EHJ October 2004, pages 308-310
Is the grass really greener on the other side? Mike Orchard discovers it depends on your perspective as he talks with other UK-trained environmental health practitioners who have gone down under to work in New Zealand

It was while watching BBC TV news one night that Mike Langford started to think: "There has got to be something better than this!" Although he only qualified in 1998, disillusionment had set in and he was ready for a fresh challenge. So, earlier this year Mike headed down under to work as a health protection officer at Taranaki District Health Board. He says he has no regrets about his decision. In New Zealand, he says, he "can practice good basic environmental health and make a real difference to people's lives". "I can focus on the real priorities rather than just inspection targets," he says.

When asked the greatest difference between the two working environments he speaks of a sense of "can do" rather than the "it's not my job" attitude he often experienced at home. Mike's experience has been that people in New Zealand are much more willing to help each other than those in the UK. "But one thing's for sure, if you don't know anything about rugby, you'll need to learn," he quips.

Just a couple of months ago, Chris Hewins was running his own consultancy based in south England. Now he's the environmental health team leader at Hamilton City Council. He notes: "While there are some differences in food legislation between the UK and New Zealand, I'm finding little difference in the range of food businesses and food hygiene problems that need addressing."

"The challenges I faced when making the transition between countries were very similar to the challenges I faced when changing disciplines from environmental protection to food safety in the UK," observes Daniel Winter, who arrived in May to work for Auckland City Council. "The hardest challenge was realising that some environmental health work is undertaken in a different way or by another agency."

In New Zealand, health protection officers in district health boards and environmental health officers in local authorities are responsible for carrying out environmental health work. However, the occupational safety and health service is responsible for health and safety and regional councils undertake environmental protection functions.

The specialisation of environmental health work into different agencies is a theme commented on by others like Glynn Jones, an EHO formerly with Southampton Council. Glynn secured his job through a telephone interview with Wellington City Council and began working for them in September last year. Asked why he made the move, he replies: "I guess my main reason would be to experience working in a different country - one with fabulous scenery - and the expectation of lower crime."

Peter Burrows qualified in 1978 and relocated to New Zealand two years later, on what he calls an "extended honeymoon". His advice is clear: "If you're coming for a lifestyle change then go for it. But don't come to advance professionally. If you're coming permanently, come for the right reasons."

Ed Bennett came to New Zealand just two years before Peter, with the intention of returning to the UK to resume his career, something he subsequently changed his mind about. He echoes Peter's advice. "Working in New Zealand certainly limits career opportunities but there's more to life than that. My kids have had opportunities and a lifestyle they could not have had in England and that's been important to me, so no regrets."

Except in the larger urbanised local authorities, or district health boards, most EHPs work as sole charge officers or with just one or two others. Specialist officers are rare and the majority work as generalists. Some EHPs also act as liquor licensing inspectors, dangerous goods inspectors and even, in some cases, as the harbour master, among a variety of other roles. As one UK-trained EHP noted: "Something you notice quickly is how small the environmental health profession is here. It seems that everybody knows everyone else." The size of the profession is perhaps underlined by the fact that the number of institutions offering qualifying courses has just recently doubled, from one to two.

Like newcomer Mike Langford, the variety of work and the opportunity to make a difference ring true with Ed Bennett. He says: "New Zealand suits me and I am fortunate to work for a council where I get a good variety of responsibilities, not always strictly environmental health-related but usually for the benefit of the community." Ed observes that a number of his ex-colleagues in the UK have quit due to organisational pressures and stress rather than the normal "trials" of environmental health work. It's something he's not experienced in New Zealand.

What did Bob Askew miss most about his working life in the UK? "Nothing - and I really mean absolutely nothing!" he says. And he has had plenty of time to think about, it having emigrated from the UK in 1973, although he admits "absence of extended family is sometimes missed".

For Daniel Winter, separation from friends and family is mitigated through regular contact via telephone, e-mail and web cam. Likewise Susan Gilbert, who arrived last year, says: "Telephone rates are pretty cheap so I get to phone friends and family quite often, despite the time difference, and e-mail is a great way of keeping in touch."

