New Zealand’s building sector has united to target construction talent in the UAE in an unprecedented recruitment push to fill thousands of jobs needed for the biggest infrastructure and housing build in the Pacific nation’s history.

The consortia of government organisations, local body entities and private companies are launching a campaign LookSee Build NZ this week to attract some of the more than 56,000 staff, including 2,200 senior roles.

It is estimated that New Zealand needs more than NZ$125 billion for its infrastructure works over the next decade.

LookSee Build NZ are seeking project manager and supervisors, civil and traffic engineers, roading and tunnel engineers, commercial managers and quantity surveyors, design managers and surveyors, structural engineers and draughts people among a wide range of specialist construction roles.

The country is simultaneously embarking on the biggest housing build ever attempted, with 100,000 new homes slated for construction over the next three years and more promised in the coming decade.

It is the first time New Zealand’s public and private construction sector have combined in a single cause and Downer NZ general manager network maintenance and civil construction Craig West says the need for top talent is so acute it required an innovative approach to talent procurement.

“Our construction sector is very competitive and this kind of inter-industry cooperation has never happened before but the need for staff requires us to take an all-of-industry approach,” remarked West.

“We’ve united to solve a big problem for all of us and we’ve come to the UAE because that is where  some of the best global construction talent is,” said a beaming West.

Auckland Transport chief infrastructure officer Greg Edmonds pointed out that they had conducted qualitative research into international construction industry markets and it shows the vast majority of respondents are interested in job opportunities in New Zealand.

"More than 82 per cent were prepared to pay their own travel and more than half were prepared to migrate within three months," he revealed.

"If people do get a job as a result of LookSee Build NZ their airfares to New Zealand will be repaid," he added.

To persuade prospective employees to take the trip Down Under, LookSee Build NZ is also offering a range of quintessential Kiwi ‘experiences’ as a means to entice construction professionals  to the country, says construction management consultant Aaron Muir.

“There’s a whole range of experiences we’re offering as part of the deal –fishing, surfing and canoeing, cultural events, the chance to see stunning sites of natural beauty – that will give prospective migrants a taste of what to expect if they choose to live in New Zealand,” he noted.

Edmonds says New Zealand offers more than just lifestyle – the projects approved for construction are world-class, complex infrastructure builds that will appeal to ambitious skilled staff who want to further their careers.

“The Christchurch rebuild is actually still ongoing, then there’s the America’s Cup and the massive development plans for Auckland’s waterfront, while a whole suite of ongoing transport initiatives mean our construction is facing a decades-long full pipeline,” explained Edmonds.

Muir cites Infrastructure NZ figures showing public and private works valued at NZ$125 billion to be built over the next ten years and notes election infrastructure promises that will see up to an additional NZ$14 billion added.

The free Kiwi experiences, he stated, will not by themselves persuade people to make the move “but what it will do is give them a genuine taste of the lifestyle that is on offer in New Zealand."

"What puts New Zealand above our international competitors is the quality of living experience that is unmatched around the world," he added.-TradeArabia News Service