My name is Sofia, I am a registered nurse and moved to New Zealand in December 2017 from the UK. I had moved from Portugal to the UK about six year ago and decided to embark in a new adventure.

Moving to New Zealand was a long and sometimes frustrating process. Living abroad and taking care of paper work that needs to come from your home country takes time and perseverance. Officially I started my process to move to NZ in July 2016, so it roughly took 1 year and 5 months to get everything organized and land in NZ in December 2017. The easiest part of the process was our visa application. It was probably the quickest thing to be processed. The most challenging process was organising all the paperwork from Portugal and the UK and send it over to NZ, some of it even got lost in the mail and had to be sent again!

My first impressions of New Zealand were great! Starting with how welcoming Kiwi’s are in general and how they are always ready to help a stranger. I was a bit of a cultural shock really, but in a good way! After the lovely welcoming New Zealander’s we must not forget how amazing the scenery here is. I am speaking about the South Island so far but “oh man” is it stunning, me describing it will not even come close to what you see here. So far I must say Tekapo and Milford Sound have been the highlights of my stay. I learned a new word: Tramping. If you are into the outdoors it’s a must do!

What I miss the most is the availability of things I had in London. But I when considering the kind of quality of life I am having right now I would not change it for the world.

My advice if you are planning is be patient, perseverance is key and even if it takes you 1 year and 5 months like it did me, it is worth it!

If you like the outdoors NZ is the place to be, where I am based right now I can easily go to the beach in 5min or 1h away from a mountain top to ski. You can find amazing places to walk and enjoy the scenery and the wildlife almost anywhere here!

My name is Manny Claveria, I am a mental health nurse by profession from the United Kingdom. I came to New Zealand in June 2018 on a visitor’s visa to visit my fiancé as part of a year’s sabbatical leave from NHS Trust in U.K.

I had visited New Zealand a couple of times before and have always been amazed by the beauty of the nature, the general cleanliness of the country and the kindness and welcoming nature of the people. Eventually I decided that I wanted to stay so I looked for opportunities to work and live here.

I applied for a job through Accent and easily found a role thanks to the wonderful support they provided, especially from Kristin McNaughton. I found the nurse training is quite similar here to the U.K. and I was surprised to find that a majority of my colleagues from different health professions were also from the U.K. This helped me to easily adjust to my new working environment.

I would say that the most challenging part for me was waiting to hear if my nursing registration and work visa applications were successful, both of which I am happy to say were granted.

I have not been able to explore New Zealand fully yet but I have been to Queenstown and some other parts of the South and North Islands and I am so awed by the beauty. One of my favourite things about NZ is the rich cultural diversity and my personal experiences in meeting and dealing with people from different backgrounds all of which adds to my life experience. There are still a lot of places to discover and this makes me excited more than ever. I definitely miss my friends and colleagues in the U.K. but I already feel at home here.

Hi my name is Rebecca and I am a Children’s nurse from the UK. I came to NZ in October 2017 to live and work in NZ.

The entire process took me about 6 months, the easiest part was booking the flight and the most challenging part was understanding the process and getting registration.

My first impression of NZ was it is a beautiful country and I am loving to get outdoors and explore.

What I miss the most about home is my friends and family.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is:

Stick with it, it can feel like nothing’s happening for weeks at a time and then there’s suddenly a big jump forward (your registration moves on or a job interview comes up.

Also take everyone up on their offers of putting you in contact with their aunt or friend of a friend or ex colleague who moved out, you never know who you’ll end up being friends with!- especially if you don’t know many people to begin with.

If you have the opportunity and resources take some time to travel New Zealand before you start work. It’s well worth it and it can be tough to find time to travel once you’re working full time.

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

Everything is a little bit different. Some days it feels like you’re relearning everything you did before but in a slightly different way.

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

Speaking the same language really helps. A lot of the equipment is the same so I don’t have to relearn to use everything.

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

It’s interesting to see how a different healthcare system works. The unions are a lot stronger than in the UK

Hi there, my name is Kevin and I am a Registered Mental Health Nurse.

I came to NZ in October 2015 from Scotland, (although I had previously worked in Australia for over 3 years.)

The process to come to NZ took me probably less than 1 month.

The easiest part of the process was registering with the NZ nursing council, basically I only had to complete one form as I was already registered in Australia.

The most challenging part of the process was I guess finding a job – but this was relatively easy as ACCENT managed to set up 2 interviews in Auckland and Wellington fairly quickly, I was then offered a job in Wellington within 10 days of entering the country.

My first impressions of NZ was that people were really friendly and the country was beautiful.

