News archive

Innovation: New projects drive plans to hire staff

March 28, 2013

Firms planning to take on more people as customer demand rises, research shows.

The overwhelming majority of Auckland information and communications technology employers are planning to hire new staff this year as new projects are rolled out and customer demand increases, research shows.

The Auckland Market Insight report, by information and communications technology (ICT) recruitment specialists Absolute IT, says 76 per cent of ICT employers in the city are planning to recruit permanent staff or contractors in 2013 - a 4 per cent increase on the year before.

Absolute IT's research is based on surveys of 1500 professionals and 200 employers in the sector.

New projects and increased customer demand account for 37 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively, of recruitment activity, the report said.

It said the top skills employers were seeking were software development (36 per cent), networking and infrastructure (27 per cent), project management (12 per cent) and business analysis (12 per cent).

Martin Barry, general manager and director of Absolute IT Auckland, said the city's ICT job market was buoyant.
"We're continuing to see a very competitive market," said Barry. "To attract the best talent employers not only need to offer competitive employment packages at market remuneration rates, but they also need to consider the other non-financial benefits job seekers want [such as] flexible working hours, career development opportunities and challenging work."

The report said remuneration continued to be a crucial component in attracting new talent, with 31 per cent of professionals citing salary packages as the main deciding factor when accepting a new job.

Almost 60 per cent of ICT professionals were expecting a pay rise in 2013, while 49 per cent of employers were planning to give pay rises.

One website was showing 1300 ICT vacancies in Auckland alone with pay rates of up to $1500 a day being offered for some roles.

Exciting programmes for job seekers

March 2013

The Chamber of Commerce's Employment Division has two initiatives funded by Government, designed to assist new Migrants.

The path may be now not so difficult for those migrants seeking to negotiate their first employment contract.

The first initiative is their www.newkiwis.co.nz website funded by Immigration New Zealand. Now with a Global reach, job seekers offshore can register their profiles making them available for NZ Employers from the earliest point of having an interest in coming here - irrespective of visa status. On arrival, seekers can change their status to 'Local', indicating they are now here.

The embarrassing chicken and egg situation has been posed by many bemused and frustrated would-be newcomers who ask the same question "How can I meet the employers demand for a work visa when the NZI protocol clearly states, first the job offer and only then if approved a visa of some sort, strictly in that order".

New Kiwis as a website presents a path for newcomers trying to secure their first job in NZ.

The New Kiwis Career Success course does require participants to be on a work visa but it can be any kind of work visa. This initiative, funded by Ministry of Social Development, targets newly arrived migrants and aims to give them a kick start their job search strategy with lots of information on how recruitment is done here… Information and advice from cover letters and CVs through to networking and cold calling. The 2.5 day course is followed by access to on-going support until employed.

Elsewhere in this newsletter the new programmes are highlighted in detail.

Why these programmes are so important is that it establishes a direct link between the probably the largest network of employers in the country and the enquiring intending newcomer. While the Chamber does leverage its own networks, marketing to business in general is much more wide reaching.

The Chamber and New Kiwis' websites amongst others enable migrants to research job opportunities in the Migrant's occupation in the NZ labour market prior to selling up and migrating. A word of caution however, many NZ employers still prefer not to advertise so while actively searching the database for candidates, they often elect not to advertise their opportunities individually.

Before taking up these great programmes the AJI will establish with the enquiring newcomer that they meet the work codes and the requirements that go with their professional occupation so that they are qualified to be employed in the job category and the employment that they are seeking.

Separately the AJI's Finding Your First Job 64 page manual is available online. You will need to email the AJI - aji@xtra.co.nz to access the web address.

Auckland ranked high for living

February 2013

Welcome to Auckland, the world's third most liveable city.

New Zealand's biggest city has retained its ranking in the 2012 Quality of Living Survey rating cities on their living standards and working conditions for overseas workers. Auckland was also rated third in the world in 2011.
The Austrian capital of Vienna is still the best place to live with the Swiss city of Zurich in second.

Auckland outranks the Australian cities of Sydney (10th), Melbourne (17th), Perth (21st), Canberra (26th), Adelaide (29th) and Brisbane (37th).

"New Zealand continues to present itself as an attractive destination for skilled workers due to our world class schooling, public services and high living standards," said Mercer NZ head Martin Lewington. "The consistently high quality of living ranking of our cities ensures New Zealand continues to offer multi-national organisations an appealing destination to set up a regional hub into new Asian markets."

Mr Lewington says global organisations rely on the annual report to protect the well-being and security of employees placed overseas. The city with the lowest quality of living in the survey is still Baghdad while Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, ravaged by an earthquake in January 2010, has the worst infrastructure.

Summer in New Zealand

February 2013

We are having a fabulous summer here in New Zealand with record temperatures encouraging our visitors to get out and enjoy all those wonderful outdoor activities.

Swimming, kayaking, diving, walking along a deserted beach at sunset, playing golf at world renowned courses, trout fishing, watching the penguins and other wildlife, or just relaxing with an alfresco lunch at one of the many stunning wineries which you will find throughout New Zealand.

Now well in to March the fine weather continues but now some concerns as the Country seems in the grip of a drought -bring on the rain.

Business confidence at 19-month high

February 2013

New Zealand business confidence rose to a 19-month high this month, with gains in all five sectors tracked as companies become more bullish about investment, profits and hiring.

A net 39.4 percent of firms polled in the ANZ Business Outlook expect general business conditions to improve in the year ahead, up from 23 percent a month earlier. A net 38 percent are more optimistic about their own prospects, up from 31 percent.

The monthly survey follows other signs that the economy is picking up. The benchmark NZX 50 Index of leading companies is at a five-year high, retail sales are growing and consumer confidence is at a 32-month high.

Profitability expectations rose to 14 percent from 8.8 percent, while a net 16 percent aimed to increase investment, up from 14 percent. Hiring intentions rose to 11 percent from 8 percent.

Inflation expectations nudged up to 2.31 percent from 2.23 percent. By sector, construction firms were the most bullish on the general economy at 50 percent.

Work website for international students launched

February 2013

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse today launched www.nzstudywork.com, an exciting new website designed to provide advice and support for international students in New Zealand.

"The new website provides international students with a 'one-stop shop' where they can get information about their employment rights and responsibilities, health and safety in the workplace, work conditions attached to student visas and settlement resources," says Mr Woodhouse.

"The export education sector contributes over $2 billion a year to the New Zealand economy and the government has set an ambitious target to double that contribution by 2025."

"To meet this target, and to ensure that New Zealand remains an attractive destination for international students, we need to constantly be looking to improve on the support and service we offer those students."

"The government has already implemented a number of practical measures to encourage students to come to New Zealand. Recent changes to health screening will cut costs and red tape for students, and work rights have been extended to English language students who attend quality education providers in Canterbury."

"These sorts of initiatives - combined with recent improvements in processing times for student visas - will make a huge difference in growing our export education industry," says Mr Woodhouse.

Rush for home loans

January 2013

Mortgage approvals rocket nearly 25 per cent as low interest rates encourage thousands to buy or refinance.

Weekly mortgage approvals hit a 3-year high in the week to December 21. Mortgage approvals reached their highest levels in almost four years last month, as people rushed to make the most of low interest rates.

Latest loan data from the Reserve Bank shows the volume of weekly mortgage approvals hit a 3-year high in the week to December 21.Mortgages approved that week, were up 23.5 per cent on 2011.

.In December, house prices struck a record median price of $389,000, up 9.6 per cent on the same month in 2011, according to figures from the Real Estate Institute.

