Retiring to New Zealand

How to be sure retiring to New Zealand is the right decision for you

Bank of Scotland International have just released the findings of their research into where British pensioners would most like to retire to and it seems that most UK based retirees who have considered retiring abroad dream of retiring to New Zealand.

The survey discovered that out of all those questioned in what was a countrywide questionnaire covering a broad demographic mix of people, more than one in ten British retirees and pre-retirees see New Zealand as offering them the very best in terms of lifestyle, affordability in terms of cost of living, health care and opportunity to enjoy retirement.  If like the survey respondents you’re thinking of retiring to New Zealand here’s our guide to getting to know the nation before you commit.

The first thing to consider is that there is no such thing as a visa category for retirees and so if you do want to live in New Zealand when you finish working you will have to get your residency visa based on different criteria.  If you have family already living in New Zealand you could get them to sponsor you, or you could move prior to retirement and work for a few years and even build up a bit of a local pension pot.

However, before you even begin applying for visas how sure are you that New Zealand is all that you want?  How certain are you that your dream of a new life in New Zealand can be realised and that your expectations of the nation, the people, the lifestyle and day to day life are realistic?  And how much time have you actually spent in the country during different seasons and in geographically different locations? 

You really do need to spend a significant amount of time in New Zealand before committing to move there as it will be such a significant relocation and not one to easily reverse if you decide at a later date that you have made a mistake.

One way that you could affordably spend significant amounts of time living in New Zealand prior to emigrating is to house swap.  There are a number of professional house swap agencies available, all of which have an internet presence – you put your property up and state categorically that you’re interested in swapping for fixed periods with New Zealand home owners and then your accommodation and even car costs are covered and you just need flights and day to day groceries.

By house swapping you get a really good feel for real life in New Zealand that you wouldn’t otherwise get from staying in a hotel.  For example you discover how easily it is to shop for groceries, how much maintenance properties require, what certain neighbourhoods are like and how welcoming the locals are to Brits moving in to their community!

Another popular way to get to know New Zealand prior to committing to retire there permanently is to hire a recreational vehicle and drive from camp spot to camp spot and see far more of the country than you could if you based yourself in one location and went out each day with a hire car.

In conclusion, if you are seriously considering retiring to New Zealand you owe it to yourself, your family, your finances and your future happiness to spend as much times as feasibly possible getting to know the nation – then and only then can you say your decision to emigrate is based on knowing New Zealand so well and knowing that it is the right country for you in retirement.