What to take with you when you emigrate to NZ
Moving house is always stressful, but moving to an entirely new country is especially testing. Many immigrants agonise over what to bring out with them; whether to bring everything, nothing, or to take some middle path. We hope the following information will smooth the way for you when you emigrate to New Zealand.
Removal CompaniesAlmost any removal company can arrange to ship your worldly goods to New Zealand, but we recommend that you use a removal company that specialises in shipping overseas. A good certification to look for is membership of the British Association of Removers (BAR) specialist "Overseas Group". My family used Anglo Pacific for their move, and found them very professional.
Although their pricing is often very similar, it is well worth getting a few quotes from removal companies - perhaps 3 -5. Leave yourself plenty of time, as their assessors can be booked up several weeks in advance. Have a good idea of what you want to bring before they arrive. Make sure that you are comparing like-for-like when you are comparing quotes - e.g. door-to-door, sole-use container. Shippers are sometimes willing to negotiate a discount, especially if you have a lower quote from a rival firm. The assessors can be very knowledgeable about MAF (Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries) regulations, but it pays to double-check their recommendations - it is not unusual for them to suggest you don't take items that just need cleaning or inspection.
Shipping CostsShipping is expensive. My family chose to use an entire 20-foot "reefer" container, which comfortably accommodated their worldly goods. This was slightly more expensive than a shared container would have been, but we felt that it was more secure (it was sealed in front of us with a dye-filled lock). It also meant that we did not have to agonise over what we were going to bring too much, which was much less stressful. Just to give you an idea, the current cost for this is around £3300 to £4000 door-to-door - no VAT is applied but you will need to add insurance, any MAF inspection costs, storage once in New Zealand if you are not quite ready for your goods, and extra delivery costs if your destination is far away from a port.
It will generally take around 6-8 weeks for your container to arrive - slightly longer if you choose a shared container, as the shippers will wait for it to be filled up.
New Zealand Customs Charges
You may be liable for some customs charges (duty and GST) on your household goods if you are on a work visa that is valid for less than a year, but not if you are on a permanent residence, work to residence or long term business visa - see the New Zealand Customs website for more details.
 Marine Insurance
One area where you may be able to save some money is on Marine Insurance - the insurance you arrange to protect your shipment while it is in transit and in storage. The major removal companies do offer this, but we have found it to be quite expensive - and the cover is not always as comprehensive as it could be. We've worked with a New Zealand insurance company to offer you an alternative.
Ship or Buy everything in New Zealand? There are a number of companies who specialise in smaller shipments, if you do manage to pare your belongings down to clothing and photos. Specialist small shipment companies may work out a lot cheaper in this case, such as excess luggage companies. Please do note though that household items and clothing generally cost at least as much in NZ as in the UK, so it is usually prudent to ship your belongings rather than dispose of them.
Please also see our articles on
I hope your move goes smoothly.
Jeremy Henderson
Director, Broadbase International Ltd.
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On Your Way 
