Moving the family from South Africa to New Zealand

My name is Harri, I moved to NZ with my wife Claire in 2020. We lived in Johannesburg, South Africa and are now happy in Auckland, New Zealand.

The most challenging part of the process, for me at least, is being 100% sure that I can get my work visa on time, and that I have a guaranteed pathway to residency. There is a lot of information out there to sift through and it is all very time consuming. I found it reassuring to deal with professionals who took the guesswork out of the process for me. My adviser was Julia Cooke. She was amazing at providing clear and understandable advice on the process to follow. Julia was professional and knowledgeable.

My first impression of NZ was that it was going to be too small. I’ve since learned that the team of 5 million are incredibly smart, creative, proud, passionate and hard-working and that the economic market has a lot of opportunity in it. My view has changed and I now look at NZ for what it is, a beautiful island with a first world economy, a rich and interesting culture and a place that you can call home. I miss some of my luxuries from South Africa but I’ve embraced the way things are in NZ. I don’t source SA products because I enjoy the NZ products available.

You need to be sure of your reason for wanting to leave your own country. An adventure like this comes with many challenges and you’ll need the motivation to deal with a few knocks. It’s also incredibly rewarding to build a new life in a safe and spectacular place so it’s all worth it.

The house prices and rental prices are shocking in Auckland. You need 20% deposit to by a house so it might take a bit longer than you would expect.

I would recommend you do research into the country and speak to people who have moved here. You’ll find that there is a lot to appreciate about the country. I recommend bringing your house content as it will be cheaper than buying furniture here of the same quality.