My name is Jess, I arrived in NZ in October 2015 and spent a few months travelling around beautiful NZ - would recommend this if at all possible! I am now working as an Oncology CNS in a small south Island DHB.
I started the process of seriously preparing to come to NZ in March 2015. When I left the UK I had my NCNZ registration completed but did not have a job or work visa.
The easiest part of the process was making the decision to emigrate, though having made this decision I was extremely impatient to get on the plane! The hardest part of the process was making the decision to risk coming to NZ with a one way flight and no job or work visa! I had to trust that my own skill and experience to get work within 6 months; and of course the contacts, experience and support of Kristin and Merryl at Accent was essential. Myself and my partner viewed it as a back to front retirement, and funded our trip with our savings. We did have a contingency plan in case I was unsuccessful in getting a job and visa within 6 months.
My first impression of NZ was WOW, this is meant to be! as we arrived at Auckland airport to a glorious sunrise. The next day the All Blacks won the rugby world cup too!
The best bits of NZ are the people and the country. Here on the South Island I love the feeling of space - our nearest neighbor is 1 km away but it still only takes a 30 minute drive to get to work and park in the free car park!
Below: Jess's view from her house
I mostly miss: my friends and watching their children grow up, however Skype etc help a lot with this. And funnily enough a de-icer for the car - cost $20+ if you can even find it to buy. Most Kiwi's just use hot water to de-ice their windscreen!
My advice to anyone planning to come to NZ is: be prepared for endless amounts of annoying form filling - just when you think you have done them all something else crops up!
In my work place there are a lot of similarities to the UK and a lot of things that are very different. I always thought I really appreciated NHS's free at point of delivery approach, but here where GP appointments typically cost $40 and repeat scripts are $12 , I really do see that this has an impact on my patients who often require lots of input from the primary care services.
Also, coming from a specialized oncology hospital in the UK to a small DHB on the South Island has been a steep learning curve as myself and my 2 colleagues cover all types of cancer, whereas in the UK there is much more specialism. I am really enjoying getting to grips with lots of oncology that is new to me.
