Find out who we are and why we are qualified to give you the best all-round assistance you can get for your move to New Zealand.
Dr Carsten Hallwass holds a full licence to operate as a Licensed Immigration Adviser under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007. He is an Associate Member of the New Zealand Law Society as well as a full member of the Hanseatic Law Society of Bremen, Germany.
Carsten specialises in business and investor migration. Since his arrival in New Zealand in 1994, he has assisted clients from all over the world with applying for their visas under Business and Investor policies and successfully establishing their businesses in New Zealand.
Before migrating to New Zealand, Carsten studied Law at the University of Kiel, Germany, where he obtained a PhD in Laws. Following his career at university, he practised law in Bremen, Germany, from 1988 to 1994, where he was a partner in a law firm with a strong focus on business clientele.
Carsten says: "I work closely with the former manager of the Entrepreneur Team at Immigration New Zealand`s Business Migration Branch, who now specialises in market research and incorporating business plans. Together we have a wealth of experience that you will find hard to beat."
Carsten speaks English and German.
Martina is a qualified Lawyer, LLB. She graduated from the University of Kiel and is a member of the Hanseatic Law Society of Bremen, Germany.
Martina first came to New Zealand as a junior lawyer in 1985 to gain overseas experience in a Nelson law firm. She returned to Germany and obtained her admission to the bar in 1987. While practising as a solicitor in Germany, she particularly enjoyed working closely with her clients on representing their interests and achieving their goals.
In 1994 Martina migrated to New Zealand and established New Zealand Immigration Concepts.
Martina is passionate about constantly developing and improving the fusion of our ever-growing range of services, to help and support people from all over the world with their successful migration to New Zealand. Martina says: 'Feedback from our clients is the best way to find out what works and what we can do better.' She is always happy to hear from you if you have any suggestions on how to improve our services!
Martina speaks English and German.
Maj holds a Bachelor of Commerce, BCom degree with majors in International Business, Political Science and Human Resources & Industrial Relations from Victoria University, Wellington, NZ.
Maj began working at New Zealand Immigration Concepts in 2013, before embarking on her Overseas Experience. She joined our team again in July 2015, then working for New Zealand Immigration Concepts in Milan, Italy.
Maj moved back to New Zealand in early 2018 and established our new branch in Wellington. Having a foot on the ground in New Zealand's capital allows us to connect and network with major players in the job market, including recruiters and employers. Maj particularly enjoys working with migrants from all over the world, as she has a keen interest in cultural differences and enjoys learning about various cultures, languages and foods.
She has lived in Germany, Italy and Portugal and is passionate about travelling, cooking and camping- especially in the Abel Tasman National Park.
Maj speaks English and German.
Before migrating to New Zealand in 2015, Apekshi obtained a Bachelor of Laws with Honours from the University of Colombo and practised law in Sri Lanka.
Since her arrival in Nelson Apekshi completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Enterprise at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) and joined the academic team as a tutor.
Working with international students for several years enhanced her interest in the area of immigration law, and she decided to study for a Graduate Diploma in New Zealand Immigration Advice and become a Licensed Immigration Adviser, she now holds a full licence.
Apekshi speaks English and Sinhalese.
Leah holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography, University of Mary, Washington, as well as a Master of Yachts, IYT Worldwide Canada
Leah originates from the United States and decided to make New Zealand home with her Kiwi husband in 2017.
After ten years sailing the world working onboard yachts as the first mate and also operational director of university education programs, Leah and her husband began looking to move their lives ashore. New Zealand quickly moved to the top of the list when deciding where to live, with its fantastic scenery, an endless list of tracks and opportunities to be on the water.
Leah has spent years working with clients from around the world and is now a highly valued member of the NZIC team. She is a provisional license holder and works under the direct supervision of Dr Carsten Hallwass.
Penny studied Business Studies and qualified as a Legal Executive in England. She has experience working for businesses, charities and the National Health Service. Penny gained her CELTA certificate from CCEL in Christchurch and worked as an ESOL teacher in Nelson.
Penny migrated with her family to "Sunny Nelson" from the UK in 2005. She feels that this gives her empathy and understanding of how stressful and conflicting migration can be. She enjoys meeting and working with people from different parts of the world. She enjoys creative writing and producing and performing theatrical events.
Penny holds a full licence to operate as a Licensed Immigration Adviser.
Katrina returned to New Zealand with her family in 2016 after living in the UK for 25 years.
