My Name is Laura Allan, I am a Community Palliative Care Nurse. I came to NZ in February from the UK. The process to come to NZ took me almost a year.

The easiest part of the process was getting my job. The most challenging part of the process was getting my registration with the nursing council.

My first impressions of NZ were beautiful but a lot of development around South Auckland. The best parts of NZ are the beaches, weather, the activities available and affordability.

What I miss the most is decent sausages, my parents’ dog, knowing how to get to places.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is come here for a holiday first unless you are only coming short term.

So far it’s been the best thing we could ever have done. Yes we miss family but it’s a great destination for them to visit.

ABOUT MY NEW WORKPLACE:

The first thing that stood out in the first days of my new job was what they consider a busy day is not a UK nurse’s idea of a busy day. And UK nurses do things a lot quicker. Other UK nurses I have spoken to in other areas have also noticed this.

In terms of similarities, the human body remains the same really. The nursing ethos is similar here to the UK and best practice is pretty similar too. It’s all the same basic nursing skills that are required.

There is a huge cultural diversity to learn about over here. Family involvement with care is huge. People are much more responsible for their relatives and take up that responsibility so need to be far more involved and encouraged to be as independent as possible. This is very unlike the UK as the NHS and social pick up so much of this responsibility even when there is plenty of family to do it.

Hi there, my name is Bernadette. I am a Registered Nurse and I worked as an Emergency Nurse Practitioner in ED for the NHS in the UK before coming to NZ.

When I initially came to NZ in 2013, I worked as a Registered Nurse at an Urgent Care Facility in Christchurch. Then in early 2015 I obtained the Clinical Nurse Leader post there and love it!

The nursing profession in NZ differs greatly from the UK. Advanced nursing roles were well established back in the UK, in NZ there are only a handful of Nursing Practitioners. The NP role in NZ is not an easy pathway to take on and would have meant that I had to start again with studying at Masters Level as my skills as were not transferable. Initially I started the process and obtained a level 8 paper in Advanced Health Assessment before I obtained my current post.

Christchurch is a beautiful place even though rebuilding since the earthquakes is still happening. In places, it is a very English City and I have family and friends here, which helped immensely.

The process to come to NZ took me 6 months, which was a time I set myself in order to move out for the birth of my first Grandchild.

The easiest part of the process was, (once I had made the decision to emigrate) the step by step advice from Accent Health Recruitment. It was good to trust that I was getting the right advice I needed at the right stage.

The most challenging part of the process was obtaining transcriptions of my training from my school for nursing, as I graduated in 1996 and they had been destroyed. The NMC went out of their way to help and obtained a transcription from the European Directive for Nursing Standards which the NZNC accepted.

I have visited NZ on three previous occasions and from the first visit, I felt I could live here. The best parts of NZ are: The beautiful environment, its chilled culture and the friendliness of people here. What I miss the most is: Family and friends, however modern technology helps with keeping in touch. My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is: Plan your move using reputable sources.

It is an exciting time to live and work in Christchurch, a new city is being rebuilt, it is great to be part of the development of advanced nursing roles and this year the Urgent Care Facility I work in is moving to a new building – I am looking forward being part of that project.

My first impressions of NZ were how friendly everyone is! When I started my new job, the staff were welcoming and genuinely warm and friendly.

Hi, my name is Nichola and I am a registered nurse from the UK. I was recommended by a friend to get in touch with Accent Health Recruitment to assist with my ambition of working in New Zealand.

The Accent Health Recruitment team, in particular Kristin, were helpful and supportive. I arrived in Auckland from the UK and from the very beginning, Kristin was there on the end of the phone/email, answering all my questions! As I was traveling alone, this was very reassuring and settling for me.

The easiest part of the process was obtaining the work permit, this took only 1 week. The most challenging part was keeping up with all the documents required, sitting the IELTS exam.

My first impressions of NZ were how friendly everyone is! When I started my new job, the staff were welcoming and genuinely warm and friendly. The best parts are the amazing landscape/scenery. Incredible road trips and camping by lakes in the south island. Now back in the UK, I miss the NZ culture the most along with the outdoors lifestyle and the warmer weather!

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is – make sure you have an idea where you want to live and research potential rental costs.

In NZ there were always more staff on duty per shift, as opposed to limited number in the UK. This had an impact on the quality of care delivered. Excellent team work approach, passionate and enthusiastic nurses, a privilege to have been part of the team.

No major differences between my actual role in the UK and NZ.

