Filling critical roles no one else could
The Chatham Islands were facing a critical skills shortage, struggling for years to fill essential trade roles, including an electrical linesman and an electrician. Traditional job boards weren't delivering results, and one linesman role had remained unfilled for over four years. With limited local talent and the need to attract people willing to relocate, a smarter, story-led recruitment approach was essential.
From remote challenge to talent attraction success
We built a highly targeted recruitment campaign designed to overcome location barriers and spark interest from skilled tradespeople across New Zealand. By weaving lifestyle storytelling — showcasing the unique adventure, community and opportunity of living and working on the Chathams — with compelling creative visuals, we reframed the roles as life-changing opportunities. Alongside advertising, we proactively reached out to ideal candidates, shoulder-tapping and starting direct conversations to convert curiosity into action.
Within just a few months, what had seemed near-impossible for years became reality. We'll let the numbers speak for themselves.
1.7M
1.7 million impressions delivered nationwide
<$1
Under $1 cost per click indicating highly cost-efficient candidate traffic
2 months
Both critical roles were filled within 2 months of the campaign starting
2
Critical hires in record time
"We had been trying the traditional way of advertising the positions for a long time with little success. The team put together a campaign that attracted a lot of interest and applications for us. Through this process, we have been able to fill both positions with people who will be a benefit to our company and the Chatham Islands community."
Stuart Holdaway
Manager | Chatham Island Electricity