How can you migrate to New Zealand from the United States of America?
If you are like many people who move to New Zealand from the USA, you are probably looking for a relaxed pace of life, in an unspoiled country where people are friendly and look out for each other.
We speak the same language and share a lot culturally, which will help make you feel at home. The pace of life is laid back, and we’re fortunate to live in what many people say is the cleanest and most beautiful country in the world.
New Zealanders are relaxed, friendly and easy to get along with.
Doing well at our job is important, but we make sure we balance that with time to do our own things too. Commuting isn’t a big hassle and even in the biggest cities you’re only 30 minutes from a beach, native park or mountain biking trail.
It’s these reasons and more that help us score at or near the top of so many international work/life balance surveys.
New Zealand has a temperate climate - in other words, generally warm, dry summers and relatively mild, wet winters. We don’t get the extremes that some parts of the USA have to endure.
No stiflingly hot summers or months of being cooped up by snow. So year round, it’s easier to enjoy a healthier, outdoors lifestyle.
Then there’s the scenery. New Zealand really has a lot to offer in this department - glorious sandy beaches, great native forests, mountains, lakes, rivers and fjords. Because we’re a relatively compact country, they’re all easy to get to and enjoy.
Clean & beautiful New Zealand! Year round, it's easy to enjoy a healthy, outdoors lifestyle.
You get lots of choices when it comes to finding a home in New Zealand.
A spacious stand-alone home in the suburbs with a garden and room for children and pets - semi-rural living on a larger plot of land in the countryside, possibly with larger animals - living by the sea - smart urban apartment living with a view - they’re all possibilities here.
Whatever your choice you can usually enjoy it without wasting hours of your life commuting.
Of course, the USA has great scenery too. The difference is ours is all concentrated into an area about the size of Colorado. So it’s all easy to get to and enjoy.
Public healthcare in New Zealand is free or low cost if you are a citizen, resident or hold a work visa valid for two years or more. This is thanks to heavy Government subsidies (although you can still choose to take out insurance for private healthcare).
If you hold a temporary visa, you may still be eligible for a limited range of services in certain situations. You can check your eligibility on the Ministry of Health website. It is also strongly recommended that people in New Zealand who are not eligible for publicly funded health services hold comprehensive travel insurance, including health insurance.
Doctors here are usually easily accessible and accident and emergency treatment at hospitals is free.
If you’re injured in an accident (even if it was because of something you did), medical and recovery costs are covered by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). You’re unlikely to find anything like ACC in the USA - it’s pretty much unique in the world.
New Zealand is a developed country and people here enjoy a standard of living that compares well with what you expect in the USA.
Of course things are different. But generally, you can expect pretty much all the conveniences of modern living without so many of the hassles.
Healthcare in New Zealand is free or low cost.
You’ll find some things cost less, while others are more expensive. But overall, it will probably cost you about the same to live in New Zealand as it does to live in the USA.
To put it into perspective (at least as far as city living is concerned) - New York was rated the world’s 9th most expensive city to live in by Mercer’s 2018 Cost of Living Survey, while LA and San Francisco came in at 23rd and 30th respectively.
Our biggest city, Auckland, came in at 61st and our capital city Wellington at 86th.
If you have family, New Zealand is probably one of the best choices you could make.
If you have family, New Zealand is probably one of the best choices you could make.
You’ll be able to choose a home you’ll all be comfortable in, and you’ll enjoy excellent healthcare and public facilities.
Along with affordable, quality education, your children will be able to get close to nature and enjoy an incredibly diverse range of healthy sport, recreation and adventure activities.
Nearly 70% of expats say their children are more confident and well-rounded from their time spent living in New Zealand.
If you’re interested in an education in New Zealand, either for yourself or your family, you can be confident it’s a good choice.
Compared to 15 year olds in the USA, teenagers in New Zealand actually perform slightly better on maths and science according to an OECD report in 2015.
Secondary schools usually have plenty of sports and playing fields, often a swimming pool, and provide a safe environment where students stress less and learn more.
New Zealand is well served at the tertiary level too, with eight universities and 20 institutes of technology providing internationally recognised qualifications.
All eight New Zealand universities appeared in the top 500 (five of them in the top 300) QS World University Rankings 2018.
New Zealand's strong education at all levels is furthered by its rank of seventh in the Global Human Capital Report 2017 for preparing people for future work.
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