Accent Health Recruitment provided an excellent service. Without them I would have found it a lot harder to find a job. They were there every step of the way, even providing me with practice interview questions which were great and really helped with my interview. I can’t recommend them enough. Thank you to the team at accent.

My Name is Nicola I am a Paediatric Nurse. I came to NZ in October from the UK and the process to come to NZ took me approximately 6 months.

The easiest part of the process was getting a working holiday visa and the most challenging part of the process was registering with the nursing council.

My first impressions of NZ were: We landed in hail however I didn’t let this put me off as the weather soon picked up and it has been glorious weather for the past 6 months.

The best parts of NZ are: I love heading north, towards the bay of Islands. Still need to explore the Coromandel. The South Island is also amazing and definitely worth a visit. What I miss the most is family, however skype really helps with this.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is to get involved in the community; join in with things that interest you and you will soon meet new people and make friends. I haven’t regretted my move over to NZ, it’s a beautiful place to live.

ABOUT MY NZ WORKPLACE

The main difference between my current role and my previous position is the type of work, i.e. I previously worked on a liver ward and now I am doing orthopaedics. I am learning a lot and enjoying gaining new skills.

The actual nursing is very similar to the UK so it was an easy transition.

In my current role, we have a whiteboard on the wall, so you can see who has which patients, who has been discharged, who is to come in. I think it’s a really good system that works well in keeping everyone up to date with the situation on the ward.

Gemma – Registered Nurse, Auckland

“Hi – my name is Gemma and I am a Registered Nurse. I came to NZ in January 2015 from the UK.

The whole process from start to finish took me approx. 12 months. The easiest part was getting the job and the visa. The most challenging and time consuming part was getting the NZ nursing registration.

I arrived in NZ in summer- it had been about to snow when I left the UK, so the heat was the first thing that hit me! When I started at my job the team were very friendly and helpful, and everyone was a lot more relaxed then my old work place in the UK.

The best parts of NZ are -the general accessibility to places, you can just pop to the beach after work and you do not have to drive far to be in beautiful countryside. We have made the most of this in the last year – camping and spending most weekends when the weather has been nice in the outdoors.

What I miss the most are my family and friends, although Skype and Whatsapp are great and really help with keeping in contact, however it is still hard not to have them nearby. I also miss British fish and chips (sssh don’t tell the kiwis) and a good takeaway curry.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is: if you want a new adventure do not be afraid of the paper work and red tape – there is a lot, but it is worth it!”

My name is Nikos Hollis and I’m a Registered Nurse from the state of Colorado, USA. I moved to New Zealand with my wife and two small children in September of 2012 to a job as an RN in the Timaru Hospital Emergency Department.

Accent Health Recruitment provided an incredible service in getting myself and my family over, and in ironing out all of the details that were involved. I initially got in touch with them 18 months before we wanted to arrive after reading several of the case studies on their websites and they definitely lived up to their reputation.

Kristin and Prudence were both very helpful; listening to my preferences and keeping me up to date on what was needed next. They made getting my NZ nursing license as simple as it could be, and provided much needed support when my visa application was returned for the second time due to user error (and only two weeks before leaving!).

Kristin made sure my application got to the places I was interested in and helped set up two interviews over Skype. Those interviews both turned into job offers and before I knew it I had a job waiting for me! When we arrived in Christchurch Kristin met us at the gate and drove all four of us and our mountain of bags to a prearranged lodging and even entrusted us with a car for those first hectic couple of days. This meant that remembering to keep on the left side of the road was the hardest thing we had to deal with!

Once we were settled in the team from Accent Health Recruitment made sure to check in regularly and made us feel very welcome indeed. Our experience in New Zealand was invaluable and we hope to be able to return again someday.

When we do, Accent Health Recruitment will be the first ones we call. Many thanks and good luck in your own adventures

“My Name is Abby. I am a Midwife. I came to NZ in Oct 2014 from Bristol, England. The process to come to NZ took me 5 months.

I hadn’t applied for my midwifery registration before arriving here as me and my fiancé only came for a holiday, however, we fell in love with the place and decided to stay! I had to spend many hours completing forms and chasing my application. It was a little difficult as we were touring the country at the time and my application was delayed when documents got lost in the post! Merryl was great as there were many times I got frustrated and would send emails to Merryl ranting! Would recommend that you get your registration before coming over!

The easiest part of the process was getting the job! Merryl let me know which hospitals had vacancies and gave me loads of options. I was lucky enough to be able to visit the towns and cities to see which had vacancies and determine whether I would be happy to live there! The day before I had my Skype interview I had a practice one with the lovely Merryl. The practice interview meant I offloaded all the anxiety about completing an interview on Skype. As a result I was much more relaxed when I had my real interview the following day and actually enjoyed it!

