Inspirational Journeys

How a refugee from civil war in Burundi started a new life teaching people to drive in New Zealand

As a refugee from Burundi, Odetta Ntezicimpa spent five years in refugee camps before arriving in New Zealand, fluent in three languages but finding English a struggle.

Now, she’s running her own business as a driving instructor – not a natural choice for a woman who couldn’t drive, but a choice that sees her join a growing number of successful migrant businesswomen who grab opportunities and carve out fresh roles for themselves in their new Kiwi home.

Odetta was a teacher in the war-torn African country of Burundi before fleeing. She came to New Zealand in 1999 – a single mother with young children and no savings. Although she was fluent in French, Swahili and her mother tongue Kinyarwanda, Odetta spoke limited English.

Letting little daunt her, she took every opportunity to improve her English, took on voluntary work and experienced a liberating moment when she passed her driving test.

The transformation this made to her life made her determined to pass on her skills to other refugees and, from informal driving teacher, she became a qualified driving instructor.

Her first application, however, for an enterprise grant to set up a driving school was rejected. “That was so disheartening,” she says. “I failed, my plan had failed. But it didn’t matter to me, I still wanted to continue, I still knew that it would help people.”

Odetta’s determination saw her seek help from the not-for-profit Migrant Action Trust. Together, they worked on a business plan and she was given a loan with a long-term repayment plan. She used the money to buy a car, get her new company name displayed on the vehicle and a second set of controls installed on the passenger side.

Teaching people how to drive is truly her passion, but she is also a reassuring face for many migrants who are struggling to settle in New Zealand.

She says, “When you move from a learners to a restricted licence, it’s really an empowering experience. Sometimes, after a student passes, we all dance and hug and kiss, and I just know that it’s a huge success for them. At the end of the day, it does change somebody’s life.”

In spite of the challenges she has faced, Odetta has an overwhelmingly positive attitude, and believes this has helped her to succeed. “I just think life will be easier if everyone is positive. If you don’t open up to people, you’ll never learn their language. If you don’t smile at anyone, no one will smile back at you. And if you don’t greet people, no-one can reply.”

She advises other immigrants to think creatively when it comes to their career paths. “Everyone I met was always talking about what they used to do and complaining that they couldn’t do it anymore. Maybe you have to change course, but if you stick with the skills you already have, it isn’t as hard. I couldn’t teach in schools anymore, but I found another way to teach and I’m really happy. I will be teaching my whole life.”

Skills built up in one country aren’t necessarily automatically transferable to a new country – but the characteristics that make success more likely are shared across ethnicities and unite many different women.

Within two years of arriving in New Zealand, Wendy Chen from China, had taken two jobs, had returned to studying at Auckland University and was running her own business. She was also doing the accounts for another local business, after teaching herself the skill from instructions supplied by Inland Revenue.

Wendy believes many migrants can succeed in business and the workforce, as well as integrate into New Zealand society if they have the right attitude. “I consider myself lucky,” she says. “Although I struggled in the beginning, I never felt completely rejected. Although I questioned myself, I never for a minute thought that I was not capable of succeeding.”

Yong Kim is another force to be reckoned with and is described as a workaholic by her daughter. She moved with her family to New Zealand from Korea in 1990, pregnant with her third child and speaking limited English.

Yong began working as a nurse’s aid and soon after, became a New Zealand qualified nurse. But other opportunities presented themselves and Yong began a new banking career with the ASB, working her way up from teller to branch manager.
A decade later, Yong opened her own mortgage and insurance brokerage company and began the ‘Business and Property Journal’, a Korean language publication. She and her husband own a Japanese restaurant in West Auckland.

Yong feels that language and cultural barriers definitely have their drawbacks, but she retains a very positive attitude and has a passion for sharing her skills.

One of her key commitments is to continue learning – no matter what her age. “If you don’t keep studying, what will you do?” She asks. “This new generation is the technology generation, life keeps changing, and you have to keep up.”

Yong encourages other immigrant businesswomen to be prepared to study and, most importantly, maintain a positive mindset. She says, “If you hesitate and doubt, you will never get anything done. Don’t be afraid of failure, it is just another experience you can learn from, and you can never fail in the same way twice.”

The journey and experiences of these successful migrant businesswomen may be different but much of their advice is similar:

• don’t be afraid of failure
• have a positive attitude
• be confident
• show determination and perseverance
• be prepared to re-train and learn new skills
• be ready and willing to share experience and skills
• use your networks and connect with people.

Their stories, and those of other migrant women, are available on the Office of Ethnic Affairs’ website or available from the Office of Ethnic Affairs, PO Box 2220, Auckland.

The Office of Ethnic Affairs is a department within the Department of Internal Affairs. Its role is to provide advice and support to government, businesses and ethnic communities about the challenges and opportunities of ethnic diversity.

Sue Ingram

www.ethnicaffairs.govt.nz