Hello, my name is Horace, I’m an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist from Ireland, and I recently arrived to NZ with my wife in April 2017.

I registered with Accent Health Recruitment in August and I had a firm job offer in Christmas week – just in time to book tickets for the Lions match against the Highlanders in Dunedin in June!

The whole process was all quite easy. Accent did everything!

We were collected from the airport and delivered to our hotel where there was a welcome pack waiting for us, including a bottle of Mount Difficulty Pinot Noir.

Appointments had been set up in advance with ASB Bank and the NZ Medical Council barrister in Dunedin. Our ATM cards were working by close of business the same day.

We toyed with the idea of shipping our car to New Zealand but have leased one instead. It too, was waiting for us in Dunedin.

The most challenging part of the process was renting our first house: when I thought, “What have I done?” Fortunately our understanding estate agent, Aroha met us the next morning and we had a bright, warm, double-glazed, modern house before the end of the day.

My first impressions of NZ were just how overwhelming friendly people were and so willing to be helpful. It’s just great! The outdoor way of life and the spectacular scenery are the best parts of NZ!

What I miss the most is my nine bean rows and my honey bees!

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is to just do it! It is easier than you think. And don’t worry too much where you end up, North Island, South Island. Each place has its wonders and its pitfalls. But everywhere else is still accessible. I have no regrets at all about our move over to NZ!

New workplace:

Are there any major differences between your current role in NZ and your previous role in the UK?

My colleagues are American and it was much more of an adjustment for them. The NHS and the NZ health service are not that different.

Are there any similarities that have helped you orientate/transition easily?

Language is the obvious thing: no barrier there. Most of the guidelines are developed from NICE and from RCOG or RANZCOG: again very similar.

Is there anything specifically done differently in NZ that has interested you and the way you practice your profession?

The big difference in obstetrics is the LMC the lead maternity carer. Every pregnant woman has her own LMC.

The clinics are much smaller but you have to do a lot of your own paperwork and following up of results which fills in the time.

The computer system is good and joins up hospital, GP, radiology, laboratory and medical records in one accessible place.

My name is Louise and I am a GP who is now working in Christchurch, New Zealand. We finally touched down at Christchurch airport on 19th August 2010, unbelievably almost 2 years since my first contact with Accent Health Recruitment.

This was our dream finally becoming reality and it wouldn’t have happened without Kristin! Contract errors, missing emails and immigration delays all conspired against us and on many occasions things looked quite hopeless. However Accent were not going to be beaten so easily.

Medical Council registration was arranged not once but three times and my prospective employers were persuaded to wait and wait (and wait……) and when they gave up waiting were persuaded to offer me another job at a later date!

I can’t thank Kristin and Prudence enough. They have provided invaluable practical and emotional support and advice over this long process both before and after we arrived. I would have no hesitation in recommending Accent Health Recruitment as an agency and Christchurch as a destination – we love it here! Thanks!

Mariska – Emergency Department Medical Officer, Taupo

My name is Mariska and I am working as a senior medical officer in Emergency Medicine at Taupo Hospital. I came to New Zealand in June 2014 with my husband, Terry and George the cat. I am originally from South Africa, but moved to NZ from the UK where I lived for the past ten years.

We knew for almost two years that we definitely wanted to move to New Zealand so I started the process very early and had my first job interviews in May 2013. We were quite specific about where we wanted to live and work as this was a permanent move for us so it probably took a bit longer, but once everything were in place it only took us about 5 months to get over here.

Kristin at Accent Health Recruitment was excellent with keeping me informed about the whole process and she was always available by phone or e-mail to reassure me everything was going as smooth as possible! The most challenging part of the move was getting the timings right for everything that needed arranging in the few weeks before we left. As visas, job offers, registration with MCNZ, booking shipping containers, booking flights etc all need to happen in a certain order it took quite a bit of planning. We had a big wall calendar with everything on it!

We arrived in Auckland in bright sunshine and 16 degrees (in winter!!) and what struck us first were how friendly and welcoming the Kiwis are. And five months later that is still one of the best things about New Zealand.

Everywhere you go people are happy to help and just have a chat. Another big positive is of course how beautiful this country is. There are always loads of fun and exciting things to do without having to pay for it and it is very, very easy to avoid the crowds and just disappear on your own little adventure.

One of our most positive experiences so far has been buying a lovely house over here. After buying and selling two houses in the UK we dreaded the process, but we were amazed by how easy and straight forward it was over here. We saw the house for the first time on 15 June 2014 and moved in on 22 August 2014! So far there is really nothing, other than family and friends that we miss about the UK.

