Every person has an individual and unique
personality with different interests, goals, and
lifestyles. Living in a place can be very different from
visiting that same place on holiday. If you decide to
relocate to New Zealand, it is very unlikely that bungee
jumping and jet boating will be part of your daily routine
(even though New Zealanders do their fair share of sailing,
sunning at the beach, and snow skiing).
Even if you have visited New Zealand on holiday, you might
consider another visit so you can spend time talking to people
in the planning profession and generally just experiencing life
in New Zealand not as a tourist but as someone thinking about
living here. Do your basic research at home; the Internet
is an extremely valuable resource. You should investigate
the cost of living and how your day-to-day lifestyle and
routine may be similar to or different from what you now
experience. In short, not all immigrants find the
transition easy, and some do not stay in New Zealand.
If you have the time and resources, you might consider a
short-term work exchange opportunity with a New Zealand
planner. The New Zealand Planning Institute®
(NZPI®) has a volunteer exchange coordinator who can help
locate planners for such an exchange.
