- Tara Hulbert and her husband moved their family of six from Milwaukee to New Zealand in 2018.
- She says the benefits include a better work-life balance and lower healthcare and education costs.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tara Hulbert, a 48-year-old marketing teacher turned moving consultant and content creator from Milwaukee. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
In 2013, my husband and I decided that we wanted to give our four kids an international experience. We didn't really expect it to all work out, but we both applied for jobs in New Zealand to see what would happen. My husband works in IT, and I worked in marketing at the time.
We had never been to New Zealand, and we didn't know anyone there, but we didn't consider moving anywhere else. My husband mentioned New Zealand one day on a long car ride home from Florida to Wisconsin. I spent hours reading up on the country, and I didn't see anything negative.
We wanted an international experience somewhere that was English-speaking and had great weather, and New Zealand fit the bill.
The moving process took one year
It took about 12 months from deciding to move to doing it. We started by submitting an expression of interest to the government, and then we were selected to do the full visa application.
In the same week, we got the visa approval and my husband got a job offer. Soon after, we moved to the capital, Wellington, with the intention of being there for two years — the duration of the visa we had.
We loved it, but we stuck with our plan and moved back to Milwaukee in 2016. We had no intention of going back to New Zealand, though we missed it and were sad to leave.
We found our way back
In 2018, my husband got another job offer in New Zealand. We decided to take it, go through the visa process again, and move back.
It was a hard decision. We were all resettled in Milwaukee, but my heart was still in New Zealand. Everyone in the family was OK with going, but some were more excited than others. It was good for my children to be going somewhere that was at least familiar.
Since my children ranged from 2 to 11 when we first moved, my younger two kids had only ever really known New Zealand. My youngest has a bit of a Kiwi accent that he can turn on and off. We don't hear it much at home, but when he's in the car with his friends, it's funny to hear him talk like them.
Some things are more expensive here, but college is more affordable
Overall, I don't think New Zealand is more expensive than many parts of the US — it just comes down to how much you make. The cost of food is high, but the cost of food is high in the US, too, because of inflation.
Clothes and electronics in New Zealand are more expensive, and there's noticeably less choice. When we go back to the US, we tend to shop a lot.
We've rented a house both times we moved here because housing is very expensive, so we found renting to be our best option.
My daughter attends the University of Otago. The first year was free, though it cost about $9,000 for her to live on campus. My son goes to college at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. My husband and I went there, so we got a bit of a discount. It isn't an expensive school by US standards, but it costs about $20,000 a year.
The work-life balance in New Zealand is better
During the pandemic, I started creating videos, and now I have a YouTube channel and a business where I help Americans move to New Zealand. I collaborate with companies that offer visa advice, real-estate help, and job recruitment.
I used to teach marketing and communication business courses full time to college students at Open Polytechnic. I still teach a few writing courses there on a contract basis.
It's mandatory to have four weeks off a year in New Zealand, no matter your job or whether it's part or full time.
When I started working here, it was an adjustment. My coworkers took breaks at 10 a.m. for morning tea and again for afternoon tea. Work doesn't start until 9 a.m., and I remember on my first day seeing people coming in at 10 a.m. and asking me to think about taking a break. I hadn't even gotten started.
I learned that I needed to just relax. Now I think it's great.
The most amazing things about New Zealand are free
Some of the draws of New Zealand are the healthcare, the politics, a lower risk of gun violence than in the US, and the environment.
It's a beautiful country, and there are so many hiking areas and outdoor activities. That's especially great when you have kids.
The culture is low stress. If something happened in my life and I was a little bit late for work, I was always met in the US with a "too bad" attitude. In New Zealand, no one wants you to be stressed.
Sometimes I'm stuck in traffic and panicking because my classes are starting. My Kiwi colleagues will say, "It's fine. We'll just have someone take over your class until you get here." When you have kids, life can be quite anxiety-inducing, and that attitude helps.
But there are a few downsides to living here
The downsides to living here are being far away from everyone as well as the earthquakes. Speeding and parking tickets are also very expensive.
I used to find holidays back home a bit hectic, but now I miss the US hype around the holiday season. People just don't care as much here. And I miss holidays with my family.
It's also costly to visit our home country since we're so far away. It costs between $6,000 and $9,000 for our family to get back to the US, but we've committed to going back once per year so our children know their cousins and extended family.