Even settling into work has been much easier than I expected. There is definitely a much better work-life balance over here and although there are some of the same problems with Emergency Medicine as in the UK, having great things to do outside of work makes it all a lot easier. One thing that impressed me most is the emphasis on CME and the generous funding available for it.

If you are planning to come to New Zealand my tips are: 1) Just do it! 2) Contact Accent Health Recruitment now. They are great at guiding you through the whole process! 3) Be organised and have a folder/box/drawer to keep everything re your move in one place 4) Ladies, stock up on make-up and toiletries (fairly expensive over here) 5) Make sure the soles of all your shoes are scrubbed clean or you could spend a while cleaning at the airport 6) E-mail copies of all your documents to yourself so you have access to it anywhere 7) Be ready to have an awesome time in New Zealand!

We are GPs who arrived into Wellington in May 2013. It took a lot of planning – but we are here now, enjoying work in Wellington! We are Helen and Alasdair Jessup, General Practitioners (GPs) from England. We travelled with 8 suitcases so when our new employer and our recruiter (Prudence) met us at the airport, we were very pleased to see them! From start to finish the process took about 6 months. It was actually very easy getting a job offer for both of us, we had a skype interview that Accent Health Recruitment sorted out for us.

There were frustrations and challenges with the paperwork and administration in the UK before coming to NZ. It takes a lot longer than you expect.

When we arrived our initial impressions were that NZ’ers were friendly people with a get up and go attitude. NZ has dramatic scenery and weather! We did choose to come to Windy Wellington in the winter! The wine was great and we found the petrol to be cheap!!

So far we have only been round Napier and Wellington and they are both great spots. Like most people who have moved to NZ, we miss the BBC, family and friends, and the central heating and double-glazing!

We got great advice and step by step guidance from Accent Health Recruitment, and the advice would be: Ensure to bring enough cash with you as it takes a while to get your debit cards etc. Ask Accent Health Recruitment to sort out your pre-paid sim cards for mobile phones. Get Accent to arrange meeting with a bank and MCNZ in first few days (pre-arrange appointments before you arrive). Initially stay somewhere where there is Wi-Fi as this is essential for getting around a place you’re not familiar with. Don’t commit to accommodation before you arrive as often properties look completely different online to reality.

Hi, my name is Alison and I am a GP. I came to NZ in October 2015 from the UK. The process to come to NZ took me approximately 5 months. The easiest part of the process was finding out about the job and having interviews by Skype. The most challenging part of the process was pre-departure packing! Christchurch was an interesting place to arrive as the city was still fairly destroyed from the earthquakes and as a result the city is largely under construction. However the more days I spent in the city the more I realised how much is has to offer – from individual coffee places, interesting bars, good beaches, mountain biking, road cycling and running in the port hills and it’s location close to the Alps. The best parts of NZ are the mountains, huts, lakes, people, birds, pies, brunches, attitudes to life and weather. What I miss the most is though is family and friends. My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is to bring or buy a bike.

Hi, my name is Alison and I am a GP. I came to NZ in October 2015 from the UK. The process to come to NZ took me approximately 5 months. The easiest part of the process was finding out about the job and having interviews by Skype. The most challenging part of the process was pre-departure packing! Christchurch was an interesting place to arrive as the city was still fairly destroyed from the earthquakes and as a result the city is largely under construction. However the more days I spent in the city the more I realised how much is has to offer – from individual coffee places, interesting bars, good beaches, mountain biking, road cycling and running in the port hills and it’s location close to the Alps. The best parts of NZ are the mountains, huts, lakes, people, birds, pies, brunches, attitudes to life and weather. What I miss the most is though is family and friends. My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is to bring or buy a bike.

Hi, my name is Alison and I am a GP. I came to NZ in October 2015 from the UK. The process to come to NZ took me approximately 5 months. The easiest part of the process was finding out about the job and having interviews by Skype. The most challenging part of the process was pre-departure packing! Christchurch was an interesting place to arrive as the city was still fairly destroyed from the earthquakes and as a result the city is largely under construction. However the more days I spent in the city the more I realised how much is has to offer – from individual coffee places, interesting bars, good beaches, mountain biking, road cycling and running in the port hills and it’s location close to the Alps. The best parts of NZ are the mountains, huts, lakes, people, birds, pies, brunches, attitudes to life and weather. What I miss the most is though is family and friends. My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is to bring or buy a bike.