The Auckland median price was up 10.5 per cent to $535,000.

Institute CEO Helen O'Sullivan said many of the mortgages would be refinanced loans.

"Interest rates are good at the moment," Ms O'Sullivan said, "so for some people, it might be an opportunity to refinance their existing mortgage and get some competition between their current provider and another provider."
Other recent figures from the Reserve Bank showed that holders of floating mortgages could save more than $700 million this year by switching to a two-year fixed rate. But those who fixed their mortgages for two years saw their rates drop to an average of 5.29 per cent, according to the statistics.

Ms O'Sullivan said the increase in mortgages could be due to the massive rise in auctions - up 68 per cent over the year, with sales by auction growing by 87 per cent in Auckland.

More people would be getting their credit sorted before going house shopping, she said.

United Nations International Holocaust Day

January 2013

The Jewish born New Zealand Prime Minister, the Right Honourable John Key, was in attendance and launched the Shadows of Shoah, a unique New Zealand produced Holocaust exhibition.

The Auckland Council, the Holocaust of New Zealand and the NZ Commission for UNESCO collectively have supported this annual event.

Normally observed in Wellington, a full house ticket only audience in one off Auckland's largest halls saw the Prime Minister retell his own mother's history.

After the Holocaust survivors called to the stage of their own tragic stories, whilst the large audience stood in silence Prime Minister key spent considerable time with each Survivor. During this time charged with deep emotion there was absolute silence as one could only imagine what passed between the PM and the survivors.

The AJI committee was invited and accepted the Invitation to attend. Once more Auckland City has demonstrated how closely it respects its Jewish citizens - embracing and enhancing the close and respected 175 year history of the inter relationship of Jewish Citizens and the wider Auckland community.

Youth crime sinks to record lows

January 2013

Youth crime is steadily falling in New Zealand, with rates of police apprehensions and prosecutions of young people at record lows.

Ministry of Justice data reveal that the number of 10- to 16-year-olds being apprehended by police has dropped to its lowest point in 10 years.

Violent offences by children and young people, which had been rising until 2010, have also decreased. And new Statistics New Zealand figures show that conviction rates in the Youth Court are at their lowest point since the records began in 1992.

Principal Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft told the Herald the downward trend in offending made him "cautiously optimistic"."Having been in the role for 12 years, the clear message is that far from skyrocketing out of control, youth apprehension rates have been stable or dropping year by year, which is contrary to the public's perception."
"We get too hysterical about the great majority of young offenders who would only offend once or twice with good interventions and then grow out of it. And we don't get hysterical enough about that very small, problematic group who challenge us all as a community."

Former Principal Youth Court Judge Sir David Carruthers noted last year that the decline in the rate of school expulsions had contributed to a falling crime rate.

Sir David believed that schools' emphasis on restorative justice instead of expulsion or suspension had led to reduced offending and lower imprisonment numbers.
A Ministry of Justice report also credited the Policing Excellence initiatives introduced in 2009 for the fall in crime.

These initiatives included the targeting of high-crime areas by police and a greater use of technology to reduce paperwork, which gave officers more hours on the beat.

Researching the New Zealand Labour Market can determine a successful Immigration outcome.

One the first things that come up with intending migrants is "Can you help me get a job".
Whilst the AJI will assist in pointing migrants inthe right direction (our "Finding your First Job" manual that has 64 pages of important information), it is up to each migrant to negotiate their first employment contract.

In the manual we highlight the importance of networking, something that comes naturally with Jewish communities.

Never the less, migrants finding their first job is as big a challenge as the Immigration process its self.

We will be posting the below demographics for 2012 to our 2013 updated AJI job manual. It seemed however appropriate that the opening pages in the AJI Kesher for 2013 should have an in-depth evaluation of the previous year.

January 2013 salary information is based on 230,000 job advertisements for 2012. The average NZ salary offered with Seek job advertisements was $74,579, up 5 per cent in 2012.

Auckland was fourth highest in the country with an average of $75,494, up 3.5%.

This was higher than the most recent rates recorded by Statistics NZ.

What perhaps is more interesting was that the average salary package in NZ has risen month on month for the past three months.

Salary Rates and Job Vacancies:

The AJI wishes Mazeltov and Yeshar Koach to Sarah Katz

August 2012

The AJI is thrilled at Sarah Katz's appointment as a High Court Judge and wish Sarah a hearty mazeltov.
I was privileged to be part of a considerable Jewish congregational supporting group at Sarah's High Court swearing in ceremony.

In representing the AJI at the ceremony I was a particularly proud of Sarah's achievement, as I have had a close relationship with the family through husband Stephen for many years. Stephen has been and is a very important AJI committee member.

In representing the AJI at non Jewish meetings I have always been at pains to point out throughout the congregation's entire Auckland's 175 year history how so many distinguished Jews have achieved so much for the wider community. Sarah's significant appointment adds to that tradition.

A New Year's Present from Nathan Guy, Minister of Immigration

August 2012

For the first time Israelis now can put their Residency application for processing through London.

The AJI has had a running battle for years to achieve this change as previously all Israeli Residency applications were compelled to be processed through Beijing.

This has been less than satisfactory and the AJI has been advising their enquirers to take a different more complex path to achieve Residency.

The Minister in his August speech this year presented to the LexisNexis Immigration Law Conference didn't pull any punches regarding the investigation uncovering systematic fraud in the Beijing Consulate. The Minister commented that the Beijing fraud strikes at the very heart of one of the key things that the Government was endeavouring to achieve.

The change will now mean that the AJI can encourage Israeli enquirers with confidence to use the online Residency application service.

Family Policy Sponsorship Changes

August 2012

Changes to the Immigration Family Policies have triggered off 25% of our AJI enquires this month with local calls.
For well settled Newcomers reunification with their parents overseas, it is a natural desire for many families to want their parents to join them.

For closely knit Jewish families the Sponsorship scheme was the obvious and perhaps the only permanent path.
So when in late April this year in an almost unprecedented move, the Government cancelled the Parent Sponsorship Visa, this for some created shock waves through the congregation.

Such a dramatic closure was well signalled many months ago.

The Sponsorship scheme was and is costing the New Zealand taxpayer millions of dollars. There was too many cases where the sponsored family arrived only to find that the Sponsors didn't have the either the funds or the commitment to honour the Sponsorship undertaking, leaving the State to pick up the settlement costs.

The new two-tier process announced in May and now in force since the 1st July is essentially based to rectify the problems inherent in the previous scheme.

Essentially new applicants (parents) need their sponsors to have higher incomes or bring a guaranteed income or funds to NZ.

In Tier one of the new Scheme, those meeting the new financial requirements will receive a quicker decision to be approved with a considerable amount of the red tape deleted.

Tier 2 is financially less demanding but has no priority and there could be considerable delays to secure approval.

For details regarding the new scheme contact us.

The 75 million dollars new Immigration Global Management Systems (IGMS) scheduled to be running by 2015.

August 2012

Prime Minister John Key clearly signalled that the public sector needs to make use of technology to deliver better services.

The new IGMS System is seen as a way to deliver for Immigration New Zealand an internationally secure system and a much faster processing service.

The current computer system is 20 years old, but with Ultra fast broadband soon to arrive, the time is right to move to a more responsive and flexible way of managing Immigration processing.

Immigration Minister Nathan Guy says that the IGMS will transform the way Immigration NZ does business and it will put us on a level playing field with our competitors by having a state of the art IT system.

