Construction in New Zealand

If you’re looking for a booming industry with tonnes of jobs, look no further than construction. We’re going to take you through some ins and outs of construction in New Zealand!

Statistics New Zealand has released some solid regional statistics on building in New Zealand. In the March 2017 quarter, the value of all building work in New Zealand was $4.9 billion (with a ‘B’). To break that down: as a country, New Zealand spent $3.3 billion on residential buildings and $1.7 billion on non-residential buildings.

Auckland ($1.8 billion) and Canterbury (Christchurch – $1.0 billion) were the biggest areas in terms of construction value. This is due to the housing shortage in Auckland, creating significant demand for residential building, and the post-earthquake rebuild in Canterbury. These areas are perfect for anyone looking to get a job in the field – though the cost of living in Canterbury is likely to be lower.

Looking forward, many New Zealand resource consents were issued in the last year. This means there is significant building activity on the horizon. On the residential side, 30,453 new dwellings were consented ($12.8 billion, up 4.7% from the previous year). On the non-residential side, building consents were $6.2 billion (up 1.6% from the previous year). Northland is up 14.2%, while Auckland is up 7.6%. This shows that the top of the North Island is looking solid for future construction work – while Canterbury is looking to slow down as the earthquake rebuild finishes up.

In summary, Auckland and Northland are good regions for construction work in – these are good places if you’re looking to get into the construction industry in New Zealand.

Getting your foot in the door?

Since construction work is most definitely in demand, all you need to do is make sure you have the qualifications and experience. If your job is on one of New Zealand’s skill shortage lists, your work visa application process will be faster and you may even be able to apply for a resident visa.
Here are some notable building and construction jobs on New Zealand’s skill shortage lists:

• Building Inspector
• Building Surveyor
• Construction project manager
• Project manager
• Foreman
• Bricklayer
• Glazier
• Metal Machinist

You can find the various details about each position (including required qualifications) on the above website. Even if your particular skill isn’t on the list – it pays to get in touch with the New Zealand Government to check the options you have.

Construction skills are booming, which presents a lot of opportunity. If you’re getting into a new career in New Zealand, you may have to send money home. Here at OrbitRemit, we transfer from NZD to a range of currencies at minimal cost to you – just check out our rates on the top right-hand side of the screen!