Kea lures Kiwis to fly home

Warehouse founder Stephen Tindall. Photo / Dean Purcell

Kea, the global network of Kiwi expatriates set up by The Warehouse founder Stephen Tindall, is launching an Auckland branch.

With 30,000 members in chapters all around the world, Kea now needs more engagement with New Zealanders, Tindall said.

"We feel that if we really want to make this thing work to its full potential we need to get a lot more exposure here in New Zealand and get people actively sweating the asset," he said.

Kea's mandate was to try to make New Zealand a wealthier place through exporting.

The key groups it wanted to attract were businesses and employers wanting to access the resource of skilled Kiwis working offshore.

There were massive opportunities for New Zealanders to export more and Kea aimed to foster links with expat Kiwis who could offer entry into markets, advice and even investment, Tindall said.

Kea also wanted to tap into New Zealand's immigrant populations, such as the 200,000 Chinese who had been educated here.

Kea also aimed to attract highly-skilled Kiwi workers back home.

New Zealand has one of the highest rates per capita in the OECD of skilled workers going offshore. Feedback from Kea members on networking site Linkedin indicates the challenges in enticing expats to return.

Steve Gow lived in the United Kingdom for six years and came home three years ago for his children. "Have to say returning to New Zealand has been a very negative experience. I earn less than a third of what I did in Europe, work at a level of about half I did over there and now have an inferior lifestyle ..."

Most New Zealand employers also did not want to recognise overseas experience or did not understand it, he said. "However, definitely applaud the efforts of Kea in aiming to provide support."

Joel Rickard has been living in Australia for more than three years.

"I've been hearing media and academia harping on about the 'brain drain' for the past 10 years ... If we're such good innovators, why can't we come up with innovative ways to keep our local talent and attract global talent to our shores?"

Brendon Woodhead is principal scientist at GlaxoSmithKline in the United Kingdom and is looking to return to New Zealand. He had made good contacts through the Kea UK chapter, he said.

"Opportunities in New Zealand for science are quite limited, especially for research.

"What I am struggling with at the moment is the way New Zealand industries place you in a particular category or give you a specific label and don't see the crossover skills that you can bring."

Tindall said lifestyle and family links were major attractions for Kiwis coming home.

His own daughter had recently returned from the UK, partly to give her child a New Zealand education.

"I think people can, if they have a mindset to, have an enjoyable life here and enjoy their work and make their chosen profession exciting. I certainly haven't had any trouble doing that."

Chris Boys, a former commercial director for an IT company in London who came home last year, is heading the Auckland branch.

He found reintegrating into the business community challenging and sees part of Kea Auckland's role as reconnecting returning Kiwis.

Unable to do his job here, he set up his own business helping early stage entrepreneurs win business offshore.

That was one of the messages of the local Kea chapter. "If you're coming back to Auckland, think about doing something outside the square."

Kea Auckland launches on November 11 with its first monthly event.