The Minister says that the country will see the benefits of IGMS when the first elements of the new system are delivered and all students anywhere in the world will be able to apply online for visas.

Once IGMS is fully implemented in 2015, customers who apply for visas will have their own personal online immigration account, which means they will be able to track the progress of their applications - similar to how we can all do now if we apply for our car registration online.

There will be fewer visa types and application processes will be simplified.

Even now with updated management, half of all student visas can now be processed within 48 hours online, and the average call to the call centre is now around two minutes, down from a high of 14 minutes.

Banks go to war on mortgages

31 May 2012

Mortgage rates have hit rock bottom as banks offer thousands of dollars in cash and slash advertised interest rates in response to pressure from home-buyers for deals.

A mortgage broker has described the market as "frantic" and "the best it's ever going to get" after negotiating rates as low as 4.75 per cent for clients.

Advertised fixed-interest rates on home loans are at historic lows, but customers can save thousands more dollars by haggling for even lower rates. New home-owners have negotiated large cash bonuses and heavily reduced rates.

A couple was given cash as well as a 4.9 per cent one-year rate after asking ANZ to match Kiwibank's 4.99 per cent offer.

Another couple switched from ASB to ANZ after being offered $2000 in legal costs and cash back and 0.5 per cent off the advertised floating rates.

A Kiwibank record of more than $200 million has been loaned through the offer, which cut the bank's rate from 5.65 per cent.

People who met the right conditions could shave around 0.5 per cent off their floating rate just by asking.

Savings over the term of a loan can be large. A $500,000 mortgage over 20 years which cost 6 per cent 12 months ago could now be as low as 4.75 per cent - a repayment difference of $162 a fortnight.

How to haggle with your bank

The Banks often give their very best rates to the customers who push them the hardest.

"The banks have plenty of cash to lend, they're strong, they're profitable, and now they're competing hard."

He suggested would-be borrowers could call their bank and say they had heard other customers were paying lower rates and they wanted to know the best rate the bank could offer.

"You can go to a broker and say, 'this is what I'm paying with my bank,what's the best rate you can get for me?"'

People could also push banks for discounts or waivers on legal bills, break fees and valuation costs.

NZ Employers struggle to fill 50% of vacancies

29 May 2012

Kiwi employers having difficult filling key positions.

A survey of more than 650 employers by recruitment firm Manpower shows 48% of New Zealand companies contacted are experiencing difficulty filling key positions.

New Zealand employers struggled to fill about 50 percent of job vacancies in 2011, with a squeeze on engineers, skilled trade workers and sales representatives, according to Manpower Group's latest talent shortage survey.

Fields such as engineering, IT and skilled trades set to boom in the coming years, encouraging local uptake into these industries should be a top focus

“The (Christchurch) rebuild is going to put a huge amount of pressure on the local labour market, with the estimated need for workers outstripping the available local talent pool."

Employees with skills in IT, accounting and finance, cooking and communication also remain in high demand, the survey said. The jobs hardest to fill are engineers, sales reps and skilled trades.

New Zealand's first new Jewish rest home hospital opens in Auckland

29 April 2012

The Jewish Rest Home Shalom Court now celebrates the opening of their four million dollar Hospital Wing.

Nestled snugly in the heart of the Jewish population in the Eastern Suburbs of Auckland is the Shalom Court Rest home. Over the last 30 years since it was established there have been previously two major redevelopments of this very special Jewish landmark.

April 29th saw major supporter since inception, Sir David Levene cut the blue ribbon to open this third and most ambitious redevelopment of the Hospital wing.

Margot Hart MNZM JP, President of Shalom Court said it was with great regret that over the past 36 months Shalom Court has had to decline Jewish persons needing higher level hospital care. There has been globally an acute shortage of hospital facilities and services in Rest homes because of the surge in aging populations.

The AJI was particularly proud that foundation and current AJI committee member Monty Baker acted as Project Manager and supervised this, his third upgrade of Shalom Court. At the opening ceremony he was given a long ovation by the attending invited guests acknowledging his outstanding contribution in taking control and responsibility of the Project.

Red tape cut for international students New Minister of Immigration - Nathan Guy

Minister of Immigration Nathan Guy has announced changes to health screening rules which will reduce red tape for international students and other migrants, while protecting the public health system.

“From July this year, international students will no longer need to supply full medicals. Unless they have other health conditions, they will only need to be screened for tuberculosis.

“This will greatly reduce the cost and hassle for around 62,800 students who will save around $17 million a year in medical costs.

“We are also requiring international students to hold health insurance as a condition of their visa. This will not be an issue for most students, as they are ineligible for health services in New Zealand and education providers are required to ensure they hold insurance.

“International education is worth $2.3 billion to the economy a year, and indirectly supports around 32,000 jobs. These changes will make it easier for low-risk, high-value students to come to New Zealand.”

Changes to health screening for other visa categories include:

• Previously submitted medical records will be able to be re-used, provided they are less than 36 months old and there are no clear risk factors.
• For the partners and dependent children of New Zealand citizens and residents, screening will be limited to serious conditions which could disqualify them.
• Tests and requirements will also be updated to ensure that the latest developments in high-cost health conditions are taken into account.“These changes show that the Government is serious about tackling red-tape and attracting migrants who can make a contribution to New Zealand. At the same time, we are making sure that applicants have an acceptable standard of health,” says Mr Guy.

Further information is available at: http://www.immigration.govt.nz

Crime slips to 15-year low

April 2012

New Zealand's recorded crime rate is at its lowest in 15 years.

Statistics released today show there were 406,056 offences recorded between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011, down 4.8 per cent from the previous year.

Deputy Police Commissioner Mike Bush said that the results were a good sign that police remained serious about reducing crime.

"These results show us that we're on the right track with our frontline focus and the work we're doing with communities and other agencies to prevent crime from happening in the first place," he said. "It just motivates us to do even more to keep the downward trend going. We stay firmly targeted on bringing crime further down across the board."

Homicide and related offending dropped by 14.4 percent, down 14 offences from last year - the lowest number since 1995. The continued drop in crime showed that New Zealanders were fed up with crime, he said. "More and more we know that effective policing is about having the right people in the right place at the right time."

Auckland to host World Masters Games

Auckland will host the World Masters Games in 2017. The world’s largest multi sport event, the games are expected to attract more than 25,000 competitors to the city.

The event is expected to deliver an inflow of cash to Auckland of approximately $46.3 million and a GDP impact of around $37 million. This is generated by approximately 35,000 attendees, spending 250,810 visitor nights in Auckland. It is proposed the event would be held in April 2017.

Major changes to Sponsoring Parent’s Visa.

April 2012

This Visa is now closed until July 2012 - new requirements – A two tiered application system will come in to force with new requirements and deletions.

For full details go to the Government Immigration web site www.immigration.govt.nz and ask search for the Parent Category Visa – or contact the AJI.

English language requirements -IELTS - 6.5% average over reading, writing, speaking.

There are alternatives to sitting and passing the IELTS exam.

1 If you have lived in and worked in an English speaking country for a lengthy period.

2 If you have taken a educational course from a legitimate education source where the course was entirely run in English

3 SM.5.5 – Provides that an applicant may provide other evidence which satisfies an immigration officer that, taking into account of that evidence and all the circumstances of the application, that the applicant is a competent user of the English Language.

Professional people - doctors - lawyers - dentists etc - who are applying to continue to practice in New Zealand as the first step before starting their immigration process should contact their New Zealand professional body of their vocation to become registered.

The AJI will if necessary provide you with the correct contacts.

