Immigrants looking for a licence to thrive

By ALAN PERROTT, CATHY ARONSON and AINSLEY THOMSON

On any given night, queues of bored university graduates are engaged in multilingual conversations throughout the inner-city as they wait to ferry Aucklanders home.

The city's taxi drivers, almost exclusively male immigrants, have a surprising amount in common.

A Herald random survey of 10 taxi drivers found that nine had tertiary qualifications and previous professional jobs, were not born in New Zealand, and told similar stories in heavily accented English.

First cab on the rank belongs to Dimitris Mazi, an Iranian civil engineer.

He has lived in New Zealand for 10 years.

As his Iranian qualifications are not recognised here, Mr Mazi took science and engineering at Auckland University.

But then the bills began to mount.

"I had to sacrifice [studying] to earn money for my family," he said.

He would love to return to his profession, but time is passing and his hopes are fading.

Abdullah Alizai said: "Driving a taxi must be an important job in the country. You need many qualifications to get a job."

The former engineer in Pakistan gets little joy from driving but has to earn a living somehow.

Harbreet Singh left India a year ago looking for a better life.

He was a quality food technician for four years after graduating from Punjab University and also has a postgraduate degree in computer applications.

After taking his CV from employer to employer for three months, he landed a day job at a pie factory and drives taxis at night.

"I had nothing left to do. I had to be a taxi driver, but I get no sleep."

Another Indian, Sukhpeb Singh, also has a degree and is an electrician by trade. He struggled to find work here until he found a temporary job labouring on a farm.

A Pakistani computer programmer who did not want to be named said he was embarrassed to be driving a taxi, but had been unable to even get a job on a help desk.

"You have to do it; you have to make money."

When not driving he is studying programming at AUT and is confident of getting a job after graduating next year.

These stories are nothing unusual, but Government initiatives are intended to make them less common in future.

In June 2000, the Immigration Service allocated $1.2 million to establish three two-year pilot programmes, marking a policy change away from regulating entry into New Zealand and towards helping migrants settle as best as possible.

The programmes assist support groups working with refugee claimants as well as funding orientation courses for families of refugees and services for new migrants.

Three websites (www.newkiwis.co.nz, www.intonz.com and www.hi-q.org.nz) are now available to help migrants into jobs.

Auckland Ventures has set up the Hi-Q website, which is aimed at highly qualified graduates.

Spokeswoman Mary Bhalla said that while some New Zealand qualification requirements prevented many from working in their chosen professions, the site aimed to match a migrant's skills with other positions.

Among those welcoming the change is Rolf Bertschi, executive officer of the Auckland Refugee Council, who holds three professional degrees but had to pick courgettes after arriving from Switzerland five years ago.

"It's about time. It would have helped when I arrived," said Mr Bertschi.

"People only do things when they have to and there's a need.

"We need highly qualified people working to their ability."

He said the websites would assist those with language problems who became flustered trying to find the right words.

Mr Bertschi said about 70 per cent of refugees had tertiary qualifications.

"These are the people who get out and try to help themselves.

"They deserve more help."

Qualified but rejected

Abdullah Alizai shifted to New Zealand for a better life but has found that the system works against him.

"When I left Pakistan and moved to New Zealand in March I imagined it wouldn't be long until I found a job.

"After all, I have a masters degree in electrical power engineering from Manchester University, 16 years' experience in the electrical power industry, and in Pakistan I was a manager at a substation.

"I easily passed the immigration requirements to gain New Zealand residence. I thought I had nothing to worry about. I was wrong.

"Four months and many job applications later I find myself not working in a job I was trained for, but working as a taxi driver.

"When I talk to other immigrants I hear their stories about how hard it is for them to find professional work. Many of them also drive taxis. Some have been doing it for a long time.

"I uprooted my wife and four children from their home in Punjab so they would be safe; so we would not have to worry about the violence there.

"We love our new country and our life here. My children have started school and we are settling into our home in Mt Roskill. But we worry. We worry that I will not find a job and we will have to survive on my small wage.

"I am not sure why I am having difficulty finding employment. Maybe it is my accent? Sometimes I get interviews, usually I don't.

"I have been told that I need New Zealand experience but how can I get this experience when the only job I can get is driving a taxi?

"I was told to apply for lower-level jobs. I took this advice, but I did not get those jobs either.

"I have done a course to improve my CV and interview skills. Hopefully this will help.

"For the past month I have stopped driving taxis so I can concentrate on job-hunting.

"If New Zealand wants taxi drivers, shop workers and petrol station workers it should change its immigration criteria and adopt a lottery system like the United States.

"There are many unqualified people in the Third World, who, given the chance, would like to come here."

- as told to AINSLEY THOMSON


Feature: Immigration