Bob Askew's advice to UK EHPs considering making the move is unequivocal: "Go for it." But he adds a cautionary note: "Remember it's a different country and not an island off the south of England!"

A frustration shared by those who have made the move recently, has been the process of gaining permanent residency. "The whole immigration thing was a nightmare," recalls Glynn Jones. "It took us 2.5 years almost to the day. The main problem was that the London office would not communicate and the legislation kept changing." It took Susan Gilbert nearly a year to get everything sorted out but she encourages others not to be put off if they get "swamped down with immigration paperwork".

Another complaint is the remuneration packages offered in New Zealand. Brian Holmes has been working down under for seven years and he particularly bemoans the poor annual leave - four weeks is considered generous. "I get paid about 65 per cent of what I was earning in the UK," estimates David Winter, but he concedes that the cost of living is lower.

Contracted hours are higher at 40 hours per week, and flexitime is rare but, as Mike Langford comments: "I still end up working fewer hours than I did in the UK." And, as Mike explains, even seeing his UK annual leave slashed from 25 days to the New Zealand minimum of 15 days wasn't so bad. "I can drive from the beach to the mountains in an hour," he says. "On the whole, it's a lot easier to enjoy the outdoors lifestyle. It only takes 10 minutes to drive to work and a traffic jam here in New Plymouth consists of 12 cars."

Despite there being fewer opportunities to progress professionally within traditional environmental health career structures, there are, as others have discovered, opportunities to develop allied careers outside the local government and district health board settings.

Susan Gilbert's career took a change of direction when she arrived in October 2003 to work as a food safety risk scientist with the Crown Research Institute. Susan is now involved in writing risk profiles for foodborne pathogens, something she describes as "much more behind the scenes and quite different from my EHO experience in the UK". Although she has branched out into a far more scientific direction, she says the knowledge and skills she brought with her from the UK have been useful.

Susan completed her studies at the University of the West of England in 1993 and, after five years at the coalface as an EHO, she went on an 18-month break, spending two months in New Zealand. After returning to the UK, she and her partner decided to emigrate after discovering that they met the New Zealand residency criteria. "It was a lifetime opportunity that I didn't want to pass up, and why not?" she says. For those contemplating the move, she says, "you won't regret it".

Another person to take a step sideways was Mike Orchard who, after arriving in 1998 and working as an EHO, left the "real world", as he puts it, three years ago to join the Ministry of Health. Working as an EHO with "outdated prescriptive food hygiene regulations" and "the overlap and splitting of functions between councils and district health boards" was frustrating at first, he says.

Two years ago, he became a part of the newly created NZ Food Safety Authority and is now involved in a major review of the domestic food regulatory programme - the largest to be undertaken in 25 years. "In some respects there are fewer constraints on change [in New Zealand] and there are real opportunities to be a part of shaping the future," he says. In his capacity as vice president of the New Zealand Institute of Environmental Health, he is also involved in the Ministry of Health's public health bill external reference group, another review that will impact directly on the work of EHPs.

Brian Holmes spent just a few months working as a health protection officer in 1997 before leaving the public health service for the corporate world - an environment he was already familiar with, having spent four years working as a trading law manager with Tescos in the UK. After a couple of job changes, he is now employed as the health and safety coordinator for a national laboratory service.

Brian came to New Zealand as a result of a decision made following a holiday. "Our boys were small at the time and we decided it would be a good place to raise them," he says. But he warns people thinking about making the move. "Remember," he says, "it's a long way from home."

Those interested in finding out more about environmental health on the other side and the equivalency of qualifications can check out the New Zealand Institute of Environmental Health's website (www.nzieh.org.nz), or e-mail the author at mike.orchard@nzieh.org.nz

Information on immigration requirements can be found on the recently revamped New Zealand Immigration Service's website: www.immigration.govt.nz

The author would like to thank those EHPs working in New Zealand who contributed their experiences to the writing of this article.