25 Pros and Cons of Living in New Zealand

Pro: Kiwis Are the Friendliest People You’ll Ever Meet

I moved to New Zealand expecting the landscape to be what drew me in, but I was surprised to find that the people were the most engaging part of my year.

Kiwis are the most down-to-earth, genuine, hilarious people you’ll ever meet.

They’re quick to make you feel at home, offering a cuppa or a laugh that immediately brings down your walls.

Even in big cities, Kiwis make you feel like you’re in a small town, where you can smile at people on the street without people assuming you’re crazy (like in Toronto or London).

I often struggle with making friends – it’s one of the reasons I started travelling alone in Amsterdam – so I expected to need to pull out my ways to make friends solo travelling, but I never did.

People immediately drew me into their social circles and accepted me as one of their own.

Initially, these were people from the towns I visited while spending a month travelling around the island nation.

Later, it was in my shared flat, at my office, and in the shared house I moved into.

Maybe it’s because they’re used to having so many expats come join them, or because they know the rest of the world is far away.

Regardless, the warmth that they exude is unlike any country I’ve ever lived in (even Canada, and we’re supposed to be the nicest people in the world!)

If you’re moving to New Zealand, be prepared to meet the most extraordinary people who will go out of their way to make you feel at home.

Con: Nightlife is Quiet Outside of Queenstown

Queenstown is the clubbing capital of New Zealand. It’s home to bars, clubs, and the highest density of hostels I’ve ever seen in a small city.

Almost every tourist ends up partying in Queenstown to cap off their trip.

However, outside of Queenstown, there’s very little partying to be seen.

For the most part, people opt for a nice pub night instead of a club.

You’ll find nightclubs in major cities like Auckland, but there are far fewer than I’d expect for a city of its size.

On New Years’, there were no big festivals or club nights that I noticed. I think two places had tried to organize something, but it was nothing compared to the shows put on by Toronto and London clubs.

For me, this was a huge pro, as I’ve slowly moved towards grandma-hours where I go to sleep at 8pm and wake at 4am. Clubs don’t really fit that.

However, some people would really see this as a con of living in New Zealand, especially since more clubs cater to tourists or students.

Some pros and cons of living in New Zealand are subjective.

Pro: New Zealand is One of the Safest Countries in the World

I actually didn’t know this before moving to New Zealand. I mean, I figured their crime rates couldn’t be that bad compared to London or the US.

Unfortunately, while I was living in New Zealand, the deadly Christchurch mosque attacks occurred. In the same year, a girl was murdered by her Tinder date.

The country’s response to the violence showed how unique these situations were.

They publicly mourned the loss of life, immediately banned the types of weapons used in the attacks, and felt lost while they learned how to recover as a nation.

New Zealand averages 50 murders per year. Most of their crime occurs in the major cities, where theft from vehicles is the most common offense.

Police in New Zealand don’t carry guns. They have a special force that is permitted to wield weapons.

During my time in New Zealand, I only saw the police a few times when they were doing regular patrols of Auckland’s main street, when they were dealing with a noise complaint at a McDonalds, and when we drove past their cars occasionally.

After living in big cities like Glasgow and Toronto, I have a higher tolerance for violence and police presence than most.

New Zealand’s low crime rate was a culture shock I didn’t expect.

I took that safety for granted until I returned to Toronto and watched the news one night. It genuinely felt like a week in Toronto was the equivalent of all of the crime for 6 months in New Zealand.

Even though New Zealand is very safe, you’ll still want to get travel insurance until you get a job!

Pro: New Zealand Has Incredible Food

I didn’t know New Zealand would have good food, beyond the lamb that everyone talks about.

Since I don’t eat lamb, I wasn’t exactly excited at the culinary potential of my new home.

But when I arrived, I discovered that that wasn’t the case.

New Zealand has its own food – just like any other country. But it also has amazing dishes from its multicultural population.

You can find some of the best Asian food you’ll ever eat (even in Asia!), unique Maori delicacies, and incredible English breakfasts.

