Indian immigrant Sanjeev Kumar combines IT skills with driving Fonterra tankers

Sanjeev Kumar had dreams of coming to New Zealand to further his goals of working in the IT sector.

But after applying for job after job, he soon found being an immigrant was a major roadblock - potential employers weren't prepared to give him a go without any New Zealand experience.

Now he's combining his IT skills in an unlikely way in a new career - and says now he has the best of both worlds.

The 27-year-old came to New Zealand from India as a student five years ago and is now driving Fonterra tankers around the Bay of Plenty.

"I love my job. This has been a life-changing experience for me."

He moved to New Zealand to learn and work in IT, but he had to change tack after many failed attempts to get a job.

"Everyone wanted me to have New Zealand experience before they'd employ me. As an immigrant, it was really hard to get a job."

Sanjeev Kumar combines his love of truck driving with his IT skills. Photo / Supplied

That was, until he was told to give trucking a go. For the next three years Kumar sat his licences and started getting his road hours up, but always aspired to become a driver for Fonterra.

"I always saw their tankers on the road and thought 'I want to drive one of those.'"

When he got his chance to interview with the company, Kumar was nervous he'd be rejected again.

"I was worried because I was an immigrant, but Fonterra's been great because they've been really supportive."

Since 2019, Kumar's been driving a tanker from the Reporoa depot and loves his job so much, he's started filming videos of his route.

"I noticed there were no good videos on Youtube of Fonterra tankers. Every day is new for us, we see lovely scenery."

The title of his latest video says it all – 'Fantastic office on wheels'.

Sanjeev Kumar has combined his love of IT with his truck driving job. Photo / Supplied

By tapping into his tech roots, he's been able to give people a 360-degree view of his "office" and some of the scenery he gets to experience daily.

He said he made the video by mounting the 360 degree camera on the end of a selfie stick.

"It captures video of all angles at all times. You just hit record and drive and when you edit it you can choose which angle you want. It looks like a drone but it's not a drone."

It's also been a great way for him to show off his career to his family back home in India.

"My family is very proud of me."

None more so than his dad, who's also a truck driver.

Sanjeev Kumar with his proud parents who live in India. Photo / Supplied

Kumar's boss, Reporoa depot manager Stuart Reed, loves the videos Kumar's produced.

"Sanjeev comes to work with a smile on his face. It's only his second season at Fonterra, but he's picked up the job very quickly. He's great to work with – if I could bottle him I would."

Kumar said making videos was his "passion" and he loved combining his technical skills with his Fonterra career.

While he didn't get to see out his initial ambition of a job in IT, Kumar thinks life's worked out for the better and he hoped to one day further his IT skills within the Fonterra company somehow.

He's grateful to his managers for giving him a shot and along the way he's picked up a bit of a Kiwi accent, some local slang and a love for New Zealand.

By giving him a chance, Fonterra's given him a career for life.

"I'm here forever, I think. This is my retirement job and I'm only 27."