Everything you need to know about moving to NZ

With shipping, airfares and initial living costs running into thousands of pounds, it certainly isn’t cheap to move to New Zealand.

Most emigrant families we speak to spend at least £10,000 leaving the UK, then around $20,000 in their first couple of months in New Zealand.

These costs are offset somewhat for most migrants by the strength of the pound to dollar exchange rate, and the buoyant real estate market in the UK; but you can certainly see why for most migrants from the UK, moving to New Zealand is a lifestyle choice rather than a financial one.

•  Shipping costs around £3500 for an average-sized household, more if you live far from a port or need your container delivered to a location far from a port in New Zealand. There may also be extra MAF and customs inspection charges in New Zealand, and possibly storage costs if you need your shipper to hold your household goods for a few weeks while you sort somewhere to live.
• You will need marine insurance for the goods you ship – we have worked with our partner Orbit Protect to offer you low-cost, high cover transit insurance.
• Travel insurance is a very sensible purchase to protect you and your luggage while in transit to New Zealand, but check the terms very carefully – standard travel insurance is often invalidated if you are heading off on anything other than a holiday.
• Airfares are an unavoidable expense. Shop around, and check with your chosen airline whether there is an extra luggage allowance for immigrants. Ask nicely, and get it in writing! Children under two often travel for free, but will not be allocated a seat.
• You may need hotel accommodation in the UK for a few nights if you are travelling a long distance to an airport, or if there is a gap between moving out of your house and flying to NZ.
• You will need accommodation once you arrive; possibly motel accommodation for some weeks while your belongings arrive by ship, then most commonly a rental home.
• You will probably need a rental car for a week or two in New Zealand while you buy a car – you may even need to rent or borrow a car in the UK if you are selling your car.
• Even if you start work immediately, you will need cash on hand for your living expenses for a few weeks until you are paid.
• You may incur some one-off expenses, such as school uniforms.