Thousands of Kiwis move from the North and South Islands to London every year and along with Aussies and South Africans have created a massive ‘antipodean’ community over here. As you know, New Zealanders and travelling go hand in hand, so the chances are that you’ll already have friends, family or half your school year over here who’ll be able to offer you some advice and a sofa to kip on until you get sorted. But just in case you need a helping hand, we’ve put together this quick guide for you.
However, before you begin reading, we cannot recommend highly enough the 1st Contact Kickstart Package, which is designed to help working travellers settle into London with everything they need. Take a look at this extremely affordable set-up option.
- UK Bank Account
- National Insurance Number Set Up
- UK Mobile Phone SIM card
- CV and Finding Work Assistance
- Rental Accommodation Asssitance
- Free international money transfer
- Gym membership
- UK Information Guide
- Discount Partners
Register for your Moving to London Kickstart package today.
Additionally, if you’re looking to sort out your UK Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme Visa, then you can buy it online.
Where New Zealanders live in London
Getting to the UK from New Zealand
Types of visas for New Zealanders in the UK
How to transfer money from New Zealand
Where do New Zealanders live in London?
Technically speaking, Kiwis live all over London. If you’re not interested in living amongst your expat community, then just take a look at our North London , South London, West London and East London pages for an idea of where you might be suited to.
Generally speaking though, New Zealanders tend to congregate along with Australians (and to a certain extent South Africans) in residential areas such as Clapham, Clapham Junction, Fulham and specifically Acton in West London which is favoured more by Kiwis than Aussies.
However, there are also strong expat communities popping up in the north-western arc of the city, around Kilburn, Willesden and Queen’s Park.
You can actually look for accommodation and/or flatmates before you’ve even left New Zealand.
Finding work in London
You can start looking for work a few weeks before you step on a plane….. get your C.V up to scratch before you leave and upload it for FREE to the UK StaffSearch database. This is a service that recruitment companies use to handpick candidates for jobs which they don’t often even bother officially advertising, so it would be crazy not to add yourself for free to this recruitment pool. Childcare professionals should go straight to a reputable nannying agency such as KiwiOz Nannies to find Au Pair and Nanny jobs in London.
Once you’re in London, you’ll need to obtain a National Insurance Number in order to legally work here. Don’t waste time in getting this organised, as it can take a while to come through.
For more information and advice, please visit our Working in London page.
Getting to the UK from New Zealand
There’s no two ways about it, it’s a long old way from New Zealand to London….
You’ll probably decide which route to take based on
- Cost of flights
- Duration of flights
- Number of stopovers en route
We’d like to recommend that you look at both Expedia and your national carrier Air New Zealandwho have great multi-stop options that you can add if you want to travel a bit on the way over.
Visa types for New Zealanders in the UK
For a list of different visa types that New Zealanders can apply for in order to live, work or study in the UK, please see our separate Visas page. Generally speaking, you have lots of options open to you as you’re part of the Commonwealth. Also many of you may be eligible for an Ancestry visa.
How to transfer money from New Zealand
Banks aren’t the only option for international transfers and foreign exchange. Most customers aren’t aware of this, so unfortunately the banks try to take advantage by charging outrageously high fees coupled with below average exchange rates. Don’t be caught out, do your research and make the most of your hard earned cash. The more pounds you can get, the better!
One company that guarantees to save you money is 1st Contact Forex.
1st Contact Forex is an International Money Transfer Company that provides a quick, easy and secure online money transfers service which offers great rates with the lowest fees.
New Zealand Pub in London
Ok, so unfortunately you’ve missed out on Speights at the Temple, which saw a pub being transported from Dunedin by boat on a 75 day journey via Samoa, Panama, the Bahamas and New York, before being opened on top of Temple station. This has now closed, but luckily the team behind Speights at the Temple hasn’t gone too far and has set up home in ‘The Southerner’ pub on Essex Street, WC2R 1AP. There is a full range of Speights and Steinlager on tap. Very popular with New Zealand expats and great for watching sport.
Kiwi Dating in London
If you’re young (not compulsory), free and single when you arrive in London, then you might be interested in signing up for FREE with Antipodate, which is an online dating service for New Zealanders, Australians, South Africans and Zimbabweans living in London. It costs nothing to join up and have a look at your fellow expat singletons… here is a full review of Antipodate.
London New Zealand Rugby Club
Good news for all you New Zealand rugby players and fans out there. London has it’s very own NZ Rugby club, in the heart of the expat community in Acton . The club is strictly amateur and it’s members mainly consist of Kiwis. The club prides itself on being extremely sociable after training and matches and claims to be the only rugby club outside of New Zealand to have Speights on tap! Contact lnzrugby.co.uk if you’re interested in joining.
Kiwi Fruits – the New Zealand Shop in London
If you’re feeling homesick for food you’re familiar with, or want to catch up with life in New Zealand by reading magazines and newspapers from back home, then the perfect shop for you is the Kiwifruits shop located at 7Royal Opera Parade, Pall Mall, SW1Y 4UY. Call them on 0207 930 4587 or visit their online store at kiwifruitsnzshop.com
Flight of the Conchords
This is a bit indulgent of us, because here at Moove2London, we’re massive fans of Flight of the Conchords. The Flight of the Conchords radio show was set in London and the TV series was supposed to be too, but reportedly the Americans were a little more assertive than us in signing the comedy duo up to HBO and so they went to New York instead. For any of you Kiwis that haven’t yet seen this hilarious series, pick it up from Amazon so that you can understand all the jokes about Business Time and Newfoundland.