BEVS

My husband currently works on new build houses. He is employed. You cannot be self-employed here until you have sat and passed two craftsman papers.

He is an NZ registered plumber. For you to become NZ registered you would have your current UK qualifications assessed by the Plumbing Board of New Zealand and then if they think your UK quals are good enough , once here in New Zealand you would be required to sit four day of assessments and exams. Cost $3500NZD. This would give you registration but you wold have to remain employed until you had sat and passed the Craftsman exams. One of these is a business paper.

You would also need a licence and there is a fee for this.
Limited - if you are not registered
Registered - if you have passed the reg. exams
Craftsman - if you have passed the Craftsman exams.

Same applies for gasfitting.

Wages vary from employer to employer. Town to City. I know plumbers on around $20 NZD an hour or less. Some seem to make $25 and over.

You could come and work in New Zealand as a plumber under a temporary work permit. You and your NZ employer would need for you to have a limited plumbing licence until you sat and passed the registration assessments and exams.

If you are wanting to emigrate to New Zealand , then your first move is to have your UK plumbing qualifications assessed by the PGDB. There is a link in this thread to them.
The standard for the PGDB and for the Immigration Service is a C&G/NVQ3 or the older C&G certificates one and two. Two being the advanced level.

Living in New Zealand ?

Take a look at the New Zealand forum here on British Expats. You'll find just so much information about living in NZ there.

See you there.

AustinWong

Hi Bev,

I am not a plumber but am keen to be. You mention plenty about achieving NVQ3, but there is no mention about number of years of work experience.

Are you able to expand on this?

As just mentioned, I am not a plumber, however I am a NZ permanent resident and was living there till last year.

Am in the UK based in London to give it a go for a little and could be back home as early as next year.

I am an civil engineer on reasonably good money but would love to be a plumber. Only thing off putting is being an apprentice back home for 4years on $10 an hour.

I consider myself bright, fairly hands on and reasonably academic, so have no doubt I will pick things up quick enough.

So I am thinking that while I am here I would try and get some UK quals, hopefully some part time work to lean the practical ropes. Then come home and slip into a plumbing job.

Your thoughts on my plan. I would appreciate you pointing out all the pitfalls as I really am not sure of all the processes here and back home.

Thanks

Lawrence

PS. By the way where are you based in NZ?

Ian Langstaff

Hi Bev

I'm hoping you might be able to give me some advice. I'm a plumbing and heating engineer thinking of moving to New Zealand on a temporary basis. Do you know if this is possible through the Skilled Migration route. We'd like to move there for up to 4 years and maybe even try out Austrailia as well.

We've found lots of sites and agencies but they seem to deal with permanent migration only. There would be me, my partner (who's a recruitment consultant) and our dog.

Any info would be much appreciated.

Many thanks

Ian Langstaff

AustinWong

Hi Ian,

I would suggest Australia myself.

Things are a bit bleak back home in NZ. Winters are not well catered for either, so be aware.

Also, very strict quarantine process for pets to NZ, most likely Australia too, which I understand means months of seperation from pets.

So I would suggest if you have not already to try and talk to a few online about both countries and costs.

Few websites to help.

When you find out how much you can earn go here to work out tax.
www.ird.govt.nz

Rental Costs
www.minhousing.govt.nz/market-rent

Finding house:
www.realestate.co.nz



Regards

Lawrence

BEVS

If you want to come to New Zealand on a temporary basis and work as a plumber then you would need to find a job offer first. For New Zealand it is a job offer first and then you apply for the work visa ( if in the UK ) a work permit (if in NZ) and not the other way around.

As you are coming into NZ to work on a temporary basis, you would not be going down a skilled migrant route. This is for those that wish to emigrate here permanently .

What you would be looking for is a temporary work visa and for that you need an NZ job offer.

It is possible for you both to fetch up on NZ shores on a visitors visa and then look for a job offer whilst here.
When someone comes on holiday , they come in on a visitors visa. It is valid for 6 months.
If you were offered a plumbing job , then you would apply for a temporary work permit. If this was for more than 1 year, you would need to complete medicals and police checks too.

To be honest, you are more likely to pick up a job when here in NZ, then you are from the UK. NZ employers need to know that their new employee will actually start work soon and not in the next two years, if you get my drift.

Plumbing is on a long term shortage list and there is not a shortage of jobs here at the present. Plumbing is always needed.

NZIS - New Zealand immigration would not just go on your say-so about your plumbing ability. You would need to supply proof of your plumbing training and work experience.

Plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying is licensed in NZ through the PGDB. What you and your NZ employer would need to do is to apply for you to hold a Limited PGDB licence. This would allow you to legally work in NZ at the plumbing trade. Somewhat like CORGI, your work would need to be supervised and then signed off.

