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About Careers New Zealand

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Contact us

Call us on 0800 222 733

Careers support for Canterbury

If you are looking for work or are reconsidering your training options because of the Christchurch earthquakes, Careers New Zealand can help.

Get help finding work

Canterbury Careers regional website

Explore our Canterbury Careers information to find out:

  • what jobs are in demand in Canterbury
  • how to train locally for these jobs
  • which job vacancies in Canterbury match your skills
  • what's happening in the Canterbury labour market.

Radio sessions – Careers After the Quakes

Careers New Zealand is broadcasting 12 fortnightly sessions on Plains FM (96.9FM in Canterbury) with advice, tips and information on training and employment opportunities in the region.

Details of the next programme

  • Day: Wednesday 16 May
  • Time: 9.30am
  • Topics: New Zealand Defence Force recruitment staff talk about opportunities in the Defence Force; Gareth Hopkin talks about the Limited Service Volunteer scheme – a six-week programme aimed at long-term unemployed youth.

This programme will be repeated at 4pm on Friday 18 May.

Other job hunting help

Our website also has information on job search techniques and interview skills that can help you with your search.

Skills for Christchurch

Skills for Christchurch is a not-for-profit initiative to help people and businesses affected by the recent earthquakes.

People can register their skills if they:

  • are looking for alternative work in or outside of Christchurch
  • can help by providing in-demand skills to help in the recovery and rebuild.

One-on-one help

We have career advisers available if you need help working out your next steps – whether that’s information about job hunting or advice on your study or training options.

Our phone and online chat hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

Work, training and study in Canterbury after the quake

Many more jobs in infrastructure and building in Christchurch will be required over the next five years. Though these may not appear immediately and many require training, opportunities to take up training places in Christchurch will increase to meet demand.

Latest news...

The Building and Construction ITO (BCITO) reports that there have been more than 300 new training sign-ups in Christchurch since January 2011, with more than 150 sign-ups in May and June. Christchurch is showing a substantially higher increase than any other region. This indicates that more employers are investing in staff and taking on apprentices.

Five organisations have entered into an agreement with the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Agency to rebuild the city. These are:

  • City Care
  • Downer NZ
  • Fletcher Construction
  • Fulton Hogan
  • McConnell Dowell.

Employment and training opportunities will be posted on the organisations’ websites.

Trade training opportunities

Trade training opportunities exist at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) and BCITO. CPIT also offers a trade training scheme specifically for Māori entrants called ‘He Toki ki te Rika – Inspiring Māori Leadership in Trades’.  The aim of the scheme is to increase Māori participation within the building and infrastructure industries. 

University of Canterbury scholarships

The University of Canterbury has recently offered an unlimited number of scholarships (subject to eligibility criteria) as a way of attracting new students. This is a clear sign of business as usual and students need to be aware that Christchurch is a viable option for tertiary study.

You can learn more about trades opportunities in the Canterbury region by watching the video below.

Video, 4.46 mins



Materials for schools and students

Careers New Zealand has produced additional resources to help young people understand and prepare for the work, study and training opportunities available in Canterbury after the quake.