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International Moving - New Zealand
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Sofia
Sep 5, 2022·0 min read
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Moving to New Zealand

Have you ever dreamed of being a part of a movie scene? In New Zealand, you will not only visit Hobbiton from the Lord of the Rings but can witness an actual giant bat. In fact, it is so huge that they called it a flying fox. With open wings their diameter reaches 5’6 feet (152 cm), so do not be surprised if one visits you on your balcony.

When you move to New Zealand, you will learn a lot more about this unique land and the people that inhabit it. To help you set your expectations right, let’s go over important information and some estimates to consider before the moving day. If you are wondering how to move to New Zealand, Hercules Moving Company can provide an excellent service ensuring that your valuables will be delivered as they were. Choosing a reliable international moving company is the key to a successful relocation.

Icebreaker: the county of livestock and war dance

Some consider New Zealand just another Australian island, but it is definitely more than that. The state covers an area of 268,680 km2 and has a coastline of over 15,000 kilometres. The county is divided into 2 islands. The largest is the South Island, which is home to a quarter of the country's population. As of today, the population of New Zealand counts over 5 million people, which is almost six times less than the number of sheep.

In the Maori language, Aotearoa (New Zealand) means "land of the long white cloud”. There are various explanations for this name, deeply rooted in traditional Maori lore, but all are somehow related to the idea that the horizon in New Zealand is often covered by long, white clouds and becomes like a long cloud when viewed from space, but perhaps this is just a coincidence.

How to Immigrate to New Zealand

New Zealand offers multiple immigration programs and visa types to choose from. In order to understand better your options, we briefly covered 5 paths that will allow you to legally stay in New Zealand. Visa application can take up to months, be sure to apply on time.

Education
Employment
Family Reunion
Business Owners
Investors

Education

Immigration to New Zealand through education is favoured among young individuals seeking to continue their life in New Zealand. A big advantage of this path is the post-study work visa that is given to the graduates after completing their studies. Most employers give their preference to potential employees who have already obtained a work visa. Two main criteria would be a valid acceptance letter and enough funding to cover tuition and support you during your studies.

Employment

There are quite a few visas to choose from. Depending on your circumstances, apply for a visa that best fits your needs. Visit New Zealand Immigration work website and fill up the questionnaire, the system will provide you with all the options, requirements and future possibilities. Before committing to any job offer long-term and living in New Zealand, consider applying for a Working Holiday visa to identify whether work in New Zealand is what suits you. One of the advantages that New Zealand includes is a high quality of life and a great work-life balance..

Family Reunion

There are different criteria for people that are coming from Australia, the Cook Islands, Niue, or any other county and those who are already in New Zealand. Whether you are planning on joining your New Zealand partner, a family member or a child, you must secure a visa that fits your needs. Answer a few questions on the New Zealand Immigration family website for a list of suitable visas. No other than the New Zealand government could help you in this.

Business Owners

For prospective entrepreneurs, New Zealand can offer 4 visa types: Entrepreneur Resident Visa, Global Impact Permanent Residence Visa, Global Impact Work Visa and Entrepreneur Work Visa. Only the 2nd business visa type does not require any prior capital involved. For any further details and how to apply visit New Zealand Immigration business website.

Investors

For those, who are willing to invest in New Zealand, there are 7 visa types available to consider. Each visa requires a different amount of investment made, the time period to do so and ways to gain PR or New Zealand citizenship.

First Steps upon arrival in New Zealand

  1. Get an IRD Number.

    Everyone earning income in New Zealand must pay taxes. If you don’t want to pay 33% ( the highest possible rate) of your income, you better apply for an IRD tax number to be taxed at your salary rate. Apply for it online as soon as you arrive.

  2. Apply for a National Health Index (NHI) number.

    As an expat coming to New Zealand, you are entitled to have an NHI number. This unique index number is used to identify you by doctors and hospitals.

  3. Open a Bank Account.

    You can open an account in the New Zealand bank from home before you move overseas to make the process faster. You will be able to do so considering that your move will happen in the next 180 days. You would need the next documents: a New Zealand visa, a government-issued ID, and your address outside of New Zealand.[p]The only difference to pay attention to is the EFTPOS cards. They are free of charge and only used within New Zealand and Australia. You can not pay with it online nor make contactless purchases. Usual Visa or MasterCard cards could have a fee of $10 NZD ($6.50 USD)

    Simply speaking, each of your documents is equal to a certain value of points, an New Zealandn visa, for example, is 40 points, driver’s license equals 60 points. You can apply to open a bank account outside of New Zealand, providing that you will be coming in the next 12 months.