You’ll also find produce and meat you’ve never seen before. I had to google my way through the grocery store when I found kiwi berries, red kiwifruit, feijoas, and kumara.

Learn more about the incredible food you must try in New Zealand.

Pro: High-Quality Health Care (With Conditions)

New Zealand is known for having incredible health care. But coming from Canada, I’m used to a supreme standard that most countries can’t match.

While New Zealand’s health care is incredible, it does cost money.

Permanent residents and citizens don’t have to pay most fees, but they do have to pay a signup fee with their primary physician. It usually costs $75 NZD and makes you an official patient. Then you can see them for free going forward.

Otherwise, visiting a doctor will cost you.

Dental isn’t covered and is incredibly expensive.

However, that being said, I get sick a lot so I used New Zealand’s health care repeatedly.

I was always able to get an appointment within 48 hours, get whatever tests I needed (like the time I thought I had sciatica and needed an x-ray), and get prescriptions filled within 30 minutes.

I often struggle with doctors because my body is falling apart (and I’m definitely a hypochondriac). But in New Zealand, I felt heard and the doctors explained the whole process to me to help me understand what was happening.

That’s a level of care I haven’t received anywhere else (especially when that nurse gave me a shot in the ass in Spain without telling me what was in it!).

So I guess this pro was technically one of both of the pros and cons of living in New Zealand.

Pro: Incredible Things to Do Around Every Corner

There’s a reason everyone visits New Zealand: it’s a remarkable destination full of things to do.

You can live in Auckland, as I did, and still go to beaches, hike volcanoes, explore wild sea life, and surf black sand beaches all within an hour!

If you venture further, you’ll be able to explore more of the country’s beautiful landscapes, cultural experiences, and incredible history.

Not only is every destination picturesque, but it’s engaging too. You can hike to the 8th wonder of the world and search for rare kiwi birds in the most beautiful locations.

For more on the best things to do in New Zealand, visit my complete guide to the North Island and my complete guide to the South Island.

Con: Public Transport is Extremely Limited

New Zealand is a lot like Canada in that its main cities are well set up, but everywhere else is pretty stark.

There’re a lot of fields with nothing but sheep and cows throughout the country. So they never really bothered figuring out public transport there.

In Auckland and Wellington, you’ll find a decent bus system to get you around. Auckland is supposed to get some new subways soon, but it’s unclear if the end date will need to move due to the pandemic.

Although Dunedin claims to have buses, I only ever saw two in the city.

The ones that were supposed to run to the airport seemingly don’t exist, which led to my most expensive travel mistake ever.

For the most part, you need a car to live in New Zealand.

It’ll help for long road trips to see more of the country, so it’s not really a hardship. But if you’re like me and you don’t know how to drive on the left side of the road, you’ll want to start practicing.

Pro: A Slower Pace and Amazing Work/Life Balance

Kiwis don’t believe that work is your life.

Much like their Australian neighbours, once 5pm rolls around, they’re out of the office and exploring their country.

Many head to beaches to relax, lounge in their gardens, or have a pint at a nearby happy hour with some friends.

It’s part of the slower pace of the nation.

People living in New Zealand understand that there’s more to life than work. Sure, you may need to stay overtime at a law firm once in a while, but for the most part, even your boss will be kicking you out to enjoy the summer sun.

I loved this energy while I lived in New Zealand.

My bosses constantly encouraged me to be making the most of my time in the country, even if it meant leaving an hour early to catch a flight to visit the Maori haka festival in Wellington.

It helped my mental health to be able to work from home when I needed to, to be encouraged to actually use sick days and not come in when I had a bad sinus infection, and to see my coworkers being given the same respect.

I loved that New Zealand was so open to flexible working arrangements, part-time options for mums, and had amazing work from home systems in place.

The New Zealand quality of life is so amazing in part because of this.

Take advantage of the slower pace by exploring the country on your ample holiday in this epic campervan rental!

Con: Cost of Living is High

New Zealand’s cost of living for one person is high.

In New Zealand, you can expect to spend $3,000 to $4,000 NZD a month.

