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Immigrating to NZ to do tandems, info plz if you've done it

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Hi boys and girls,

I am graduating university this May and am thinking about where I go from here. I have a job offer doing tandems and video for the summer, after which I should have the 1000 jumps required to head to a NZ dz for awhile. I'd like info from people who've done this, was it hard to get a visa or green card, what challenges did you face etc?
Life is ez
On the dz
Every jumper's dream
3 rigs and an airstream

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I am a kiwi so havn't gone through the visa process.

It really depends on where you go but skydiving is a very specialist thing and if you have employment in advance you will have no trouble getting a visa.

that was the case in queenstown and i also know it is slightly more difficult in auckland. that is not to say it is 'Green Card' difficult though.

N.Z. is a pretty easy going country.

I hope you enjoy the country, be sure to tour the south islands west coast and the southern lakes.
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

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I came here 4 months ago from the US. its been great. I've done 90 jumps in the last 6 days.
I can only speak for the drop zone that I've been working
at, though. every dz is different as far as pay and jump #'s.
the DZ i work for arranged all the paper work for me. Ive been here 4 months and i've done around 800 jumps. so i'm making really good money living in a kick ass town.

In fact we need another qualified T/I immediately if any body wants to come to NZ and have a full time year round bad ass job PM me.
------------------------------------------------
'I refuse to tiptoe quitely through life
only to arrive safely at death' Anon

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Can you wait until November?

My current contract keeps me busy til then, but come November, this multilingual, static-line, IAD, PFF, 3,600+ Tandem Instructor, Master Rigger, Hand-Videographer ... oh! and humble, heavy on the humble ... professional will be eager to travel.

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we need someone in June here at skydive Lake wanaka. we get $50 for tandem $65 for outside vid and $40 for hand-cam ($NZ). so its good.


cheers
------------------------------------------------
'I refuse to tiptoe quitely through life
only to arrive safely at death' Anon

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What's the name of the DZ near Lake Te Anau? While we were hiking through Fiordlands National Park, I heard a plane go on jump run and watched a tandem and videographer all the way to opening. That area would be beautiful to work in on a long-term basis.
Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28
"I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC
Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school.

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It's easy enough to figure out how to work anywhere if you want to bad enough, you'll figure something out!

I was there just over half a year, great and wonderful place! Keep in mind that it can get pretty windy and gusty there, make sure your canopy flying skills are up for the challenge.

I agree with whom ever mentioned Taupo being busy, just make sure and spend time on the south island too, it's beautiful!
Smile & Laugh everyday, if you're not, change something..Life is now...

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Looks like there is plenty of work over there

Quote

Skydive instructors thin on the ground
May 2, 2007

Commercial skydiving makes up a big part of New Zealand's adventure tourism industry but operators are struggling to find enough qualified instructors for all those customers.

Jumping out of a plane four kilometres above the ground may not sound like much of a job but every year 75,000 thrillseekers strap themselves to a qualified sky diving instructor and take the plunge.

Kirsty Smith from the New Zealand Skydiving School says it is a growing industry and it is difficult to staff and man the drop zones.

With about 150 tandem skydive instructors in New Zealand the industry estimates it needs double that to fill the void.

"It's a world-wide trend at the moment for student numbers and people coming into the sport are declining enormously...probably due to other attractions...there's a lot of other things you can do in this day and age and the result is less and less skydivers are being created," says Geoff Mundy from the NZ Skydiving School.

The school offers a diploma - the only formal skydiving qualification in the world - with a 32 week course focused on safety.

"We teach them pretty much all the areas that are required to work at our drop zones. So we teach them the ground related side of things, the packing, manifesting video editing etc, plus the skydiving skills obviously is really important," says Smith.


Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live

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Actually, you can't immigrate TO a country. You can, however, Emigrate TO a country.



Not that it matters, but the original poster is correct. You immigrate to a country. You would emigrate from a country.



Not that it matters, but Websters disagrees.

Immigrate - intransitive verb : to enter and usually become established; especially : to come into a country of which one is not a native for permanent residence

Emigrage - to migrate
: to leave one's place of residence or country to live elsewhere

So take Webster's example and replace "Canada" with the poster's home country and replace "United States" with "NZ".

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By all accounts the shortage of tandem instructors is because sport skydiving in NZ has all but disappeared... reasons for this vary depending on who you talk to.



Why is that? Are dzs only concerned with making money and don't want fun jumpers?

