6 min read

Moving overseas is a wonderful opportunity. Deciding what to bring with you, and what to replace after you move can sometimes feel overwhelming.

The good news, is that we’ve consolidated feedback from others to help you make the best decisions for yourself.

Before You Start

If you haven’t already, download the free Bring vs. Buy Checklist that goes along with this article. It includes a:

• Checklist of household items
• An international mattress size cross reference cheat-sheet (compare NZ, Australia, US/Canada, UK/Ireland, and South Africa mattress sizes to one another)

Know what you can bring: New Zealand has very strict biosecurity regulations that protect us from harmful pests and diseases. Our Ministry of Primary Industries has this useful website that outlines the requirements to import household goods into New Zealand. Always abide by these rule.

The Move In Phases

Deciding what to pack has more to do with moving in, than moving out. Once you arrive in your new location, the actual “move in” period can be broken down into 3 phases. There will be a lot of other settling-in activities going on in parallel, but right now we are focusing on what items you need to eat, sleep, and be clean.

Each phase is characterised by a combination of 3 key dimensions:

1. The type of Housing you’re in,
2. The location of your Shipping Container, and
3. Time

Phase 1: Temporary Accommodation + Container In Transit

Most people stay in some sort of temporary accommodation for the first few weeks in country. Often this is an Airbnb, corporate housing, or a serviced apartment. During this phase, most of what you need to purchase are consumables like food and toiletries.

There are a few non-consumables you may also want to buy as soon as possible after you arrive. These include:

• Phone/USB Wall Chargers
• Power Cables for laptops, gaming devices, tablets etc
• Surge Protectors / Power Strips

We recommend waiting until you arrive in New Zealand to purchase chargers and cables for devices that are compatible with New Zealand’s 230v/240v system. USB wall chargers are widely available. Power Cables for larger compatible devices (like laptops) can be found at PB Tech (multiple locations in Wellington).

Phase 2: Long Term Housing + Container In Transit

For most new arrivals, this is the longest and hardest phase. Once you have secured long-term housing, there are some practicalities that you’ll need to deal with until your container arrives. It’s these practicalities that should have the most impact on what you leave out of your shipping container.

Think about the things you need to EAT, SLEEP, and CLEAN. You will need many of them from the day you move into your long term housing. You probably already own most of these items but what will do you if they are on a ship for the first 3 or 4 months after you arrive?

Others who have already made this move have said these are the most basic items that they needed in this phase. Some ended up with duplicates, others only bought a minimal amount to hold them over until their container arrived.

If you love your every day dishes, absolutely ship them, but think about what you will do while you’re waiting for your container. Your options are:

• Buy new dishes and ship your old ones – you’ll just have more dishes when your container arrives,
• Buy new and dispose of your current dishes to save shipping space/weight
• Borrow or Lease a kitchen kit until your container arrives
• Buy “temporary” dishes (maybe compostable, or ones you’ll donate after your container arrives)

These options are true for many things you will need to eat, sleep, and clean from Day 1 in your long term accommodation. And remember, this could be how you live for several months, so consider what you’re willing to compromise, and what you really need.

A special mention about beds

Mattress sizes are not standard across the world, so we strongly advise against shipping them. This also includes bed frames. There are a few overlaps with some sizes in some countries, but it’s not at all consistent. We have included a handy cross reference sheet that compares standard mattress sizes between New Zealand, Australia, North America, UK/Ireland, and South Africa on the last page of the free Bring vs Buy download. And you can read more about the pros/cons of bringing your bed in this article.

Bedding (sometimes called “Manchester”) is available in both New Zealand and Australian sizing. Always be sure to ask which of the two countries the bedding is sized for, as there are some sizes that are called the same, but are very different sizes.

Cot/crib mattresses are not included in the reference document as they can vary widely between manufacturers regardless of country.

Phase 3: Long Term Housing + Container Arrives

You will never forget the day your container is delivered to your new home and your belongings start to re-emerge from their long journey.

We always recommend shipping high quality or sentimental furniture, and specialty items that hard to find here.

See the free download linked to this post for the detailed checklist and recommendations.

Spend time figuring out how your things fit into your new home. Don’t be afraid to move things around a bit – everything you have was purchased with another home in mind, so you may need to test out a few placements before you’re satisfied. Also, see our notes in the free download about room sizes so you don’t spend money shipping something that you can’t fit into a New Zealand home.

If you have shipped hardwired lamps or appliances that are already running on 230v/240v, you can simply have the end point replaced with a New Zealand plug.

If you have shipped 110v electronics (e.g. from the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan) that are not 230v/240v compatible, you will need a Step Up/Step Down Transformer to use them safely. These can be purchased from a variety of electronic suppliers in New Zealand. Lamps must be fully rewired. Shady Lady Lighting in Lower Hutt provides this service for many Wellington expats at a great price.

The Takeaway

This checklist has been created based on the perspectives of many people who have moved to Wellington from abroad, but every family is different, so of course do what’s best for you. If you’re really torn and in serious doubt about something: ship it. You can always choose to dispose of something here if you change your mind. And if you haven’t already – here’s another chance to download the checklist.

If you’d like to chat about your move to Wellington, and how we can help you get settled in and living like a local in record time, reach out for a free, no obligation call to discuss your needs.