This cost varies depending on where you’re living. It may be higher in Auckland where rent prices can easily go above $1,500 a month in shared accommodation.

That’s mostly because there aren’t enough homes for everyone that needs to work in the city.

You can opt for somewhere more scenic like Devonport where you can get a home on the beach to justify that higher price, and then commute via ferry to the office (it’s pretty cool, the ferries in Auckland are part of the public transport system).

The cost of living in New Zealand is also high because most food is imported, as well as clothing and goods. That means that everything from shopping to groceries will cost you more while living in New Zealand.

That being said, I was easily able to live on my $50,000 a year (pre-tax) income from my job. I only spent about $35,000 while I lived in the country, without factoring in all of my plane travel. That allowed me to eat what I wanted, party, take public transit, and go on adventures locally.

Pro: Kiwis Get 4+ Weeks of Vacation

Ok, so most of the world has this. But in North America, this is a rarity!

In Canada, we usually get 2 weeks to start and can max out around 28 days.

In New Zealand, my starting annual leave was 6 weeks! And I wasn’t high up (in fact, I was at the bottom of the pack).

In fairness, they need leave to go anywhere abroad since it’s expensive and takes a long time. But still!

That’s an incredible amount of vacation time to be given when you factor in the fact that New Zealand shuts down for Christmas.

Yep, the country essentially closes everything down mid-December and doesn’t open up again until mid-January.

That made it hell to find a job when I started hunting around December 5th, but it was pretty spectacular for all of the employees getting a month off during the prime summer weather.

Take advantage of the slower pace by exploring the country on your ample holiday in this epic campervan rental!

Con: It’s Far From Everywhere for Travel

This is the only con that I really struggled with. It’s why I didn’t move to New Zealand immediately.

New Zealand is a little island located about a 3-hour flight from anything else. Getting to Australia takes 3-5 hours. Getting to the Cook Islands can take 4 or more. Anywhere else in the world is usually 12+ hours.

From Toronto, it took me 23 hours to reach New Zealand. From Singapore, it took me 13.

Those are long flight times and expensive tickets to just start your trip.

That’s why it’s really common for kiwis to book a full month of holiday at a time, that way they can pay for one expensive ticket then do a lot of little trips before they return.

Many also take sabbaticals or unpaid leave to travel for 6 months to 1 year.

So I’m getting some of the long-haul destinations out of the way before I plan to move back to New Zealand and need to be more conservative about how often I’m flying around the world.

But remember that the New Zealand lifestyle prizes travel, so they all find ways to explore the world even with this distance!

Pro: New Zealand has an Amazing Climate

New Zealand is one of the best countries in the world for people who hate winter.

Summer temperatures reach upwards of 40 Celcius (due to the intense rays of the sun). Those days are almost always gorgeous and sunny (which led to quite a few sunburns for my pale self – always wear a lot of sunscreen in NZ!).

In winter, temperatures dipped down to a balmy 10 Celcius in Auckland. I remember calling my mom in a t-shirt walking to work and she was shocked.

Native kiwis will find that chilly and bundle up in jackets, but we expats from cold countries know that it’s not really a big deal.

If you go further south to Dunedin, you’ll get snow (although it rarely stays on the ground). There you’ll need a jacket.

Or if you plan to climb a mountain like Mount Cook that is snow-capped, you’ll need to bundle up.

I bought a 3 in 1 jacket that was too almost warm for me (except when I visited Dunedin). It’s perfect for winter across New Zealand.

Con: Winter = Wet Wet Wet!

New Zealand’s climate can’t be all pros. Winter is pleasantly mild and offers almost no snow throughout the country, but it does bring a lot of rain in Auckland – the most populous city in New Zealand.

I’m not talking like the light mist that always seems to envelop Oxford or London around November. I’m talking torrential downpours so bad that you have to towel off after running in from the bus stop.

And they’re incredibly grey and dark.

I’m a solar-powered person, so this was a huge disappointment for me. But I guess there has to be a con to winter and if it isn’t snow, why not rain and darkness?

These days are usually spotted throughout the winter, coming in clumps of three that make you never want to get out of bed again.

