Take a look at the Immigration New Zealand website which has extensive information about living and working in New Zealand. Australian citizens and permanent residents don’t need to worry about the specialist visa sections. However, the sections entitled “Life in New Zealand” and “Our Country” are particularly useful.The “Our Country” section allows you to click on a particular region and find out population figures, climate and median house prices.
Research the different areas of New Zealand and decide which is best for you and your family. You can find more information about each area by clicking on the interactive map of New Zealand and following the links to local government websites.
Find out which skills are most in demand in New Zealand. The New Zealand Now website has a section called “Helping You Find Work in New Zealand” which links to the government’s Essential Skills In Demand List, information about upcoming job fairs and job listings in New Zealand.
Look at the housing situation in your chosen area. You may wish to rent a property when you first move to New Zealand so that you can familiarize yourself with a particular area before you buy a property. There is extensive information about renting, buying and building a property in the housing section of the New Zealand Now website. In addition, the Real Estate Institute New Zealand, known as REINZ, has a housing price index and details of market trends on its website.
Contact shipping agents and get a range of estimates for shipping your personal belongings. There are regular sailings between Australia and New Zealand and shipping companies usually offer a roll-on roll-off service as well as a part or full container service.
Check the latest regulations about entry procedures including bio-security checks for travelers from Australia. Your shipping agent should know the latest regulations but, as of 2010, the Australian and New Zealand Customs Services have been reviewing Trans-Tasman travel. Australian and New Zealand passport holders will benefit from proposed changes because security and bio-security screening will happen at the departure point and only a passport will be required on arrival.
Apply to the Inland Revenue in New Zealand for an IRD number. You will need to complete form IR595 which you can download from the Inland Revenue website. Take the completed form and submit it to an Inland Revenue appointed verifier along with the required documentation, which is listed on the Inland Revenue website. Verifiers include Automobile Association Driver Licensing Agents, Post Shops and selected New Zealand Post retail outlets. Once your documentation is verified you can take the originals away and the verifier sends copies to the Inland Revenue. You should receive your IRD number within 10 working days.
Open a New Zealand bank account. Documentation required to open a bank account differs depending on the bank, but you will need at least two forms of identification and your IRD number. If you don’t have an IRD number the bank will charge resident withholding tax on your account balance.
Register for social security benefits. Australia and New Zealand have a reciprocal social security agreement which means that Australian citizens and permanent residents qualify to claim benefits immediately when they become residents. Social security is non-contributory in New Zealand, although employees and the self-employed contribute to an accident insurance scheme, known as ACC, which is automatically deducted from your salary.
