Top Relocation Tips

Household Shipping

Moving house is always stressful, but moving to an entirely new country is especially testing. Many migrants agonise over what to bring out with them.

The New Zealand Ministry for Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) inspects every container that lands in NZ, and is particularly interested in:

· Wooden items

· Gardening Equipment

· Lawn Mowers and Catchers

· Foodstuffs

· Medicines

· Cane furniture

· Bicycles

· Golf clubs and buggies

· Sporting shoes and equipment (there are special guidelines for camping equipment and fishing gear – check the MAF website for details, http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/)

· Vacuum cleaners with un-emptied dust bags

· Ornaments and curios containing skin or feathers

· Christmas decorations (no pinecones!)

· Dried flowers and seeds

· Equipment/medicines used with horses or other animals

· Used Vehicles

In the majority of cases, MAF just requires that the items are clean - in particular, that they are not contaminated by soil, seeds or insect infestations. To save on inspection charges, try to ensure that your boxes are labelled correctly (not for example as "misc"), and be specific - e.g. separate "garden tools" and "DIY tools". Items of possible interest should be packed together where possible. Anything likely to have been outside will also be inspected, such as garden furniture and outdoor toys - make sure they are clean.

This will probably still leave you with a large proportion of your worldly goods to consider - household items and clothing generally cost at least as much in NZ as in the UK, so it is usually prudent to ship your belongings rather than dispose of them, but there are a couple of exceptions&

Think twice about bringing:

· wardrobes (most houses have built-in wardrobes)

· ovens (most houses come with one, and gas is not universally available.)

· white goods (for washing machines especially, check that your brand is available in New Zealand - you may find it difficult to get it serviced otherwise)

. TVs - NZ TVs work on different frequencies to most other TVs. You may not be able to get all channels, or may be able to get picture but not sound. You may be able to remedy this if you tune it through a NZ video player, or if you have Sky TV. If your TV is multi-standard compatible, you will be able to pick up NZ TV audio by changing from PAL I to PAL B/G somewhere deep in the menus. Check your manual if you think this may apply, and contact the manufacturer to check whether you could get your TV converted for use in New Zealand.

· DVD players - if your DVD player is multiregion capable, or you can find a hack on the internet to make it multiregion capable, then bring it - otherwise, be aware that NZ dvds are region 4.  NZ DVD players start at $69, and they are predominantly multiregion capable.

· Scuba diving tanks - NZ regulations require burst valves, and it can be expensive to upgrade. You will not be able to get non-compliant tanks filled. To check whether your tanks are compliant, contact a NZ dive shop.

Definitely bring: (not because you can't get them in NZ - there are just no compatibility issues)

· your home phone, including DECT phones

· your mobile phone if you can get it unlocked

· power boards (great for you computer, stereo, TV and kitchen - not as many plugs to change!)

· small appliances

· computers, including laptops (back up your data thoroughly before you leave, then just change your regional settings and set up a new ISP when you arrive)

· stereos

Editorial provided by www.broadbaseinternational.