Resident Visa - About to Expire :(

Thank you for sharing your honest, personal experiences. There are many tens of thousands like you - talented, smart, well-educated - who, lured by marketing, come to New Zealand only to find they are shut out. Sorry, but that is the way it frequently goes here.

You could make complaints, but when was the last time you read or heard about someone like yourself who was successful doing so (making a complaint)? What makes you think that the same (kind of) people who won't hire or help you, do not also work in the various government ministries and departments? (Hint: they do and they are the same). Even if you could stay a while longer, is anything likely to change for you?

You should nourish your optimism and widen your view. Just because New Zealand did not work out for you, don't consider yourself a failure - you're not. There are many other places in the world which are more welcoming and in need of talented people - just ask the 20% of the New Zealand native population who have emigrated elsewhere.

New Zealand is a place where you either fit - or you dont. Success here has little do with your foreign experience, education, knowledge and skills, and more to do with how well you assimilate and are accepted. That is why all the HR and recruitment companies will assess you based on your New Zealand experience - and whether you have any. It is not just because they might be biased; it is because they know that their clients whom they are recruiting for care more about you pretending to act like a kiwi (which is dull and depressing, frankly), than getting the job done. That is why that first job is critical - and why anyone interested in moving to New Zealand really needs to understand what it takes to get along here, and whether it is in your DNA to do so.

Bro I think look for any other field like health care and hospitality.

Re your experience in trying to get a job in New Zealand where I live, My son who has had 18 years of IT experience working all over the world came over here and started applying for jobs. It is a chicken and egg situation!. ie you need a work permit to get a job and you cant get a job without a work permit!. After 9 months of travelling all over New Zealand to job interviews  where he was told he more than suited for  the work permit came into play. Frankly the Kiwis cannot be bothered with helping anyone get a work permit if they don't need to!. My son eventually got a job down on the south island on minimum wages for his skillset. When he applied for his residency visa the first question asked by the immigration people was why are you working for low wages and they contacted the company he worked for and they were forced to up his pay by 10000 dollars to represent his true working wage that Kiwis were getting for the same type of work. So do not come to New Zealand thinking it is a land of milk and honey, It can be but boy you will pay for it.

My daughter is a Permanent resident and got there through the work to residency process. In essence, it meant that she had to work for a few years for approved/accredited employers at a lower salary / position than she would have hoped for, and of course, these working visas/ permits cost quite a bit. She used an accredited agent. After working hard for the qualifying period she applied for and now has PR. She now works at an appropriate level and is making good progress in her field. It might be better to broaden your search and lower your expectations if you are not getting positive responses from your first choice? I appreciate that it can be hard to get by on the lower salary, particularly if you have dependent family, so perhaps Its not an option open to all. Good Luck.