The best part of NZ that I have discovered so far is Makara beach (in the photo) which is only 30 minutes from Wellington CBD.

What I miss the most is friends and family.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is to just do it!

Hello my name is Eirini Leontidou and I came to New Zealand from Greece at the 14th of July 2018(about four months ago). I was told that the process to come to New Zealand takes roughly a year, in order to be well prepared. I managed to do it in 6 months, while working full time in NICU unit.

Looking back I would have to say that getting hired by the hospital was the easiest process. Given the fact that in Greece it takes forever to apply for a position in a public hospital, this was relatively easy. The hardest part for me was to figure out howthe system works. It took me a while to work my way through the huge amount of information and to figure out that just applying online was enough. Our mentality and our bureaucratic system works differently, so that was challenging.

My first impressions of New Zealand was how polite and friendly people are. I was amazed by the friendliness a d the warm welcome I received from everyone, especially the lovely staff at Waikato Hospital, where I work. Another thing that caught my attention, was how beautiful this country is. Words and fotos are not enough to describe how amazingly green this country is!

So far my favourite places are the Hamilton Gardens and Raglan. But intend to explore every inch of this magical land. Its summer now, so Christmas in the beach is a little weird for me and I think that’s what I’ll miss the most.

My advise to anyone who wants to come and live in New Zealand, is to be well prepared, do your homework and try to save as much money as possible to smooth your transition. Also having a good recruiter is very helpful.

Midwifery in New Zealand has a slower more woman centered focus. My advise to all my Greek midwives that want to come is patience and slow down your rhythm! Once you slow down you’ll realize that midwifery is the same everywhere!!!!!!

My name is Tiffany. I came to Timaru, New Zealand last October 2017 with my family. The process to get over here took me a little under 8 months, which I was very happy with seeing how much needed to be done. The easiest part of the process was working with my recruiter. Kristin was so encouraging and gave the best advice through the process. She kept me on my toes and worked with me every step of the way.

The most challenging part of the process was trying to get our pets to come over from the States. We ended up leaving them with family, and that was the hardest for me saying goodbye even for a year or so.

My first impressions of New Zealand were that it is very friendly (I had been told this by many people who had traveled here before). I was very impressed by kindnesses that came from staff and from co-workers as well as random strangers here. Many people are so willing to give a hand and help out even though they don’t know you.

The best parts of NZ are the family lifestyle/work balance. There is so much leave here as opposed to the States, where I am from originally, and it allows for so much more family time. We have the best of both world with the beach right by us and botanical gardens as well as a short drive away from mountains and beautiful hikes.

What I miss most are family and friend as well as my wonderful, sweet dogs.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is SAVE SAVE SAVE your money because it definitely is not a cheap move.

I am grateful we made the move. We are having a little, wonderful family adventure and as we journey around together and enjoy nature, the outdoors and each other – we have definitely bonded as a family. That is what I love the most.

Between my current role and previous roles, I do believe in the United States nurses have more autonomy and are trusted more as a provider. I was surprised when even normal saline requires a double check here.

The similarities are definitely here. Theatre and day patients have similar issues with surgeons and anesthetists are set up very similarly. I think the same problems arise as well as the close relationship between staff with working together so frequently and in close proximity.

I came to NZ in May 2016. The process to come to NZ took me approx. 18 months.

The easiest part of the process was finding a job – this was helped greatly by ACCENT – it was easy due to my skills being matched with what NZ employer’s roles offered and all the support I was given from applications right through to coming out here and starting work was fantastic.

The most challenging part of the process was undertaking the IELTS exam despite being English! It was quite tricky! The registration process is also lengthy with a lot of paperwork to organise. And waiting for our furniture to arrive was a test in patience!!

My first impressions of NZ were how ‘beautiful’ and very green it was despite the season going into winter when we arrived. The people are just so friendly and helpful. It is so clean as well.

The best parts of NZ are the beaches, the people and the relaxed lifestyle.

What I miss the most is obviously family and friends and real English fish and chip shops!

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is get organised early, get all the relevant paperwork together early on as this saves time in the longer term and cuts down on the stress.

I am glad that I used a recruitment agency (ACCENT HR) Kristin and Merryl were such a great support and a wealth of knowledge. I know of people that I have organised things themselves, but I found that using an agency took out a lot of the stress. The processes and timings of getting things right can be really difficult and I was so glad to get all the help and advise I could with this.

And visit an expo if you can, they have everything there that you need to make the move.

The country is very similar to the UK and being around other expats helps as they are able to offer advice. English is the main spoken language, driving on the left hand side of the road; getting a Sat Nav has definitely helped!

