Tauranga couple Petra Savicova and Petr Katreniak, from the Czech Republic, moved to New Zealand in 2018. Photo / Supplied
When Czech couple Petra Savicova and Petr Katreniak moved to New Zealand in 2018, they sent their CVs “across the whole country”.
They decided to move wherever one of them got a job first.
“I got the first job in Tauranga in one cafe,” Savicova said.
The couple were among six Tauranga-based migrants who recently completed a migrant workplace communication training course.
The programme was a partnership with Speech NZ and Tauranga Multicultural and assessments were fully subsidised by Speech NZ thanks to support from Community Organisation Grants Scheme Tauranga Moana.
The course is designed to build speaking confidence, improve employment prospects and support cultural integration.
Savicova, a qualified transport engineer, said she did it to gain confidence when talking in front of people.
Her hands and voice would sometimes shake during work meetings, she said.
“I don’t want shake, I want to look more professional.”
After the course, she felt more confident and learned to “calm” her voice.
Savicova said Katreniak was recently promoted to site manager.
“This course helped him to express himself better at work and to be fair, home as well,” she said with a laugh.
Savicova said she wanted to learn English after finishing university because it was important for working in the transport industry.
The couple moved to London for a year, “but I didn’t learn anything”.
She said many people were from overseas and spoke in their native languages.
The couple went to Canada for 18 months, where she did a three-month fulltime English course and “learned a lot”.
They moved to New Zealand in 2018 and had stayed since.
Savicova worked in Tauranga cafes for about two years before finding a job in her industry.
While working in hospitality, she asked “everyone” if they knew of any jobs. This led to a job at Robert Monk Transport.
After about seven months, Savicova started working at C3 at the Port of Tauranga and had worked there for four years.
Savicova said she found living in New Zealand “very relaxed” compared to Europe.
“When I work in a cafe, they look at me like, ‘Why you so speedy?’”
She said the couple got residency and bought their first home a year ago.
Multicultural Tauranga had offered the migrant workplace communication training course for several years, but falling enrolments prompted a redesign last year.
A new hybrid tuition model – online and in-person – proved successful, with six completing the programme.
Multicultural Tauranga programme co-ordinator Premila D’Mello said for many participants, “English isn’t the only barrier”.
“Confidence, cultural understanding, and professional communication can make all the difference when it comes to finding meaningful work or community connection.”
The 10-week course culminated in participants achieving the Certificate in Professional Speaking through Speech New Zealand.
Participants learned how to speak confidently in job interviews and professional settings, handle feedback and conflict in the workplace, present ideas clearly to groups, and adjust their tone and body language to suit different audiences.
Speech New Zealand executive manager Helena Coulton said the voices of migrant communities were “vital” to the identity and future of Tauranga.
“When we invest in communication skills, we’re investing in inclusion, employment, and belonging.”
Speech New Zealand supported similar migrant communication programmes in Rotorua and Waikato, in collaboration with community organisations.
Expressions of interest were open via Speech NZ for the 2026 Tauranga intake.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.