company wants to lease property for Filipino workers they bring in

[PTWhatAGreatForum]

My assumption is that drugs are a problem throughout the community and no less a risk with Filipinos

The biggest complaint I have with the Filipino immigrant community is some of their members are importing values at odds with the values we hold in New Zealand. A few of them are also scammers, but their fellow Filipino immigrants tend to be pretty brutal on those sort. In any case, those who are at risk of being scammed are fellow nationals.

So spend your money on what you want but I personally don't think it's a high risk. Put another way, I think the New Zealand locals are riskier on that account.

As for prostitutes, nothing surprises me after living here. It is a catholic country where divorce and abortion is not an option, adultery is a criminal offense and "illegitimate" children is a concept written into many laws. Despite this and paradoxically, Filipino men behave as badly as men in other countries.

[Meehole]

What they do or did in their spare time is of no concern to me, however I was extremely annoyed to say the least that NZ immigration companies are bringing these guys into NZ on work visas for 3 years as "rough carpenters".
Labour intends to build 100,000 houses in 10 years and at this stage looks to be offering special work visas to "builders/carpenters".
What a farce if "rough carpenters" or similar make up the numbers, imagine the state of the new builds??

[PTWhatAGreatForum]

What a farce if "rough carpenters" or similar make up the numbers, imagine the state of the new builds??

I doubt it's much of a concern to most of those present here if the plebs live in shacks, as is the case here in the Philippines.

[Meehole]

I doubt it's much of a concern to most of those present here if the plebs live in shacks, as is the case here in the Philippines.

I was actually referring to what would happen here in NZ.
For those living in the Philippines, back in 2012 they were being paid a minimum of $20 per hour and guaranteed a 40 hour week. Plus the usual, sick days, annual leave, stat days.
Money that was left over was sent home so not much spent in the NZ economy.

[PTWhatAGreatForum]

Money that was left over was sent home so not much spent in the NZ economy.

I will be back later this month and my wife is coming over a week later when her leave from DepEd (school teacher) takes effect. She wants to live in New Zealand.

To be honest, I'd probably stay here if the internet was better. New Zealand consumers are screwed in so many ways on the cost of living and Labour is set to plunder the purse even more.

[Meehole]

I will be back later this month and my wife is coming over a week later when her leave from DepEd (school teacher) takes effect. She wants to live in New Zealand.

To be honest, I'd probably stay here if the internet was better. New Zealand consumers are screwed in so many ways on the cost of living and Labour is set to plunder the purse even more.

If I were you I would stay away the next 3 years as if nothing else it will be extremely frustrating watching Labour/Greens/NZ First put us back 30 years.
My kids who are employed by big companies on good salaries reckon there's nothing to worry about, just suck it up. But I have already spoken to other self employed people who say their business has slowed down, people are sitting on their hands. Upping the minimum wage means their other staff will then want a wage increase and if they can't pass the cost onto the consumer then they will have to let someone to go to maintain the margins.
Consequently those 100,000 homes in 10 years Labour are promising will get more expensive to build as services and supplies increase in cost. Helen Clark and the recession she caused in 2007 meant many left NZ in search of work, in particular those in construction, and it will happen again. This time though some of us in our late 50's, early 60's will probably mark time and embark on a working holiday.

[PTWhatAGreatForum]

If I were you I would stay away the next 3 years as if nothing else it will be extremely frustrating watching Labour/Greens/NZ First put us back 30 years.

I hate to say this, but I have already considered that. I am coming back later this month with my wife so she may see New Zealand and meet my family and friends in person. But what happens past the end of her visitor's visa I don't know. A big part of that is in the hands of Immigration.
I can legally stay here longer and am now entitled to apply for residency, which from what I can tell will likely be rubber stamped in my case.
But then, the Philippines is not an easy choice either. Particularly telling is a large number of members in the expat forums I have been in have been middle aged and older men with Filipino wives and girlfriends a lot younger than them. I am not the only 30's-something expat here with a wife of comparable age, but we are in a minority.
A residence visa comes with work rights but that's basically irrelevant here in a country with a very ethnically contiguous workforce. Even then, jobs options would be limited to ones where native english is an advantage and at the end of the day paid in Philippine money. Quite frankly, I couldn't be bothered. IT work for [Auckland based internet service provider] is pretty damn good especially when converted to peso and despite the recent fall of the NZ$ against the peso. (Screw you Labour).

In many ways this is a depressing country to live in. With what little I have learned now of the culture I realise how many ways I got lucky, as do other "happy" expats who aren't on the stupid expat forums bitching and moaning. Our relationship (and subsequent marriage) has gone down very well in her immediate and extended family and the money I have handed over to her parents (who we are living with) is most nominal in terms of paying my way. My presence here has more than doubled the power bill, for reasons which would be obvious to anyone who has been here.

