Everything you need to know about moving to NZ

New Zealand is a comparatively small place, so it will come as no surprise that the vast majority (96% as of 2005) of businesses in New Zealand employ less than 20 people.

Most self-employed Kiwi entrepreneurs set out to make a comfortable living providing a service rather than aiming for world market domination, but innovation is very highly valued. Many magazines and newspapers regularly feature small businesses, often niche clothing or food retailers, or small manufacturers. In business as in sport, New Zealanders like to think that they are punching above their weight on the world stage, but there are a large number of genuinely inventive businesspeople doing fascinating things.

If you are considering starting a business in New Zealand, there are a number of places to get practical advice, including employment law, grants, planning and mentoring. A good place to start is www.biz.org.nz, the web portal of government organisation New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. Some regions also provide excellent business support, advice and courses, such as the City Council-run CDC in Christchurch, www.cdc.org.nz. Many of the services provided by these organisations are free, and they can be an excellent way of developing business-to-business networks when you are new to the area.

Networking is a very important part of running a business in New Zealand. Especially in relatively small cities such as Christchurch, a personal recommendation from a friend or colleague carries much more weight than any amount of clever marketing. Groups such as the BNI, an American import that is proving very popular in New Zealand, get groups of business people from different industries together on a regular basis. Both Jeremy and Steve belong to their local BNI groups, and have found them invaluable for developing their networks as well as refining useful skills such as public speaking. We would definitely recommend checking out your local group you are thinking about starting a business in New Zealand.

Many New Zealand business people set up family trusts to separate their personal assets from company assets in the event of problems. There may some advantage in setting up a New Zealand trust before you emigrate to New Zealand - take a look at our article on New Zealand pre-migration trusts for more information.