CASE STUDIES

Real situations, real outcomes

Not a list of services, a look at what actually happened when employers brought us a genuine problem.

Real content

The four-week New Zealand headhunt

THE CLIENT

A New Zealand employer in the science and technology sector, needing a specialist role filled where genuine local industry depth mattered more than a fast hire.

THE CHALLENGE

A specialist science recruiter had spent months presenting candidates. All were overseas-trained, all with about a year of New Zealand experience, none with the industry depth the role actually needed.

WHAT WE DID

Rather than continuing to search internationally, we focused specifically on the New Zealand market, targeted headhunting rather than a database search, looking for candidates who could actually do the role, not just fit the job description on paper.

THE OUTCOME

We found three New Zealand-based candidates with the right experience within four weeks. The client hired one. He's still in role, four years later.

Real content

The AEWV cliff

THE CLIENT

A Waikato manufacturer with different divisions and around 100 staff, who had hired heavily from offshore after Covid. Staff had come in on a variety of ANZSCO codes and skill levels, with different visa expiry dates.

THE CHALLENGE

They weren't sure who could extend their visa or apply for residence, and who couldn't. A big share of the workforce was approaching AEWV expiry at roughly the same time, and they hadn't centralised visa applications before, so there was no clear picture of what had been submitted with each original application. They were concerned about the operational impact of high simultaneous staff turnover, given how hard the location makes it to recruit skilled locals who'll stay.

WHAT WE DID

We mapped every visa holder's expiry and stand-down date, and completed a full review of existing visas, qualifications, work experience, and roles. We split the team into groups, those who could extend, those who could move into a new role, those who could move onto a residence pathway and stay for good, and where a phased recruitment plan over two years made more sense for the rest. We handled all the associated Job Checks and visa applications.

THE OUTCOME

Residence applications are under way, and every Job Check and AEWV application was successful. Some staff moved into more highly skilled roles that opened up long-term prospects. The employer kept the core of its skilled workforce, has a clear two-year plan, and now has centralised systems with us handling all immigration advisory on their behalf.

Real content

Staying ahead of pay and residence changes

THE CLIENT

A manufacturer with multiple sites across the North and South Islands, with around 20% of the workforce on migrant visas.

THE CHALLENGE

AEWV and residence pay rules had shifted repeatedly, at points a shared minimum pay requirement applied across both, before the two diverged. Employers who'd hired at market rate in good faith didn't always review those requirements as the median wage rose. Our client wanted to keep as many staff as possible eligible for residence if the opportunity opened up, and to protect retention.

WHAT WE DID

We've worked with them for several years, reviewing roles that may need migrant staff, handling Job Checks, AEWV applications, and residence applications for those who qualify, and providing input into their regular remuneration reviews whenever Immigration changed pay thresholds.

THE OUTCOME

They weren't required to raise pay to comply with visa conditions, but staying informed meant they kept up anyway. They haven't lost key staff to competitors on pay grounds, and when new residence rules accounting for past remuneration were released, the majority of their staff already qualified, ahead of competitors now weighing up sizeable, generalised pay increases just to keep up.

Real content

From machine operator to skilled specialist

THE CLIENT

A specialist manufacturer with around 25 staff and no in-house HR support, needing to retain a graduate on a Post Study Work Visa in a key technical role.

THE CHALLENGE

Their highly skilled specialist was sitting on a basic Machine Operator job description, the same as every other staff member. As written, the role would be classed as low-skilled, qualifying only for a three-year visa with no extension or residence possibilities.

WHAT WE DID

We sat down with the owner and the staff member and interviewed them about the actual work involved. Drawing on our background with engineering and manufacturing employers, we translated that into a detailed, accurate position description reflecting the genuinely niche, skilled nature of the role.

THE OUTCOME

The role qualified for a long-term visa and residence. A very happy employer, and a skilled employee who's gained residence and is now a long-term, key member of the team.

Real content

A reliable pipeline for skilled care staff

THE CLIENT

A rural charitable trust running a rest home and hospital, with no HR staff of its own, facing significant challenges recruiting and retaining care staff locally.

THE CHALLENGE

They needed to recruit and retain migrants in roles they couldn't fill locally, Health Care Assistants, an Activities Coordinator, and Registered Nurses, with systems reliable and simple enough for a small team to manage without dedicated HR support.

WHAT WE DID

We centralised and manage all their Employer Accreditation and Job Check applications. Alongside our sister company Pivotal People, we provided admin support for recruitment advertising and WINZ vacancy listings, plus broader HR support, job descriptions, employment agreements, bonding and reimbursement agreements, and some performance management.

THE OUTCOME

We've become a long-term part of the team, giving their small management group real confidence they're on top of things. As a long-term client, their staff also have access to favourable payment terms on residence applications, a genuine retention benefit the employer can offer without funding it themselves.

Real content

Screening before the offer, not after

THE CLIENT

An urban medical centre, previously reliant on recruitment agencies to handle immigration screening, wanting to make the right calls when recruiting international staff directly.

THE CHALLENGE

They were specialists at running a medical centre, not at immigration, and had no systems in place for screening candidates themselves once they stopped outsourcing that step to agencies.

WHAT WE DID

We built a standardised step into their recruitment process: applicants needing a visa complete an eligibility questionnaire and authorise us to screen them, and any accompanying family, as the final step before a job offer. We identify the likely pathway, timeframe, and any obstacles, and discuss them openly with both employer and applicant, with the applicant's permission, before anything is decided.

THE OUTCOME

The screening has surfaced issues a normal recruitment process would have missed entirely, a dependent child's health condition, undeclared past conduct issues, an applicant unlikely to meet registration or English requirements, and a child too old to move with the rest of the family. It's saved the clinic significant time and money, and staff who are hired arrive with a clear understanding of the process, leading to stronger retention.

Real content

Establishing a New Zealand subsidiary

THE CLIENT

An international technology company setting up a New Zealand subsidiary, hiring locally for the first time.

THE CHALLENGE

Their HR team sat in Australia, with employment documents and systems built entirely around Australian law. They had no visibility into the New Zealand recruitment market, how to attract the right candidates, or how to manage local leave and employment terms.

WHAT WE DID

We headhunted a shortlist of four New Zealand-based candidates, all genuinely capable of the role, so the employer just had to choose the best fit, working confidentially throughout, including on which companies to approach and which to avoid. Alongside Pivotal People, we advised on structuring the job offer, employment agreement, HR policies, and New Zealand leave entitlements.

THE OUTCOME

An effective process and a strong hire. The employer told us it was a real contrast to other firms who'd handed them shortlists of 20 unscreened candidates, they said they could have hired at least three of our four, and it was a genuinely difficult decision.

Real content

A first Accreditation, done properly

THE CLIENT

A provincial restaurant that had never employed a migrant before, needing to hire a new Chef.

THE CHALLENGE

Difficult trading conditions meant the business wasn't in the strongest financial position, but they urgently needed to shore up their kitchen staff.

WHAT WE DID

We explained how Employer Accreditation, Job Checks, and AEWV applications actually work. Accreditation required proof of ongoing financial sustainability, a real challenge given uneven past profitability, so we worked with the employer and their accountant to present past financials, context, and alternative evidence of their current position.

THE OUTCOME

Accreditation was approved, followed by a successful Job Check and visa application for a Chef. That freed the owner up to develop new business, they now run a healthy sideline in events and catering, and the new Chef has revamped the menu and trained additional staff, leaving the whole business in a stronger position.