The most challenging part of the process was adjusting to working in a new environment. I found it really intimidating working in a delivery room which I was unfamiliar with. I love the fact that New Zealand Midwives practice Cultural Safety, however, I have had to adapt my practice. An example of this would be having whole families (like 10 people!) and even toddlers in the delivery room, whereas, I am used to delivery suite having limited numbers. It’s fantastic that having a baby is such a normal part of family life and the support they give is fantastic. Merryl was great, she regularly emails to check how I’m doing and helps with any concerns.

My first impressions of NZ: Me and my partner travelled around NZ for 6 months and got to see how beautiful this country really is! It’s such a good place to be if you love the great outdoors. There are so many rural places and even the tourist hotspots never feel too busy!

The best parts of NZ: There are so many! My fiancé and I spent 6 months exploring as many places we could and to get a feel for whether we could emigrate here. My favourite place is Waiheke, it’s a beautiful island and had the most amazing vineyards and views of Auckland. I also loved the South Island, we were lucky enough to go on a cruise of Doubtful Sound which was incredible, the views were out of this world and it was so remote, our boat was the only one there!

Auckland, where we are currently living, feels most like home. It’s got the hustle and bustle that comes with a large city, however, you can jump in your car and escape to a beach in less than a 30 mins!

What I miss most- Obviously friends and family! It’s a long way from home but the internet makes life easier! I’d never thought I’d say this but I miss IKEA! New Zealand is great but everything is so expensive as it has to be shipped here!

My advice: Get your registration first! And research the area you’d like to work in. The midwifery model is very different here and as a result the nature of the work that hospital midwives do is a lot more high risk.”

It is the quality of the assignments I look for when I take a job, and nursing in NZ has been one of my best assignments ever as far as work atmosphere and the quality of my working peers goes. Hi, my name is Bill and I am a US travel nurse specialised in emergency care.

I arrived in NZ in June after a 15 month tour of work in Australia, but am originally from the USA. The process to come to NZ took me a matter of months – I’d always wanted to come to NZ so I initially registered here with the NZNC several years ago, and I have made it to NZ this year with my wife.

The easiest part of the process was getting the actual job as the recruitment consultants helped a lot. The most challenging part of the process was gathering up all the initial paperwork required for the initial registration application, then the visa.

My first impressions of NZ were “What a beautiful country” and my favourite parts of NZ are by far the mountainous landscapes.

Having been away from home in Arizona for a few years now, I am starting to miss my grandkids.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is: life’s an adventure, live it up! Living in New Zealand is a wonderful experience! To be honest, I have made more money before, but I took the job offer knowing this. It is the quality of the assignments I look for when I take a job, and nursing in NZ has been one of my best assignments ever as far as work atmosphere and the quality of my working peers goes.

My advice to anyone wanting to do travel nursing is to have all of your affairs back home in order, especially finances

Hi, my name is Hanna and I am a Midwife. Originally from Germany, I came to NZ in June, from Ireland.

All in all it took us 14 months – we did some travelling on the way to NZ too. Professional registration took me 6 months, my own fault, I left some paperwork waiting. NZ Midwifery Council was quite quick to reply.

I had a job interview in December last year and received a ‘written job offer’ at the end of January this year. We had our medicals half way through February and started the immigration process a week after that. We received our passport with the 2 year ‘temporary work visa’ in place on the 12th of March!

The easiest part of the process was communicating with authorities! Who would have thought! Midwifery Council of NZ has all information you need on their webpage as well as Immigration NZ. It takes a few clicks to get there but you will find absolutely every bit of information you need! Communication with both was excellent.

Accent Health Recruitment made the job search very easy and could give fantastic info and help to decide on location. They did all the arrangements regarding job interview and took care of all the paperwork to get to me from my new employer in Timaru.

Accent Health Recruitment also made our arrival smooth – arranged our initial accommodation, had a phone with NZ sim set up and made sure I got in touch with my new employer and provided helpful information where and how to look for a rental in Timaru. I felt I could always turn to Prudence and her team with any question regarding our big move and that gave us a great sense of support and reassurance. Even after our arrival she followed up on us and made sure we had everything we needed.

The most challenging part of the process was getting all of the paper work together and making sure things were completed and on the way. Packing was challenging too as we did packing and transport to the port ourselves. If we had family joining us I’d say we would have went with a company doing it all but this way it saved us a lot of money on shipping costs.

My first impressions of NZ were great outdoors! Wonderful landscape, very friendly people who are interested in you and your story.

