Name:	Natasha and Peter
	Nationality:	English
	Profession:	Natasha – Policy Analyst Peter – Marine Engineer
	Migrated to NZ:	2004

Natasha and Peter arrived in Wellington from the UK as newlyweds. Less than a year later, they were expecting their first child and were the owners of an 1890 weatherboard house. From their hillside they have views over the Botanic Garden to the harbour and hills.

“I can’t think of anywhere else in the world where we would wake up in the morning to such a stunning view,” says Natasha, still unable to believe their good fortune.

“When we first moved in, I thought that at any minute someone would knock on the door and say, ‘You have to go away – it’s all a joke!’”

They love the compact size of Wellington, which they say makes it a very friendly and intimate city.

When to Arrive

“Don’t arrive in New Zealand just before the big kiwi Christmas shut-down,” they warn prospective migrants. The combination of Christmas and New Year with the summer holiday season is lethal for job seekers. It took until January for them to find employment, although when things started to happen they happened fast.

Finding Work

Peter was offered five jobs in one week by firms ranging from a small surveying company to industrial giant Carter Holt Harvey. He now works with a small marine consultancy whose owner arrived in New Zealand at the same time and found a niche for his skills. “He came out here to wind down, but is now snowed under,” Peter laughs.

Natasha has a law degree and worked in London as a Lloyds broker for five years before retraining as a journalist and writing for a regional newspaper in Hampshire. She has no regrets on making the move across the globe and change in career path. “I have managed to swap a horrible, grimy two hour car journey from Harrow to Hampshire for 20 minutes walk through the Botanic Garden,” she says.

She loves her job as a policy analyst for the Department of Building and Housing. “Look at your core skills and be flexible about what job you take – don’t say, I’ve been a journalist and that’s all I will do. See what jobs there are. You can ring someone up and ask to come in for a chat and people are open to meeting you and seeing if something is coming up.”