It often feels that we are not at the other side of the world!

Questions about your new workplace:

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

Not as many as I thought, your nursing skills are very adaptable here. Some of the processes are very different, but it becomes clearer with time and training and lots of questions to my new colleagues!

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

The mental health act seems less complicated here. I like the fact that respite placements are used as an alternative to hospital admissions. There seems to be far better access to psychological therapies here than in the UK.

My name is Jessica and I am a Registered Nurse from Vancouver Canada.

I came to New Zealand in May this year.

The whole process to get registered, get the visa and pack up and get here took 12 months

Finding a job really was the easiest part of the process. And the most challenging part of the process was obtaining nursing registration

My first impressions of NZ were it is beautiful, laid back and it packs a punch. New Zealand is small so you can go somewhere new and amazing in a few hours

Like most people I do miss my family and comforts of home. It is worth all the hard work when you start seeing the stunning places it offers

Anything else you would like to say: some of the best things in life are the ones that were hard to obtain.

The private system is different and I had never worked in private healthcare before. There are a lot of different medications and different things you need to be certified to do such as male catheterization/IV cannulatione. Most of it feels similar though and assessments are the same and general patient care is the same.

Bonjour – I am from France and came to NZ in February 2016. I have now secured a position in Christchurch conducting health checks and work assessments.

The process to come to NZ took me approximately 1 month. The easiest part of the process was to get on the plane and come! I had already left my country 1 year earlier and had settled in New Caledonia, so I found the move over to NZ fine. The most challenging part of the process was finding a job in my profession, and trying to understand the English language – the kiwi accent is difficult!

My first impressions of NZ were that everybody is nice and what a beautiful country it is. I especially love the South Island. What I miss the most is my family, friends, and a French bakery.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is – don’t be shy if you want meet people!

The process to come to NZ took me about a year to get organised to get my NZ reg, then about 3months after I got offered a position. Overall it took me 3years to make the definite decision to move, so it was nice to take that time

The easiest part of the process was applying online with NZ visa, all though it is a bit of an effort to gather info, as it’s all online it was really easy.

The most challenging part of the process was making sure I gathered all pieces of information I needed, and double checking them.

My first impressions of NZ were: what a gorgeous and friendly place, everyone was so welcoming, and still are!

The best parts of NZ are the people, and the warmer climate!

What I miss the most is my family, and sweet popcorn at the cinema.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is have money spare, it costs a lot and without a relocation package it can really add up. Auckland is an expensive city.

Anything else you would like to say? If you’re thinking about it, do it. There are wonderful things to see here, it’s gorgeous and so different to home!

Are there any major differences between your current role in NZ and your previous role in UK? Not particularly, there are things that aren’t available or maybe practice that’s a bit older than home. But there are also things like education available and encouragement of nursing development which is much more supported than the UK.

Are there any similarities that have helped you orientate/transition easily? Whittaker’s chocolate has just made me feel amazing inside, whenever I feel sad I grab some of that and it’s just made everything better!

The development of nurses has really impressed me and the availability for advancing your knowledge.

My name is Emma and I am a UK trained registered nurse, who moved to New Zealand in July 2017 with my husband, daughter, and cat.

This is actually the second and certainly by far the more successful attempt at living in NZ, having previously lived in Timaru for a brief spell approximately three years ago.

Missing family, moving from a large city to a small coastal town, and working in a different country all proved too much initially, and the pull back to the UK took over. Living back in the UK for a little over two years was ok but our thoughts of New Zealand and our poor attempt to make it work was never far from our minds. So in January 2017 we made the decision to try again. Accent Health Recruitment, and in particular Merryl,was there to support us every step of the way (again!)

We made the firm decision to return in January, and we stepped off the plane in Christchurch, NZ on the 12th July. It took us just over five months. This included selling our house, securing a job offer, obtaining the relevant work visas, and transporting our cat Moses with us. It happened pretty quickly, but this is partly due to the fact that we’d done it before (apart from the cat), and we knew the process and the steps to take. After moving back to the UK following our failed attempt I’d decided to keep my NZ nursing registration valid. This proved invaluable in saving time and a lot of effort the second time around.

The most challenging part of the process would have to be obtaining my nurse registration in NZ. This process took almost six months, and proved quite problematic at times (hence the reason to keep my NZ registration valid). The easiest part was obtaining the visas. We chose not to use an immigration advisor, and as long as you obtained the relevant documentation to support your application and took your time completing the various forms, it was quite a straightforward process. The visas took less than a week to come through.

