News

Experience shows the single most important thing that leads to new migrants settling well and staying in New Zealand is having work they enjoy. This may be in a chosen field - or not.

However work can be good or bad regardless of what kind of work it is. 
What makes a place good to work at is not just about what you do -  it’s also about how people get on together.

New Zealanders have a reputation for being friendly, however there may be differences in the ways some things are done that can be confusing.

For example, in New Zealand eye to eye contact is a mark of respect. Avoiding eye contact is a signal that the listener would prefer to be somewhere else. This is the exact opposite of some countries.

Understanding the basic building blocks of informal communication in New Zealand can greatly reduce workplace misunderstanding, and provide both new migrants and other employees with confidence that they are understood.

The Employee toolkit is an 8 page fold-out booklet which introduces the most common points of  communication difference for most new migrants.

Click here to download the booklet, or save and print the individual cards.