Start carrying a change of clothes and shoes for work during the winter to avoid having to work in yoga pants like I did one day while my pants dried in the bathroom.

In other areas in New Zealand, winter is very different.

In Wellington, it’s characterized by even more wind. In Dunedin, it has snow and chilly days. In Wanaka, it’s the perfect level of cold to allow for skiing.

To me, winter is always a con as I don’t enjoy dark days or cold weather. Although New Zealand isn’t that cold, the lack of insulation in houses makes it FREEZING in the winter.

Be prepared to buy four fleece blankets!

Pro: New Zealand is a Multi-Cultural Country

I’ve lived around the world and have found few countries that rival New Zealand for multiculturalism.

Canada comes close, but we still seem predominantly Canadian.

In New Zealand, it felt like 50% of the people I met weren’t originally Kiwi. They were most often British, South African, or Asian. That’s why they have to learn Kiwi slang when they arrive.

If you’re looking to live in a country with a lot of different cultures and people living in harmony, New Zealand should be at the top of your list.

For me, this was a huge pro to living in New Zealand. It let me meet so many interesting people who helped me learn more about the world.

It felt like I was travelling just from moving flats and meeting my new roommates!

Con: Racism is Still an Issue

The Christchurch attacks are a prime example of the racism lurking in New Zealand.

This was perpetrated by an Australian terrorist, but was widely supported by the “skinheads” in Christchurch. He felt safe to do what he did in part because of these racist Kiwis.

My coworker grew up nearby and told me about the white supremacy issues that are prevalent in Christchurch.

I’m lucky to be a white woman, so I didn’t experience any racism during my time in the country. Most of my friends were similarly fortunate, but I have heard stories about issues with minorities in New Zealand.

The government is working to increase inclusion and to prevent racist undertones from becoming criminal.

I noticed a lot of the racism was directed towards visible minorities. Religion played less of a role than the colour of skin.

Even the local Maori weren’t able to avoid this.

New Zealand is a very white country. My job with the government only had one minority individual in the office. That says a lot about the systemic issues that still exist in the country.

But to be fair, every country has them and most do not do half as much as New Zealand does to repair these issues.

People also experience xenophobia when locals complain about expats taking their jobs. This is rarer, but it can be a con for people looking to feel comfortable moving to a new country.

In fact, I felt this more in the UK and the US than I did in New Zealand.

Pro: There Are No Snakes or Poisonous Spiders in New Zealand

This was a huge pro to my little sister who kept worrying that I was headed into the jungle in Australia for some reason (yes, I know that’s not a real thing).

It made her feel way better when I told her that there are no snakes or spiders in New Zealand that could kill me.

This wasn’t 100% true – there is one species of spider that’s incredibly rare. They haven’t even seen it in years, and it’s so little you’d probably never even notice it.

For the most part, there isn’t anything that’s going to kill you in New Zealand.

The worst pest you’ll meet is a sand fly (which it turns out I’m allergic to). They’re pesky buggers with the itchiest bites (even if you’re not allergic).

Leave your snake repellant at home (is that a thing? If not, it should be), and bring a lot of bug spray to fend off these summer devils.

Pro: New Zealand Treats Their Indigenous People Better Than Anywhere Else

The Maori people were the original inhabitants of New Zealand. They came by boat from Polynesia, sharing ancestors with the native Hawaiians.

As with most colonial countries, the British arrived and decided this was their land to control.

There have been many movements over the years to return rights to the Maori and to give reparations for the damages done.

Similar movements have been happening very slowly in Australia, Canada, and the US, but without as much success.

In New Zealand, there’s a beautiful acceptance of the Maori culture in everyday life.

Maori is taught as the second language in many schools. Publishers are now sharing Maori children’s stories and retelling them for different ages. There’s more inclusion in government programs and in hiring quotas.

It’s not perfect by any means, but in New Zealand, you can see their active efforts to celebrate the Maori culture, not just to push it to the side.

They’ve even included Maori heritage in many must-do New Zealand activities. Places like the Tongariro Crossing are famed for their mythological significance and you can learn more about the culture at Maori overnight experiences in villages.

