Moving Away From New Zealand

Why people leave

New Zealand has recorded a sustained net migration loss to Australia in recent years — Stats NZ recorded a net loss of 28,500 people to Australia alone in the year to December 2025 — and commentary around the trend points to higher wages, a lower cost of living, and stronger job opportunities across the Tasman as the main pull. New Zealand's long-standing "OE" (overseas experience) tradition, where younger New Zealanders spend a year or more working abroad before returning or settling elsewhere, is also a well-established cultural pattern behind departures that isn't purely economic (source: Stats NZ).

Departure checklist

1. Work out your New Zealand tax residency exit date — IRD generally treats you as ceasing residency once you have no permanent place of abode in NZ and have been absent for more than 325 days in any 12-month period
2. File an IR3 individual tax return if you earned more than $200 in untaxed income before you left, and request a final income tax assessment covering the period from 1 April to your departure date
3. Update your bank account and contact details in myIR, and notify your bank and any KiwiSaver or PIE (portfolio investment entity) provider of your change to non-resident status so the correct withholding tax or prescribed investor rate applies
4. If you'll keep earning New Zealand-sourced income after you leave (e.g. rental income), check whether you need to file an IR3NR non-resident tax return going forward
5. If you receive NZ Superannuation or another government pension, contact Work and Income before departure — payments can change or stop depending on where you're moving
6. Arrange NZ Post mail redirection and cancel or transfer home/contents insurance ahead of your move-out date
7. If exporting a pet dog or cat, use a registered vet for microchipping, vaccinations and health checks, then get an export certificate — and an Animal Welfare Export Certificate for animals under 12 weeks — issued by an MPI official veterinarian; the process for pets going to Australia differs from all other destinations
8. Cancel or transfer your vehicle registration and give notice on your tenancy in line with your rental agreement's notice period

Container shipping corridors from here

Country-to-country container guides from New Zealand will appear here as they are published. Destination country guides and the quote form are available now.

Exit tax and customs

New Zealand's tax-residency exit turns on IRD's abode and day-count tests rather than a single exit form — once you have no permanent place of abode here and have been away more than 325 days in a 12-month period, you generally become a non-resident taxpayer. There's no general customs export declaration for ordinary household goods leaving New Zealand, though pets and some regulated goods go through MPI's own biosecurity export process. This is general information, not tax or legal advice — confirm your specific situation with IRD or a tax professional.

This is general orientation, not tax, legal, or immigration advice.