A young Turkish-born entrepreneur who has been living in New Zealand for eight years since he was 13, leaves the country tomorrow, having been denied a visa to stay.
Omer Hazer is behind a number of small business successes in the tech and startup industry, and has spent six months applying for a work visa and being declined.
"When I was 14 I started my first company. Being an entrepreneur and doing my own thing has always been something that I love," he told Seven Sharp.
But when the Hamilton student was offered a dream job, that meant no student visa. And he wasn't eligible for a work visa.
"When I got this opportunity to jump on board with Tradee after two years, there was no reason not for me to take it," Mr Hazer said.
"We went through the whole phase of applying, getting declined, applying again, getting declined. I'm pretty sure it was three or four times.
“The successes and the failures have helped me and have shaped me to the person I am today.
"Right now we got the final decline, which means that I have to leave. So I'm leaving on Wednesday."
When he touches down in Turkey, he says he'll probably finish the last two years of his engineering degree there.
He also plans to "get involved with the startup community in Turkey and really try to make a dent over there".
Asked is he scared about what's to come, he said: "It's reality. You have to deal with it and make the best of it. So, starting from scratch, knowing no-one, having done nothing in Turkey, I think it will really motivate me to do something."
For the start-up entrepreneur this is simply another new start.
"In one way or another, the successes and the failures have helped me and have shaped me to the person I am today. So I don't see it as I'm walking away from it."
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