We have yet to explore more of the country as my full time job is taking up a lot of my time, settling into a house is quite time consuming too and on top of all, it is winter 🙂 but so far we like the rural atmosphere here in Timaru. I really like my job, much slower pace compared to the big maternity hospital I used to work in back in Dublin. People are very friendly and straight forward which we appreciate a lot. My partner doesn’t have a job yet but it seems as if there is a lot of opportunities out there. Personality still counts more than your CV.

The weather is fantastic; despite being the middle of winter most days are very sunny which lets us spend a lot of our free time outside. Almost every house comes with a garden including a veggie patch. Growing your own is very en-vogue here and it looks we’ll have a new set of skills in a year’s time.

What I miss the most is friends and family of course! I would like to share all of the nice things we are experiencing here. Flights cost a lot of money and most people back in Germany/Ireland will probably never be able to visit us.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is do your research what professional registration you may need and what type of visa you want to enter the country with/which are the best options for you and your family (think long-term too). Be aware of the associated costs involved and look into the area you want to move to. Don’t listen too much to what peoples’ impressions and preferences are. Yours may be totally different! Look into expat forums online, you will find plenty of practical advice. Bring everything you want, some things cost a lot more here. Asking my partner James what kind of advice he would give he said: Do the move with a German!

Here are some encouraging words of wisdom from Hanna to help you get through your move: If you encounter times where the move seems too scary and you doubt whether or not you have made the right decision, think of it as a once in a life time experience. You are not moving to the moon. It’s just the other side of the world. There will always be flights going back 😉

“My name is Karen and I am an Italian midwife (qualified 1995). I came to New Plymouth, NZ in October last year from Italy with my three sons ( y7,y11,y15) and my husband arrived few months later. The process to come to NZ took me 6 months from the date of my IELTS exam (1 month in order to have my Midwifery College registration, 2months in order to be ready for a job interview and have a job offer, two months for complete the work Visa process for all the members of my family).

The easiest part of the process was ….to contact Merryl all the time I needed. She was available 24/7! It was easy to follow step by step her suggestions and advice. The most challenging part of the process was to be ready for the job interview because English is not my first language and I was very scared.

However I did one by Skype and it was successful so…job offer in 48 hours!

My first impressions of NZ were easy-going and friendly people living in a paradise! Crazy weather, 4 seasons in one, intercultural atmosphere, slow life…and not English but Kiwi language! The best parts of NZ are the landscapes, the freedom to be yourself, the quality of food (if you know what to buy) veggies-fruits-meat-dairy, the air ….no pollution as in Italy.

What I miss the most’ Maybe the way how Italian people hug, kiss and laugh. We are quite warm as a population, kiwi people are very friendly and generous but they do not “touch” each other as we do.

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

1) Come one time in winter season on holiday in order to have an idea, if you can afford it

2) IELT exam done ASAP with the score you need for your Job (it is more tricky than you think…)

3) written plan and checklist

4) people’s point of view about NZ is personal so do not trust people too much, build your opinion, NZ is not for everybody …luckily! Special place for special people.

If you have family, to involve the children in the process is fundamental. If you want to move to NZ do not ask their “permission” (big decision-parents take it not children) but be enthusiastic and proactive. They are in the process as well so find info/news/pictures they can use in order to create the “diary” of your family’s journey starting from the date you have decided to move to NZ. Share info about NZ culture, flora and fauna…

Do not be alone, Merryl and Accent Recruitment Agency can help you a lot they make the difference: less stress, lots of support and …you achieve the goal.

ABOUT MY WORKPLACE:

The major differences between my current role in NZ and my previous role in Italy is the independence I have here as a midwife, the partnership with the women, the continuity of care.

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

Yes, protocol and procedure are roughly the same….coming from the same international guideline, same drugs and medication.

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

The annual re-certification process is very interesting and challenging, the education system is very good and very different compare Italy. The relationship between doctors and midwives is different here: they share knowledge and opinions with less prejudice, they have equal importance and power in the system but different role, of course. The Maori culture has got an important role in the Midwifery care in NZ and it influences my practice as well.”

Hi, my name is Rebecca Abbott. I am a Staff Nurse and I came to NZ in June 2012, from England. The process to come to NZ took me around 7 months and the easiest part of the process was finding a job. The most challenging part of the process was making the initial decision to come to New Zealand!!

My first impressions of NZ were that whilst New Zealand (as a country) has a lot of similarities to the UK it is very different in many, many ways. The best parts of NZ are the friendly New Zealanders, relaxed culture and beautiful scenery. What I miss the most is my family and friends.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is plan and prepare well! Don’t be afraid to ask questions and do your research!!