  4. Buy a Sim Card.

    You can buy a pre-paid sim card online through eBay or Amazon. To activate it you would only need your passport. You do not need to have a New Zealand address to start using the sim card, but these are only good to get you going. We recommend changing it once you are in New Zealand for Spark or Vodafone.

Healthcare in New Zealand

The Healthcare system in New Zealand is run by the national government and is funded by the public. This allows New Zealanders to access free quality healthcare handled by regional and private centres. Healthcare-related costs the government 9% of the country’s GDP.

To be eligible to receive free healthcare you must be a New Zealand citizen, permanent residence or hold a valid work permit that is longer than 2 years. When sickness occurs, you first must visit a family doctor/general paediatrician who will examine you and refer you to a dedicated doctor. Although the New Zealand healthcare system is one of the best in the world, you still will be waiting for your appointment for a couple of days or weeks.

When moving to New Zealand, do not forget to find a reliable private health insurance company that will cover your emergency expenses during your stay.

Earning and Spending in New Zealand

Income in New Zealand
Taxation System
Cost of Living

he salary that you will receive in New Zealand heavily depends on your qualification and education. You are likely to earn more in a profession that is in a labour shortage: Dairy Farmers, Project Managers, Accountants, IT specialists and Engineers. The average salary, working full-time, in New Zealand is $27 NZD per hour ( $56,000 NZD per year).

New Zealand had significant tax reform in 1980, as a result of which we have lower tax rates today. The progressive tax system rates are:

  • 10.5%: $0 to $14,000
  • 17.5%: $14,001 to $48,000
  • 30%: $48,001 to $70,000
  • 33% from $70,000

To maintain a lifestyle of an average New Zealander, expect to spend about $1,500 NZD( $980 US) per moths without renting as a single person. A family of 4 would need on average $4,600 NZD ( $3,000 US), not including rent.

Renting vs. Housing in New Zealand

The housing market in New Zealand is highly competitive due to the not-so-big land and a large number of immigrants coming yearly. Expect to spend a great amount of time regardless of whether you are planning to rent or buy a property in New Zealand.

Renting

When relocating to New Zealand, most likely you will be looking into Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch. These are the biggest and most expensive cities to live in. The average cost of rent varies, for a 1 bedroom apartment expect to pay around $1,500 NZD - $1,980 NZD ($980 - $1,300 USD) per month. For a 3 bedroom apartment the price goes up to $2,550 NZD - $4,300 NZD ($1500 - $2,800 USD) per month.

Rent in New Zealand, similarly to Australia, is paid weekly. Remember it when browsing renting websites and ads. You can expect to pay 40% - 50% less when renting outside the city. The landlord can request advance rent and bonds if you are renting for the first time in New Zealand, totalling 5 - 6 weeks’ rent cost.

Housing

Buying a property in New Zealand has become more challenging during the last few years. You can not buy a property to live in unless you hold citizenship or a residence class visa. The price of an average house in New Zealand is approximately $570,000 NZD ( $375,000 USD). In big cities, the price will rise to $880,000 NZD (580,000 USD) and the sky is the limit.

New Zealanders make the most out of the county’s weather by building houses to get the most of the natural light. Unfortunately, purchasing a house in New Zealand will not automatically make you a citizen. However, you can apply for an investor’s visa to gain permanent residency through investing 2.5 million NZD ( 1.6 mil USD) in a residential property.

