Why two South African families made the move to New Zealand, what we’ve learnt along the way, and why we’re passionate about helping others make informed decisions about their future.
Almost four years ago, my wife and I packed up our lives in South Africa and moved our family to New Zealand.
And what a roller coaster ride it’s been!
From the months of research, planning and preparation before we left South Africa, to arriving in a new country and trying to build a life from scratch.
There have been incredible highs, some difficult lows, and plenty of moments where we’ve questioned whether we made the right decision.
And even today, almost four years later, I still have days when I wonder what the hell we’re doing!
But whenever I think back to why we made this decision, it always comes back to one thing.
Our children and their future.
Why We Decided to Leave South Africa
For my wife and me, immigration was never just about finding a better job, earning more money or living somewhere different.
We were thinking much further ahead.
What opportunities would our children have growing up in South Africa?
Would they be able to build the lives they wanted?
Would they eventually need to leave South Africa to study, work or build their careers?
And if they did leave, what would that mean for us as parents?
We started imagining a future where our children might study overseas, find jobs, get married, have families of their own and settle somewhere outside South Africa.
And then we started asking ourselves another difficult question.
If our children eventually moved overseas, would we be able to join them?
We worried that by the time we wanted to move, we might be too old to qualify for certain immigration pathways.
We also worried that our retirement savings in South African rands might not be enough to support us in a country with a much stronger currency.
And the last thing we wanted was to become a financial burden on our children.
We wanted to give them opportunities to build their own futures, but we also wanted the chance to remain part of those futures.
To be there as they grew older, built their careers, got married and hopefully started families of their own.
Our decision wasn’t only about giving our children a better future. It was also about giving ourselves the opportunity to be part of that future.
That’s what ultimately pushed us to make the move while we still could.
A Different Family, but a Very Similar Reason for Moving
Interestingly, our immigration partner, Desire Lindeque from Migrant Immigration Services (MIS), has a story that isn’t all that different from ours.
Desire has also been living in New Zealand for almost four years.
Even though she was already working in immigration back in South Africa, moving to New Zealand wasn’t originally part of her plan.
But once she and her husband had children, their priorities started changing.
They began asking many of the same questions my wife and I had been asking.
What would the future look like for their children?
Where would they have the best opportunities?
What kind of environment did they want their children growing up in?
And what would their family’s future look like in 10, 20 or even 30 years?
For both our families, the decision to move was driven by something much bigger than ourselves.
It was about our children, their opportunities and the kind of future we wanted to help them build.
Our journeys haven’t been identical, but we’ve both experienced what it means to uproot your family, leave behind everything familiar and start again in another country.
And we’ve both learnt a tremendous amount along the way.
Almost Four Years Later, We’re Still Learning
One thing I’ve come to realise is that immigration doesn’t end when your plane lands in New Zealand.
In many ways, that’s when a whole new journey begins.
You’re rebuilding your career, adjusting to a different financial environment, learning how things work, making new friends and trying to create a sense of belonging.
You’re also doing all of this without the family support structures and familiar routines you might have relied on for years.
Some days are fantastic.
You look around and think, wow, we’re actually living here!
Other days can be incredibly challenging.
You miss family. You question career decisions. You worry about finances. You wonder whether you’ve done the right thing.
And sometimes you just wish you could sit down with someone who’s been through it all and ask them a few questions.
Looking back, there are definitely things I wish we’d known before making the move.
Not necessarily things that would have changed our decision, but things that could have helped us prepare better and avoid some unnecessary stress.
And that’s a big part of why I started Soft Landing NZ.
Why I Created Soft Landing NZ
When I started Soft Landing NZ, I had one simple goal.
I wanted to share what we’d learnt and hopefully make somebody else’s immigration journey a little easier.
I knew from personal experience how overwhelming the process could be.
There’s so much information available online, but it’s not always easy to work out what’s relevant to your situation, what’s accurate or where you should even begin.
And unfortunately, I’ve heard too many stories of people spending large amounts of money trying to immigrate, only to discover later that they didn’t have the pathway they thought they had.
Or families arriving in New Zealand without fully understanding their longer-term visa and residency options.
That’s heartbreaking when you consider how much people sacrifice to make a move like this.
I didn’t want Soft Landing NZ to be another platform simply telling people how wonderful New Zealand is.
Because while I love living here, New Zealand isn’t perfect, and immigration isn’t the right decision for everyone.
