I’ve been relocating expats into New Zealand for seven years. Kiwi expats returning home were a fraction of the international talent flowing into the country then. That’s all changed now – 47,000 of the estimated 1 million Kiwi expats living offshore have already returned to New Zealand since March this year.
How returning home has changed
Back then – I mean before COVID-19 – it was as simple as getting on a plane bound for New Zealand. No quarantine. No limited, costly, and often-changing, flight schedules.
People came when they were ready, for personal or career reasons. Now sudden job loss and/or visa cancellation motivates many moves back to New Zealand. And the desire to give kids a safe Kiwi childhood is extra-strong when families have been locked down overseas for months on end.
What makes a successful relocation
The human brain rebels against too many changes at once. That’s why moving internationally can be a stressful experience. Everything in your life is different. All at the same time - where you live, your job, even what’s available at the shops.
This was complicated enough pre-COVID. But now it’s on steroids.
You know returning to New Zealand will give you a safe haven. But getting here and getting settled is the challenge in the COVID-19 world.
To be successful, it’s important to actively manage what you can control. And try to let the rest go.
I find that working through the following steps really helps returning Kiwis achieve that goal.
Here’s our COVID-19 homecoming process
1. Make a ‘Return to New Zealand’ plan
I like to start off with a list of the questions that are top of mind. Things that need to be answered or managed.
These fall into the categories of:
practicalities - when does my house lease end, what’s the notice period for my job?
logistics - flights, visas, shipping?
emotions - how do I feel about going back, what does my partner think?
COVID-19 – what’s different now about how and why I need to execute this move?
Working through these defines your time horizons, what needs to be done to get you back home to New Zealand and what kind of life you’ll be looking to create when you return.
2. Check that your family can get into the country
Researching this question should be part of your plan, but I’m highlighting it again because we’ve never had to cope with New Zealand’s border being closed before.
And anything to do with family is too important to get wrong.
Partners or children of NZ residents and citizens with existing visas can come into the country with you. But if they aren’t Kiwis and don’t have a visa, you’ll need to get a border exemption. These are the rules as of July 2020, but they do change often, and without notice. The Immigration NZ website has all the updates and online applications you need.
Rest assured that the families of Kiwis are welcome. But there’s paperwork involved which might take time. Best to get it underway.
3. Prepare for the unexpected with Managed Isolation
This is another newbie that you’ve never had to undergo on those idyllic summer trips back home 😊
What’s certain is that all Kiwi expats must spend two weeks confined to a manged isolation facility on arrival in New Zealand.
So, what you CAN do is figure out what you want to do, and achieve, in that time.
BUT… you may not know exactly where, and how your facility will operate, until you arrive in the country.
While the basic rules are the same, the conditions across the different hotels vary as the government tries to keep everyone safe and match arrivals to available accommodation. Some have freely accessible outdoor exercise areas; others bus you out every second day. Facilities for families vary from ridiculously small inner-city hotel rooms to serviced apartment-type set ups in other places.
Expect quarantine to be less than ideal. And sometimes downright nonsensical - why were residents of one hotel banned from jogging in the exercise area?
But don’t forget you have expat superpowers. Those international moves have built your resilience and adaptability. Putting things in perspective …. you’ve probably stayed in dodgier hotels somewhere in the world and tell great stories about facing down the unexpected during your travels. Apply the mindset that helped you then. You’ve got this. It’s only a fortnight.
4. Take care of your wellbeing
While the long-term mental health impact of living in a COVID-19 world is unknown, there is research on the emotional phases expats typically experience when they move.
Even if it’s what you want, repatriating to your home country is not always easy. Your feelings are likely to go through a ‘hockey stick curve’. There’s a period of elation at the excitement of arriving, followed by a slide downwards in mood as people face the inevitable challenges of getting set up, managing expectations of ‘home’, and fitting back in (or not). Life feels like a slog. Over time, most people then adjust to a new normal, gaining a sense of mastery, belonging and greater positivity. Just knowing that this is the reality for most returning Kiwis is a comfort – you’re not alone.
It also really helps to hear the experiences of others who’ve gone before you. I recommend reading the interviews with Kiwi repats at ‘How to Have a Happy Homecoming’
So that’s it. Returning to NZ is worth preparing for. As a Kiwi expat you want to make the most of coming home. From COVID-19 managed isolation to managing your wellbeing – it’s all do-able. Here’s to your new life back in New Zealand!
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The author of this post, Bridget Romanes, is Principal at Mobile Relocation Ltd.
Returning Kiwis can find out more about how we can support you and your family to re-establish successfully in New Zealand here.
By sharing our knowledge through this blog we hope to help returning Kiwis, expats, migrants and their families prepare well for the challenges of relocating to New Zealand, so they can make the most of the experience that lies ahead.
If you’ve got a question or a comment, please feel free to get in touch via our contact page or message Bridget on Linked In.