New Zealand Continues To Attract Britons

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New Zealand Continues To Attract Britons

New Zealand has voted, following a national referendum, to keep its current flag, which features the British Union Jack alongside the Southern Cross star constellation. It is also attracting record numbers of migrants.

Britain has a rich history with New Zealand. People, commerce and ideas have flowed between the two countries for many generations. The first British settlers arrived in the early 1800s but it was from a post-World War Two depressed UK, that immigration from Britain to NZ ramped up with thousands of men, women and children moving to a new life, under the assisted immigration scheme.

These days the attractions of New Zealand continue to appeal to Britons looking for a better life in the country that is consistently ranked at the top of global quality of life surveys. British migrants can enjoy New Zealand’s incredibly high quality of life whilst benefiting from no language, culture or professional barriers. The laid-back lifestyle, friendly Kiwi nature, positive work-life balance and short commuting time are all huge motivations for Britons as well as the relatively low cost of living, a leading education system and spacious housing. These pull factors are on top of the obvious attractions of a favourable climate and stunning scenery.

Recent figures show that New Zealand’s annual net-migration gain once again hit record levels in February 2016 – making it the nineteenth consecutive month in a row to show a record net gain. According to Statistics New Zealand data the annual net gain of migrants hit 67,400 in the year to the end of February 2016.

Over half of these arrivals settled in Auckland and the migrants are led by those coming from the UK, France, Germany and Australia.

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.