I wanted to create something that helped people understand both the opportunities and the challenges.
Something that would help families make informed decisions before committing significant time, money and effort.
And that’s how the Soft Landing NZ Inner Circle community started taking shape.
First, Discover and Decide: Is New Zealand Right for You?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt is that you need to start with the end in mind.
Before you start applying for hundreds of jobs, researching houses or planning what to ship across the world, you need to understand whether you have a realistic immigration pathway.
That’s why our community starts with Phase 1 – Discover & Decide.
And we’ve made this phase completely free.
Step 1: Understand Your Potential Visa Pathway
The first thing we encourage people to do is complete our free Pathway Assessment.
Through our partnership with Migrant Immigration Services, Desire reviews the information you provide and gives you preliminary feedback on whether there may be a potential visa pathway available to you.
This isn’t a full immigration consultation or a guarantee that you’ll qualify for a visa.
But it can help you understand whether moving to New Zealand might be a realistic possibility worth exploring further.
And if there isn’t an obvious pathway right now, that information can be just as valuable.
Perhaps there are gaps in your qualifications, experience or circumstances that need further investigation.
Or perhaps another family member may have a stronger potential pathway.
It’s much better to start asking those questions early than to discover a problem after you’ve already committed significant time and money.
Step 2: Work Through the Discovery Modules
But understanding whether you have a potential visa pathway is only one part of the decision.
You also need to work out whether New Zealand is the right place for you and your family.
That’s why we’ve created our free Discovery Modules.
These cover topics such as:
- The real trade-offs of moving to New Zealand.
- Understanding the pros and cons of making the move.
- Researching your skills, job opportunities and earning potential.
- Understanding the cost of living and planning a family budget.
- Exploring what everyday life in New Zealand might look like.
- Thinking about your longer-term goals and what matters most to your family.
For example, it’s one thing to discover that you might earn a certain salary in New Zealand.
But what happens when you compare that salary with housing, groceries, transport, schooling and all the other costs of living here?
Will you actually be able to afford the lifestyle you’re hoping for?
It’s not just about whether you can move to New Zealand. It’s about whether you can build the life you want once you’re here.
And that’s what we’re trying to help people work out.
Once You’ve Decided, How Do You Actually Make the Move?
Once you’ve established that you may have a pathway and you’ve decided that New Zealand is where you want to build your future, the next challenge is putting a realistic plan together.
That’s where the next part of the Soft Landing journey comes in.
Through Phase 2 – Plan, Arrive & Thrive, we provide additional resources, education and community support for people who are actively working towards making the move.
This includes guidance around preparing for your relocation, understanding the New Zealand job market and settling into everyday life.
Immigration Guidance
Through our partnership with Desire and Migrant Immigration Services, members can access professional immigration advice and assistance to understand their visa options, requirements and next steps.
Some people choose to work with a licensed immigration adviser throughout the process.
Others prefer to do more of the research and preparation themselves.
Either way, it’s important to understand the requirements and have a realistic plan.
Job Search Training and Support
For many people, their potential visa pathway is linked to securing employment in New Zealand.
And I know firsthand how challenging that can be, especially when you’re applying from overseas.
Soft Landing NZ isn’t a recruitment agency, and we can’t find jobs or arrange employment sponsorship for people.
But we can help you learn how to approach the New Zealand job market.
That’s why we’ve created our Job Search Masterclass, covering practical topics such as LinkedIn, SEEK, CVs, cover letters, networking, interviews and job-search strategies.
The goal is to give you the knowledge and tools to take ownership of your job search.
Practical Relocation Resources
Once you’re preparing to make the move, there are so many things to organise.
What should you do while you’re still in your home country?
What needs to happen in the weeks before you leave?
What should you organise when you first arrive?
And what about your first week, first month or first 90 days in New Zealand?
That’s why we’ve partnered with Mel from Fresh Start Abroad, who helps us develop the practical relocation guides, checklists and resources available to our members.
Together, we’re building resources that help you plan and prepare for each stage of your journey, from getting everything organised before leaving your home country to finding your feet once you’ve arrived in New Zealand.
Because moving countries is a big project, and having a clear plan and knowing what needs to happen next can make the whole process feel a little less overwhelming.
The idea is to help you feel more prepared, more organised and a little more confident about what lies ahead.
