Testimonials

Some of our people have relocated from other countries. Below are their thoughts on the move and how they have found working at Solid Energy.

Lachlan Cunningham Mining Engineer/Production Manager Huntly

Working for Solid Energy has been very rewarding. Being a small mining house in relative global terms means that you get the chance to get fully involved in many areas of the operations which would not be the case with larger organisations. Your input is always valued and there are great opportunities to use your skills and experience. The company have also been very pro-active in their professional development. Having worked for a number of the big mining companies Solid Energy ranks up with the best of them as an employer.
Life in NZ has been everything I had hoped for and more. It has been a great place for my family, who have all settled well, and are very active in numerous sporting, cultural and outdoor activities. And living so close to great beaches means that we can make the best of them right throughout the summer, but perhaps the best feature has been the Kiwi people who, in general, have been incredibly warm and welcoming. After only three years here I certainly consider it home.
The most frustrating part of relocating to NZ was organising the work permit/visa. Solid Energy were very helpful in this process, but at the time Mining Engineering was not categorised as a 'reserved' or short-listed occupation. The hardest part of relocating overseas is always leaving family and friends, but these days with the internet and SMS etc contact is much easier (and cheaper) than 10 years ago. It is a big move so you should be positive about things upfront and not expect everything to be exactly like home. Look at it like one big adventure.

After seven years working in the mining industry in South Africa, I applied for this job in Huntly, looking for overseas experience and life adventure. We had a telephone interview and then visited Solid Energy in New Zealand before choosing to make the move. I was familiar with the type of work required and have found the East Mine staff very open and friendly, which is the type of work environment I like.

As a coal geologist, with underground mine and exploration experience, I’ve been able to assist in resource drilling and other projects. The one thing that has stood out for me is that Solid Energy may be a small company, but the technical excellence they strive for is fantastic.

Like all moves, coming to New Zealand has been an adjustment, but we’re well settled now, and we love our new home. The first few months were wonderfully exciting, although there was a time when we all felt a little depressed, probably because of the winter weather.

I lived in a slightly more rural area in South Africa but love having the sea nearby so I can swim after work. It was a 12-hour drive to the sea before.

I miss my family, of course, and my African grey parrot. The South African butcher shop in Hamilton has boerworst and biltong, so I’m happy.  For South Africans thinking of moving here, don’t assume that when you’re out in public you’re the only person who can speak or understand Afrikaans!

Mark Lionnet Acting Technical Services Manager Senior Mine Geologist Stockton Opencast Mine

My wife, Nadine, and daughters Shauna and Carmen (eight and seven) moved with me to New Zealand in April 2007. We are South Africans and this is our first move away from our country of birth.

I have over 15 years experience working in the South African mining industry, including underground and opencast gold and platinum operations, but I wanted to be able to create the same opportunities for my family that I was given by my parents, which meant looking for a position overseas. A colleague gave me the Solid Energy advert looking for a Senior Mine Geologist and we flew out for the interview.  We were taken around Westport to look at schools and housing and given good advice on relocating to a new country.

Both my wife and I felt that Westport would be an ideal place to bring up our young family. We love the outdoor lifestyle that the West Coast offers. Moving to a new country was a traumatic process for our family but we were helped by Solid Energy to settle here.

We now live in a safe environment that was no longer guaranteed to us in South Africa. Both Nadine and I have taken part in activities that we probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do in South Africa. Nadine competed in an all-women adventure race with a local team and we have both enjoyed cycling and tramping in arguably some of the world’s most stunning settings. I’ve also been white river rafting with my Solid Energy colleagues during a team-building exercise (something I doubt I would have ever done elsewhere).

Alvaro Pena Munoz Mining Engineer Stockton Opencast Mine

I am really happy living in New Zealand. I love the outdoor life so this country is the perfect place for me.

After living in Santiago, the capital city of Chile, the West Coast of New Zealand is very different. Santiago has 6 million people - it is really hot in summer and really cold in winter.

I have a degree in Mining Engineering and started work for Solid Energy in August 2007. I have never lived in another country before, but I thought the job would be a challenge and I enjoy hard work.

I feel really proud to be working in Solid Energy. I think that the company looks after a single person as if they were part of one big family.

I just got married to a New Zealand woman who I met when I was travelling in New Zealand in 2006 and now we have one dog and two cats.

Our move to New Zealand in 2004 from Barnsley in South Yorkshire went pretty smoothly but some days we miss our family – and Weetabix and John Smiths beer! 

My job in the UK was coming to an end due to pit closures. Mining in New Zealand is classed as a skilled job and Solid Energy valued my 25 years of practical experience. They offered me job security, training and the opportunity to further my career prospects. My skills in different types of mining help me to give input into crew meetings, and to help the trainees who are just beginning in the job.

We lived in a much more built-up area in the UK, access to things such as skifields and mountains and beaches was more limited than here. Our house and garden were much smaller and we did not have so much of an outdoor lifestyle. Our children aged 14 and 12 and our dog, a Pomeranian, enjoy the freedom they have here and our circle of friends is wider here due to the social side of life in New Zealand.

Everyone at Solid Energy has helped me and my family to settle in, at home and at work, and someone is always available if we hit any problems or need to know anything.

Anyone moving here should come with a realistic attitude. It’s not always a bed of roses but the positives far outweigh the negatives - the life/work balance is better, the lifestyle that mining here gives you is brilliant, the freedom for the children is amazing, and the opportunity to experience new things is never-ending. If you are prepared to help in the community and be involved, the Kiwis will welcome you with open arms.