Hi, my name is Alison and I am a GP. I came to NZ in October 2015 from the UK. The process to come to NZ took me approximately 5 months. The easiest part of the process was finding out about the job and having interviews by Skype. The most challenging part of the process was pre-departure packing! Christchurch was an interesting place to arrive as the city was still fairly destroyed from the earthquakes and as a result the city is largely under construction. However the more days I spent in the city the more I realised how much is has to offer – from individual coffee places, interesting bars, good beaches, mountain biking, road cycling and running in the port hills and it’s location close to the Alps. The best parts of NZ are the mountains, huts, lakes, people, birds, pies, brunches, attitudes to life and weather. What I miss the most is though is family and friends. My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is to bring or buy a bike.

Hi, my name is Alison and I am a GP. I came to NZ in October 2015 from the UK. The process to come to NZ took me approximately 5 months. The easiest part of the process was finding out about the job and having interviews by Skype. The most challenging part of the process was pre-departure packing! Christchurch was an interesting place to arrive as the city was still fairly destroyed from the earthquakes and as a result the city is largely under construction. However the more days I spent in the city the more I realised how much is has to offer – from individual coffee places, interesting bars, good beaches, mountain biking, road cycling and running in the port hills and it’s location close to the Alps. The best parts of NZ are the mountains, huts, lakes, people, birds, pies, brunches, attitudes to life and weather. What I miss the most is though is family and friends. My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is to bring or buy a bike.

My impression of Accent Health Recruitment is that they are a very efficient, helpful and friendly group of professionals without whose help I would not be in NZ about to start a new job. I would recommend them wholeheartedly.

I am a GP who is currently working in England. I wanted to try a working holiday so I did some research and found out online about an opportunities NZ expo. I went along to the Leeds Expo, I met Accent Health Recruitment and after an initial chat they said we can simply keep in touch until I decide on a start date and location. When I was ready to set a date for work two years later – Accent arranged a job interview for me in Christchurch.

After reference checking and checking documents and work history, and after swapping a lot of emails and phone calls and I was offered a job. The employer held the job open for me for nearly 6 months, while I arranged the paper work. The medical council paper work seems rather daunting, but was not insurmountable.

I had to collate and take to NZ all my original degrees and certificates. The Medical Council in NZ needed to check the originals and confirm I was who I said I was!

Accent Health Recruitment assisted with my registration, arranged my accommodation at a private house, picked me up from the airport and allowed me time to settle in. When I needed to have my interview for the NZ Medical Council to finalize my NZ registration, Accent Health Recruitment picked me up, and also took me to the bank to finalize opening my account.

“I have been rejuvenated, as has my wife. We are eating better, sleeping better and exercising more than we have done in 15 years. We now live in a positive frame of mind and we look positively at everything around us….”

Kemal Akdenizli, Andrea Neidhardt and Tanya Preston are three GPs from Germany and England on a 6 month working holiday in New Zealand.

Prudence very quickly found us attractive job offers in Christchurch and helped us with finding accommodation. She also picked us up from the airport and gave us a warm welcome.

Accent helped out in providing everything from initial shopping to NZ prepaid SIM cards and mobile phones. She helped with all the initial steps such as buying a car and opening bank accounts. The process to come to NZ took us about 4-5 Months.

The most challenging part of the process was deciding where to go and which job offer to take up as different options sounded appealing.

We arrived in Wellington in January, at the height of summer, and realised quickly that the sun is much stronger than in Europe. We very impressed how Christchurch is developing after the Earthquakes and how optimistic and friendly people in Christchurch are. Christchurch turned out to be great for us, being a great base to explore the South Island from on weekends and leave.

The best parts of NZ are the Queen Charlotte Track in the Marlborough Sounds, kayaking at Abel Tasman National Park, hiking and star gazing at Lake Tekapo, swimming with dolphins in Akaroa, watching seal pups by a waterfall near Kaikoura, exploring the Fiordlands at Milford Sound and Skiing in Queenstown and Mount Hutt was absolutely great. We also love the Botanical Garden in Christchurch and regularly go running there. I do miss the family and friends at home.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is come for at least half a year- there really is a lot to see and explore. The 24 Hour Surgery is a great employer and we have very much enjoyed working there. Things turned out really well and worked according to Accent Health Recruitment Plan.

See our GP Jian talk about working in Christchurch as a GP and the process of registering with the New Zealand Medical Council and working in New Zealand.