Your dog

You will need to contact an animal shipper. it is not hard and there is no quarantine for New Zealand. You just keep your dog in for a month.

You will need a micro-chip and to have some vacs and worm checks. A Pet Shipper will talk you all through it. It is really very easy. My husband flew out to NZ and our two cats arrived the day after. No separation. Just a small MAF fee to pay

Try Airpets

to get you started with this.

Golden Arrow also come highly recommended.

When it comes to Australia that is a whole other ball game. It seems to work on a state by state basis. You would be best of asking in the Australia forum

Come onto the New Zealand forum for more info on Pets , Rentals, work visa forms and of course Plumbing

See you there.

BEVS

Not sure how I have missed this. I'll get back to you tomorrow with my thoughts.

Kevin1986

Hi Bev
New to this I will be greatful for any help. did you go through an agency or did you do it by yourself?
I would love to come out there my wife has family Aunt and cousins in Wellington and we came over 4 years ago and loved it. I am a Plumbing and heating engineer apprentice trained with city and guilds and Corgi registered for industrial work self employed for the past 23 years also fitted air conditioning units in factorys but no qualifications.
I have gone with the migration bureau and they are messing about with what catagory I should go under I am happy to do anything which ever is the cheapest option I have applied to come under skilled migration and for residency what do you think or is there another way, I a happy to come as a plumber and then try and get residency. as for getting the qualifications checked can you send all of them off together or do you have to do it one by one as I have 7 certificates for various things.
many thanks

w1ll0711

hi,
im thinking about moving to new zealand next year in july as i will just have finished my level 2 nvq in plumbing by then, have you got any tips on getting an apprenticeship and enrolling on a college course to take my level 3 (or equivalent) in new Zealand?
thanks for your time

knight1987

Hi bev hope you can help i am a fully qualified plumber with 4 yrs experience and recently qualified unvented systems and gasfitter.
But ive just been made redundant and i am looking to move to NZ sooner rather than later,

Tay

MarkVanVuren

Hi Bev, Mark from South Africa here, can you please go through the process as I would like to come over to New Zeeland

alfieferns

Hi,
My name is alf. I am a plumber/gas fitter (ACL-Corgi certified) I work in LONDON, self-employed. I am 52 ,have a wife who works in IT and 2 girls (5& &7). I am seriously thinking of emigrating to NZ. I know your letter is over a year old, so things might have changed with the recession and all. I am going to put in my EOI this week. Anything you can advise me on will be truly helpful, like best area for the job, schools etc.
Regards
Alf

Delilah63

Hi ignore the user name as it belongs to the wife.

I submitted my ITA on the 28th January and I am hoping to be allocated a case officer this week.

Wh en application was submitted I was the holder of a limited certificate for gasfitting and plumbing as i had been offered a job in paraparaumu whilst I was waiting for our visa application to be assessed.

Due to the ecconomic downturn I was unfortunately made redundant before I was able to take up the post but still had enough points to remain in the system for allocation on the basis of not having secured a job.

I am in contact with someone in the Wellington area regarding a job but was not aware of any changes to the system.

Do I now need to reapply for a new limited certificate or can I submit my current certificate to the PGDB for a change of name of the craftsman signing off my work until I take the Wellington exam.


Thanks

George Fisher

plumber342

[Hi Bev

I am a registered installer seriously thinking of starting a new life with my family in N.Z. I have read with interest the info that you have provided to other enquiries.
I would be grateful to know what the current work situation for plumbers in N.Z is now.

Pumber342

BEVS

Blimey !
I've only just seen this thread. It dropped off my radar. Normally I'm hanging out in the New Zealand forum. (click the link)

I'll go through the posts and see if there is anything I can help or suggest. Remember though, I am the plumbers wife. Not the plumber , not part of any regulatory board nor a professional advisor of any sort. It's just information share.

There have been several thread in the NZ forum about tradesmen and plumbers. Have a good browse around in there too.

BEVS

Bottom line is that New Zealand is in recession just like everywhere else in the world.
The current work situation is extrememly quiet. I know of several tradesmen and plumbers who , having been flat out for the past few years, are now pulling in their horns and working shorter hours.
There will be maintenance work out there because there always is, but building work has certainly slowed to an almost stop from what we can see.

It is unlikely that New Zealand Immigration would just grant you a permanent residency visa without your having a job offer. This is because of the plumbing registration requirements really. There are an assortment of visas though. Perhaps come into the NZ forum to get a better understanding of how it all works.

To summarise though, in my opinion and it is only my opinion, trade work is very quiet and altohugh there is a national shortage of plumbers according to Immigration and the Labour Dept, there are not that many jobs being advertised out there. You would need to be boots on ground here in NZ and then you would have to compete with homegrown NZ plumbers.