Building consents jump to two year high

April 2012

New Zealand residential building consents rose to their highest monthly level in two years in March amid growing demand for new housing in Auckland and Christchurch.

Building consents rose by a third in March. That's the highest monthly number of new consents issued since March 2010. Including apartments, the number of issuance rose 43 percent, the highest total since September 2008. Auckland had the biggest increase in new dwellings at 511 in March, compared to 298 a year earlier.

"The improvement in residential building activity in Auckland should help to alleviate the housing supply constraints which have emerged in these regions."

Silver Fern category opened 27th April

The Silver Fern Job Search category is for the lucky chosen ones a dream come true for those between the ages of 20 – 35.

For the fortunate 300 selected applicants, this most popular visa allows the successful applicant to have nine months to secure a permanent employment contract and if successful to apply and will be granted the Silver Fern Practical Experience visa.

This visa can only be applied for on-line and from overseas.

Designed to attract the brightest applicants in their University studies or other high level education degrees it provides a chance to be accepted without the normal work experience requirements.

For Israelis who complete their military and educational commitments but have not had sufficient time to build a skilled work record the Silver fern is the perfect answer.

The visa is extremely popular and normally all places taken on the same day, so for this year it could be too late but for those planning the 2013 year it provides an opportunity to read up, plan and meet the requirements.

Contact Stan Rose for further details.

Prime Minister John Key - state-of-the-nation speech

19 March 2012

The Prime Minister's state-of-the-nation speech yesterday was an address laced with realism and awareness. While the Government was still on track to meet its election pledge of getting back into surplus in 2014-15, the Prime Minister warned it would have to push out that date if the global economy went into meltdown.

Already, a deteriorating international outlook, allied to the ongoing Euro zone crisis, has had a substantial impact. The Prime Minister however expects the European countries will manage their way through the current crisis, with the euro emerging intact.

Much of the Government's attention in this area has been focused on education. Clearly, and commendably, it remains intent on following up the introduction of National Standards with other measures that make teachers and schools more accountable to parents and the funding of tertiary institutions more dependent on performance measures.

The Government is encouraging oil and gas exploration through a competitive new system for processing permits, he said. Likewise, the part-sale of four state-owned energy companies would proceed. One upbeat note from the Prime Minister was that New Zealand is in relatively good shape. This year and next, its growth rate was forecast to be higher than that of the Euro zone nations, Britain, Canada, the United States and Japan.

Auckland population set to pass 1.5m

January 30, 2012

The population of New Zealand's biggest city is set to pass 1.5 million.Statistics New Zealand says Auckland's 1,500,000th person will arrive this week. Population Statistics Manager Andrea Blackburn says this could be a migrant from overseas or from within New Zealand, but most likely to be a new baby. She says that's because births add more than net migration to Auckland's population growth.

Auckland to hit 2m within 20 years - There are predictions Auckland's population will hit two million in less than 20 years. It comes as Statistics New Zealand announces Auckland's 1.5 millionth person will arrive in the city this week.

Massey University sociologist Paul Spooney says Auckland's growth is largely driven by migration with 25,000 to 30,000 people arriving in Auckland every year. He says if Auckland continues to grow at the same rate, he expects the city to reach two million people by 2030. Mr Spooney says Auckland is growing at almost twice the rate of the rest of New Zealand.

Launch of the AJI Settlers Ambassador Club

Finally after eighteen months in the planning

In April anyone connected with the AJI over the last ten years will receive a formal email requesting them to become a member of the new AJI Settlers Ambassador Club.

The target is that signed up members will through their overseas contacts promote the free AJI Immigration service to Jewish family, friends, in fact any one interested immigrating and joining our Jewish community in Auckland.

Those signed up will receive ongoing current Immigration procedural information regarding the immigration process. The AJI will be available to every Ambassador member to be provided with free immigration advice on a one to one basis.

Stan Rose is a Government registered Immigration Adviser registered legally to provide this advice. Once established the AJI hopes quickly to establish associated sub committees to run social get together programs for the new settlers through the year. This primarily will be for the relatively new families and friends enabling them to make new connections and share their experiences in settling into their new home land.

It is proposed that an Occupational data base sectionalising members into their occupations and professional groups. This will provide for newcomers with a critical referral and advisory service in their specialised occupations to assist the newcomers in their job hunt.

Investor Changes to Immigration regulations

Those that qualify can secure Residency after 3 qualifying years. There are two groups of Investors:

• Investor 1 - Need to invest 10 million NZ Dollars - no English language requirement
• Investor 2 - Need to invest 1.5 million NZ Dollars.

Changes:

• Reduces the minimum of days (such as a business immigrant is required to spend in New Zealand each year for the qualifying 3 year period) - from 73 days to 44 days.
• Allow a wider range of "ACTIVE' investment.
• Allow funds to be transferred to New Zealand via foreign exchange companies rather than Solely trading banks
• Permit residential property development to be included as an acceptable investment (with Appropriate safe guards)
• The Investor required either to have as a precondition of residency, pre-existing involvement in a business with either 5 fulltime employees or at least an annual turnover Of $1 million NZ Dollars.

In the last 19 months business migration has attracted more than $562 million in potential investment. Contact the AJl for further details.

Very Important New Tourist Visa Regulations

Called the interim visa system, this visa is to assist overseas students, workers and visitors who wish to extend their stay in NZ and came into force on the 7th February.

Interim visa may be granted to maintain a person’s lawful status in NZ where the person holds a valid temporary visa (tourist visas are for 3 months), and has applied for a further temporary visa. Any interim visa will be valid for a maximum of six months. If the applicant receives an Interim visa and leaves the country, the visa will automatically expire.

Application for this special visa must be made at least two weeks before their current visa expires. This new visa will not be stamped in the passport.

It may be possible to seek and receive for this Visa extension the right to work. This decision is made by Immigration on receipt and with the application requesting to work, with the decision by Immigration to allow this on a case by case basis.

Shalom Court has a nearly Four Million Dollar upgrade

Shalom Court amongst those of the Jewish faith in Auckland is a special place with for many, very deep emotional individual family community memories.

Shalom Court is New Zealand's only Jewish facility that offers care for the Elderly in the last phase of life. It is an integral part of Auckland Jewish Communities.

In August 2011 Shalom Court was awarded the Excellence in Care Award for Community Connections.A general unfulfilled demand of Hospital Level Care in Rest Homes has triggered off this development costing close to 4 million dollars. Construction commenced in September 2011 - with completion right on schedule by April 2012.

The AJI is particularly delighted that one of its founding committee members Mr Monty Baker, Shalom's Vice President, has been a major stalwart in the drive to create the new facility. Under the astute President of Shalom Court Auckland Margot Hart MNZM JP, the Shalom facility enters from April a new era - a complex that a few years ago would off appeared an impossible dream.

The New Zealand Economy

The New Zealand economy expanded at the fastest pace since 2009 in the third quarter, beating estimates, as manufacturers cranked up production.

As of Jan 12 the NZ Dollar was the biggest gainer among the world's 10 most traded currencies and set a new high against the euro, reaching 62.67 cents against the euro and 79.57 cents against the US dollar.

Gross domestic product rose 0.8 per cent in the three months ended September 30, accelerating from a 0.1 per cent pace three months earlier, according to Statistics New Zealand. Growth of 0.6 per cent was expected, according to a Reuter's survey and the Reserve Bank. GDP grew 1.9 per cent from the same quarter last year. Manufacturing activity rose 2.3 per cent in the latest quarter, led by production of meat, dairy, wood and paper products. Coming months. Total inventories climbed by $1.1 billion, driven by manufacturing and distribution stocks, the biggest increase since the series began in June 1987.