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These guys really did a great job. Newmarket movers did not skimp on wrapping everything properly and moving all my sensitive and expensive equipment carefully. Call them for a quote and you won't be disappointed.
Nancy Powell
Hercules assisted me in moving antique furniture from Storage Toronto to a new home. Igor who arranged the move for me was prompt in returning calls and updating me on timing for pickup and delivery. The drivers both in picking up and delivering were punctual despite bad weather conditions. The employees were very courteous and helpful. All furniture was carefully wrapped and reassembled on delivery. I would not hesitate to recommend Hercules to anyone for a complete move or for speciality moving.
I work at Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga. We select low income families for Home Ownership . We recently contacted Hercules Moving Company to assist us in moving our newest family into their new home. Hercules moved the family at a time which was convenient to them. The family called me almost immediately to rave about what amazing service they received, as well as the kind, professional staff which were sent. I will definitely be calling upon their services in the future!Thanks again for your awesome work!
Excellent household moving service from HMC van lines. Hercules Movers were nice, clean and fresh! They had applied their traditional wrapping technique, and I was surprised with the level of their professionalism. Finally, after moving into a new house, Hercules Movers placed and unpacked all the furniture and belongings, and left the floor clean. Thank you, HMC family!
Laura Ellen
I am very happy with these movers. They showed up on time with polite, respectful and hard working people and got the job done right. These Guelph movers moved me out, stored my belongings for 3 weeks while I renovated my new place and moved me in today. I would use them again for sure. The ease of full service for both moving and storage was of great value to me.
Hercules moved my piano from an old bungalow to the second floor of my place. At the old house, there was tricky stairs and front yard fence to navigate. At the new place, there was a tall set of stairs which they had to move this heavy piano up. It definitely looked exhausting, but they did a great job and I'm very happy with their service.
Matt Singer
I used Hercules Moving to move a piano from my basement to a purchaser. They were very professional, packaged the piano carefully, put down mats on flooring and removed it very efficiently. I'd recommend these guys for any moving needs for sure!!
Have used Hercules Moving for 2 work related circumstances. Extremely professional, cautious and timely. I would have no hesitation to recommend this company to others. They are my go to company from now on.
Hercules company is the most reliable, time efficient, neat, and with the best people skills, in my opinion, in the North America. We're about to start a big renovation in our house. We needed to move all the furniture to the storage Toronto. Hercules company provided us with the storage. Which was extremely convenient. Guys from Hercules company wrapped and packed our furniture so carefully as if it was a fragile artifact from the museum. This is our 3rd time using Hercules company. Their impeccable service and their wonderful and polite stuff make this time-consuming, I'm sure for everyone process, so much more easy to deal with. I highly recommend Hercules company to anyone for all your moving needs.
My heavy piano was transported within a few hours, taking into account the time for descending it from the second floor and lifting it to the fifth floor using the freight elevator. The price at first seemed to be a bit high, but after calling other piano moving companies in Ottawa, I’ve realized that it was no more expensive than others, even a bit cheaper.
Hercules movers moved our [very heavy & expensive] upright piano from Toronto to Stratford. These two brothers exercised thoroughness and care with the move. The brothers were very personable and professional. The piano was well wrapped, stairs were covered in blankets and our wood floor received no new grooves or scratches. Highly recommended. Choose The best from Moving companies Toronto.
I was very worried when I knew I had to move my piano and I did some research online to see how can I get it done and I found Hercules Moving Company and I decided to give them a try. I was astonished how quickly and easy they did that without leaving a single mark on it. I was pleased and surely will call again!!!
The team came in and did a great job moving our grand piano from the second floor to the main level. It took a while for the team to assess how to do it but when they brought in the cavalry to help out it was quite impressive to see them get the job done. I would definitely recommend this happy bunch!
Pick up and delivery were done right on time. Very professional. They even cleaned the rear side of the piano for me. Highly recommended.
The movers showed up on time and ready to work, they were very efficient and professional. Would highly recommend to anyone.
Hercules is by far the most efficient, customer friendly and experienced movers I have dealt with. They took such good care of furniture and personal belongings and made a stressful move seem effortless. I would not hesitate to use these Ottawa movers again. For a five star, hassle free service, with great care and attention, I would recommend Hercules.
I am highly impressed by the moving company Hercules! A team of 3 men brought a piano up from the basement of my house, up 9 steps, then through a tight corner and up 3 more steps. The moment they stepped in my house, I noticed their professionalism. From preparation and organization to floor/stairs protection, team work and moving techniques, it was excellent. Not a scratch! I have very high standards, I'm actually fussy and not easily impressed, but today I was delighted to see exceptional work. I highly recommend Hercules Markham movers for any moving services!
Private User
These Burlington movers did a great job moving my wife and I out of our downtown condo. Took care of everything they moved, and did things quickly and efficiently. The quote itself was reasonable and compared well to others. Will use them again for future moves.
Great moving experience with the best Scarborough movers I have ever met in Toronto. Arrived with a team of 3 guys and moved a 4500sq2 house within 8 hours. Amazing service!
It was great to work with Hercules moving company. They arrived on time, had a team of very competent and friendly guys who treated our possessions with respect, including our grand piano. They were quick in disassembling and wrapping our furniture and seemed to have a lot of experience. They worked hard and kept us within the budget. I highly recommend them to everyone.
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