  As T+T’s Recruitment Lead Dee Johnson describes,  ‘It’s a place to share information, laugh, vent, and (sometimes!) cry”.

Establishing this type of group is also a benefit to market to international candidates, in the same way as you’d promote D&I networks to domestic talent.  And the group itself is a great way to target international referral incentive programmes for your open roles.

2. Address expat wellbeing

International relocation is highly disruptive to wellbeing - everything in life changes all at once.  Research shows that 56% of expats show signs of anxiety and depression.

International hires need to know about your EAP programme , and understand that it is confidential - they may come from a country where employers don’t provide this type of support or mental health is not as openly discussed.

New Zealand’s annual Mental Health Awareness Week (held in Sept/Oct)  is an opportunity to address the unique challenges faced by expats.  Our Award-winning Expat Wellbeing Workshops share the latest research and strategies in an engaging and practical way.   Feedback shows that participants:

• Felt ‘seen’ and valued by their employers 

• Loved having a reason to get together with fellow  internationals and get support from others going through the same issues.

3. Family first

BGRS  research identified the major causes of international assignment failure as family issues, spouse dissatisfaction and inability to settle.

If families don’t settle successfully  it’s harder for your new employee to focus on work, and the pressure is always there to ditch NZ and return back to their country of origin.

Understanding and addressing an international candidate’s family situation is important, right from the recruitment stage.

Is there a partner who wants to work and needs help with visas or job connections?  Are there concerns about housing and schooling which can be addressed by a professional and personalised settlement support programme?

4. Mark settlement milestones

Top employers know that recognising their employees’ personal milestones has huge payoff for employee experience and engagement. 

It’s easy to translate this into valuable gestures to acknowledge and highlight key points as your international employees settle into life in New Zealand.

Examples include:

• Taking possession of a rental property.  Moving into a new home as an expat without friends and family to help celebrate can feel lonely.  A welcome hamper from your employer shows someone notices and cares.

• 1 month since arrival in NZ.  This has often been a hectic period for newcomers, so a voucher for a meal out, or a local attraction, can provide welcome relief for your expat employee and a chance to celebrate what has been achieved.

5. Promote your Settlement Support benefit

The AEWV visa scheme’s Settlement Support requirement makes Kiwi employers unique as they all now offer a baseline level of information and connections to help candidates get set up in NZ quickly and effectively.

Amplifying this benefit to candidates will boost attraction.   Settlement Support is a big drawcard for international talent, and particularly those with families, when you’re asking them to move to the other side of the world.  

If you’re already using the Mobile AEWV Settlement Info Portal, or our personalised Move to NZ programmes, make sure your candidates understand all the value-adds this platform offers too!

To book a demo of our AEWV Resettlement Portal, or to better understand how Mobile can help you to ensure you are offering the right resettlement services for your candidates and your business, contact our Principal Bridget Romanes.

Bridget is a New Zealander who has lived and worked as a diplomat in Singapore and India.  After experiencing all facets of the relocation experience, she founded Mobile to work with private individuals moving to NZ and leading local and international businesses bringing in offshore talent. 

New Zealand’s secret to successful international recruitment

Kiwi businesses are crying out for international talent, yet the war for global talent is more competitive than ever.

Did you know that New Zealand’s new AEWV visa programme has a unique component that elevates the attractiveness of roles in Aotearoa ahead of other countries?

I’ve been designing and running settlement programmes for Kiwi businesses recruiting offshore for 7 years and it’s so exciting to see our clients enthusiastically adopting Immigration New Zealand’s new mandatory settlement support baseline.

The government’s compulsory requirement for employers to provide settlement information for AEWV holders might seem like an administrative burden. 

But put yourself in the shoes of an offshore candidate, and it looks quite different. 

A potential migrant or expat will see a Kiwi employer who cares enough about their wellbeing to provide the information and connections they, and their family, need to settle successfully in New Zealand. 

It’s Manaakitanga in action - the process of showing respect, generosity and care for others.

While other countries promise amazing new lives to international talent, New Zealand employers now take action to make it actually happen.

Why does this matter to candidates?

Imagine arriving in New Zealand for the first time, and having to set up a whole new life.

You’d want to focus on getting to grips with your new job.

But you’re also dealing with an overwhelming range of life admin … Finding a rental property.  Getting kids into school.  Understanding where to buy the food you like. Connecting  with your ethnic or religious community.

Relocating countries can be as stressful  as a major illness, according to the Holmes and Rahe Stress Inventory Scale. 

Anything employers do to smooth the way will  positively impact the wellbeing, and job performance, of new international employees.

What is settlement support?

As part of the AEWV accreditation, all employers must now provide visa-holders with information on everything from housing to opening a bank account to the cost of living.

The result? Your valuable international talent can find exactly what they need to know to get set up in NZ quickly and efficiently.

This is  now the new minimum level of support that all migrants and expats on AWEV visas will receive.

How do recruiters amplify this benefit?

In a time of escalating salaries, businesses are on the look-out for relevant benefits to offer international talent.

Settlement support meets this criteria.

 It doesn’t affect base salary but targets the unique requirements of candidates relocating to New Zealand.

Here’s how we see our canny international recruitment clients utilising the settlement support benefit:

• Package into your EVP - Present settlement support as a high-profile and  integral component of your employment offers.

• Align with Wellbeing Strategy - List  settlement support as part of your business’s wellbeing programme to show that you understand the specific needs and concerns of people moving to a new country for a new role. 