Her family, while working class, are all well fed and within the normal height range for their ethnicity and age. Generally, our neighbors don't do damn videoke all night.
But as a country - so far - this is only a place I can take in measured doses. Real poverty is rampant, the internet is crap, I get recurring hayfever and Filipino customer service is an oxymoron. Jeepney drivers, not terrorists, try and kill me on a frequent basis.

I have a lot of photos and will likely post some up here in due course.

[sidinz]

Has the company said what industry these workers are in? I would say that would make a big difference. We are importing a lot of Filipino nurses - educated, gentle people - who would probably make model tenants. Huge difference from uneducated, unskilled labourers who are likely to be quite coarse and unused to living in a western-style house.

[PTWhatAGreatForum]

Has the company said what industry these workers are in? I would say that would make a big difference. We are importing a lot of Filipino nurses - educated, gentle people - who would probably make model tenants. Huge difference from uneducated, unskilled labourers who are likely to be quite coarse and unused to living in a western-style house.

I have not seen that sort of easy divide. It is my observation there is plenty of educated Filipinos among the ones who I would like to tell to piss off out of New Zealand. I would happily swap the sort I am referring to for some more Filipino labourers.

[PTWhatAGreatForum]

A suggestion for the O.P. based on my personal experience in any commercial transaction in the Philippines. This is specifically if the person you are dealing with is Filipino - ask a question (or few) which we may call "direct". The exact answer is not important but whether you get a answer which makes sense or an answer at all.
This may well apply to other cultures or even anyone, but in the Filipino culture where directness is not the norm of doing business, it can be quite revealing.

It has been my experience when someone here is trying to "pull the wool over my eyes" they will either not answer the question, give an answer which has no relevance to the question or give an answer which doesn't make sense.

[BlueSky]

Ain't that the truth. As I said, meth is unlikely to be an issue. At least, I'd think lower chance then the general population.

Good luck trying to 'fix' the above issues.

I'm living in the Philippines and the best approach is - if you ain't married or related to them (by blood or marriage), then wash your hands. Otherwise it will do your head in.

Nice to know, have a few coming in for open home.
do you work there?

do your head in ? are they difficult or language barrier. Most are very religious I hear so hookers?

[PTWhatAGreatForum]

Nice to know, have a few coming in for open home.
do you work there?

do your head in ? are they difficult or language barrier. Most are very religious I hear so hookers?

I only work for foreign companies.

The irony is great in the Philippines. Yes, they are both religious and not. Don't bother trying to understand it.

Even my wife doesn't understand Philippines stuff a lot of the time.

[PTWhatAGreatForum]

I will give you one example (of many) how non-understandable stuff is here in the Philippines.

We applied for a visitor's visa for her and we intend to apply for a partnership visa in New Zealand. We were straight up with Immigration NZ and they granted her the visa in a week, complete with the "no onward ticket" condition we asked for.

The total BS has all been on the Philippines side. As a government employee (School teacher to be precise) she has to seek permission from the Department of Education to be allowed to leave the country. Yes, by all accounts Immigration will check this on the way out. Noone at her school knows what the procedure is (quite common in the Philippines to have vague, variable and opaque procedures for stuff) but luckily, she had a teacher friend who had gone aboard.

Here is what the procedure is -
Write the department of education a letter of request on their letter head. Don't worry you don't have letter head. Just download their logo from the internet and make a letter head. Be sure to include a statement that she is only going for a visit and intends to "come back to fulfill my responsibilities".
Get said request "endorsed" (ie: supported) by school principal and school administrator. No problems there because school principal has a daughter who would like a teaching job. How convenient. Then take time of work to hand deliver this to department offices. Wait a couple of weeks, phoning and texting in the meantime to ascertain when it's ready. Count lucky stars she discovered on the visit to deliver the papers that one of her university friends worked there. 2 - 3 weeks later take more time off work and pickup approval letter.

But wait, I haven't finished yet. Next week I should hopefully be able to tell you all the outcome of the next box ticking total BS exercise. Because she is married to a foreigner there is a whole government bureaucracy setup to try and dissaude Filipinos from leaving the country and venturing out into the big wide world, where they may discover how much they have been shortchanged here. Never mind all their claimed evils of the big wide world are in plentiful supply locally...

So if you ever hear from these Filipino workers that they had to get permission from their government to come and work in New Zealand, or any other bizarre scenarios, that is true.

[bolproman]

as above enter into commercial lease with them and let them be landlords. This should include details of work they need to do at end of lease to return it to good state.
Meths - mitre 10 kit is useless as will be your using it and knowing where to take sample. There is an NZ standard and this does not go near it so any claim you have will be useless.
Go to methsolutions.co.nz and so it properly for your protection.