I MOVED TO NEW ZEALAND – IT’S WONDERFUL FOR KIDS, BUT HOUSING IS SO EXPENSIVE

Around half a million people left the UK to live elsewhere last year, and it’s not just retirees. A survey of more than 3,000 young people by the British Council showed that 72 per cent of 18- to 30-year-olds would consider living and working abroad, with destinations in Europe, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, and South East Asia proving popular.

Many expats are seeking a better quality of life, and cite varying factors – cold weather, high cost of living, extortionate childcare, stagnant wages, dwindling opportunity, lack of work-life balance, and even poor romantic prospects – among their motivations for leaving the UK. The i Paper’s Expat Files follows Brits who have taken the leap and settled elsewhere, detailing the ups and downs of their journey.

Here, Olivia Jordan Cornelius tells how New Zealand offers clean air and excellent, affordable childcare.

I grew up in Hampshire, and when I was younger, I always imagined my parents’ chocolate-box cottage would become the backdrop of my own offspring’s childhood. Like me, they’d spot tadpoles in the pond and be cosy on winter days by the fire.

Today, I’m 38 and my children and I live almost 12,000 miles away, on the other side of the world, in New Zealand. We definitely don’t have an Aga. My house is modern, open plan and cold. The winters are moderate but long – the Kiwis don’t seem to believe in central heating, preferring to “put on another sweater” (don’t say jumper).

The notion of my children growing up in the UK crumbled when I met a Kiwi surfer in Bali in 2005. I visited him in New Zealand and ended up spending two decades on and off in the country. I then married a Kiwi (not the surfer), have been widowed, and married again (to another Kiwi – a doctor who prefers the mountains to the sea). We have two young sons, a three-year-old and a baby.

I’ve had many reasons to return to the UK: the grief of losing my first husband, the pull of family, and an interest in medieval history. Yet, I’ve stayed in New Zealand, and this month I will take the pledge of allegiance to be granted citizenship here. I first came to New Zealand on a working holiday visa, which rolled into residency, and now a passport is in my sights.

I can’t deny that living in New Zealand is better for my family. Life is a little pared back but rich in ways that count.

The best work-life balance in the world

I had the same single midwife throughout both my pregnancies, including my delivery and postpartum period. We got to know each other intimately (to say the least) over almost a year – unlike in the UK, where you tend to see a different person with every NHS check-up and have your delivery with whoever happens to be on shift.

My second son was diagnosed during pregnancy with talipes, meaning his dinky feet were rotated inwards and touching his inner calves. Before he was born, we were offered a smorgasbord of support from genetic testing to disability counselling. The universal healthcare system is rich with skilled international healthcare professionals.

New Zealand is frequently ranked as the world’s best for work-life balance – we have 12 public holidays a year – and my husband, who’s a doctor, says it’s much better here.

Excellent, cheap nurseries with children outside all day

Nature is in the Kiwi DNA. My children spend hours outside every day – outdoor play is a cornerstone of my son’s nursery, which we walk or cycle to. Research agrees that children who play outside are happier than their peers who spend most of their time indoors.

Last week, there was a notice that a child had fallen from a tree on an excursion at my son’s nursery. In a world where we’ve lost touch with some of the simple pleasures of childhood, through restrictions and protocols, or worse, endless screens, I found it commendable that they’d take children to climb trees! I’ll join my Antipodean counterparts and risk a few grazed knees; the alternative – of sitting inside looking at screens all day – is scarier to me.

My three-year-old currently has two passions: cars and lichens (eclectic, I know). New Zealand has over 2,000 lichen species – the flora sprouts up just about everywhere – a sign of clean air.

Excellent childcare is within reach

When my son isn’t climbing trees, he may be learning Te Reo (Māori language) or doing a craft, like printmaking, at the nursery he attends three days a week. He’s provided three, mostly organic, meals a day (today’s lunch: salmon, kale chips and tomato drizzle, then tofu whip). The children play in the herb garden.

Add in the small ratio of children per (fully qualified) teacher, then you’d be forgiven for thinking I earn more than I do. We pay approximately £27 a day in nursery fees. With the New Zealand government’s family boost initiative, families can claim up to 40 per cent of those fees back.

In comparison, a friend who recently moved to the UK from New Zealand now pays the same for one child to be in nursery for three days, as she did for two children full-time here.

A good education feels accessible and valued. It echoes into other areas, too. The libraries are well funded and brilliant. As for my local park, it offers free educational programmes, for instance you can try archery or guided bird watching (though thankfully for our 200 native birds, not at the same time).

The isolation is a sanctuary (and a hindrance)

New Zealand is ranked the third safest country in the world on the 2025 Global Peace Index. It’s something you can grasp – the freedom and privilege of feeling safe. My friends let their young children cycle out of sight at the park – they know the paths well and circle back.

On an international level, New Zealand is protected as a small island away from conflict zones and political turmoil. It’s no wonder the super-rich are bunkering down here (the Silicon Valley glitterati are building actual bunkers here).

On the flip side, the isolation that gives it a utopian reputation can also make it feel disconnected from the world, bordering on loneliness. There are no weekends away in Europe soaking up different cultures and histories – our nearest neighbour is Australia, a minimum 3-hour flight and a few hundred pounds away.

Housing is expensive, but the coffee’s unbeatable

There are some downsides to living in New Zealand, though. For starters, the cost of housing.

A few years ago, Australian real estate mogul Tim Gurner went viral for suggesting millennials should stop buying avocado toast to afford a home. There’s perhaps something in it, with the average New Zealand home worth almost £386,000 versus the UK at around £269,000. Salaries are comparable to those in the UK.

Although eating out in New Zealand is sometimes cheaper than cooking at home, buying fresh produce can be bankrupting. Given its distance, the cost of imported goods can be astronomical. Between harvest seasons, you’d be lucky to find an avocado in a cafe, supermarket or at the end of a rainbow. I understand the merits of eating seasonally, but winter in New Zealand is fuelled with potatoes and apples on repeat. This winter, I caved and bought a small punnet of blueberries for £6.

Clothing and travel are expensive too. The coffee here is worth every cent, though. You can literally be in Mordor and find a great oat milk flat white. That may be one of the most delightful things of all about New Zealand.

2025-11-04T06:19:11Z