I moved to the UK in 2024. It was the best decision of my life but that doesn’t mean it was easy.
I love my life in London(Image: Vita Molyneux)
In March 2024, I packed up my life in New Zealand, bidding farewell to the verdant forests, idyllic beaches and laid-back lifestyle, to relocate to London. The decision was far from easy – I was leaving behind family and friends, I had no job waiting for me, and I was filled with fear.
Yet, having resided here for over a year now, I can assert with confidence that it was the best decision I’ve ever made. Despite being content with my choice, I’m always slightly taken aback when I reveal my origins and those born and bred in the UK pose the same question: “Why on earth did you leave New Zealand for this?”.
I reckon I’ve been asked this question a hundred times, and honestly, my initial response was simply, “Why not?”
However, upon further reflection, I realised there’s much more to my decision than that.
New Zealand is undeniably stunning, but it’s also incredibly small. While our actual country is similar in size to the UK, there’s a vast difference in population.
Aotearoa (the Māori name for New Zealand) has a population of roughly 5.4 million people, compared to London’s nine million.
When you’ve spent your entire life in such a country, you come to realise that no matter where you go or what you do, someone you know is bound to hear about it.
I’ve confirmed the ‘two degrees of separation’ theory countless times since moving to London. It seems every time I encounter another Kiwi, we can establish a mutual connection within two questions — it never fails.
This creates a wonderful sense of community back in New Zealand, but it’s a double-edged sword. I yearned for the anonymity that a sprawling metropolis like London offers.
Moreover, the UK simply presents more opportunities than New Zealand. When I bid farewell to New Zealand, our media industry was on the brink.
Numerous news outlets had shut their doors, and my career seemed increasingly precarious. Here, there’s a far broader spectrum of opportunities.
The same holds true across nearly all sectors—you’ll earn more and enjoy a better quality of life as a result.
Additionally, I grew weary of enduring New Zealand’s shockingly substandard housing. As a lifelong tenant, I found rental properties in Aotearoa to be exorbitantly priced, yet often cold, damp, and infested with mould.
Central heating is unheard of, I’d never laid eyes on a double-glazed window, and my homes would regularly make me ill during the chilly, wet winter months.
My third reason is one that resonates with many other Kiwis who’ve made the move. Living in the UK puts Europe at your fingertips.
While New Zealand is undeniably the most beautiful country in the world, it’s also tucked away at the very bottom.
Travelling abroad from New Zealand is costly and exhausting – even a flight to Australia takes about four hours depending on your destination.
Many people who’ve relocated cite the desire to explore more of the world as their motivation. Since moving to London, I’ve had the chance to visit Greece, Spain, Portugal, New Orleans, and Austria – all within a year.
I adore my homeland and always will, but I feel it’s been romanticised by many into an idealised version of reality. Life in New Zealand can be challenging, pricey, and crowded — it’s not all tropical sunshine and roses.
New Zealand will forever be a place I long to return to, to ground myself and nurture my connection with the whenua (land), but I consider myself incredibly fortunate to also call England home.
