The CMP Canterbury recruitment team has been travelling to Samoa every year since 2007 to recruit workers for their busy lamb and beef line. The company does this after they have travelled the length of New Zealand in their search for suitable workers, and finds that recruiting some workers through the Pacific quotas is an excellent way to supplement their New Zealand workforce.
The CMP Canterbury recruits from Samoa are employed as production workers, working either day or night shifts, on the beef or lamb lines. According to Sharon, the Samoan recruits are solid, dependable people with a positive attitude and strong work ethic.
CMP Canterbury has a full-time Settlement Coordinator who works with their Samoan migrants from the minute they land at the airport. The Settlement Coordinator assists with finding housing, transport, community and work orientation, in order to ensure their transition into the Ashburton community is a little easier. A formula that has worked well for CMP Canterbury involves pre-settlement planning where – if the worker has dependents – the worker comes to New Zealand first and, once they are settled, their spouse and children follow.
The added bonus for Sharon is that the Samoan people have made a positive impact on the Ashburton community by being really involved in intercultural concerts and sharing their culture and dance with local schools. Local churches and sports clubs have also reported a strengthening of talent and membership. The local colleges as well are beginning to see the budding sporting talent of Samoan students coming to the fore.
The Pacific Quotas scheme results in approximately 1500 Pacific Island people being eligible to both work and live in New Zealand each year. Employers approved to recruit from the Pacific work closely with the Pacific Relationship Managers to ensure they get the talent they need. For further information on how your company can recruit from Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Kiribati, please contact Immigration New Zealand’s Pacific Relationship Managers, John Hellesoe – email john.hellesoe@dol.govt.nz or phone 09 970 3907 or 027 270 9355 or Eva William – email eva.william@dol.govt.nz or phone 09 970 3906 or 027 454 0398.
In addition to support from their employer, new migrants can access the free local Settlement Support New Zealand service, which puts them in touch with agencies and networks to help them settle.
