A group of new Dunedin residents discovered a home away from home on Thursday.
The recent immigrants were given a two-hour New Zealand-style tour around some of Dunedin's popular recreation spots and government departments.
"We started doing these tours about a year ago, in response to employers and new immigrants saying it was difficult to get oriented in Dunedin," Dunedin City Council settlement support officer Fi McKay said.
Even trying in the phone book to find supermarkets was not always easy for new migrants, she said.
"We also give them a free one-month subscription to the ODT and explain how they can find jobs and accommodation every Wednesday and Saturday."
Thursday's tour pointed out the Dunedin central police station, Civil Defence, Inland Revenue, Work and Income, the Department of Immigration, Dunedin Public Library, the Dunedin Hospital and even a dating agency.
"Social connections are usually the primary reason migrants don't settle, or can't get a job," Ms McKay said.
"It takes, on average, five years for a migrant who doesn't speak English well to get a job and two years for those who do speak English, unless there's a primary skill job offer."
Economist Rodrigo Olin (28), of Mexico City, said the tour was invaluable. "The hardest thing about getting used to a new culture is understanding what that society believes and what are the norms.
There are some food things I miss, too, although you can get a lot of Mexican food here," he said.
"The toughest thing has been living with the insulation in the houses here. Sometimes, in our house, we are freezing. But, it's beautiful here and it has everything. All the young people at university bring a lot of life into the city."
The DCC operates the settlement support initiative under contract from the Department of Labour.
