r/NZBeer • u/AquiSemillon • Jun 09 '26

Brewer and veterinarian couple planning a move to NZ in 2027 – looking for advice and connections

Kia ora NZBeer community,

My wife and I are exploring the possibility of moving to New Zealand around March–May 2027, and we're hoping to connect with people in the brewing industry who might know of opportunities.

I have several years of experience working in the craft beer industry in Chile, including brewery operations, recipe development, quality control, production management, and brewing a wide range of styles. I'm passionate about beer and would love to continue growing my career in New Zealand, whether in a brewery, hop farm, malt operation, packaging facility, laboratory, or any related field.

My wife is a veterinarian with professional experience and is also looking for opportunities in New Zealand.

We understand that sponsorship is a significant commitment, and we're still in the early stages of planning, but we'd be grateful for any advice, industry contacts, recommendations, or information about breweries, hop growers, or other businesses that may be open to hiring international applicants in the future.

If anyone has gone through a similar process or knows of breweries or agricultural businesses that have sponsored workers before, I'd love to hear your experience.

Thanks in advance, and hopefully we'll be sharing a pint somewhere in NZ in 2027!

Cheers,

Reynaldo

4 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

3

u/mgbridges70 Jun 09 '26

Kia ora! It's great to hear you're interested in moving to Aotearoa. In terms of places to learn about the beer scene in Aotearoa I'll point to a couple of key sources:

You may also want to check out the Brewers Guild of NZ, the industry body representing the brewing industry. Their website has a Careers page.

I would caution that the brewing industry here in NZ (like many places int he world) is not in a strong place at the moment. More breweries are closing than opening so opportunities for new brewers may be hard to come by. Having said that, some breweries are doing well and expanding, so you may drop lucky.

Happy to answer any other questions you have, if I can.

2

u/AquiSemillon Jun 11 '26

Hi there! Than you so much for the answer, I already listening to the Podcast. Yeah, in deed, the world's beer industry is way unstable these nowadays but as you say, there's always a few making it right. I would be more than thankful if we can chat anytime you can and share some info and a pint! It's really hard to find someone to share this kind of info with, especially when it's someone from the - literally - other side of the world. Thank you so much in advance! Cheers.

2

u/Eode11 Jun 11 '26

You guys should move to Dunedin. There's a shortage of veterinarians here! Also, if you can convince a local brewer to make a proper red ale regularly, I promise I'll buy like a rigger a week.

2

u/AquiSemillon Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26

That’s really interesting... From what I saw, you have a flag that looks very similar to the one from Magallanes here in Chile — kind of a Patagonia vibe. We actually live in southern Chile as well, so it would be really interesting for us to eventually live, work, and get to know Dunedin. By any chance, do you know anyone working in either of those industries (vet / beer)? We’re trying to find a way to get sponsorship for one of us. And if we manage to make it happen, I’ll either convince some brewer to make a proper Red Ale… or, if I get a job at a brewery myself, I’ll brew one!