In the UK she worked for Walt Disney Company for 22 years, holding various roles, including managing the operations team as Executive Director for 11 years, before deciding to move back to New Zealand for a lifestyle change that would give her more time with her family. We are very fortunate to have been able to add such a highly experienced professional to our team.
Katrina works closely with our Licensed Immigration Advisers and our Job Search Professionals.
Kerrie migrated from the UK to New Zealand with her family in 2019.
In the UK she was the Director of her own event photography company for 13 years, supplying sports images from the novice to the professionals. Kerrie has many years of experience in Customer Services and all areas of Administration work. We are very excited to have such an experienced professional in our team.
She enjoys Cycling, Riding, Swimming and Skiing and is a Mini Football Coach here in Nelson.
Kerrie works closely with our Licensed Immigration Advisers and our Job Search Professionals.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Electronics Engineering degree from De La Salle Manila Philippines and a post-graduate diploma in Business Management from a Private Training Establishment in Auckland. He is an HR/Recruitment professional with over 6 years of experience and having worked with large New Zealand recruitment teams such as Auckland Council, Absolute IT, and Madison Recruitment.
Being a migrant himself, Mark is very passionate about helping other migrants realise the opportunities behind the challenges of moving to a new country. Having established strong relationships with businesses in New Zealand, Mark has gained a strong understanding of the labor market which allows him to provide relevant support to migrants navigating the ever-complex world of job hunting in New Zealand.
Mark speaks English and Tagalog.
Jannie holds a BA/ LLB from the University of Auckland as well as a post graduate diploma in teaching. She is also a qualified Myer Briggs Practitioner, MBTI.
Jannie has over 20 years experience in assisting migrants and tertiary students with their job search and career development in New Zealand.
Through her vast experience of working with migrants, Jannie has an excellent understanding of factual and cultural differences when it comes to job hunting in a new country.
Jannie applies her in-depth understanding of the New Zealand job application process, partnered with her profound multi-cultural awareness, when providing expert job search support to our clients.
We consider ourselves very lucky to have Jannie in our team at NZIC.
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"Dear Jannie, just want to drop a note to thank for your everything. Your help is much appreciated! You are a wonderful and professional job search coach! I am so lucky to have you supporting me!" MK - Hong Kong
Judi holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (Anthropology & History) of the University of Auckland and a Graduate Diploma in Career Development (Grad.Dip. Career Development) for Adult Tertiary Education from Auckland University of Technology. She is a qualified Myer Briggs Practitioner, MBTI.
Judi is a highly qualified & innovative Career Specialist with more than 12 years of experience and a passion for supporting individuals to make well-informed decisions about their future.
She is passionate about one on one career counselling and gives our clients a deciding boost for their job search by applying innovative job search strategies, talking to them about "What worked for our successful clients" and coaching best networking practices in New Zealand. She helps our clients who are trying to break into the New Zealand job market with identifying their strengths in this market, clarifying their work goals; confidence building; effective interview skills; workplace coaching; and strategies to manage stress concerning job search.
Judi is a professional member of the Career Development Association of New Zealand (CDANZ) and adheres to their Code of Ethics. She is also a member of the New Zealand Association of Psychological Type (NZAPT).
Emma holds a BA in International Relations and French from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. She is currently studying to become a Licensed Immigration Adviser.
She previously worked as a contractor for Facebook, helping newly hired employees understand the relocation benefits offered to them and plan logistics related to their moves domestically and internationally.
Emma has dual US-NZ citizenship and has recently moved to Wellington after having grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has lived in France and Morocco and in her free time enjoys playing tennis and hiking.
Emma speaks English and French.
Sebastian is working towards an LLB/BA conjoint degree at Victoria University, Wellington, NZ.
Having lived in Europe, Asia and the Pacific before returning to Wellington for study, Seb is passionate about the international community and cross cultural communication. Seb has worked in the digital marketing and energy sectors before coming to NZIC. He enjoys reading books on the waterfront and hobbyist programming.
Seb speaks English and French.
Finn holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Victoria University, Wellington andis currently working towards a Graduate Diploma in Physics.
Having grown up in rural Taranaki Finn is interested in the environment and New Zealand's coast lines. From growing up around many first generation immigrants he is very passionate about the international community and New Zealand's place in it, and due to this Finn hopes to spend much of his future traveling and experiencing other cultures.
In his free time Finn enjoys surfing and reading at the beach.
