Filipino News (Focus Pilipinas Edition) 2018

ISSUE 115 | www.filipinonews.nz email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | tel: 027 495 8477, 09 838 1221 | www.pinoynzlife.nz 15
NZ Citizenship another
milestone for hardworking
business owners
INVERCARGILL - When
Janeth Luna left the Philippines to
join her husband for a new life in
New Zealand her first job here
couldn’t have been more hands on.
She faced a steep learning curve
that was more than a little out of
her comfort zone. Milking cows on
a Southland dairy farm was something
the former secondary school
teacher had to master – and quickly.
“It was a big change for me,” she
recalls. “I went from holding pens
to holding cows’ udders; it was
quite an adjustment.”
Janeth had arrived in Invercargill
in 2008, a year after her husband
Jonathan, who made the move to
New Zealand to take up the position
of dairy farm assistant on a
farm in Southland.
The past 10 years have been
busy for Janeth and her husband. A
turning point came in 2014 when
they bought a CrestClean franchise.
It’s the success of their business
that’s helped them to become
homeowners, they say.
And recently the couple reached
another personal milestone when
they became New Zealand
Citizens, attending a citizenship
ceremony in Invercargill along
with their two young daughters.
“It was a great honour for the
whole family to become Citizens
of New Zealand,” Janeth says. “It’s
a big achievement for us and we
are very glad.”
The couple were born in the
Philippines and met while attending
church as teenagers.
Janeth went on to study teaching
and graduated from university to
become a secondary school
teacher. She taught in a secondary
school before moving to a private
primary school.
In the meantime, Jonathan studied
for seven years before receiving
his Doctorate in Veterinary
Medicine. After graduation he
stayed on at the university as a
tutor for the next two years.
But it was a New Zealand
lifestyle programme on TV that
gave Janeth the idea to begin
exploring their long term options.
She could see the opportunities that
would be there for them as a family
if they shifted to New Zealand.
They already had some friends living
here and she convinced
Jonathan that New Zealand was a
land of opportunity and a great
place to raise a family.
“My first impression was that
this looks like a very peaceful
country and a very clean country
compared with the Philippines,”
she says.
Janeth remained in the
Philippines continuing with her
teaching career and saving for her
journey while Jonathan
went on ahead.
Eight months later
Janeth made the
move and they were
reunited in Southland
where they
both worked on the
farm together, milking
900 cows each
day.
Sixteen months
later, Jyra, the first
of their two daughters,
arrived and the
serious planning
began for their family’s
future in
Southland. Two
years later second daughter Jaslyn
arrived.
A decisive moment for the family
was when they achieved their
New Zealand Residency. It paved
the way for them to then buy a
business.
CrestClean’s Invercargill Regional
Manager Glenn Cockroft
takes up the couple’s story.
“After a lot of looking and discussions
with friends, the decision
was made to purchase a Crest franchise
in Invercargill to help supplement
the family
income.
“It did not
take long before
they were in a
position to start
The Luna family with the Mayor of Invercargill.
building their own brand new
home in Invercargill and several
months later they were able to
move in and start on the next part
of life’s journey together,” he says.
“They could see the potential for
success with Crest and the next
step was for Janeth to step aside
from her day job and concentrate
on their CrestClean franchise.”
“Now, four years on, they have
expanded their business to more
than three times their initial
turnover value when they started
with Crest.”
But Janeth says that it has not
been easy for them being separated
from other family members. Back
in the Philippines her mother
requires dialysis treatment twice a
week for a kidney complaint.
Janeth and Jonathan have
been contributing to the
treatment costs for the past
eight years.
“Family is everything,”
says Janeth. “We thank Crest
every day for the lifestyle
that we are now able to lead
here in Invercargill and for
the family time that we have
together.”
Janeth says that Invercargill
is now home. “We
don’t want to move anywhere
else. We are happy to
stay here. It’s a quiet place
and the cost of living is minimal.
The people are really
friendly; I love them.”
The couple work seven
days a week – but they have
a reason for that. “We have a goal
to pay off our mortgage as early as
possible, so we can relax a bit,”
says Janeth
Meanwhile, they have just taken
delivery of a new Nissan Van for
their business. “The vehicle allows
them to fit additional cleaning
equipment in, so they can expand
their business even further,” says
Glenn.
- Text supplied