Leighs Experience

Living and Working in New Zealand

Leighs Construction

Anthony Leighs started Leighs Construction 17 years ago and as an equal opportunity employer, he now has a diverse and multi-cultural team from all over the world (Scotland, Ireland, England, Australia, South Africa, USA, Canada and the Philippines). Anthony and the team at Leighs Construction want to make your time in NZ, enjoyable and successful and we will welcome you and help you as much as we can, when you arrive. (Video from Anthony coming soon)

Leighs Construction is the leader of the next generation of innovative and highly successful construction companies in NZ. We push the boundaries and think outside the square while managing challenging and interesting projects. (Present projects from Graeme Earl coming soon)

Our organisation is set to experience significant growth as we become heavily involved in the rebuild of Christchurch. This will provide fantastic opportunities for you, within an already exciting organisation. Leighs Construction wants to make sure that you are feel welcome working for our organization, welcome in our city and welcome in our country. We have put together an information pack for you and this is a useful guide to help you make the decision to come to Christchurch an easier one.

NEW ZEALAND FAST FACTS

Population: 4.2 million

Capital: Wellington

Major languages: English, Maori

Major religion: Christianity

Monetary unit: 1 New Zealand dollar ($NZ) = 100 cents

Main exports: Wool, food and dairy products, wood and paper products

International dialling code: +64

New Zealand (the Maori name is: Aotearoa) is an island country located in the Pacific Ocean. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans.

Useful Links:

A video of New Zealand

http://gonewzealand.about.com/od/Destinations/tp/Top-10-Reasons-To-Visit-New-Zealand.htm

The majority of New Zealand's population is of European descent; the indigenous Maori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and non-Maori Polynesians. Maori and New Zealand Sign Language are the official languages, with English predominant. Much of New Zealand's culture is derived from Maori and early British settlers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_zealand

New Zealand has a mild climate with annual temperatures ranging from 10 °C in the south to 16 °C in the north. Conditions vary sharply across regions from extremely wet on the West Coast of the South Island to dry in Central Otago, the Mackenzie Basin of inland Canterbury and subtropical in Northland. Of the seven largest cities, Christchurch is the driest, receiving on average only 640 millimetres (25 in) of rain per year and Auckland the wettest, receiving almost twice that amount.
Kiwi is the nickname used internationally for people from New Zealand, as well as being a relatively common self-reference. The name derives from the kiwi, a flightless bird, which is native to, and the national symbol of, New Zealand. The usage is not offensive, being treated with pride and endearment as a uniquely recognisable term for the people of New Zealand.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwi_(people)

Until the earthquake in Christchurch in February 2011, the last fatal earthquake in New Zealand had been on the West Coast of the South Island in May 1968. Three deaths resulted at that time. In the recent earthquakes that have damaged Christchurch, 181 people were killed, 115 of them in the collapse of the Canterbury Television building.

Immigration-Your visa and rights in NZ are available by contacting NZ Immigration direct www.immigration.govt.nz

Moving to New Zealand and settling in.
For more information about settling in New Zealand go to:
http://www.ssnz.govt.nz/living-in-new-zealand/way-of-life/

Settlement resources for employees

These include:

•Settlement Support New Zealand - SSNZ is Immigration New Zealand’s comprehensive regional settlement service, providing new arrivals in regions and towns in New Zealand with a clear point of contact for information about the places where they settle.
•LINKZ - A quarterly magazine offered free for 2 years to new migrants. To read online or subscribe, visit the LINKZ Homepage http://www.ssnz.govt.nz/living-in-new-zealand/information-resources/linkz.asp
•The Employee Toolkit - The companion to the Employer Toolkit. You can give your employees this guide to help them settle in to your workplace.
•CAB Language Link - English language Assistance. If you don’t feel comfortable speaking in English yet, there’s a free settlement information service in other languages called CAB Language Link. Phone 0800 788 877. You can also contact this service through SSNZ.
•Department of Labour Language Hub - A central point for all Department of Labour publications in other languages. Many of these are produced to help inform specific new migrant groups.
•Information about New Zealand - Our general information area, providing a short introduction across most aspects of what it is like to live in New Zealand.

Facts on NZ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand

NZ travel http://wikitravel.org/en/New_Zealand

NZ travel advice and useful information http://www.newzealand.com/int/
Immigration NZ www.immigration.govt.nz

News, sport and weather www.nzherald.co.nz

News, sport and links to regional newspapers http://www.stuff.co.nz/

The E-Bay of NZ www.trademe.co.nz

Maps www.jasons.co.nz

Links for Christchurch and the surrounding areas, weekends away, rugby, cricket and events concerts

http://www.infocus.co.nz/canterbury/events.asp
http://bethere.co.nz/
http://www.tourism.net.nz/
http://www.tourism.net.nz/region/christchurch/
http://www.wildfoods.co.nz/index.cfm/1%2C51%2C0%2C0%2Chtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canterbury_Crusaders
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Basketball_League
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NZ_Breakers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_15
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITM_Cup
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canterbury_Rugby_Football_Union
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canterbury_cricket_team