When you move to New Zealand, be sure to take the time to learn about your new home’s original culture.

It’s fascinating and will help you appreciate the work being done to include Maori practices into everyday life.

Pro: New Zealand Has a Strong Education System

Now, I can’t speak to most of this from experience, as I didn’t attend school in New Zealand. But I did have roommates who did, who I peppered with questions so I would understand how things worked in New Zealand.

School is free for permanent residents and citizens up to university. If you’re not a resident, you have to pay a fee to enroll your children.

These schools teach children really well, with results that measure up to the UK and Canada.

At the university level, you have to pay for your schooling. The government offers free loans to students who need them, but this subsidy won’t cover your full tuition.

My roommate said it basically covered her rent and half her food, but she still needed a job or savings to cover the rest.

You’ll find schools around the country that offer courses in everything you could want. Auckland and Dunedin seem to be the most popular places to go to school, but it depends on what you’re studying.

Education is a hugely important factor for anything moving to New Zealand who wants to start a family later, has plans to go back to school, or wants to help support a strong community.

Con: It’s Difficult to Find Work

This con of living in New Zealand is sort of contentious, because it really depends on what you do/your employment history.

It took me a month to find a job in New Zealand, but admittedly I started looking right before Christmas. I was looking for temp jobs, which then turned into a full-time job that I was heartbroken to leave when I got into my Publishing MA in Oxford.

People have found it difficult to immigrate to New Zealand if their skills aren’t from a Commonwealth country or the States. You may need to get recertified for things like law, medicine, and engineering.

I know many other people who struggled to find more than temp work if they didn’t start early or tried to go at it alone.

The country is more set up for tourists to get jobs at hostels or strawberry picking than to help you find your own opportunities at large companies.

If you want to guarantee that you’ll have a job when you arrive, start looking early. Use recruitment agencies and be clear about the terms of your visa.

The government is really great about helping people, even those like me who move to New Zealand with a Working Holiday Visa, find jobs in their field. They have tons of online boards and support systems to help you settle in their country.

Pro: You Can’t Sue People Like Crazy in New Zealand

I guess this could be a con if you enjoy suing people, but for me, it’s a pro.

In New Zealand, they have the Accident Compensation Corporation who handles all accident claims. So if you slip and fall in the country, they’re the ones you deal with.

If you are injured in the country – even as a traveller – they’ll cover the costs of your rehab to ensure you heal properly.

I think that’s an amazing service.

It stops people from needing thousands of legal documents for every little thing. It meant I only had to sign 2 sheets of paper when I went skydiving in Taupo.

And it genuinely helps people get better!

Pro: Your Money is Worth More in New Zealand

The New Zealand Dollar is worth less than most major currencies. It was about $0.70 to the Canadian Dollar when I moved there, which meant the money I transferred over was worth more.

That’s super exciting when you’re planning to travel or pay the first month’s rent and need to send money over.

It also meant my Christmas money could be stretched much farther than it could back in Canada or in the UK (where it’s usually worth half).

I transferred money using Wise.com. They offer the most affordable rates for sending money to New Zealand. It arrives within a few days without the hefty wire transfer costs of most banks or PayPal conversion fees.

Don’t lose money when you transfer money to another country. Find out how with Wise.com!

Con: Their Houses Aren’t Well Built

Ok, they’re pretty well built in that they don’t fall down. But someone forgot to tell Kiwis about insulation.

In summer, the lovely cottage-style houses are a perfect getaway. Most have air conditioning to help you survive the incredible heat (although shade alone brings the temperature down about 10 degrees).

In the winter, even with heating, you’ll probably freeze.

I had to sleep in more layers than I wore outside because the house I moved to didn’t have insulation. When I complained at work, they looked at me like I was crazy. Of course, it’s freezing, that’s just how it is!

Well, I still disagree with that idea, but luckily I like to sleep in the cold so a few blankets were all it took for me to get to a happy temperature.

Most people end up investing in heated blankets for their beds in the winter.

Get an electric blanket to handle the cold.