When your heart takes the lead, wild adventures follow.
-Nikki Ashton
Are you a parent looking to move your family abroad? Do you feel just a teensy bit overwhelmed? Stay with me, and I’ll share the process we took to get our family to one of the raddest places on earth.
Babe! Let’s move to New Zealand!
If you’re like us, and you happen to fall into the category of one who says, “Babe! Let’s move to New Zealand,” and your significant other says, “Sweet as! Let’s do it!” then count yourself among the nutty sort of crowd crazy enough to wander. Maybe massive amounts of persuasion were required to lure you or your partner into this venture, but regardless of the reason, welcome to the tribe!
Moving abroad, simply for the experience, used to be viewed as nothing more than a pipe dream, but with the ease of modern communication and global interconnectivity, a growing trend of people are taking note of this fantastically cool option and making it their reality. What’s the secret magic to making it happen?
No secret. No magic. Just make it happen.
Before you get down to business, I hope you’re indulging yourself in your over-the-moon excitement about making the leap across the big blue. If not, start binge-searching the web for all things New Zealand because it’s heaps of fun! Take your time and enjoy the sites. If there’s ever a place to geek out about, it’s this stunning corner of the planet!
If you notice yourself feeling overwhelmed, just take a deep breath. I’ve got you! People actually do this all the time, and so can you. Even if you’re a disorganized procrastinator, (not that I would personally know anything about that)…ahem…cough, cough…it’s cool. We can do these things, too! While my experience is certainly not everyone’s, I believe you’ll find it useful in helping to shape your own. It took us about 5 months to put everything in order for our family of seven. Some do it faster, others slower, just pace yourself and you’ll be fine.
Let’s do this!
1. Get your Passport – Do this right away. If you already have one, look at the expiration date. If it’s set to expire sooner than your projected return, you won’t be able to qualify for a visa. That was the case for myself and my husband, and four of our five children, so I’m glad we took care of it early on in the process to avoid paying fees to have them rushed. Remember to check up-to-date information about U.S. passport requirements and fees.
2. Find a Job – Good news! NZ has a list of jobs, or skill shortages, in which they’re always recruiting for, so make sure to check that out if you’re looking for employment. My husband works in health care, so he started researching hospitals and job openings in various regions of NZ and just contacted potential employers directly. You can use recruitment agencies, but we found just as much success, if not more, in reaching out personally. The kiwi culture is highly friendly, so don’t be shy to make contact.
3. Apply for a Visa – If you plan to stay in NZ longer than three months you need a visa. You can get a visitor’s visa for up to nine months, however, most families find they will need a working visa and the immigration website will help you determine which type will suit your needs. That is also the site where you actually apply, so take some time to familiarize yourself with it and you’ll find it refreshingly simple and straightforward.
My husband got a working visa, and the rest of us tagged along on a visa for partners and children. Along with the working visa, my husband had to get a specific medical exam as part of the application, and the older kids and myself were required to get a chest x-ray. You have to use an approved physician, and we were lucky to have one in our state. However, you may need to travel to complete this portion of the process, but no stress. You can practice your road trippin’ skills to help prepare for all your upcoming NZ adventures!
Adults also need to get a background check which, for us, involved an interesting outing to the back closet of a carpet store…sketchy, I know! Apparently, that’s where you go when you need digital fingerprinting in Utah.
The most frustrating part of this whole visa application process was uploading acceptable photos! Ugh! But you’ll do better than we did because you’ll cleverly upload a passport photo-maker app and be done in seconds. Nice work!
4. Buy your Plane Ticket – Expensive, but so much fun!! This part gave me all the thrills. Hopefully your job will reimburse moving expenses, but still worth coming if they don’t!
5. Look for Housing – When you’re relocating your family to a foreign country, and crazy adorable children are depending on you to make this transition as happy and seamless as possible, housing tends to weigh heavily on your mind, but trust me on this one. It’s going to workout.