Finance Minister Bill English issued a statement following the GDP announcement, describing it as "solid growth" despite considerable global uncertainty."It's pleasing to see growth picking up again, after a relatively flat second quarter, on the back of an increase in manufacturing and a boost to tourism and spending from the Rugby World Cup," Mr English says.

"This result was achieved against a backdrop of global uncertainty. Since then the global outlook has worsened as Europe seeks solutions to its sovereign debt problems. "But, the outlook for New Zealand's exports remains positive and rebuilding in Canterbury will have a positive impact as it picks up next year.

Dairy boom boosts exports

27/01/2012

Record dairy production boosted exports by 4.3 per cent in the final three months of 2011, with an unexpected trade surplus of almost $700 million. Economists at ANZ said the figure was considerably stronger than the markets expectation, which had been for a marginal trade deficit.

'The stronger than expected number reflected a 12 percent surge in dairy exports, courtesy of a bumper season and a likely rundown in dairy stocks, with the impact on fourth quarter gross domestic product [economic growth] likely to be neutral,'' ANZ senior economist Mark Smith said.

Last week dairy giant Fonterra revealed that December was its largest ever month in terms of exports, shipping 246,000 tonnes of dairy products, 17,000 tonnes more than its previous record. Statistics New Zealand said this morning the country had now recorded trade surpluses in seven of the last eight quarters.

In December alone export values increased by $491m or 13 per cent, helped by record volumes from Fonterra. New Zealand's trade balance in December was a surplus of $338m or 7.8 per cent of exports, compared to an average deficit of 5.2 per cent in the previous five Decembers, Statistics NZ said. For all of 2011, New Zealand recorded a trade surplus of $1.1 billion, double last year's surplus.

A white fever as chick hits the news

The Christmas arrival of a second white Kiwi chick at the National Wild life centre has made headlines around the world.The Wildlife centre's new chick has made news web sites, television news, and international newspapers as the second only white kiwi ever is bred in captivity.

The Kiwi is always seen as brown so a white Kiwi is quite unique The Mauriora centre at Mt Bruce is attracting record crowds to view both white Kiwis as the centre is staggered how much international attention the white Kiwis have created.

NZ house sales extend recovery in February

March 13 2012

New Zealand home sales jumped 37 percent in February as the property market continues to recover. The national median house price was up 1.4 percent to $355,000 from a year ago, though unchanged from January.

In Auckland, the median house price rose 0.6 percent to $468,000 from a year earlier, with he number sold up 30 percent in February The national median days- to-sell was 46, down from 58 days a year ago.

ASB economist Jane Turner said the "steady recovery seen over recent months suggests that underlying household sentiment has continued to improve."

New Zealand and Australia begin fingerprint immigration checks

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has begun fingerprint checks with Australia as part of a biometric programme to strengthen border security and prevent identity fraud.

The programme will expand to include checks with the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States under the umbrella of the Five Country Conference (FCC), which has developed a system for securely - and with substantial privacy safeguards - matching fingerprint biometrics of persons of interest.

"Biometrics uses technology to improve on traditional checks using names to detect and prevent these people from entering New Zealand. It is a fast, effective and privacy protecting way of quickly facilitating genuine migrants while filtering out those who pose risks to New Zealand.

TAKEN FROM A SPEECH TO THE IMMIGRATION ADVISER'S SEMINAR BY DR JONATHAN COLEMAN, MINISTER OF IMMIGRATION

Economic growth is crucial to New Zealand's future prosperity. Immigration can support economic growth by targeting those migrants who can add skills, innovation and capital to the economy.

The facts speak for themselves - one in four workers in New Zealand is a migrant. Over the past five years 60% of New Zealand's workforce growth came from temporary and permanent migrants.

And today, even as we continue to recover from the recession, we are facing ongoing skill shortages that will almost certainly need to be filled from overseas.

The implementation of the new Immigration Act will help deliver the migrants we need which is a major focus in 2010/11 as we move towards a 28 November general commencement date, and is part of the Government's economic growth.

Auckland a global city - rated 3rd best in the world

The Super City's enviable ranking in this year's Mercer Quality of Living survey is surely a marketer's dream.Not only can Auckland host the Best World Rugby Cup ever but a reputable global firm ranks us with the finest cities in Europe for our physical, social and financial environment.

Move over Munich and Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Bern and Copenhagen: Auckland is the coming Zurich or Vienna, the only two cities rated higher by Mercer. Auckland's leaders rightly highlighted this week's release of the ranking. Mayor Len Brown tweeted "Fantastic news, Auckland ranks third in Mercer" and noted that his own Auckland Scorecard, which rates 19 factors for the City's live ability was consistent with this news. It is tempting living in Auckland to forget just how easy going life can be.

A temperate climate, not too hot and not too cold, a stunning environment of hills, volcanoes, Harbor's and Islands with quick access always to the sea, easy movement around the city - a few peak-hour chokepoints apart - general peace, quiet and freedom, a mixed and relatively harmonious multinational population and an expanding economy and great future.

This year's Mercer study included a personal safety category in which Auckland and Wellington were ninth equal, immediately after Singapore and behind a clutch of northern European cities. We hear and read much about crime and lawlessness but the risks appear to be minor compared with the main cities ranked London, Paris or American centers, which fall out of the top 50 altogether.

New Zealand building consents bounced back last month

... signaling a flurry of new construction intentions in Auckland's residential property market . The number of new dwellings approved, excluding apartments, rose a Seasonally adjusted 7.1 per cent to 1,123 in October and was up 11 per cent including volatile apartment issuance, Statistics New Zealand said in a statement. A 46 per cent increase in the number of permits to build in Auckland underpinned the national gain.

The rebound in commercial construction intentions seen in the latest business confidence survey indicates businesses are feeling confident enough about demand over the coming year to plan for an expansion of operations.

Jewish born Prime Minister John Key leads his National Party to a landslide victory

At New Zealand's General Election on November 26, John Key with over 50% of the total vote has the mandate to lead a new Government for the next 3 years.

The New Zealand dollar rose to its highest level since November 18

On perceptions the currencies are a relative safe haven as Europe grapples with its debt woes, the New Zealand dollar rose to 76.48 US cents overnight, sitting at 76.01 cents just before 8am, up from 75.49 cents at 5pm yesterday.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand's is 2.5 percent, compared to near zero in the US.The kiwi is seen as safe haven flows as people look for places to park their money.

Satisfaction running high in NZ Statistics NZ – November 1st 2011- Hot of the press

In addition, the survey showed nearly all New Zealanders (96 percent) felt they could get support from others in a time of crisis; and more than 90 percent had seen friends and over 80 percent had seen family they didn't live with, at least once in the last four weeks.

However, life satisfaction and other results varied across different population groups within New Zealand.
"Younger and older New Zealanders were more likely than people in middle life to say they were satisfied with their lives. This may reflect the pressures of work and family responsibilities as people move through middle life," Mr Brown said.

.The overall results were similar to those reported after the first NZ General Social Survey, held in 2008. Over 8,000 New Zealanders participated in the 2010 survey, carried out from April 2010 to March 2011. See more results at www.stats.govt.nz/nzgss.

Government Policy Issuing Residency or Work Permit/Visa

Below applies the family's nominated principal applicant: SKILLED MIGRANT CATEGORY
70% of all immigration applications received is through the Skilled Migrant Category.

