Letters from the Southern Man
Migrating is more than just filling in forms and submitting paperwork, its a complex process that will test even the most resilient of people.
Understanding New Zealand is paramount to your immigration survival and to give you a realistic view of the country, its people and how we see the world, read our weekly Southern Man blogs. Often humorous, sometimes challenging, but always food for thought.
Southern Man Home
Posted by Iain on May 11, 2012, 4:16 p.m. in
Immigration
I wrote a few weeks ago about the leaked cabinet paper that indicated a big shakeup was under way under the Parent and Sibling (Reunification) categories. If you read that Letter I indicated that it was going to become far more difficult for some parents to join their children here in NZ on a permanent basis.
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Posted by Iain on May 7, 2012, 1:09 p.m. in
Living
A few of you have emailed me asking what happened to last week’s post.
Well I confess after two weeks of non-stop talking in Singapore and Malaysia and very little sleep I snuck off to Fiji for a few days of R and R with my family and also to celebrate my brother’s 50th birthday.
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Posted by Iain on April 27, 2012, 5:45 p.m. in
Immigration
Last week I wrote of the little drama over claims coming from the Christchurch Branch Work Visa Manager that he and his colleagues were going to ‘get tough on those entering New Zealand as visitors and subsequently applying for Work Visas’...
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Posted by Iain on April 20, 2012, 9:03 a.m. in
Immigration
I was mildly irritated recently to read the latest glossy release from the Immigration Department a couple of weeks back called ‘Vision2015’. Sent out to all and sundry (I guess in the parlance, ‘stakeholders’) it was pages and pages of, well, as far as I could tell, nothing but a commitment to make consistent decisions.
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Posted by Iain on April 12, 2012, 4:06 p.m. in
Living
This time last week I was in Central Otago, one of my favourite places on the planet let alone New Zealand. A group of six of us were off to ride the Otago Rail Trail. Formerly the railway line linking Dunedin to the Otago gold fields the railway was shut down in 1992...
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Posted by Paul on April 4, 2012, 12:13 p.m. in
Government
As you will no doubt be aware from last weeks blog, the Southern Man has taken a leave of absence this week, pursuing his own personal equivalent of the Tour de France, through Central Otago on the world famous (in New Zealand) Otago Rail Trail...
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Posted by Iain on March 30, 2012, 4:49 p.m. in
Living
I spend so much time overseas exploring other people’s countries that I spend precious little time exploring and enjoying my own. And I’d be lying if I didn’t say that saddens me a bit. Having a beach house doesn’t help.
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Posted by Iain on March 22, 2012, 2:25 p.m. in
Immigration
You know I have a distrust of the mass media and little respect for the standards of journalism in New Zealand. The print media here are increasingly tabloid in flavour and excel in negative headlines and stories. Their reporting is shallow with few exceptions.
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Posted by Iain on March 16, 2012, 11:13 a.m. in
Immigration
In an interesting development last week the New Zealand Government signalled they are reviewing the visa free status of South African passport holders who wish to travel to New Zealand as tourists, to visit friends and family, to check the country out as a place to settle...
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Posted by Iain on March 8, 2012, 1:57 p.m. in
Immigration
In a recent blog I questioned why the Government appeared to discriminate so strongly against parents of migrants.
Now we know.
They simply don’t want them to migrate to New Zealand. Not if they are from China, India, the Pacific Islands or other parts of the third world it appears.
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Posted by Iain on March 2, 2012, 11:04 a.m. in
New Zealand Employment
Skills shortages are starting to bite.
With commodity exports continuing to bring high, if not record, prices, an economy that is growing at 3-4% and the rebuild of Christchurch moving from damage assessment to rebuilding phase the labour market is tightening and tightening quite quickly.
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Posted by Iain on Feb. 24, 2012, 11:16 a.m. in
Living
I’m 36 hours off a plane from South Africa and the jet lag has well and truly hit. Its a weird thing but when I fly from east to west, even when crossing eleven hours worth of time zones, the jet lag at the other end is pretty much non-existent. One decent nights sleep of 6 hours and I am up and away. No looking back.
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Posted by Iain on Feb. 17, 2012, 11:31 a.m. in
Immigration
I am often asked to explain the New Zealand Government’s seeming aversion to allowing permanent entry to parents of already settled migrants. It is easy to explain. It is harder to defend.
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Posted by Iain on Feb. 10, 2012, 11:29 a.m. in
Immigration
Coming this week to you from Johannesburg, South Africa. I remember a few years ago a client of mine who had lived in New Zealand for a few months and tasted his new life shared with me what he thought was the single greatest difference between South Africa and New Zealand.
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Posted by Iain on Feb. 2, 2012, 4:51 p.m. in
Immigration
Somewhere in Auckland (yesterday) the city’s population increased by one to reach 1.5 million. Chances are that baby is of Polynesian ethnicity, has four or five brothers and sisters, his/her mother is 30 years old and our newest Aucklander was born in South Auckland...
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Posted by Iain on Jan. 27, 2012, 9:09 a.m. in
Immigration
Back behind the desk as summer continues its balmy journey out my window. No more fresh sea breezes or sun on the face, only the gentle, occasional waft of bus exhaust fumes seeping in my window from Queen Street...