My first impressions of New Zealand have to be the welcoming and friendly nature of the people, coupled with the spectacular scenery. The best parts of New Zealand are the openness and diversity of the landscape. You certainly don’t have to travel far to get wonderful views.

One thing I’ve found hard to adjust to is not having that history you have with people and family you grew up with. I miss not having ‘roots’, everyone and everything is new. It takes time to build relationships. The other thing has to be a good cup of tea!

“My advice if you’re planning to come to NZ is: take your time, read everything carefully, be prepared to spend a lot of money, and most importantly use Accent Health!”

Work in NZ: I’m a theatre recovery nurse, and recovery nursing is pretty much the same wherever you are in the world. There are maybe a couple of different drug preferences, but most processes are the same for me. The only real difference I’ve noticed is a better nurse to patient ratio in NZ. I worked for the NHS in the UK, and as much as I enjoyed it, better staffing levels was sadly a luxury.

I came to NZ with my family in January 2017 from Essex, England.

The process to come to NZ took me around 12-13 months. The easiest part of the process was getting a job, Merryl was amazing and helped me get my CV New Zealand ready and getting used to Skype! She also helped me prep for interviews and understand the differences between the NZ and UK process (i.e. NZ employers want to know more about you as a person as well as your clinical skills).

The most challenging part of the process was the visa process. I have relocated with my husband and 3 children- so organising all the paperwork, medicals, renewing passports before sending them and the cost! I also found it challenging deciding on the right place to relocate to. New Zealand is known for being beautiful and can provide a brilliant lifestyle for all of us but we are Londoners at heart (born and bred) so needed some sort of city life nearby so the change wasn’t such a huge shock as well as having that outdoors lifestyle and good schools for the children (not asking for much!!). That’s where Merryl’s local knowledge came in, she gave us practical information and lots of websites/ blogs to read through. We then used google maps to actually look at the roads and pictures of certain areas.

My first impressions of NZ were – “This place is beautiful! I can see us settling here”.

The best parts of NZ are that it never gets too cold, the people really are that friendly and welcoming and you feel safe.

What I miss the most is the abundance of food choices and clothes stores! We are of African/Caribbean decent so we have to import hair products from the UK and some food products.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is – if you are coming with a partner and/or children be prepared for home sickness and your partner not finding a job as easily as you did unless they are in healthcare, IT, mechanics or teaching. It took my husband 5 months to find a job in his sector and it is a long term temporary position, not permanent as we would like. Also if you can secure a skilled migrant visa rather than a work to residents visa it will help your partner secure a job quicker as they don’t like giving permanent positions without having some kind of security, totally understandable. We went for work to resident as it was quicker but we are now in the process of changing to a skilled migrant.

ACCENT stayed in touch with us for a long time after we got to NZ. That support and encouragement was invaluable and knowing that you have someone at the end of the phone or email if you’re unsure about something – it made the world of difference. We also got the best welcome once we got to our Airbnb from Merryl and Accent. They had food shopping and two SIM cards delivered to us about half an hour after we got there! It was so thoughtful and we are still so very thankful.

Questions about your new workplace:

Are there any major differences between your current role in NZ and your previous role in England – In a word Yes. Working as a midwife within the NHS you become very used to certain processes and procedures- (i.e. NICE guidelines, greentop guidelines and trust guidelines) Most hospitals follow very similar things and if in doubt you follow best practice. I am yet to see anything like that here and in the DHB I work for there is a lot of private care/private obstetrics and they can decide what they want. It is something that I have struggled with to begin with but once I found my feet and gained the trust and respect of my colleagues I have been able to make small changes where possible.

Are there any similarities that have helped you orientate/transition easily? A midwife is a midwife, is a midwife! We all have that little bit of crazy and that support for each other. I love the team I work with they have really helped with the transition and are amazingly friendly.

Is there anything specifically done differently in NZ that has interested you and the way you practice your profession? The LMC (lead maternity carer) model of care is unique to NZ and they build amazing relationships with the women and their families. It is something to definitely consider when coming over.

My Name is Julie, I am a Community Registered Nurse and I came to NZ in September last year, from the UK. The process to come to NZ took me approximately 7 months.

What was the easiest part of the process? Dealing with Accent Health Recruitment to get my job, it just went very smoothly, also getting New Zealand Nursing Registration was quite straightforward if you ensure you get all the information they request.

What was the most challenging part of the process? Getting the work Visa was quite stressful with the medical/x-rays you need it all just takes time. I had to take an IELTS test that was hard too.

What were your first impressions of NZ? I have been to New Zealand on numerous occasions over the years so knew that I would like the Country, it helped that my sister is here.