Government Policy:
New Zealand requires a skilled work force. The immigration procedures are designed to assess your qualification/skill level/experience - the vocation code with its requirements allows for work experience - trade certificates, diplomas etc - provided they are issued from recognised approved teaching institutions.

New Zealand does not require low or non skilled people.

All applicants require a Permit to work in New Zealand including those with an accepted letter approving them for the Residency process.

The Economy In Recovery Mode

Economy Shows surprising muscle - Brian Fallow Economics Editor, NZ Herald
GDP growth twice as strong as forecasters picked despite the earthquake. The economy started the year with much more momentum than economists thought with gross domestic product figures released yesterday indicated.

Optimism surges as world wobbles
Business confidence has gone from strength to strength according to the National Bank's July survey.
51% now expect activities to increase -only 7% expect decline. Bank's chief economist said results tremendously encouraging. Separately it now being predicated that it's in a financially year that will see GP growth of around 4 %.
Dairy farmers feeling more confident about opening their cheque books is good news for the economy reports Goldman Sachs. There is a global surge in dairy and agriculture commodity prices which looks to continue.

Politics - closing in on the General Election in November

We are rapidly closing in on the 26th November General Election date. On current polling National would be able to govern alone with a relatively comfortable seven-seat majority.

National 52.5% - Labor 32.9% Greens 6.2% - the rest of the minor parties from 0.2% - 2.4%.

On the latest Prime Ministers poll - Jewish born John Key was at a usually high 70% but could come back to the 50 plus. The next was the leader of the opposition at 8%.

At present there appears to be little interest in the election. Many see the result as foregone conclusion. What interest there is are people discussing the current proportional voting system called MMP and there appears to be a significant number of voters not happy with the current system.

IT'S OUR BIRTHDAY - We are 10 years old - 2001 - 2011

New Zealand Second Most Peaceful Nation

New Zealand has been named the second most peaceful nation in the world. The 2011 Global Peace index has been released, including a list of the world's most peaceful countries. Iceland, New Zealand and Japan head the list. The survey results also reveal the world is less peaceful, for the third straight year. It also says the potential for terrorist acts has increased, despite a decade-long war on terrorism. The research reveals the cost of violence in 2010 to the global economy was more than $8.12 trillion.

Welcome to Rabbi Altschul, Shosha and sons Isak and Yoel.

AJI Chair Stan Rose had an accepted invitation from the Congregation's President to meet Rabbi Altschul. This was prior to the Rabbi's appointment which is now confirmed.

Stan said the discussions were extremely positive. In many ways Stan's proactive attitude to life was shared with the Rabbi. It was a great meeting of minds and attitudes. Later when President Garth Cohen phoned Stan asking how it all went, Stan had no hesitation confirming that this was the Rabbi we have been looking for.

The Rabbi's Danish roots, in a country with a Jewish congregation not to dissimilar in size to Auckland's and with his last two years in Melbourne getting used to how we do things in the South Pacific was the perfect background to take up his new position.

Rabbi Altschul was well briefed about the AJI in Australia by the now Australian Chief Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence.

What wasn't mentioned at Stan's Rabbi's meeting was that at the first AJI committee back in August 2001, the then Auckland's Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence who actually proposed the name of Auckland Jewish Immigration (AJI), which was then formerly adopted.

Kadimah College 6 months on after Integration was granted

Robert Minahan, Headmaster of Kadimah college background was for many years working for the Ministry of Education.

With Integration (subsidized by the Government) since January this year Kadimah has the Department of Education essentially as a partner. After six months the supportive relationship has worked extremely well, with Robert's administrative background helping to smooth the way.

Annual school fees have now reduced from up to $12,000 to a modest annual $500 with Parents expected to give a further $500 donation to cover those costs that are not subsidized.

The huge reduction of fees as expected have achieved some startling new enrollment figures jumping 50% in six months and expected to achieve in a full year up to 70% increased enrollments.

A confident Headmaster at a recent interview with AJI Chairman Stan Rose, said that there would be available places available for all new migrant families in the 2012.

After 2012 if the enrollments continued to increase at the current level plans now being considered would require additional classrooms etc. The Government Education Authorities even at this early stage are amenable to providing any new growth facilities.

As the Integration approval was conditional that Kadimah maintained its high level of its specialized Jewish religion and culture it is pleasing to see the high number of new enrollments are of the Jewish faith.

With the rapid growth of the Central Business District's residential population, the Education Authorities are facing a new challenge of providing inner city schools to meet the demand. They see Kadimah as a blue print for the future and consequently there is a great deal of interest in the way Kadimah develops and any new initiatives implemented as a possible learning curve for further inner city state schools.

The most important Kadimah objective is however is to maintain its historical high standard of educational achievements. This is the School's prime objective.

The AJI will its end of year newsletter give a further report of one year after Integration. It should make most interesting reading.

The World Rugby Cup Tournament - WE ARE THE WORLD CHAMPIONS

Up to 100,000 visitors saw this Rugby mad country and city bulging at the seams as the final best 20 Rugby playing nations battled out for world Rugby supremacy.

The different nations were hosted and adopted by the main centers throughout New Zealand. The country was in an exuberant festival mood not just of Rugby as many towns involved themselves in the hosted country's culture.

All the experts were in agreement it was the best ever for this once every four year tournament.

The final game for the World trophy was a grim battle between two great Rugby nations with France and New Zealand's All Blacks in a titanic match, with New Zealand finally prevailing to become the World Rugby champions for the next four years.

The Wynyard Quarter is now officially opened

Aucklanders will get a taste of a $120 million waterfront development with the new bridge linking Viaduct Harbor to the Wynyard Quarter which opened in August.

The new bridge connection in the heart of the Central Business District will enable locals and visitors to connect with a new part of the Harbor edge, buy fresh fish from off the fishing boats, enjoy the new mainly fish restaurants and bars and get aboard the new circulating specially designed trams. Trams have not been seen in Auckland for generations.
The new state of the art Exhibition center, just as you arrive off the bridge is magnificently sited to catch the full view of the Harbour.

Architects have cleverly captured a feel of a fishing village set amongst palatial surroundings.

Development of Wynyard will go on for the next ten years as progressively it will cover the entire Isthmus with high class apartments and a park set with unbroken panoramic harbor views.

Everyone wants the Kiwi dream

August 2010

New Zealand is the second-most desired country for potential immigrants and letting everyone in would see the population almost treble, according to a survey.

The country rose to second spot as the most popular migration destination, behind Singapore, in the Gallup Potential Net Migration Index.

New Zealand was third when the list was first compiled last year, with a net migration index value of 175 per cent. Respondents were asked: "If you had the opportunity, would you like to move permanently to another country, or would you prefer to continue living in this country?"

Researcher Elsie Ho, from the University of Auckland's School of Population Health, says New Zealand's clean, green image and the perception that it is a safe country was a drawcard.
More »

Grow the Country

May 2010

Keynote speech on economy from our Jewish born Prime Minister.

