Seeking A Safe Haven

As I commuted to work the other day, and scouring my regular news sources for updates on what might be happening around the globe, the first thing that appeared was an article showing the potential leader of the free world, dancing on stage like some sort of bizarre seaweed for roughly 39 minutes. That’s right, the American presidential candidate, Mr. D Trump, the man who might just end up being the most significant player in geopolitical events, was wafting around the stage, with tunes from Village People, Rufus Wainwright and the musical Cats playing in the background. A shame really because I like Rufus Wainwright.

The world is indeed a very interesting place. There are probably a few more terms that people might use to describe the state of our planet, but interesting at least “safe for work”.

Putting aside the sideshow that is the US presidential elections, more significant events such as the prolonged conflict in the Ukraine, the consequential energy crisis in Europe, escalating tensions in the middle-east and more recently North Korea’s support of Russia (in the Ukraine conflict) as well as their military posturing towards South Korea, its not hard to see why people might be considering their options.

And if you were of a mind to try and escape this chaos, a small-island nation at the bottom of the world, with a population of circa 5 million, where the biggest news of the week appears to be which Green Party member might be thrown out of parliament - might not be a bad choice. That being said, New Zealand isn’t perfect and we have had our fair share of troubles in the last few years, but we remain somewhat of a “safe haven” particularly if you compare us to almost every part of the globe. Ironically most New Zealanders don’t really appreciate just what that might mean and why so many other people might want to park up here, as the global storm passes through.

Trouble & Strife

Without reciting the worlds troubles, there are some pretty key events that drive an interest in New Zealand and if you follow our news media, you might have seen a few of these in the past. Whenever the US holds a presidential election, visitor numbers to your immigration service website (the Government site) tend to spike and in fact Immigration New Zealand, usually celebrates this fact as some sort of marketing win. When Brexit happened, visitor numbers from the UK broke through most records and the list goes on. Major global events have always generated an interest from people looking to make a strategic move (usually away from where they are).

New Zealand is of course just one of several locations that people consider, but equally its often the most popular. Our size, geographic isolation and relative stability are essentially everything that more chaotic countries are not. Whilst we still play on the world stage, we aren’t generally as impacted by major events and nor do we seek to get too involved. However of late, the world’s troubles have seemingly stockpiled and so instead of isolated events leading to a spike in interest, we are seeing more sustained and prolonged issues, leading to a more consistent and gradual increase. That doesn’t mean we have people flooding in across the border, but certainly the number of people considering the move and from a much wider number of countries is steadily on the rise. I have received more interest from people in the US in the last month, than in the previous two years.

There is so much going on globally, its hard to keep up, however when you live in a country like New Zealand, you are observing everything happening around you, as opposed to being in the middle of it, looking for a life raft. As an observer and one that has an obvious interest in how these global issues might impact on a persons decision to stay or go, I can appreciate why New Zealand might look like a shiny warm light at the end of a very dark, cold tunnel.

How New Zealand Compares

It would be easy to suggest to those folks living amongst the trouble and strife that New Zealand is indeed a safe haven and if you are fortunate enough to be able to qualify to make the move here, why wouldn’t you. However that is not to say that New Zealand is perfect and for the prospective migrant it is important to appreciate that very particular point.

Yes, New Zealand does have a very stable political system and whilst our politicians might get up to a few interesting things, none of them involved 39 minute long, solo dance events at public meetings.

We also have a very transparent and open political system and despite a few claims of corruption here and there, we are in fact one of the least politically corrupt countries on earth. We go so far as to publicly disclose MP expenses and incomes to try and make sure our political representatives are on the level.

Economically things have, of late, been more turbulent and a lot of that turbulence is influenced by various global events. We have had a significant cost of living increase (created by elevated inflation ) which in turn has slowed down growth and lead to increasing levels of unemployment. However even with those headwinds, unemployment remains low compared to many other labour markets, our inflation is being curtailed and interest rates are slowly coming down. Tough times for many folks, but the lights are still on, the water still flows and we haven’t started blowing each other up - which would be tricky given the size of our armed forces anyway.

Whilst New Zealand is not perfect, compared to many other places, it is pretty close to being that safe haven and if you are heading here with resources, skills and the desire to find somewhere relatively peaceful and out of the way, then you would be on the right track. I can always remember the words of a former client from the US, who very simply and very eloquently put it to me “you just have no idea how lucky you are” - having watched just a few of the 39 minutes of Trump, I suspect he is probably right.

Looking For A Safe Haven

Ironically as the world becomes more chaotic, there are plenty of New Zealanders, considering a move to other locations and if you are reading this, but then also seeing local (NZ) media reports of the flow of New Zealanders to countries like Australia, that probably deserves a mention. There are plenty of locals who would consider moving to somewhere like Australia (far few venture further than that). This is driven almost entirely by financial concerns because for a lot of people, the lure of higher salaries in their chosen professions is hard to resist. However that drive to go across the Tasman is also supported by the fact that Australia isn’t that different to New Zealand, in terms of political stability and lifestyle. Economically they are ahead of us at this stage, although not long ago, we were ahead of them.

The simple fact is those leaving New Zealand are not doing so because the lifestyle is bad, the country is under-siege or our next political leader is auditioning for his own version of dancing with the stars. So if you are living in a country where those things are happening, New Zealand presents as a very good option, particularly if you have the skills and resources to carve out a comfortable existence here - and that is very achievable.

To do that, you do have to run the immigration gauntlet and that generally means having a family connection (partner or children), being able to secure employment here in a relatively skilled occupation or being able to invest or bring your entrepreneurial skills with you. Our visa system is designed to both protect our borders but also to try and improve the overall economic and social situation - so in short it isn’t an easy process. But rightly so and whilst its complicated and challenging it also means we get the best and the brightest (well we aim to anyway).

If you are looking for a safe-haven, New Zealand is a good choice, but you have to be prepared to face the challenge that migration presents and also understand that settling in here is a process - one that can take quite some time to complete. I have authored many an article on that settlement topic, which would be well worth a read, if you are considering the move.

Looking To Join Us?

If Trump’s rhythmic interpretations of Ave Maria, have you wondering whether you are living in the right place, or if your concerns are slightly more pressing, and you are thinking about a move to our small part of the world, then the best place to start is to establish whether or not you fit within any one of the various visa categories we have.

It’s a bold move and takes a bit more than just a brief browse across INZ’s website. However fortune favours the bold and sometimes the hardest part in this process is taking that very first step. Something we can obviously help with, by providing an initial review of your options. If we think there is a life-raft that fits, we will be able to tell you how to get on board.

Until next week!

Paul Janssen - Turner Hopkins Immigration Specialists