Prime Minister Helen Clark and Immigration Minister Paul Swain said today that the government is launching new initiatives to bring expatriate New Zealanders up to date with job opportunities at home.

Helen Clark said, “The government wants to make it easier for expats to come home and find the right job by giving them the best information about the country, economy and job opportunities. This programme brings all that together.”

New Zealanders have always travelled abroad for new experiences and opportunities, and there are at least 460,000 New Zealanders living overseas. Yet studies show that half of our expatriates think they’ll come home and 25 percent are still deciding. ”

The programme is to focus on the following areas:

  Launching a website which has up to date information about New Zealand and can connect expats to the employers, recruiters, real estate agents, and other organisations and information they need when deciding to return home. The website will also have a link to the Department of Labour’s CV matching service, networkzonline.

  Promoting offshore job expos to expats to help them connect with New Zealand employers.

  Providing ways friends and family in New Zealand can connect expats to information about returning.

Helen Clark said Labour’s recently announced student loans policy which will wipe off interest on student loans for people living in New Zealand adds another incentive for Kiwis to come home.

In addition, the Department of Labour is looking at ways to help make the process smoother for foreign partners of expats by prioritising their applications for residence.

“Skilled New Zealanders are in demand offshore. That means it’s important we make sure our expats know more about the opportunities back home.”