Australia targets New Zealand crane operators, truck drivers with significant pay, relocation packages

Aussie employers are headhunting truck drivers and crane operators with the lure of big bucks, significant relocation packages or fly-in-fly-out opportunities.

Success Group national recruitment division manager Melissa Pretorius says truck drivers are flying in
and out of Tauranga to Perth and Australian employers are picking up the travel tab.

“So they get four weeks on two weeks off. They fly them from Tauranga to Perth and they do their work and come back and are getting paid double their salary in New Zealand,” she told the Bay of Plenty Times.

She said those workers were earning more than $100,000 and there were opportunities for overtime.

Pretorius was concerned about the country losing talent and said it was hard to get truck drivers.

Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand interim chief executive Dom Kalasih said for decades people from all professions, including truck driving, “have left our shores for jobs overseas”.

He said opportunities to undertake “fly in and out” activities in mines, oil rigs, and long-haul road trains had been available for a long time in Australia.

Kalasih had not seen any evidence to indicate there was a significantly increasing trend in fly-in and out work, however PerformX and the Motor Trade Association that it worked alongside estimated a truck driver shortage of about 2400 drivers this year.

“Regardless of whether truck drivers flying in and out of Australia is a significant contributor or not, we do know the market is short and it is responding in different ways.”

For example, there was an increase in overseas drivers coming to New Zealand, which was helping manage the workforce changes.

Kalasih said initiatives to attract and retain staff included tertiary qualification pathways, promotional events, diversity programmes and improved working conditions.

Some operators were frustrated with drivers leaving – however, most truck drivers he spoke to found it an exciting, enjoyable and rewarding career.

“There can be a wide variety to the work and particularly for line haul, drivers get to travel and see the beautiful changing landscapes our country has to offer. I am aware of drivers earning over $100,000 a year.”

Crane Association of New Zealand chief executive Sarah Toase said Australia was aggressively marketing its job vacancies to New Zealanders and offering significant salaries and relocation packages.

“We are in the midst of a global labour shortage and both Australia and New Zealand are lacking the talent needed to support our industries. Kiwis love to travel and that has been the case for years so an overseas experience is on the cards for many of our rangitahi but there’s no place like home.

“So we hope to see them return to settle here and bring their overseas skills back with them.”

Toase said the association was working hard to transform the way it trains crane operators and was part of the establishment of a joint Private Training Establishment with the Port Industry Association.

“We are aiming to have the Port and Crane Academy of New Zealand open in early 2024.”

A qualification in crane operation opens the doors to a career where people can earn $25 an hour in their early stages through to $60-plus for specialist skills.

“With overtime, it’s not uncommon to earn $100,000 plus per annum.”

Some jobs came with a vehicle and other perks could be travel, social events, bonuses and health insurance.

“From my knowledge of the crane industry currently the majority would take on a qualified operator tomorrow if they were available.”

National Road Carriers chief executive Justin Tighe-Umbers said truck drivers flying into Australia and out was a normal occurrence.

“We need to make sure New Zealand is attractive to people both in terms of what it means to live here. A lot of factors come into this including our immigration settings, pay, future career opportunities, housing affordability, safety, schooling, and education.”

He said the transport sector had difficulty tapping into talent and the job was challenging and required a high degree of skill.

“Being able to bring in international talent remains critical, especially when the supply of local talent is low. The economy is still short of drivers, however, there has been some relief of late due to the recent changes in immigration settings and the slowdown of the economy.”

New Zealand has more than 150,000 trucks nationwide that are critical to the economy. Drivers’ pay varies based on skill from entry level in the mid-$20 an hour to mid-to-high $40 an hour.

McLeod Cranes managing director Scott McLeod said he had lost two team members to Australia.

He said Australia’s infrastructure post-Covid was “ramping up and that shortage will have an indirect impact on us”.

“Some crane operators will choose to fly in and out or live in Australia. That is the reality and part of the cycle we are in at the moment that is causing indirect and adverse effects around inflation and all of that so we are competing against Aussie.

“It’s a catch-22.”

Those with good crane operating tickets and experience were sought-after and there were plenty of opportunities, he said, but that did stop McLeodfrom training and upskilling operators.

Harry McCormack from Ōpōtiki can earn anywhere between $200,000 to $300,00 a year in Australia, depending on the job site and the company he is working for.

He has been a crane operator for 15 years. He crossed the ditch in 1988 and returns home every couple of years for a holiday.

“Australia is my home. It’s got so much beauty and heritage that a lot of Kiwis don’t see.”

The 42-year-old said he was “actually pretty lucky to have the opportunity I have in the crane industry”.

He was currently in Benalla, Victoria, but said everything was going up in price, just like in New Zealand.

“The cost of living and housing is getting ridiculous here. There are still a lot of opportunities for Kiwis to make a go of it. You just gotta be dedicated to the goals you set.”

Tony Holt, from Pukekohe, owns a trucking business in Brisbane that transports concrete.

He said that post-Covid he had to sell three of his six trucks because he couldn’t get drivers.

“We tried and I went six months with three trucks that weren’t working and I advertised everywhere for drivers. It is a real mission we are short of drivers over here like you wouldn’t believe, nobody can get drivers.”

Holt said Kiwi truck drivers were attracted to the lifestyle in Australia, along with cheaper houses, rent, food and better wages.

“If you have a willingness to work the opportunities are here. In New Zealand, you live to work and in Australia, you work to live.”

However, the 64-year-old, who has owned a business in New Zealand, acknowledged he hoped to return home when he retired.

Trucking Australia’s March 2023 report shows there are 200,000 people in the industry, 59,000 trucking businesses and the average age of a driver was 47.

The report said the trucking industry faces a critical shortage of skilled workers, including truck drivers, with more than 21,000 advertised vacancies.

Crane Industry Council of Australia Brandon Hitch said there was a skills shortage in most states. Many crane companies were struggling to find competent workers and equipment to fulfil project demands.

It was also seeing an ageing workforce retire, with more than 50 per cent of crane operators and 35 per cent of riggers being older than 50.

The lack of experience was forcing crane companies to look outside Australia, not just in New Zealand but in Europe and Asia.

The earning potential for crane operators was a large spectrum and the minimum rate for a Level 1 mobile crane employee under the 2020 Hiring Award was $995 a week.

Carmen Hall is a news director for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, covering business and general news. She has been a Voyager Media Awards winner and a journalist for 25 years.