I’m not extremely organized but I like to be prepared, I did heaps of research before I left the UK, half of what I found out was true and the rest wasn’t, but that’s the Internet for you. Something that I had read up on was that its best to set up a bank account in one of the bigger cities, I mean this is half correct I guess but definitely don’t book an appointment in the centre of the city, get a bus to somewhere outside the city and your more likely to get an appointment for the same day or the next day.
I arrived in Auckland on Tuesday 11th June…
On my first day here I went to book an appointment at ANZ (a bank in which I researched and decided was one of the best ones to go with), they offered me an appointment on Thursday 20th June, at first I accepted this as I assumed this was just how things worked here and I would just have to be patient. When I asked the receptionist at the hostel for a proof of address she explained that if I go outside the centre of Auckland then its possible that I could acquire an appointment earlier. (You will need a proof of address to get a bank account, the hostel will provide you with one).
And low and behold she was right, I got an appointment booked in for the next day at a KIWI bank in Newmarket. Unfortunately for me when I attended the appointment the banks systems were down so it was impossible to set it up at that time, I did get a call later on to say that I could come back in and set it up today but I was busy zip-lining on Waiheke Island. So I didn’t set up my account until the Friday but that was a better scale of time than the original appointment I booked which was still a week away.
Regarding the banking, you have an option to get an EFTPOS card that is basically just for paying by card and withdrawing cash or a Debit card which you can also use online. I personally chose a Debit card, as then when I pay for hostels or flights online I don’t incur an international charge from my UK bank account.
When I was in the bank they said they could assist me with my IRD number, I obviously jumped at the chance to get things sorted ASAP. Bit of a fail there though on my part, I applied via paper and then the bank mailed this out for me. Unfortunately if I had applied online I could have received it within 1-2 days. I had to wait a little longer for the application to get to the offices and for them to give me my IRD number via email/ text. After 6 days it finally came which isn’t to bad a wait in all honesty. So to anyone applying, definitely apply online, and tick the box that says you want it via email.
Also there are 2 questions you need to answer on the IRD form, Question 11 and 12. I struggled with these questions as they made no sense to me, the teller in the bank said she couldn’t help me with these questions as she wouldn’t be able to advise me, luckily for me the bank was also a post office and someone came to assist me. If anyone is struggling with the answers here’s what to put,
Question 11: Do you qualify for a temporary tax exemption on foreign income? Answer: NO
Question 12: Please tick if you are (non-resident contractor) (non-resident seasonal worker) (neither) Answer: NEITHER
So I read loads online before I arrived, basically you cant use your UK drivers license as a form of ID in this country so unless you want to carry your passport around with you i.e. on nights out, you can get a Kiwi access card which you can use as a form of ID whilst in New Zealand. So its only $55 and all you need is a passport photo, proof of visa/address and a filled out form that you can pick up at the post office, the post office are happy to help with this and then they send this off for you. The card can take 2-3 weeks to arrive so make sure your settled somewhere or in one place for a while.
Silly me, as usual, I ordered it before I had settled and it hadn’t arrived before I was due to leave, I spoke to the hostel and when it arrives they will email me and I can set up a payment of the cost of sending it and they will redirect this for me.
So when you arrive in New Zealand you will find you’ll need a NZ Sim Card, this will help so that if you’ve applied for a job or an employer needs to contact you regarding an offer or invitation to interview or just that you may need to make personal calls or calls to NZ companies.
Now, I researched this information prior to my departure from the UK, so was prepared and had an old phone that was unlocked, ready for my Sim card. I would recommend that if you have a decent phone that you no longer use that you do this, even if you do look like a drug dealer carrying around two phones.
With my UK number I am on contract with EE and it was going to cost me £500+ to cancel my contract before I left, fortunately I’m on a 4GEE MAX plan and I’m still able to use my calls and Data whilst I’m here in NZ, definitely a bonus.
I still needed a NZ number though, so I went into Spark, one of the network providers and managed to get a very good deal, or the best deal I’ve ever had.
So, I pay $39.99 per month which is just over £20, and for this I receive 1GB of Data every day, unlimited texts, 300 minutes, a Premium Spotify account for 24 months, 1GB Spark WIFI in certain areas, a Lightbox Standard Plan (Basically a NZ version of Netflix) and then every month I get an extra 1GB of Data. Not bad that, is it?
Advice is like cooking, you should try it before you feed it to others.
Croft M. Pentz
Joe Bloggs 