(EMAILWIRE.COM, July 08, 2009 ) New Zealand - One of the top places for Brits to escape to is New Zealand and I am certainly not immune to its charms – but now a worrying new trend is turning that dream of a new life sour, thanks to a major shift in policy by the NZ Government…

Imagine this – you cut all ties with your UK existence and fly your family to the other side of the world for a better life.

You’ve sold your house, you’ve taken the kids out of school – but it’s ok, you’ve already lined up a New Zealand job and your new life is on track.

But then along comes something you didn’t bargain for. You lose your job. You are then asked to leave the country.

Whilst the credit crunch has obviously played a major part in this, the New Zealand Government has also had a hand, with many accusing it of pursuing a ‘jobs for Kiwis’ policy.

With unemployment at a six-year high, tough economic times have led to jobs going to native New Zealanders first.

With many Kiwis heading back home after losing their jobs in another country, there is huge demand for every job and foreigners are losing out.

Jobless foreigners now risk losing their work visas and having to return to Britain.
Many of the 20,000 skilled Britons who made the move to New Zealand last year had expertise sought after by New Zealand employers and were given visas allowing them to take jobs and apply for permanent residency after two years.

But now, the Government seems to be asking these people to leave in order to free up the jobs for Kiwis. Meanwhile, the employers are losing skilled employees and, in some cases, having to replace them with less-skilled workers.

Mike Bell, of the migrant assistance group Move2NZ group, said, “We are seeing families who have worked here years being effectively kicked out in two weeks.

“Many have existing jobs or offers of work in areas listed by immigration as being in dire shortage. Employers are tearing their hair out as there’s nothing they can do,” he added.

Google NZ

Online search giant Google has launched a New Zealand property mapping service. Now, estate agents, franchise groups and other property websites can upload their house listings directly into Google Maps free of charge.

Prospective buyers simply enter the city or burb of their choice into the search engine and available listings will pop up on the map. More detailed searches can then be carried out by price, type of property, number of bedrooms and parking.

The map automatically updates with relevant listings when panned or zoomed to another suburb, and when the search criteria is changed.

Google Product Manager Andrew Foster said the company knew that many New Zealand home buyers were already using Google Maps to help with house-buying.

“By making the listings themselves available in Google Maps, we can drive qualified buyers directly to listings.

“It is a simple and free way for real estate companies to make their listings even more discoverable and have them seen on an easy-to-navigate map,” added Mr Foster.

For more information on properties in New Zealand and the market in general, please visit http://new-zealand.themovechannel.com/

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

TheMoveChannel.com is a property website that was founded in 1999 as an online resource for buying, selling and learning about property. It now receives as many as 300,000 visits per month and advertises over 50,000 properties in nearly 90 countries, which are listed by over 500 partner organisations.

For further information as well as images and interview possibilities, please contact:

Dan Johnson
Managing Director
www.themovechannel.com
0207 952 7650

Contact Information:
TheMoveChannel.com
Dan Johnson
Tel: 020 7952 7650
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