The May 20th Historical Budget had one underlying theme - grow the country. PM John Key, polling 56% in the current popularity polls, main architect of the Budget message will be most welcome by those considering immigrating to New Zealand. Against a background of reducing unemployment now down to 6%, the main points are:

• Out of the recession AND in stronger shape than in many countries. The economy is expected to grow by 3.2 per cent in the coming year.
• Focusing on faster and more sustainable economic growth - The Budget will help create jobs, boost incomes, raise living standards.
• The largest reform of the tax system in nearly 25 years. Across-the-board tax cuts.
• Increasing Superannuation, Working For Families
• BETTER HEALTHCARE - Boosting spending on health by $2.1 billion over four years. Investing more in disability support services and elective surgery - necessary operations such as joint replacements, cataract removal, and ear, nose, and throat surgery
• LIFTING EDUCATION STANDARDS - Boosting spending on education - by $1.4 billion over four years.
• Investing $1.45 billion in infrastructure such as broadband, rail, schools
• INVESTING IN NEW ZEALAND'S FUTURE - $321 million into new science, research and technology initiatives over four years.
• BOOSTING TOURISM - Big new additional investment in Tourism.

Jewish Cafe

Now open at the Greys Avenue Complex is The Grey's Ave Deli.
It is open daily Monday to Friday from 9am – 3pm and is at present the community's only kosher café.
Website: www.greysavedeli.co.nz
Phone: 09-373 2908 extn 401

New Zealand one of world's 'lifestyle superpowers'

BBC correspondent Nick Bryant says he wishes the rest of the world could be more like New Zealand.

New Zealand is "one of the great lifestyle superpowers of the world" according to the BBC's Sydney correspondent Nick Bryant, who wonders in a post on bbc.co.uk why the rest of the world can't be more like little ol' Aotearoa.

Bryant's thoughts, penned following a recent visit to our shores, were prompted by an encounter with "a middle-aged customs official with a sense of humour", the discovery that New Zealand has a 24-hour rugby channel, our "funky" arts scene and the "quaint fastidiousness" which still sees cricket commentators convene on the boundary during the tea break to enjoy - of all things, a pot of tea.

He points out too, that New Zealand can be "edgy and forward", citing the fact we were the first country in the world to give women the vote and the impending launch of the "world's most comprehensive emissions trading scheme to curb greenhouse gases".

"Best of all, perhaps, is how non-indigenous New Zealanders live in such harmony with their indigenous compatriots," writes Bryant, whose piece is among the most-read articles on bbc.co.uk today.

"Next year [New Zealand] hosts the Rugby World Cup," he concludes, "but for now I will leave this country with my usual parting thought: 'Why can't the rest of the world be more like New Zealand?'"

Earlier this year, an index compiled by International Living magazine ranked new Zealand as the fifth-best country in the world to live in.

The index ranks 194 countries, taking into account cost of living, culture and leisure, economy, environment, freedom, health, infrastructure, safety and risk, and climate.

New Zealand's "pristine landscapes", the Auckland waterfront and the Southern Alps were singled out for special mention.

What they said about New Zealand:

"There's a real purity in New Zealand that doesn't exist in the States. It's actually not an easy thing to find in our world any more.
- Actor Elijah Wood

"Fiordland, ladies and gentlemen. What a spectacle. Earth Destination Number One... To throw words at such a spectacle would be like throwing meringues at a charging rhinoceros. Fruitless. (Unless it's banana pavlova).
- Actor Stephen Fry

"I find that the girls [in New Zealand] are so like, beyond warm and polite. I don't know, do you guys have haters? America's all about haters. I don't feel that here... I always wanted to come to New Zealand, because the terrain is like, insanely gorgeous."
- Host of America's Next Top Model Tyra Banks

Job Vacancy

March 2010

We currently have a Recruitment Consultant who has an urgent vacancy for a person with programming experience in ASP, C#, ASP.NET, C++, PHP, Vbscript, Javascript, HTML and Transact SQL.

If you have the above field of expertise and have previously been assessed by IMMagine as being eligible to migrate to New Zealand, please contact the consultant who completed your written assessment/consultation.

Application for integrated Jewish College

March 2010

Kadimah College gets a big thumbs up from the New Zealand Education Review Office.

GOVERNMENT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT - PRIVATE SCHOOL REVIEW REPORT:
KADIMAH COLLEGE, JANUARY 2010

"Kadimah College continues to provide a high standard of care and education for students. The newly upgraded facilities contribute to teachers maintaining these standards. Students are confident and capable learners. The school complies with its suitability statement and operates efficiently as defined by section 35A of the Education Act 1989."
Richard Thornton, National Manager Review Services, Northern Region

Integration means that the Education Board requires Jewish Culture and religious teachings to be maintained at the highest level when integration is granted.

Integration will also open the doors for Jewish families who previously could not afford Private School tuition fees.

Integration is expected to come into the fourth term of this year. To assist immigrants who will join before integration, free scholarships will be provided for approved families.

For further information contact the AJI.

Migrant entry rules relaxed

March 2010

Auckland Jewish Immigration (AJI) has welcomed the government's promise to putting the welcome mat for potential entrepreneur and investor migrants. From an AJI perspective, "growing the country" should be the government's highest priority, and encouraging entrepreneurs and investor migrants to come to New Zealand is a good way of doing so.

Four years ago changes to this category, which were driven by a wave of anti-immigration sentiment stirred up by Winston Peters, made the category inoperable - even though it remained on the statute books. However, minister of immigration Jonathan Coleman's recent announcement of the changes has reactivated the category.

The minister announced that investors with 10 million dollars will be able to get residency in three years, even without any English skills or business experience. There will be no age limit, and migrants will have to remain in New Zealand for only 20 percent of the year. Other changes include a more sensible investment option, and reduction of the time funds must be invested.

These changes to the category will be particularly good for migrants from countries with strong currencies (like the UK) and for migrants who are over 55 years old.

In the minister's announcement there was also a second option for migrants willing to invest $1.5 million in New Zealand. However, those migrants must meet language, age and business experience criteria, although at a lower threshold than before. Unfortunately, this category is written up with so many provisions that it may be difficult for reasonably financially comfortable, retired couples to retire to New Zealand.

The AJI receives regular enquiries from Jewish retirees wishing to live in New Zealand. Many of these enquirers can afford the 1.5 million investment, but still would not comply with the provisions of this category. As a result, the AJI believes the minister should commission an independent study of this retired group of would-be migrants to establish whether there are any financial benefits those couples might bring to the country, which may not have been recognised or considered to date.

Job vacancy - Consultant Breast Radiologist

18 February 2010

You will have experience in all forms of breast imaging, including digital and analogue mammography, breast ultrasounds, as well as ultrasound-guided biopsies, stereotactic biopsies, sentinel node injections and pre-operative localisations. You should also possess outstanding clinical and interpersonal skills. Full or part-time option considered with assistance offered to obtain further sessions in General Radiology. More »

Leslie Max made a Dame

NZ Herald, 31 December 2009

Leslie Max, one of the founding 2001 committee members of the Auckland Jewish Immigration (AJI) organisation was invested as a Dame in this year’s New Zealand New Year’s honours.

The recognition is in keeping with many Jewish Auckland congregants over the years, who have received recognition for their contributions to the broader Auckland community and further underscores the high regard that the Auckland Jewish Community is held in our city.

Click here to read the article in the NZ Herald »

Settlers organisation established

10 December 2009

Remember December 2009 as a red letter month for Jewish migrants - because it marks the establishment of a special new organisation committed to assisting newcomers in their first year in New Zealand.

Auckland Jewish Immigration (AJI) chairman Stan Rose says that, over the last 18 months, he and his committee have been working in conjunction with B’nai B’rith representative Stephen Scher to implement the concept of a settlers organisation which will assist new arrivals to the country in the first year.

“The AJI has strongly promoted the idea that a critical requirement for newcomers, in their initial settlement years, is ongoing support... after the AJI has helped them through the laborious immigration procedural process.”

