In New Zealand, we have a long list of skill shortages that need to be filled.
We need more engineers, accountants, IT professionals, scientists, teachers, lecturers, nurses and doctors. We also need bakers, carpenters, bricklayers, electricians and mechanics.
As Immigration NZ says, “some skills are in chronically short supply.”
When I read the skill shortage lists, what immediately springs to mind is the number of resettled Kiwis who arrived in New Zealand at the end of their refugee journey.
Despite arriving in New Zealand without material resources, they bring a wealth of skills, expertise and qualifications from their home countries which match many of these skill shortage areas.
Approximately 30 percent of former refugees arrive in New Zealand with professional qualifications, and many go on to obtain degree and post-graduate…