Zee | Massey
“My first name is Zee and I live in Auckland at the moment, I reside in Massey. What’s keeping me up at night?
To be honest, at this stage I would say nothing because when I first came to New Zealand as an immigrant, when I was first here there was Visa problems, school, how I’m going to get my residence but at the moment I’m kind of, I feel blessed. So, nothing at the moment, I’ve got a great job and that’s about it.
So, I was born and raised in Fiji. I came here in 2011, and I was 21 at that time. I came here on a work visa, and then after one year, I had to enrol in uni to further my studies so that I can get enough points towards my residence. So it’s been quite a journey for me. Three years in uni and then five years’ work experience in New Zealand, and then I got my residence.
I’ve been with my company for almost seven years. Casablanca; one of the best Mediterranean food places in Auckland. I’ve been with this company for seven years, they helped me out a lot with my Visa and studies, and I started off as a CDP, now I’m the head chef of Casablanca Northwest.
I would say just have a goal in life. If you want something, go get it. Don’t wait for it, don’t waste your time. If you’re young and you’re in New Zealand, it’s a good place to be. You can earn money. You can save money. I know there’s a lot of people influenced by drugs, but don’t do those kinds of things, just stay focussed. If you want something, get through all the hardships like staying up late at night doing your projects and stuff. You get 24 hours. Make use of that time. Make the money, save it, because in New Zealand; Auckland specifically is quite an expensive place to stay and live in.
But I would say if you have the right mindset you can actually achieve greater things, like me coming from Fiji. I had nothing at that stage, but I worked my way up. I kept myself motivated. I didn’t ask anybody for help. So, it’s you. If you don’t have it in you, you don’t have that confidence, that power or that mindset, you won’t be able to make it, because there’s a lot of competition in New Zealand and in Auckland at the moment. At the same time, immigration and the rules are going to get stricter and stricter. You’ve got to stay focussed, be good, be humble, and don’t forget good things will come. Things will come to you at the right time, but it’s your effort, you will, which will get you there. Not anyone else.”
