How to build the workforce for your New Zealand project

You’ve secured the project. Delivery dates are taking shape, and now you need people in New Zealand who can do the work.

You may have experienced employees ready to transfer, roles you want to recruit locally and specialist capability that is difficult to find in New Zealand. Each option comes with different recruitment, immigration and employment requirements.

Before you start hiring, build a workforce plan around the work you need to deliver. This will help you decide where to find each person, what needs to happen before they can start and how much time to allow.

Start with the work that needs to be delivered

Your existing organisational chart may give you a starting point, but your New Zealand project will have its own workforce requirements.

For each role, confirm:

• The work the person will perform
• Their level of responsibility
• The skills, experience and qualifications required
• Any New Zealand licence or registration requirements
• The work location and expected hours
• The employment period and intended start date
• Who will manage the employee in New Zealand

This gives us a clear recruitment brief and helps your HR and immigration advisers work from the same information.

Be specific about what is essential. A job title used in another country may describe different responsibilities in New Zealand. We’ll help you define the role in a way that makes sense to the local market and attracts people with the capability you need.

Decide which roles to recruit in New Zealand

Recruiting locally can give your project access to New Zealand experience, established industry relationships and candidates who already have the right to work here.

Before you commit to a recruitment approach, we can give you a realistic view of:

• Candidate availability
• Current salary expectations
• Competition for the skills you need
• How long recruitment may take
• Whether the role and offer will appeal to local candidates

Entering a new market also means candidates won’t know your company yet. They’ll want to understand the project, the security of the opportunity, who will employ them and what happens when the current project ends.

We’ll represent your company clearly, answer those questions and give candidates the information they need to make an informed decision.

Identify where overseas recruitment is genuinely needed

Some projects require specialist capability your company already employs overseas. Others need skills that are difficult to source in New Zealand.

Depending on the role, you may decide to transfer an existing employee, recruit someone in New Zealand or begin an overseas recruitment campaign. Your decision should reflect the skills required, the available local market and the project timeline.

RecruitNZ recruits skilled workers from overseas, with particular experience recruiting from the Philippines for industries including construction, manufacturing, engineering and logistics.

Recruiting from overseas requires more lead time. Your project plan may need to account for:

• Candidate sourcing and assessment
• Employer accreditation and Job Check requirements, where applicable
• Visa applications
• Employment documentation
• Notice periods
• Travel and relocation
• Induction and site access

Recruiting workers from the Philippines also involves requirements set by the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers. Employers, job orders and employment documents may need to be approved through the appropriate DMW processes before a worker can be deployed.

We manage recruitment through the correct accredited channels and work alongside VisaAide so the recruitment and immigration stages support the same plan.

VisaAide can advise on the immigration pathway and employer requirements before you confirm roles, start dates or travel.

Recruit people who can work effectively in the project environment

Technical ability matters, but it doesn’t tell you how someone will perform within your operation.

The people you hire may need to join a newly established team, report to leaders based overseas or work alongside employees and contractors from several organisations. They need to communicate clearly, understand expectations and adapt to the way the project operates.

We assess candidates against the role and working environment, including how they:

• Communicate with managers and colleagues
• Approach safety and responsibility
• Respond to direction and feedback
• Work with different personalities and cultures
• Adapt to change
• Contribute to the wider team

This gives you a clearer picture of how each person is likely to work within the project, not just whether their experience looks right on paper.

Keep recruitment, HR and immigration aligned

Before you make an offer, confirm which entity will employ the person, who has authority to make the offer and whether the proposed terms meet New Zealand employment and immigration requirements.

Your recruitment brief, advertisement, job description, offer, employment agreement and immigration information should describe the same role.

Check that they align on:

• The employing entity
• The job title and duties
• The work location
• The hours and pay
• The reporting line
• The intended start date
• The expected length of employment

If the role changes during recruitment, update the connected documents and ask your immigration adviser whether the change affects the proposed visa pathway.

ConsultingHQ can prepare the New Zealand employment foundations your new team will need, including employment agreements, policies and onboarding processes.

For guidance on setting up your New Zealand workforce across business structure, recruitment, immigration and HR, read People Inc Group’s guide to setting up a workforce in New Zealand.

Build enough time into the project plan

Start workforce planning as soon as the project is confirmed. Early planning gives you more options and allows the recruitment, immigration and employment stages to happen in the right order.

Your timeline may need to allow for:

• Testing the New Zealand candidate market
• Sourcing and assessing overseas candidates
• Completing employer immigration requirements
• Preparing employment documents
• Completing DMW requirements for workers recruited from the Philippines
• Allowing for notice periods, travel and relocation
• Completing inductions and site access requirements

Avoid promising a start date until the recruitment and immigration pathway has been assessed. Processing times, candidate notice periods and documentation requirements can all affect when someone will be ready to begin.

A realistic plan gives your project leaders better information and gives each new employee a clearer experience.

RecruitNZ can help you define the roles, test the New Zealand market and recruit the people your project needs, locally or from overseas.