This is practical advice, not immigration advice. Visa rules change, so for visa questions rely on the Immigration New Zealand website and licensed immigration advisers.
Step 1
Decide on your goal
A move starts with the question “why”, not with suitcases. Work, study, business, family: your goal shapes the visa, the city, the budget and the timing.
Write down what matters most to you: career, school for the kids, climate, nature, community. These answers become the base of your plan.
How Adaptly helps Not sure where to begin? In a Your NZ Strategy consultation we look at your situation together and build your personal roadmap.
Step 2
Understand the visa side
There is no single “moving visa” for New Zealand: the right option depends on your occupation, age, education, family and funds. Start with the official Immigration New Zealand website, which describes every visa and its requirements.
For visa questions, only consult licensed immigration advisers. You can check an adviser in the public register of the Immigration Advisers Authority.
How Adaptly helps We don’t handle visas, but we connect you with trusted advisers in our partner network and help with everything else.
Step 3
Plan your budget
Allow for flights, visa fees, shipping, the first months of living costs and a buffer for the unexpected.
When renting, landlords usually ask for a bond of up to four weeks’ rent and rent in advance. We cover the cost of housing, food and transport in our article “Cost of living in New Zealand” (in Russian).
Step 4
Choose a city and a neighbourhood
Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton and Tauranga differ a lot in pace, climate, prices and jobs.
Neighbourhoods differ too. Where you live shapes your commute and your school: many schools enrol children by home address (school zones).
How Adaptly helps Before you even arrive, we shortlist the city, neighbourhood and home online to match your needs and budget: we compare areas by commute, schools and prices and find homes that fit. If you’d like to see it all for yourself, our Discover NZ tour shows you the neighbourhoods in person.
Step 5
Find a home
Most newcomers start by renting. Listings are on Trade Me Property and agency websites. Go to viewings in person or ask someone to go for you.
Your landlord must lodge the bond with Tenancy Services rather than keep it.
How Adaptly helps We shortlist homes and go to viewings with you, online or in person.
Step 6
The first weeks
- get an IRD (tax) number: you need it for work and tax;
- open a bank account and get a local SIM card;
- sort out transport: you can drive on a current overseas licence for up to 12 months, after that you need a New Zealand one;
- enrol with a family doctor (GP); eligibility for funded healthcare depends on your visa.
How Adaptly helps Our Adaptly Arrival package and Settling in New Zealand service help with all of this.
Step 7
Kids, school and kindy
Choose the school together with the neighbourhood, since many schools enrol by home address. Children who are still learning English get ESOL support at school.
How Adaptly helps The Adaptly Family+ package helps you choose a school, kindy and activities and go through enrolment.
Step 8
Work
New Zealand employers expect a short CV in English tailored to the role, plus a cover letter. Jobs are listed on Seek and Trade Me Jobs, and networking and LinkedIn matter a lot.
How Adaptly helps We tailor your CV to the local market and prepare you for interviews.