Hi, my name is Amanda, I am a registered nurse and I came to New Zealand in February from the UK. The process to come to New Zealand took me approximately eleven months.

The easiest part of the process was getting a job offer and having lots of relevant information and internet links provided by Accent health recruitment.

The most challenging part of the process was obtaining all the required paperwork in order to gain registration with the New Zealand Nursing Council.

My first impressions of New Zealand were how friendly and helpful people are and how New Zealand offers a lifestyle geared towards the outdoors. The best parts of New Zealand which I have discovered so far are the relaxed friendly community and the beautiful scenery nearby and how easy it is to travel around Canterbury.

I miss my family and friends the most……. and pickled cabbage…. yes really!

My advice if you are planning to come to New Zealand is firstly to get your professional registration as a priority. The cost of living is higher than in the UK in my opinion, so if you have decent hiking boots and outdoor gear I would recommend bringing it with you rather than buying it when you get here.

I have found the transition from the UK to New Zealand relatively easy. My initial few days in the country were definitely made so much easier thanks to the support and help from Accent, I felt as though I had someone to turn to if I needed advice.

From a professional perspective I feel that standards and practice are very similar. I feel that in New Zealand you are encouraged to develop skills and are supported to work towards extended practice. I had a good period of time in a supernumerary capacity to adapt to my new working environment. I feel that working in New Zealand will help me develop both personally and professionally and I am looking forward to enjoying the country and all it has to offer.

My name is Gina Mallon and I am a Registered Psychiatric Nurse, from Newcastle England. I found Accent Health Recruitment at an Expo in Leeds last October. I had wanted to move to New Zealand for a while but wasn’t sure how to go about it Accent Health Recruitment helped me with every step & found me my job in Wellington.

I arrived in Wellington June 2009 & on my first day here I went to watch the All Blacks match against France! I was met at the Airport by the manager of my new ward and taken to see my new place of work.

I like working as a Registered Nurse in Wellington. I’m working on a Bi-cultural ward & I really enjoy learning about new cultures and putting this into practice.

The challenges are getting used to the different systems and paperwork on the ward i.e. the Mental Health Act but everyone has been really supportive of me.

I love New Zealand for its culture and history. I love how much open space there is here and I’m trying to see as much of NZ as I can on my days off!

Immigration was quite easy once I had all the documents I needed & Accent Health Recruitment gave me advice when I was filling out the forms.

The weather is getting warmer! I now know why it’s called windy Welly. Now that spring is here the weather is lovely & it’s nice to walk along the sea front in the sun although it still gets quite windy on a night time.

My name is Bruce F Macnee and I am a Registered Nurse from the USA. I arrived here in Sept, 2012 and the process to come to NZ took me about 4-6 months. The easiest part was working with Prudence Thomson from Accent Health Recruitment. The most challenging part of the process was assembling the sometimes ridiculous documentation required by various government agencies.

I’ve found the clinical aspect of theatre nursing very similar to OR nursing in Michigan. All the same products and machines are used, but sometimes are called different names. Instrumentation is the same, but again they are sometimes called something different here. I do have some trouble understanding some people here. Many Kiwis are very soft-spoken, but it could be my 61year old ears as well.

My first impressions of NZ were that it was more expensive than we initially thought, however, the kindness and generosity of all the people we’ve met was the best.

What I miss the most is we are far from the rest of our family.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is “Just do it!!” There are lots of things to see and do and experience. I can’t say enough about all the people at Accent Health Recruitment. They have gone above and beyond in helping us to find a place to live. Also with getting our new home set up, bank accounts, utilities, etc and showing us around the city to get oriented.

Thanks so much to Prudence and all her crew!

Jennifer previously visited NZ on a holiday and made a personal goal to return once she completed her UK nursing training. “It is the best move that I have taken and with no regrets! I’m defiantly considering a permanent stay!”

Hi! My Name is Jennifer I am a UK Registered Nurse and I came to NZ in October, from sunny UK 🙂

The process to come to NZ took me about a year. I applied via the Trans-Tasman Mutual Act- as I already had Australian registration.

The easiest part of the process was transferring my Australian to New Zealand registration. The most challenging part of the process was registering with the Australia nursing board!

My first impression of NZ was beautiful and stunning! And the best part of NZ is definitely the South Island!

What I miss the most is: Nothing! Ok, maybe my family and close friends back home.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is “Do it!!” It is the best move that I have taken and with no regrets.