Auckland may seem to grab the limelight most of the time, but here at Phoenix we are committed to providing a specialist service around the rest of the country too.

We are sending our consultants around New Zealand to meet clients and candidates and talk face-to-face about their needs. First stop for Ruth Durno and Marcel Fernando was Hawkes Bay, from where they bring this report:

After adapting to the lack of pollution and traffic in comparison to Auckland, we began our marathon of meetings. It seems that the consensus in the Bay is rather similar to Auckland: ‘please find us some people yesterday’ seemed to be a common request. However, just like the rest of New Zealand, there is still that lack of experience at the senior/managerial levels. Despite advertising, pleading with candidates and being pro-active with their people hunt, employers are still struggling to find suitable candidates.

We found that the Bay was a good destination for escapee Aucklanders and Wellingtonions who are sick of the hustle and bustle of city life, as well as people moving over from places like the UK. Immigrants are certainly not coming for the strength of the dollar, focusing more on the lifestyle offered, so it can make sense to stay away from the larger cities and focus on places like the Bay.

Candidates in this area certainly have options; there is a variety of clients offering different cultures and client bases. One refreshing revelation was that the lack of candidates did not seem to have an effect on the remuneration offered. Employers were still being level-headed about what people were worth and were not using money to compete for candidates. This was good to see because candidates know that they have options and, although the power may have switched from the employer to the employee, there is no need to compromise this by having bidding wars. It is important for candidates to make a decision based on the firm and not the dollar signs.

To sum up, it was a good trip and it was great to meet some of the people with whom we have been dealing. We will be making a point of visiting clients around the country more regularly, not only to have nice trips outside Auckland but to maintain these relationships and gain more knowledge about the local markets.