Migrants get a feel of New Zealand at Expo

Venkat Raman

New migrants, international students, migrant workers and tourists got to know first-hand the existing and emerging opportunities for them to progress their education and career at the Sixth Annual ANZ Migrant Expo last fortnight.

Organised by the ANZ Bank as a part of its service to the migrant community, the ANZ Migrant Expo, held at the ‘Cloud’ in Queen’s Wharf on Saturday, June 16, 2018, witnessed about 12,000 visitors flocking more than 70 stalls exhibiting a wide-range of services and facilities offered by the New Zealand government, government agencies, departments, and private sector companies and organisations.

Service Providers’ Stalls

They included the New Zealand Police, Inland Revenue Department, Immigration New Zealand, Immigration Advisers Authority, Employment New Zealand, Tertiary Education Commission, the Auckland Council and the Auckland District Health Board.

Companies and Commercial and Non-Commercial organisations included ANZ, airline operators, education providers, health services providers, telecommunication companies, immigration consultants, lawyers, the media, the New Zealand Indian Central Association and others.

Informative Seminars

There were six seminars conducted through the day on issues such as ‘Pathway from employment to residency,’ ‘Safety,’ ‘Understanding the New Zealand Health System,’ ‘Mental Health Awareness,’ ‘Renting Properties,’ ‘First Homebuyers’ and ‘Getting Ready for Employment.’

Earlier, speaking at a formal opening ceremony, ANZ Bank Head of Migrant and Auckland Asian Banking Jack Hou said that as a nation of immigrants, more than 90% of New Zealanders feel that they have some connection to another country through family, friends, travel or other interests.

Understanding New Zealand

“While we are a small country, I believe that our connection to different cultures makes us stronger as a nation, and more diverse and inclusive as a people group. New Zealand, and Auckland in particular, is a wonderful melting pot of a wide range of cultures. As a result, we are seeing more demand for migrant services, many of which have representatives at the ANZ Migrant Expo,” he said.

Mr Hou said that understanding that new migrants, international students and others must be aware of employees’ minimum rights and housing, how to structure their resumes, who to call in an emergency and most other important services and facilities available in the country were among the informative stall at the Expo.

“It can be difficult knowing what questions to ask, and then who to go to when you have those questions. That is why information days like ANZ Migrant Expo 2018 can be so beneficial,” he said.

ANZ’s connectivity

Mr Hou said that as the largest bank in New Zealand, ANZ has a duty to serve its customers.

“We recently announced a programme providing $100 million of interest free loans to help Kiwis insulate their homes. This has been well received with more than 500 customers across New Zealand registered for the loan.

“We also have 15 migrant banking centres across New Zealand with more than 600 staff fluent in a range of languages including Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Hindi, and Japanese with a range of products designed to meet the unique needs of migrant customers,” he said.

Among those who attended the opening ceremony were ANZ General Manager (Retail and Business Banking) Andrew Webster, Branch Managers, Customer Relations Officers and other officials of the Bank, Labour MP Raymond Huo, Auckland City District Commander Superintendent Karyn Malthus and other Police officials, community representatives and company executives.

Cultural performances held throughout the day included local kapa haka groups, Korean drummers, Chinese, Indian, Samoan, Tongan and Filipino dances.