For new migrants, the months after they have achieved immigration clearance are often the critical months which could determine whether their decision to immigrate here will be a happy and permanent one, says Rose.

“Offering ongoing assistance, guidance and support to new migrant families, and helping them to integrate with the broader established Jewish community will benefit Auckland’s entire Jewish community.”

The new settlement committee will be a sub group of the AJI, and will benefit from the advantages of links to the AJI’s successful web site, its widely distributed electronic newsletters and its sophisticated administration.

Stan Rose says the AJI’s links to the settlers organisation will also enable the new organisation to help immigrants who are advanced in their immigration application but have yet to arrive in New Zealand.

Both B’nai B’rith and the AJI will take on active supportive roles for the settlers organisation, and have agreed to work closely together to ensure its permanency and success.

At the organisation’s first meeting the following appointments were made:

• Trevor Cohen is the first chairperson
• Ray Abel is deputy
• Barbara Manning is secretary

The organisation’s committee will be made up of Alan Jaffe, Elias Blechman, Larissa Liebman, Robyn Gordon, and Steven Scher.

If you are interested in more information about the settlers organisation and/or want to get in touch with it, please contact:

• Trevor Cohen at TSCNZ@vodafone.co.nz; or
• Barbara Manning at g.bmanning@xtra.co.nz

NZ ranked third on list of migrants' choice and first for the most peaceful country to live in

New Zealand Herald, 6th November 2009

A global survey by Gallop says that the population of New Zealand would expand to 11million should it accept all the adults that wish to live here. With 135 countries considered New Zealand ranked third in respect of the potential Net Migration Index – the estimated number of adults wishing to leave a country permanently subtracted from the estimated number who wish to immigrate to the country as a proportion of the total adult population.

WANTING TO MOVE:
Countries with highest PNMI
1. Singapore (+260 per cent)
2. Saudi Arabia (+180 per cent)
3. New Zealand (+175 per cent)
4. Canada (+170 per cent)
5. Australia (+145 per cent)

New Zealand is selected by many ‘lifestyle migrants’ who choose New Zealand due to the excellent quality of life, great education and lack of international conflict that it offers. This is unsurprising as according to this year's Global Peace Index New Zealand was ranked the world's most peaceful country in.

Annual immigration to New Zealand is about 20,000, which the Department of Labour estimates to be worth $1.9 billion a year to GDP and circa $1000 per capita to GDP.

See full article at www.nzherald.co.nz.

News alert

October 2009

New Zealand in recent weeks reduced the pass mark for Skilled Migration to just 110 points. In July the pass mark stood at 140 points, so the reduction is significant and means many more migrants can now achieve a residence visa without needing a job offer. You could be enjoying life in New Zealand within a few months. However, for those in less of a hurry to leave, eligible migrants will have up to 3 years to emigrate, meaning you can move at your leisure. Equally important is the fact that with your residence visa already secured, it will be far easier to find the right job.

As a result of the above, we are already receiving enquiries from people who believe they should now priorities New Zealand as their preferred destination. They want the reassurance of knowing their residence visa can be secured quickly, thus protecting their future.

Job vacancy - Clinical Director, BreastScreen Auckland Limited

December 2009

Breastscreen Auckland Limited, the well established Lead Provider of Breast Screening services, are seeking to appoint a suitably qualified and experienced Radiologist responsible for overall clinical and strategic leadership of our Auckland Breast Screening service in New Zealand.

The Clinical Director along with the Programme Manager will oversee the continuing development of an effective, high-quality, customer focussed service for Breast Screening.

You will oversee clinical performance monitoring, and take a key role in the implementation of a high quality mammography and assessment service in accordance with the Breast Screening programme's quality requirements.

The successful applicant will be medically qualified, hold internationally recognised vocational registration and be active professionally within breast screening

This is a permanent position with negotiable hours. No on-call duties are required.

BSAL is situated in a very pleasant location near the famous Newmarket shopping area only minutes from several parks and beaches and with a variety of transport options, there are so many reasons to join us in the beautiful "City of Sails". Working conditions are excellent and remuneration will reflect the significance of this leadership role and the clinical expertise required. Relocation expenses may be met for the suitable candidate.

Contact us for further details.

Auckland Jewish Leaders Honoured

June 2009

New Zealand has just enjoyed the June Queens Birthday long weekend – a traditional time to honour outstanding New Zealand citizens.

The spotlight was on the Jewish congregants with Gus Fisher on the honours list. Before this another leading congregant, Peter Gluckman was appointed as Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister who is also of Jewish descent, and as we write, congregant Lester Levy has been appointed Chairman of the large Waitemata Health Board.

Add to this Israel has just reopened the Israeli Embassy in Wellington (previously for a time administrated from Australia).

This highlights how influential and highly respected the small Hebrew Congregation is so highly regarded by the wider community and follows the historical trend of the congregation providing seven Auckland Mayors and three Prime Ministers.

New Zealand has been judged the most peaceful nation in the world

June 2009

An Australian think tank recognised our stable political situation, relatively low rate of violence and decrease in military spending.

The Institute for Economics and Peace list was created after the start of the global recession, finding the financial meltdown was dragging the world toward political instability and conflict...

Click here to read the full NZ Herald article.

NZ Government meets global turmoil with new immigration incentive

14 December 2008

We find that many people that might otherwise be considering applying for permanent residence in New Zealand that are put off by the fact that they may have difficulty selling houses and there may be other liquidity issues affecting some of their assets.

This however has created a new opportunity

Right now the pass mark is at record low levels brought about because of difficulties for some would-be migrants because of the global economic conditions, in liquidating personal assets.

This however makes it a great time to put your application in because the pass mark currently is at a low 110 points.

The pass mark has been at this low level for the past three fortnightly pool draws. The most significant implication of such a low pass mark is that there are likely to be more people selected that will not require any of the job and other normally required bonus points.

This opens another option – that is you can delay your final move to New Zealand for a period – (even up to 3-5 years) but still by acting now and filing an Expression of Interest (EOI) secure your selection at a much lower pass mark

In this way you can in a calm orderly way liquidate your property or hold off till your local economy improves. When time arrives, with your application approved, just book your flights and come on over.

John Key - New Zealand’s third Jewish–born Prime Minister

November 2008

On Saturday November 8th 2008 the New Zealand electorate overwhelmingly voted the new National government in with John Key as its Prime Minister.

As opposition leader the new PM consistently supported the Jewish communal activities so not surprisingly the Auckland Congregation is ecstatic with the election outcome.

Quickly interviewed by the Israeli press after the election results were known, the PM promised to return to the historically close relations that New Zealand has had with Israel.

John’s parents met in England in the aftermath of World War 2 – Ruth Lazar, John’s mum fled to Britain in 1939 as a school girl Jewish refugee from Nazi –occupied Austria. Ruth having escaped the Holocaust had to begin a new life.

Married at a registry office in Portsmouth in 1948 the family came to NZ in 1950 among the wave of $10 Pom immigrants.

John was born in 1961, and a there was very special life time bond established between Ruth and her new born son. Ruth was utterly devoted to John.

Unfortunately in 1969 the marriage broke up and within six weeks John’s father passed away at the age of 55.


This was a most difficult time financially for the family who moved South to Christchurch to a state house. Heavy in debt Ruth worked around the clock as a as a Porter and cleaner and taking in washing, but determined that the family would be brought up in the best possible way.

From these difficult beginnings our new PM went on to become a multi millionaire but returned to New Zealand, joined the National party six years ago and today it’s Prime Minister.

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