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By all accounts the shortage of tandem instructors is because sport skydiving in NZ has all but disappeared... reasons for this vary depending on who you talk to.



Why is that? Are dzs only concerned with making money and don't want fun jumpers?


Remember they have less people than Washington state and are doing 75,000 tandems a year. The tandem business really has nothing to do with sport jumping there. When I was there twenty years ago there were a bunch of Cessna DZs with about two or three hundred jumpers in the whole country.

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Why is that? Are dzs only concerned with making money and don't want fun jumpers?
Quote



It is a lot more complicated than that!

I have posted my view on the matter. I have copied and pasted this directly from the NZPF forum (only this forum has an edit function!)

the NZPF is on the brink of collapse and meanwhile there a a small group of old boys making millions from the sport and YES, turning sport jumpers away because they clog up the manifest!

A 'previous' employer of mine announced to all his staff that they do not have to register with the NZPF because of a loophole!

where that would put him or them in the case of insurance i do not know but it is petty hate and greed that is destroying sport skydiving in New Zealand.

The situation is, (excuse my French) 'FUCKING RIDICULOUS'.


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When I first started skydiving in 2001, the NZPF had just restructured and separated to the NZPIA for commercial stuff and the NZPF for sport skydiving.

This was meant to attend to the same sort of problems the NZPF is having today.

The NZPIA in turn ended up as a company with 50% of the shares going to the dropzone owners of the time and the remainder of the shares was kept by the NZPF.

Since that time it has been nearly impossible to jump at a foreign dropzone without any sort of difficulty because the licensing system has been too fickle, the NZPIA have made it difficult to start a new skydiving operation in NZ (=competition) and at least 1 executive member of the NZPIA has informed all of his 18+ jumping staff, that they do not have to register with the NZPF because of a loophole among other things.

Why the separation again and how has it helped?

It was us members that allowed such a change through voting and we have the opportunity to rectify the situation. I feel the true intentions of the change were not fully represented when the vote was taken.

I suggest the NZPF and NZPIA reform into 1 entity again with separate sectors rather than complete separation. With a 50% share the NZPF along with 1 small DZ owner. We could make such decisions.

If only $1.00 was taken from every tandem performed in New Zealand and used to promote sport skydiving. The sport could thrive, the committee could be paid and we would all benefit (yes even you Large DZ owners if you are reading this). Instead the industry is controlled by the greed of a select few.

While working as a skydiver in Europe I found that a significant amount of the money from each tandem goes to the particular Countries Parachute federation, too much in some cases(up to NZ$200+ per tandem, that is why you pay $700+ for a tandem in Norway/Sweden etc.)

In New Zealand where over 70000 tandems can performed each year, not one single cent goes back to the sport. The NZPF is purely funded by its members.

I think a small amount like $2-$3 per tandem would give the NZPF the financial strength needed to represent this amazing sport correctly. It feels as though we are getting choked at present.

I don’t think the NZPIA is a bad idea but when I hear executive members purposely hurting the NZPF financially and perceptively. There is something seriously wrong with the situation.

It is not fair that the NZPF suffers while the industry thrives.

A balance needs to be made.

Sincerely,

Rhys Kempen


"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

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I left Zimbabwe in May 2001 and have been working in NZ since. Its a great place to jump, awesome scenery!!

Some dropzones will organize work permits but there is lots of paperwork involved. It took me 2 years + to get residency and I have now applied for citizenship. PM me for more info.

(Rhys- Hope you left my tree as it was!!)



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(Rhys- Hope you left my tree as it was!!)



One of the locals had moved in there. It was only $1million Zim dollars a month. bargain.

I had to stay at elephant hills!

;)
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

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So would anyone have any suggestions on a decent fun jumper DZ in NZ? I am heading out there from Oz at the end of next month and looking for some good times. I've got my A and 80 jumps, with current USPA and APF licenses.

I've heard about NZ tandem mills but there must be at least a couple of dropzones where this isn't the case.

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Your best bet was Skydive Auckland, but that was when i left NZ over a year ago.

I know the DZ is going through some trouble at an ownership level at the moment. but that is what you get when you don't pay your staff eh!

Skydive Abel Tasman was probably #2 for fun jumpers and much better scenery and owner.
They can do as much AFF as tandem some days and they have the best landing area in the whole world!!!!

The south island is much nicer than the north island too!

Have fun and say hi to everyone for me!

Rhys
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

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