If you’ve recently relocated to New Zealand, or are about to do so, you’ll be facing the prospect of your first Kiwi Christmas. Expats relocating to New Zealand will find some differences in the way Kiwis celebrate the festive season.

I can’t imagine what it would have been like relocating our Kiwi-American family to Auckland without the help of family and friends. They were thrilled to hear we were moving to New Zealand...and couldn’t wait to lend a hand. We thought carefully about how the whanau could best assist us with our transition to life in New Zealand and where we needed external help to achieve our goals.

Children are both a big motivator for moving to New Zealand and a big source of worry for expats and returning Kiwis with families. Maybe you’ve visited and admired scenic playgrounds and resilient kids. But what do schools look like for families who’ve relocated to New Zealand?

Moving from the US to New Zealand during COVID gave our American family the unique perspective of experiencing the pandemic in both places. Now that we’ve relocated to New Zealand it feels as if our life has returned to normality and safety.

As COVID wears on, we’re seeing an increase in enquiries from very well-established Kiwi expats plotting a move to New Zealand. We talk about their reasons, and the consequences of making the decision to return home.

Expats, Kiwis overseas and migrants from the US to South Africa and beyond are eyeing up options for moving to New Zealand - now ranked the world’s second safest country from COVID-19. But who can immigrate to New Zealand, and can relocation take place during COVID?

As expat Kiwi parents, you’ve gifted your children exposure to a different culture during their formative years. What can be difficult is the transition back to a New Zealand - a country that you call home, but is less so for your kids.

Whether you’re a returning Kiwi expat, an international executive taking up a role in New Zealand or a family migrating to a new life, there’s so much to learn and do when you first arrive. These tips will accelerate your adjustment.

After a third passport check, Aviation Security officers pushed aside the two layers of metal barriers we had entered a fortnight prior. We urgently untied the cotton masks from our faces and breathed deeply. Our family had made it through managed isolation.

Thanks to COVID, we are now seeing more Kiwi expat families returning home too - but with the added challenge of 14 days managed isolation on arrival. Here are our tips for parents to make the best of MIQ.

Kiwis offshore now have certainty about the COVID isolation charges for people arriving in NZ.

Kiwis coming home to New Zealand have enough to do without thinking about tax. But knowing what IRD wants can buy you peace of mind, and save you money. Our tax planning checklist will get you started.

Kiwi expats returning home were a fraction of the international talent flowing into the country pre-COVID. 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.