But Sometimes You Need More Than Another Guide or Video
As our community has grown, Desire and I have started working with more people who are seriously considering making New Zealand home.
And we’ve noticed something.
Even when people have done their research, completed a preliminary Pathway Assessment and started planning their move, there can still be a lot of uncertainty.
Sometimes you don’t need another document to read.
Sometimes you just need to have a conversation with someone who’s been through it.
Someone who understands the questions you’re asking because they’ve asked many of those same questions themselves.
That’s why we wanted the Inner Circle to be more than a collection of videos, guides and checklists.
We wanted it to be a place where people could connect, ask questions, learn from one another and feel supported throughout their journey.
Introducing Our Coffee Connect Sessions
One of the ways Desire and I are trying to make that personal connection is through our Coffee Connect sessions.
These are small, virtual gatherings with selected members of our community who are actively exploring their immigration journey.
They’re not big webinars or formal presentations.
They’re simply an opportunity to sit down together, have a coffee and talk.
We keep the groups small, with no more than 10 members, so everyone has an opportunity to participate.
It’s a chance to meet other people at a similar stage of their journey, share experiences, ask questions and talk through some of the challenges or concerns that might be holding them back.
Desire brings her professional experience as a licensed immigration adviser, while I share my experiences as someone who has made the move, rebuilt a career and started a new life with my family in New Zealand.
We don’t pretend to have all the answers. But we’ve walked this road ourselves, and we want to share what we’ve learnt.
These sessions are invite-only and arranged for selected members when appropriate, rather than being open events that everyone can register for.
They’re one of the ways we’re trying to provide a little more personal support where we believe it could make a difference.
A Community Where You Can Learn From Others Too
Coffee Connect is only one part of what we’re building.
Within the Inner Circle, members can also benefit from live Q&A sessions, practical resources, access to community experts and conversations with people who are at different stages of their immigration journey.
Some members are still deciding whether New Zealand is right for them.
Others are preparing to leave their home countries.
Some have recently arrived and are trying to find their feet.
And others have been living here for a while and are happy to share what they’ve learnt.
That mix of experiences is what makes a community valuable.
Because sometimes the most useful advice comes from someone who has just worked through the very challenge you’re facing.
Whether it’s understanding how to approach a job search, preparing your family for the move, finding your first home or simply adjusting to a new way of life, there’s value in being able to learn from others.
You don’t have to figure everything out on your own.
For Us, It’s About Paying It Forward
When I think back to our own journey, I know how much it would have meant to have a community like this available to us.
People who could share their experiences.
People who could point us towards useful resources.
People who could help us understand what questions we should be asking before making such a big decision.
And people who could simply remind us that some of the challenges we were experiencing were part of adjusting to a new country.
That’s what Desire and I are trying to create through Soft Landing NZ and our partnership with MIS.
Not a promise that moving to New Zealand will be easy.
Not a guarantee that everyone will qualify for a visa or find employment.
And certainly not a promise that New Zealand is the right place for every family.
But a place where you can get clarity, learn, plan, ask questions and connect with people who understand the journey.
Sometimes that means helping someone take the next step towards making New Zealand home.
And sometimes it means helping them realise that perhaps now isn’t the right time, or that another option might be better for their family.
Either way, if we’ve helped someone make a more informed decision, then I believe we’ve made a difference.
Almost four years later, my wife and I are still learning ourselves.
And I know Desire and her family are too.
But if sharing our experiences can help make somebody else’s journey a little easier, then it’s worth making the time.
Thinking About Moving to New Zealand? Come and Join Us.
If you’re considering moving to New Zealand, whether you’re just starting to explore the idea or you’re already planning your next steps, I’d love to invite you to join our Soft Landing NZ Inner Circle community.
You don’t need to have everything figured out.
You don’t need to have secured a job or received a visa.
And you certainly don’t need to commit to moving before joining.
That’s exactly why we’ve made Phase 1 – Discover & Decide completely free.
You can start by exploring your potential visa pathway, working through our Discovery Modules and learning more about what moving to New Zealand could mean for you and your family.
And if you decide to take the next step, there are additional resources, programmes and support available through our paid Phase 2 membership and immigration partner.
My encouragement is simple.
Start with clarity. Understand your why. Do your research. And make the decision that’s right for you and your family.
We’d love to have you as part of our community.
Join the Soft Landing NZ Inner Circle Community
Making New Zealand Home Together.
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