You can start browsing the market online, which you’ve probably already done, on sites like trademe.co.nz or realestate.co.nz, but if you’re not going to a big city, you likely won’t succeed in securing a rental much in advance when trying to use an agency. Word of mouth is how it’s done and agents will be more keen on telling you to just pop on in when you arrive and we’ll find something that suits!
Many folks find success searching community FaceBook groups as locals are friendly and word gets around, and someone’s auntie will know someone who happens to have a place you can rent. This was our experience! If that makes you nervous you can try searching out a relocation service to help with that pursuit.
Another good option is with AirBnB, but families often find they have to move out during holiday season as the owner comes into town. However, with December and January being the summer months, it’s not a bad time for camping, eh? I’m aware the rental climate for AirBnB has changed a bit following COVID19 pandemic in ways that might be in your favor, so definitely worth checking it out. We have several friends who have found success via this route.
6. Check out the Schools – From one parent to another, I wrote this step because I know it’s on your mind, but rest assured, the vibe here is so laid back and friendly you’ll find the office staff at the local schools to be far less worried about properly enrolling your children than you will be. It’s fun to send an email and let the office know you’ll be arriving soon, but if you decided to just show up at the door one day they’d welcome you and your cute kiddos with smiles and open arms!
You’ll want to bring along a copy of their immunizations, passports, and even birth certificates, but if you don’t have everything the school needs they’ll likely just tell you to get it when you can, and then allow your kids to start attending anyways. (Hmmm….I bet you can’t guess why I have insider information on that one).
Homeschooling is always an option, and clearly a personal choice, but the cultural diversity here is so rich, we felt the schools offer the children a fabulous exposure to that. When they come home doing the haka and singing in Māori you cry because you feel so happy!
Personalities will adapt differently, and I think we could agree that none of us come here in hopes to mimic the same way of life we left. Most schools have a no homework policy, so take advantage of the extra time together as the landscapes here will blow your mind!
7. Decide on Health Care – All New Zealand residents, (which we are not), have access to public healthcare with the option to purchase supplemental private insurance. The type of visa you have will determine how much healthcare you have access to. Accuro provides a NZ health insurance product for people staying on a visa for less than two years and is the insurance we chose to buy. We pay $300/month for our family to be covered with private health insurance.
8. Set up Banking – Clearly, we all have varying ways of managing finances, but basically, make sure your current banking is all online and then you can easily set things up in person with a bank of your choice once you arrive. We bank with ANZ (Australia and New Zealand Banking Group), and haven’t had any complaints. We got an Eftpos card, similar to a debit card, and opted not to get a credit card. You may choose differently, and whatever you decide will be great!
9. Rent or Buy a Car – We purchased a van online before coming, which may feel too risky for some, so renting a vehicle for a week while you figure it out is a great option, too. You may also have a company car available to you depending on your type of employment.
10. Put your House in Order – This was the biggest job for us by far! We decluttered every square inch of the house and it was a massive feat! Terrible and totally worth it! We chose to rent the house out furnished, as our plan is to come back to it, put certain items in storage, then turned the key over to a property management team as we didn’t want to worry about it while living in paradise.
11. Manage your Phones – You’ll want to take care of these details before you move, but this can literally be done the week you leave. We chose to port our numbers by setting up a Google Voice account. It’s cheap and easy and allows you to have the same numbers when returning back home. Before doing that you’ll need your current carrier to “unlock” by simply making a request.
After arriving, we setup our cellphone and internet with Vodafone and have been overall pleased with the service. We have local phone numbers and then stay in touch with friends and family back in the states through FaceTime, Messenger, Instagram, HouseParty…it’s quite easy to remain connected.
12. Pack your Bags – Because our move to New Zealand is only temporary, we limited our packing to minimal clothing, camping essentials, tech devices, and a few “special” stuffed animals for the little ones. This meant two checked bags per person and one carryon bag. That’s it! Keep it simple. Purchasing extra checked baggage was more cost effective than shipping, and we had everything with us when we arrived.
Whew! We made it. Sweet as! I can’t wait for you to get here.
Undeniably, it’s a dream worth living.
~Nikki
7 Little Humans 