What are the best parts of NZ? The weather is great, although it is summer at the moment, well going into autumn. I am with my extended family.

What do you miss the most? My friends, but we can Skype.

Your advice for someone planning to come to NZ? Plan ahead, give yourself enough time to get things done, think about the items you would like to bring with you and buy items that might be much more expensive over here, bring lots of adapter plus if you are bringing UK plugs with you.

Anything else you would like to say? I have found that nursing is the same here in NZ as it is in the UK. As NZ has no NHS scheme, people have to pay to see their GP and pay for prescriptions (some are subsidised by the Government). Any basic surgery that you elect to have is not free as it would be in the UK (however, you can be put on the waiting list and use the public system for free instead), you could say this is a fairly system in one way, but I think the NHS is under appreciated by those that use it and it is not until you come to a country where the health service is not free that you appreciate things more. Some things are free under the New Zealand system though so it is not necessary to pay for everything.

The cost of living in New Zealand is much more than the UK, basic things like electricity which I would say is double the cost of the UK. Shopping is more expensive, but you have to come to terms with this and except this is the situation. If you like the outdoor life then you will love NZ. One other thing is that your state pension is frozen when you come to NZ so just bear this in mind.

Once you have decided to come to NZ you will not regret it, I would say it is better to have experienced a different culture. It takes time to adapt and settle in but it has been for me a great experience to date and I am glad I have come over to NZ to live.

All the best, Julie

Bonjour, my name is Stephanie Campbell. I am a Registered Nurse and I came to NZ from UK/France in July 2016.

The whole process to come to NZ took me approximately 5 months. The easiest part of the process was that I was lucky I had my Australian Nursing registration so my NZ registration took only 4 weeks. I also found a job very quickly.

The most challenging part of the process was the visa issues with my partner, not knowing if he could come over as well. Also arranging for our dog to come over took a lot of work.

My first impressions of NZ (Wellington) was how beautiful but windy it was! The people were very friendly and accommodating.

The best parts of NZ are all the national parks, and the ruggedness of the beaches here. Much of NZ outdoors is dog friendly with dog parks and dog friendly beaches. I have also come to love L&P (a drink famous in NZ) and Whittakers chocolate.

What I miss the most is Yorkshire tea (although it can be bought it is expensive), small things that don’t really make much difference such as my favourite toiletries, snacks and French cheese. I especially miss family and friends but facetime does makes things easier.

I did find it difficult renting a house with my dog. New Zealand can be more expensive for things such as books, furniture and cars. BUT food is not as expensive as people made out to me. Eating in season, going to markets and looking for farmers markets can get some real bargains, plus the produce is good here as it’s mostly home grown.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is to just do it! There will be difficulties and the grass is not greener, it’s a different shade. But I can see a nice future here for any potential children I may have that I can not see in UK/France. The scenery is unbelievable and breathtaking and I’ve only explored Wellington!

New workplace:

I’ve gone from acute to rehab where we have more long term patients so I get to know the patients more and can see the changes. I come from a neuro back ground into traumatic brain injury so it has been an easy transition. Overall it practicing here is very similar to the UK and Australia.

Hey there – I’m Tracey – a Registered Nurse from the United States. I arrived in NZ in October 2017 and I have settled in Auckland.

The process to come to NZ took me about 8 months, The most challenging part of the process was applying for my NZ Nursing license.

But the easiest part of the process was getting the job with the help of ACCENT. Kristin was awesome to work with. Right from the beginning when I had yet to take the IELTS (English test) to applying for my NZ nursing license and through the job search and interviewing process. She was so supportive and knowledgeable. An absolute pleasure to work with!

My first impressions of NZ were how beautiful it really is! Auckland reminds me of the two cities, Seattle and San Francisco.

The best parts of NZ are the beaches and mountains. Also, the ability to travel around the country on really inexpensive flights.

What I miss the most is of course my family.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is to start the process early!

Questions about your new workplace: Are there any major differences between your current role in NZ and your previous role in the US?

There are many differences in the hospital policies as well as the practices of Physicians. Patient care is managed differently and in some instances not as aggressively as in the US. All documentation in my unit is still on paper compared to electronic records. It feels a bit “old school”. Also, the amount of medications approved in NZ are fewer than in the US.

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

Much of the equipment is the same which is a huge help when troubleshooting.

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

It has been incredible to work with families and patients of different ethnicities. I have had the pleasure of working with Maori, Pacific Islanders as well as Asian families. Being able to support these families when they come together for their loved ones who are sick has helped me learn and appreciate these cultures as well as embrace their traditions. It has certainly been an eye opening experience!