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Posted by Iain on Jan. 18, 2012, 3:49 p.m. in
Living
Happy New Year and can I take this opportunity of wishing you all the very best for 2012. So where to begin with this, my first Letter from New Zealand in 2012? We could talk immigration policy, pass marks and so on but that would be a bit dull.
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Posted by Iain on Jan. 18, 2012, 3:45 p.m. in
Living
This is my last Southern Man Letter from New Zealand for 2011. My bags a re packed, I’m going to do the family thing and then it is off to the peace and quiet of Lang’s Beach in northland for three weeks of not very much.
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Posted by Iain on Dec. 15, 2011, 3:43 p.m. in
Immigration
As the end of the year bears down on us like a runaway freight train and I ponder the holiday season ahead it is worthwhile reviewing some of the changes to immigration policy and processes that have taken place this year.
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Posted by Iain on Dec. 9, 2011, 3:13 p.m. in
Living
I have always been a straight shooter. I am not into telling people what I think they want to hear and this I suspect is why the consultancy I established all those years ago has been as successful as it has (he typed immodestly). If you have not spent much time in New Zealand, you might be forgiven for thinking that this is just a trait of mine.
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Posted by Iain on Dec. 1, 2011, 1:38 p.m. in
Government
We have just had our national elections and as expected the centre right National Party was returned to power and will form the next Government with two (very) minor parties in coalition for the next three years.
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Posted by Iain on Nov. 18, 2011, 3:05 p.m. in
Living
Waiheke Island is often referred as the “jewel” of the Hauraki Gulf.
Lying 45 minutes ferry ride to the east of downtown Auckland it is an island of incredible contrasts and beauty. I had the opportunity of spending the day exploring the island with my wife, cruising in her VW Beetle with the soft top down this past Sunday.
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Posted by Iain on Nov. 11, 2011, 2:58 p.m. in
Immigration
I have often written about how my city is changing. Sometimes the changes are subtle and sometimes they are not. So much of the change is positive and for the better but at other times I feel some of the city’s inhabitants might just be in danger of losing their humanity a little.
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Posted by Iain on Nov. 4, 2011, 2:47 p.m. in
Immigration
I have long believed INZ should put on all its guides, application forms and leaflets the same sort of warning that cigarette manufacturers must put on their little packets of death – something along the lines of ‘WARNING –Dealing with the Department of Immigration might lead to severe mental instability.'
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Posted by Iain on Oct. 29, 2011, 2:35 p.m. in
Rugby World Cup
The ghosts of 1991 to 2007 have finally been laid to rest. The mighty All Blacks who so dominate world rugby year in and year out have finally secured their second Rugby World Cup. The RWC monkey (gorilla?) is now firmly off their backs.
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Posted by Iain on Oct. 21, 2011, 2:29 p.m. in
Immigration
I can see with the All Blacks now poised to take the World Cup for the first time in 24 years how dedication to a single goal; a goal that is researched, visualised, planned and then executed can be such a force for good, not only for those involved but for those around who get to bask in the reflected glory.
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Posted by Iain on Oct. 14, 2011, 2:20 p.m. in
Living
An easy 90 minutes drive from Mount Eden in Auckland is Lang’s Beach. I am lucky enough to own half a beach house (or ‘bach’ – as we North Islanders call it – don’t ask me why) along with my brother-in-law.
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Posted by Iain on Oct. 5, 2011, 2:13 p.m. in
Living
Despite Dan Carter being ruled out of the rest of the Rugby World Cup with a groin tendon tear the sun still came up this morning. Never has so much attention been paid to one man’s groin in the history of humanity (as far as I can tell).
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Posted by Iain on Sept. 29, 2011, 2:10 p.m. in
Allocations
I remember quite distinctly when I was ten years old, sitting in the passenger seat of my mother’s old Austin 1100 being driven home from school having an in-depth discussion about the merits of communism with her. As you do when you are 10...
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Posted by Iain on Sept. 19, 2011, 6 a.m. in
New Zealand Employment
With unemployment levels for the over 25's now at 4.5% and falling, skills shortages are beginning to build. With the Government having cut skilled migrant numbers (for the time being I am told), I give it six months and the impending skill shortages will start to bite and cause real frustration for employers.
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Posted by Iain on Sept. 14, 2011, 6 a.m. in
Living
It’s spring in Auckland and I love this time of year.
There’s something about it for those of us who are lucky enough to enjoy more than two seasons. Here in Auckland we tend to get four of them of equal length although there are those who will tell you we can get all four before lunch.
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Posted by Iain on Sept. 8, 2011, 6 a.m. in
Living
I wasn’t going to do the rugby thing in the blog but the anticipation, excitement and the biggest event (party!) New Zealand has ever put on, or might ever see, has overcome me.
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Posted by Iain on Aug. 31, 2011, 6 a.m. in
Immigration
I sometimes feel like a very frustrated Sherlock Holmes, and in the absence of any public statements or explanations as to what they are doing, it is left to industry experts, such as myself, to analyse and speculate.
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