How I moved to New Zealand

My relationship with New Zealand began a long time ago. It was a novel in the literal sense of the word. When I was 12 or 13 years old, when I read Jules Verne, I was trying to write a story about the first European settlers and the Anglo-Maori wars. My work remained unfinished, but the dream of seeing a green country on the edge of the Earth persisted.

When I was 25, I decided to do it and went to a travel agency recommended by a friend. I was told that I could not see visas like my own ears, because that is the fate of all unmarried girls of fertile age. I shook my head and decided to go at all costs. The universe always listens to our deepest desires, so I was doomed to success. At that time, I was working in the PR department of a large construction corporation, and one fine day I found a letter in a spam folder asking for sponsorship of the frigate Pallada. He went on a round-the-world expedition dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the circumnavigation of Bellingshausen and Lazarev. I was just fascinated by the picture of the three-masted, handsome frigate, and even more by the fact that it ran through New Zealand. I managed to persuade the management of the corporation to sponsor the circumnavigation, and I was appointed a sponsor’s representative on board the Pallas. So I went to New Zealand on a business trip.

Dreamland fascinated me at first sight. I remember drowning in clean air, blue skies and the brightness of the sun as I walked out of the Auckland Airport building. I loved New Zealand immediately and irrevocably. On board the "Pallada" I met my future husband Dmitry, who, by the way, also from the suburbs.

When I came back from around the world, I decided that I wanted to show the amazing world to as many people as possible. So, with the support of my husband, I opened my Moscow tourist business – Abel Tasman. As you can see, the name was not chosen by chance. It is the name of the first European navigator to reach New Zealand. And when?! On my birthday, December 13th, it was only 1642. Of course, for me, this business was an opportunity to get closer to my beloved country. I went to Zealand twice more, and I went all over it, and I was convinced that I wanted to live here.

The project “We are moving to the other end of the world” started in November 2014, when we accumulated the necessary amount of funds for the move. The project involved a full-fledged family - two adults and two children five and six years old. The launch of the project coincided with the collapse of the ruble and the general not unreasonable panic about the future of the Russian economy. And then I didn’t get half the IELTS score, which entailed additional expenses for language school and chronic time.

I must say that the fateful decision was given to us hard. My husband and I argued and weighed all the pros and cons for several nights in a row. The scales of the “For” outweighed largely thanks to my New Zealand friends, who promised support after the move and, incidentally, kept their word. The plan was as follows: I enroll in Languages International language school for a 6-week course of preparation for IELTS + Business English, in order to take advantage of the pathway program from the school – to enter the chosen university without retaking the IELTS exam. That was still possible back then. Now to enter New Zealand universities, all students must take the international exams IELTS, TOEFL, PTE or Cambridge.

The plan was working, but risky: there was enough money. But we understood that if we did not leave now, we would never leave again, and we did not want to stay in Russia. My husband and I do not share the political views and values of the majority of Russian society that still chooses dictatorship.

On January 16, 2015, I arrived in New Zealand with the intention of staying. So far alone, no family, on a visitor visa. I was worried, of course: what if it does not burn out? Is it enough for 6 weeks to finish the language, go to university and get a student visa? Enough. I made it. Golden school time! Wonderful teachers who became friends, Albert Park, wonderful host-mother Agnes and her house in Chatswood, trips to the beaches, dancing in a salsa bar and a weekend in a kayak on the Fanganui River.

Auckland University of Technology (AUT) has welcomed me. I only had one interview with the Dean of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism, and here he is! I chose the eighth level Postgraduate Diploma in International Tourism Management course not only for immigration reasons, but also because I have long wanted to study in the field of tourism. My first education was a PR guy. Graduated from the Moscow Higher School of Economics.

My husband and children arrived three months after my arrival in Zealand in April 2015. I had already rented a house with sea views near a good elementary school. In this house we lived the first four years in a new, but native country. By a lucky coincidence, the husband found a job two weeks after his arrival, and the acute money issue was removed from the agenda. My husband originally had a work visa based on my relationship with me. His slave gave our children the status of local students, and we paid 300 NZDs a year for their education. My girls went straight to the local school. In New Zealand, children start school at 5 and finish school at 18.

After graduation, I almost automatically received an open work visa for one year. For this year, a former student must find a job in a specialty obtained in New Zealand, and enlist the support of an employer to apply for a 2-3-year work visa or immediately for residency.

Now you can get a New Zealand residence if your application scores at least 160 points. We submitted documents in April 2016, and then it was necessary to score 140 points. These consist of education and work experience recognized here, age, having a job offer at a local company, or work experience at a local company. Additional points can bring employment outside of Auckland, the entry of your profession in the list of in demand, the work of a partner and a number of other factors.

A year of waiting for a decision on a residency application was the most psychologically challenging of my life. As you know, there is nothing more unpleasant than waiting and catching up. But this test was successful, and at the end of July 2017, all members of our family became residents of New Zealand.

At that time, I had a local travel business – JustGoThere. I did my favorite thing again and showed Russian-speaking tourists our magical country. The website of my company is aimed at independent tourists. This is a designer of individual travels in New Zealand, with which it is easy to make your route, book hotels, excursions, a car. In addition, I work as a guide-driver and lead groups from one to 16 people, organize weddings, enroll students in language schools and universities. I work not only with Russians, but also with citizens of CIS countries, USA, Germany, Israel.

In August of this year, we will be applying for permanent residency in New Zealand and will be able to become citizens in another three years. I plan to get a license of a migration consultant, for which I will have to study at a special course for another year.

I consider myself a happy person and I think that the path to happiness begins with the ability to listen to yourself, believe in yourself and trust space. And that means not trying to control everything, it’s impossible. You just have to work towards your dreams and the universe will help you.