With a temperate climate, and stunning variations in our geography - all surrounded by the Pacific and Tasman Oceans – people in New Zealand happily lead an outdoor life. Knowing that you'll spend far less time commuting in New Zealand than in most world cities, you'll also enjoy far more time with your friends and family. No matter where you live in New Zealand, for instance, you are probably less than an hour from the ocean, and less than 4 hours from a ski field. Which means on the same day you can mountain bike, snowboard and surf!
At the same time, cafe society and cultural activities rival those anywhere. New Zealand has produced some of the world's top opera singers, musicians, writers, painters - all of whom are easily accessible for your enjoyment. New Zealand cuisine and regional wineries are well-regarded internationally - so you'll have plenty to tempt your taste buds.
With just over 4 million people living in New Zealand, it's easy to find - or get away from - the crowd. So if your preference is access to big-city shopping, check out Auckland (the largest city with over 1.5 million residents), Christchurch, Wellington (the capital) or Dunedin. But one of the joys of New Zealand is that you can also choose to live a more rural lifestyle, and still live within an hour's drive of the centre of any of these cities. Or you can choose to settle in the country - there's plenty of room for expansion here!
New to New Zealand? Settlement Support New Zealand (SSNZ) gives you a clear point of contact in your new community, helping you find the resources and information you and your family need to settle in comfortably.
Life in Auckland
Auckland's islands, glistening harbours and forest ranges are set against the backdrop of a modern city environment, providing a lifestyle ranked one of the best in the world - in 2010 Auckland was voted 4th in the world on the Mercer Quality of Living scale and the top in the Asia-Pacific region.
A large, vibrant, business-friendly city, Auckland offers a wide variety of exciting work and lifestyle opportunites. With a thriving economy and a strong cultural mix, Auckland has a rhythm all of its own. Whether you want an outdoors lifestyle, an urban playground or something in between, Auckland has something for everyone. Everything is just a stones throw away, giving you the ability to balance your life to suit.
What Migrants think?
Registered Nurse from Canada loves the funky feel of Wellington
From start to finish, it took Sharon Commandant less than 6 months to find a job, arrange for all her New Zealand nursing accreditation and visa approvals and arrive in Wellington.
“The easiest part of the process was securing a job,” says Sharon. “Thanks to Accent Health Recruitment they walked me through my options, explained what New Zealand employers are looking for – and of course they did all the hunting for me!”
“It meant I landed a job over the phone.”
The most challenging part of the process was the paperwork in registering as a nurse here. “It wasn’t made clear that I needed a stamp from a JP/notary, and this delayed my registration by 2 weeks or so.”
Originally from Ottawa in Canada, Sharon and her husband had travelled through New Zealand in 2009 on a Working Holiday visa, falling in love with the country.
The pull of New Zealand, Sharon says, started with hearing how beautiful the country was. And seeing Lord of the Rings – her husband is an actor who has now secured a role in The Hobbitt – had them searching online for more information.
“We registered with NewZealandNow, a government website sponsored by Immigration New Zealand, and that’s how we found out about Working Holiday Visas. Those we applied for online and received within just a few weeks. They’re a great option.”
“My first impressions of New Zealand were a beautiful, lush, hilly country. Where each person living here is so fiercely proud of their land and willing to tell you about it!”
“After living for nearly 8 months in New Zealand, travelling a bit, we explored our options in Australia. But we truly wanted to live in New Zealand, so I contacted Accent to see if they could help.”
Today, Sharon is working at Wellington Hospital as a registered nurse and finds the laidback lifestyle a real pleasure. “Each of my co-workers loves to laugh and joke with each other.”
“I’ve always wanted to work somewhere where you can really feel your colleagues are there for you, and I have found that here in Wellington. It’s nice to see a whole ward going to dinner together, lots of baby showers, and so on.”
When asked to give advice to potential migrants, Sharon suggests researching the regional opportunities. “You should really look into where in the country you’d like to stay as there are very different ways of life around each city or region.
“I am really happy in Wellington. It’s a big city that feels small and funky.”
Melissa Taylor Registered nurse from San Diego enjoys her job by the beach
Melissa Taylor is a registered nurse from San Diego. For some time she had New Zealand at the top of her must-see travel list and hoped the dream of visiting would come true one day. Melissa had been actively searching for travel nurse positions around the US, but had a hard time finding the job she wanted.
One chilly night in March whilst surfing the net, she thought about working further afield than the US and googled New Zealand. Melissa says, “After some browsing and exploring on the Immigration New Zealand website, I came across a link for working and living in New Zealand…brilliant idea!”
She got in contact with a medical profession recruitment agency – Accent Health Recruitment - in New Zealand that offered enormous assistance.
“I got great advice on what I needed to do and what to expect. The agency also helped ensure my registration was accepted by the New Zealand Nursing Council.”
Today Melissa lives in Napier -- an art deco town situated alongside beautiful beaches – working nearby at Hawkes Bay Memorial Hospital. “It’s even more beautiful than Southern California but without the crowds or the traffic!” enthuses Melissa.
From the time Melissa first registered her interest on-line and started looking at job sites until the time she arrived in New Zealand was just months. “In fact, I had a call from the recruiter just minutes after I had left my name. After that, things happened very quickly.”
Work is good, but with less stress than Melissa was used to. “The people I work with are great.”
She does note the nursing system is different than in the US. “Here nurses are required to take course work to do treatments and protocols that I’ve already been trained to do in the US.”
“Overall, I find nursing far less full on as it is the US. But I like that. It’s much more hands-on here.”
Melissa’s husband Lee is a web developer and designer, and works from New Zealand with his partners in the US. “Even that works well for us,” she explains. “He too was eager to see some of the world and I easily convinced him to come to New Zealand.”
Even though neither Melissa nor Lee had been to New Zealand, “we’re loving it here.”
“Truly, the best thing about this country is the people. They take the time to help each other.”
