Moving to Australia from New Zealand?

Get all the information you need here to make a successful and stress-free move across the ditch.

If you’re looking at moving to Australia (MTA) from New Zealand, you have just found all the information you need. We moved to Brisbane from Auckland over 10 years ago and wanted to share all the information we learnt with other kiwi’s. Learn from our mistakes and save yourself a lot of research time.

Find here all the information you need: set up a Australian bank accounts, foreign exchange, moving your personal effects to Australia, schooling, real estate and hundreds of other pieces of useful information about Australia. Whether you are moving to Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne or Perth, we are here to help.

So how can I help you? I’ve been answering kiwis questions for over 10 years, so am more than happy to help. If you don’t find what you’re looking for please email me on help@movingtoaustralia.co.nz or fill in the enquiry form on our contact page.

Moving your money to Australia

When you relocate to Australia you will also need to move your money with you. There a few things you need to be aware of, that I wish we knew when we moved.

Opening an Australian bank account

Open an account online before you go! My husband opened an account online with Commonwealth Bank before we left. When he was picking up his eftpos card in our local Commonwealth Bank, I tried to open an account. I was unable to open an account because I didn’t have the right paperwork. I needed proof of address, which I didn’t have. When I got home I opened an account online (open a Commonwealth Bank Account) and picked up my eftpos card a few days later.

Find out more… read our Australia Bank Account page!

Save money on your money transfer/foreign exchange (keep more of your money)

Transferring your money from New Zealand to Australia is a big deal. It is important to use a trusted foreign exchange partner and make sure you get the most Australian dollars for your NZ dollars. From our research, online money transfer companies give you the best rates with less margin and no fees.

Find out more… read our Foreign Exchange/Money Transfer page!

Australian Health Care System

We have provided all the information and links to resources that you will need about the Australian Health Care System. The Australian Government funds three major national health schemes, Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and the 30% Private Health Insurance Rebate. These are funded via taxes and the income based Medicare Levy.

Medicare Australia

Medicare is a publicly funded universal health care scheme in Australia. Operated by the government authority Medicare Australia, Medicare is the primary funder of health care in Australia, funding primary health care for Australian citizens and permanent residents (except for those on Norfolk Island).

Residents are entitled to subsidised treatment from medical practitioners, eligible midwives, nurse practitioners and allied health professionals who have been issued a Medicare provider number, and can also obtain free treatment in public hospitals.

Find out more… read our Medicare Australia page!

Private Health Insurance

In Australia, the public health system Medicare covers most Australian residents for health care. However, Medicare does not cover everything and you can choose to take out private health insurance to give yourself a wider range of health care options and more comprehensive cover, which you will also get a rebate for.

Do you have health insurance in NZ? Then you should get in Australia too.

Find out more… read our Private Health Insurance page!

Real Estate in Australia

Australian real estate is quite similar to New Zealand but Australia is so much bigger. There are positives and negatives to each city and each suburb and it is important to do research before you leave NZ and when you get there before you make any fixed arrangements. The tenancy agreement lengths are one year minimum.

The tenancy market is much more competitive than New Zealand. There are dozens of people going for the same apartment/house, you need to make sure you make a good impression and have all the documents you need.

Find out more… read our Australia Real Estate page!

Moving to Sydney

Sydney is where most New Zealanders are moving to. It’s Australia’s largest city and therefore has the most job opportunities. Sydney attracts more immigrants than any other Australian city. Around 40,000 new people move to Sydney each year.

So if you’re looking at earning more than you do in New Zealand this could be the city for you. You can read more about Sydney here:

• Which city to move to in Australia
• Moving to Sydney (NSW)

Utility Connection

When I tried to connect our utilities for our new home in Australia I contacted all the major companies, Sky TV, power company, phone and internet. I came up against all the same road blocks, not enough paper work! We didn’t have proof of address, three months wages or bank accounts.

Then I came across On The Move and within minutes we had arranged for all our utilities to be connected. It saved us time, money and stress. They offered the same current deals that the supplier was offering, so we got exactly what we wanted without anymore stress.

Find out more… read our Utility Connection page!

Finding a job in Australia

We highly recommend you finding a job in Australia before you leave New Zealand. Kiwi’s are highly sought after all over the world including Australia. Australia is well known for paying higher wages than kiwi companies and the cost of living being a lot lower. Moving to Australia gives you a better quality of life if planned properly.

Find out more… read our Jobs in Australia page!

NZ Student Loan? Find out your student loan requirements when living in Australia.

First serious point is if you’re going overseas for 6 months or more your New Zealand student loan won’t be interest free. When you go overseas you need to let the IRD know if you’re going to be overseas for 184 days (about 6 months) or more. The easiest way to do this, if you also want to apply for a repayment holiday, is to complete the form in your myIR Secure Online Services account. However, you’ll become an overseas-based borrower if you’ll be overseas for 184 days or more. This means you’ll have different repayment obligations and your loan will no longer be interest-free. Interest applies to your student loan from the day after you leave New Zealand.

Find out more… read our NZ Student Loan page!