Balanced lifestyle is one reason to move to New Zealand - Couple walking in Auckland

Thinking of moving to New Zealand?

Ok, we may be a little bit biased, but we reckon we live in the best country in the world. But it’s not just us that think so – heaps of surveys done around the world constantly rank New Zealand as one of the best places to live.

So we weren’t that surprised when web searches for ‘moving to New Zealand’ spiked big time – the prospect of moving to our little un-spoilt corner of the world seemed even sweeter for some.

Even the USA Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, joked (or not) about escaping to New Zealand. Well, all jokes aside, we are happy to welcome any of you serious about shifting down to our little safe, welcoming, multi-cultural haven.

Why move to New Zealand? #1 Balanced Lifestyle

Balance is key to us Kiwis – we work hard but we love to play hard too! New Zealand is a well- connected country so there are heaps of opportunities career-wise for you to jump on board. But we also leave lots of time in the day for friends, family and fun. Our country is filled with wide-open spaces and even in our main cities you are close to beaches, mountains and nature reserves; nature is a pretty big part of our lifestyle. Our MoaTrek base is just a stone’s throw from the water here in Auckland – during the warmer months we all love having lunch outside in the park and some of us have even been known to head down for a lunch time swim! We’re also a pretty laid-back and friendly bunch, so making new friends here is a piece of cake. We reckon you will love NZ if you enjoy beautiful scenery, doing fun things like hiking, mountain biking and surfing, and meeting new people.

Couple enjoying NZ's mild climate at Karekare Falls - Move to New Zealand

Why move to New Zealand? #2 Living Conditions

The standard of living here in New Zealand is pretty similar to what you get in the USA, UK and Australia. We are a first-world country and we’ve got all the trappings of modern living; plus, you get a few options when choosing where/how to live. If you need room for the kids and Grandma when she visits, spread-out, leafy suburbs with a roomy house, big backyard and white picket fence is the kiwi dream. Maybe you want a few animals… we love our lifestyle blocks in New Zealand – the privacy of a few acres in the country without the hassle of hard farm work and a few chooks is pretty easy to find. You can even get an inner-city apartment if you love the city bustle, or live by the beach and enjoy a relaxed, holiday-like life 24/7. And the best thing is, even when you’re settled ‘in the middle of nowhere’ you are never really that far from civilization because our country is so compact.

Another thing that is different in New Zealand is that our healthcare system is heavily subsidized by the government. Public healthcare is free if you are a citizen or permanent resident. You should definitely check if you’re eligible though because things can quickly become expensive, but nowhere near some of the scary stories we hear from our American mates!

Why to move to New Zealand? #3 Mild Climate

If you come from a large country like the USA or Australia, you’ll be used to different states having completely different climates to each other. You’ll get that too here in little old New Zealand, the weather can be totally different from one part of the country to the next, but the main thing to remember about the weather in New Zealand is that it’s mild. We don’t get the extreme heat or cold we see on the news, people in the UK or North East USA shoveling now while we are wearing our jandals down at the beach!

The South is a little cooler and gets snow in winter, and the North is a little more tropical, but nothing like being snowed-in in North Dakota or the sweltering heat-waves Florida is known for. Summer temperatures average 20 degrees Celsius (68F) to 25 degrees Celsius (77F) and winter temperatures average 10 degrees Celsius (50F) to 16 degrees Celsius (61F) so you can enjoy our great outdoors all year round. You do have to be aware of our inconsistent weather patterns here though; Mother Nature just can’t make up her mind sometimes – it can be the perfect sunny day one second and then it pelts down with rain the next, and vice-versa. And pack the sun cream! Our sun is super-strong and burns in a matter of minutes.

Thinking of moving to New Zealand? Are you ready for Christmas in summertime?

For us Kiwis, memories of Christmas are all summer ones – Barbeque dinners outside, swimming and cricket on the beach. A ‘White Christmas’ is something very foreign to us, just as a summer Christmas may be to you! A lot of our English mates living here like to remedy that with a ‘mid winter Christmas party’, the best of both worlds.

Santa Claus at the beach - Move to New Zealand

Cost of Living in New Zealand

Generally, the cost of living in New Zealand is pretty much the same to living in the USA and Western Europe. To put things in perspective, the Mercer’s 2016 Cost of Living Survey ranked Auckland 98th and Wellington 123rd in the world for the cost of living. New York was 16th; London was 17th, LA was 27th and San Francisco 26th. We should tell you that some things, like cars and fuel, will be more expensive because we are so far away from everywhere. Here’s some great info to compare our prices with what your used to back home – newzealandnow.govt.nz

Why move to New Zealand? #4 Schools and Education

If you are genuinely interested in moving to New Zealand with your whole family, you’ll be glad to know that our education system is top-notch. Our 15 year olds actually ranked a little better than those in the USA for maths and science in an OECD report in 2015. Public schools are free or very cheap, of a high standard, have playing fields and are, most importantly, very safe! Plus, all eight of our universities are ranked in the top 500 in the world and Auckland is ranked in the top 50.

Why to move to New Zealand? #5 Work and Opportunity

As we write this in 2016, the economy here in New Zealand is going gangbusters and we need skilled people to come and be part of this growth with us. We are always on the lookout for skilled workers because we are all about growth – just read about our pioneering past. We are lucky that we weren’t as affected by the global recession than most other developed countries and our government accounts are solid, so our economy is in a good space. There is strong demand for certain areas like IT, engineering, healthcare and construction so if you have experience in these industries, it shouldn’t be too hard to get a job here. Most of your qualifications are recognized here too. Check out working in New Zealand to see if anything jumps out at you.

NZ Permanent Resident Visa - Move to New Zealand

How to Move to New Zealand

Now, Kiwis may be very laid-back but you can’t just move to New Zealand willy-nilly. We need some kind of organization so we can keep our country running as one of the best places to live in the world. Firstly you have to figure out what kind of visa you need. Do you want to test the waters first? Maybe a working holiday visa for 12 months will fit the bill. If you’ve made up your mind to call New Zealand your new home, a resident visa lets you live and work in New Zealand indefinitely and allows you access to our healthcare system. There are heaps of other options as well as a different criteria for each so pop over to the newzealandnow visa page to see which one is right for you.

So now you have the info, are you still tempted by our safe and secluded shores? We believe in the “try before you buy” philosophy, so why not come see us on holiday before making such a permanent decision. You’d be surprised on our tours how many conversations our Kiwi guides have with guests about moving to New Zealand, and who better to bounce this off while seeing the very best of the country from North to South. We know New Zealand like the back of our hands, all of us grew up, have worked in many different fields and raised families here so as well as giving you a pretty awesome experience of our little country, we’ll tell you everything you want to know if you’re thinking of making the move. Get in touch now to talk about your very first steps to New Zealand!

We reckon after an unforgettable holiday in New Zealand with MoaTrek, you’ll never want to say goodbye!

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