• Target family - You’ll find that offering settlement support resonates strongly with partners and spouses - research by Netexpat and EY shows that spouse and and family issues are the main reasons why employees decide against taking an offshore role.

• Trump competitors -  A professional settlement support offering elevates your business above other employers in your industry.  Many Kiwi employers are already using our cost-efficient online Settlement Support Portal that saves you time, work, and ensures you remain AEWV compliant. 

• Would you like to join them?  Book a demo today or contact our Principal, Bridget Romanes, for more information.

If you are a recruiter or HR Professional bringing international talent to NZ Mobile Relocation has a range of settlement support services to suit your candidates and your business - from baseline support to meet Immigration New Zealand’s AEWV Accreditation requirements through to personalised programmes to support your most valued international employees.

How employers make the most of the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) programme

It has now been a few months since the start of Immigration NZ’s new Accredited Employer Work Visa programme (AEWV) began.

In this expert interview we discuss the AEWV programme with Rachael Mason, Partner at Lane Neave, and ask her to explain what employers need to know to make the most of it.

Rachael’s advice will include:

• The system and how it works for employers.

• The latest changes to the AEWV programme.

• How the AEWV residency programme works.

• Some of the pitfalls being seen with AEWV applications, and how can employers avoid them.

Mobile Relocation delivers resettlement and relocation programmes for businesses employing offshore talent. Our goal is to get your expat and migrant talent up and running in NZ as quickly as possible - reducing their time to effectiveness in their new role, and enabling them to deliver their skills and expertise to your the benefit of your business.

Bridget is a New Zealander who has lived and worked as a diplomat in Singapore and India.  After experiencing all facets of the relocation experience, she founded Mobile to work with private individuals moving to NZ and leading local and international businesses bringing in offshore talent.  bridget@mobile-relocation.com

Ready to move to New Zealand? Get our FREE Move to NZ Checklist here.

Why intercultural intelligence matters for Kiwi business

As international recruitment ramps up post-COVID, forward-thinking HR professionals are focusing on how to build effective cross-cultural teams.  Harnessing the skills and knowledge of expats and migrants relocating to New Zealand depends on it.  In our latest Mobile Expert Interview,  intercultural expert, Shireen Chua, shares the factors that shape an employer’s ability to develop and grow cultural intelligence in their organisation.

What is intercultural intelligence?

Intercultural intelligence is the ability to create a new space that facilitates win-win situations in culturally diverse settings.  This requires us to develop our cultural agility to anticipate, correctly interpret and adjust in culturally diverse settings.  

Why is it important for New Zealand businesses and what tangible value does intercultural intelligence provide?

With my own experience working in government, education, business and not-for-profit settings, I have seen how Auckland and New Zealand have changed. The cultural diversity in the communities and organizations made me curious to explore how everyone could work together in spite of all the differences.

Cultural diversity describes all the ways difference exists within a group of people. What’s more - everyone is multi-dimensional. This goes beyond nationality, ethnicity, age, and gender to the hidden values, beliefs and worldviews.  Every interaction is an intercultural encounter. 

I navigated some complex cultural challenges in the projects I managed and wanted to move into this space after completing my MBA. I founded Third Culture Solutions to equip leaders, teams and organizations to learn to work in the “purple space”- where people of the “blue culture” work with people of the “red culture” they need to learn to work in the “purple space”. 

Globalisation has increased the complexity of culture.  It’s important for New Zealand businesses to equip their leaders and staff with intercultural intelligence so that they can understand each other better, work together better, and also bring their diverse experiences and thinking into the business.

This is an ongoing process that will reap benefits of increased creativity, innovation and employee engagement and wellbeing.

Is intercultural intelligence more important for expats and immigrants coming into NZ, or for the teams who are receiving them here?

 It is important for everyone that needs to work together.

Expats who move here often are prepared for differences in culture, whilst the teams who receive expats are often less equipped.  

For teams to become high-performing, everyone needs to develop intercultural intelligence to understand each other more, and work well together.

How is intercultural intelligence training typically delivered?

I deliver talks, mini-learning sessions, leadership training, and coach expats, leaders and emerging leaders to develop cultural agility.

Training ranges. . . workshops only offer the knowledge, but for awareness and behaviour change to occur, an ongoing learning journey over time with reflection and coaching is key for the training or learning to be transformational.  High-performance learning journeys increase learning, application and transformation over time.

What's your story, and how did you end up working in this area?

I’m a Malaysian Born Chinese Kiwi who has spent her childhood in Malaysia before migrating to Aotearoa New Zealand as a 12-year-old.  I was educated in New Zealand, with degrees in Masters of Science (Nutrition), MBA and I’m now completing a PhD in Strategic Management, where I’m looking at how leaders approach managing a culturally diverse workforce. 

My hope is that everyone who works in New Zealand organizations experiences the opportunity to work in a high-performing intercultural team and organisation, where they navigate both the highs and lows to experience belonging.

WWW.THIRDCULTURE.CO.NZ

Mobile Relocation delivers resettlement and relocation programmes for businesses employing offshore talent. Our goal is to get your expat and migrant talent up and running in NZ as quickly as possible - reducing their time to effectiveness in their new role, and enabling them to deliver their skills and expertise to your the benefit of your business.

Bridget is a New Zealander who has lived and worked as a diplomat in Singapore and India.  After experiencing all facets of the relocation experience, she founded Mobile to work with private individuals moving to NZ and leading local and international businesses bringing in offshore talent.  bridget@mobile-relocation.com

Ready to move to New Zealand? Get our FREE Move to NZ Checklist here.