Most people in New Zealand have their mail delivered to their home address, however, mail is not put through a letterbox in the front door as it is in many European countries but is delivered to a post box at the end of the driveway. You don’t need to do anything to ‘activate’ having post delivered to your new address apart from telling the people sending you mail what your new address is. New Zealand post has a useful free tool on their website that lets you notify multiple companies of a change of address when moving.
PO Box or Private Bag
You need to visit the post shop in person in order to set up a PO Box or Private Bag, however, it is worth contacting the customer service team to ask if they can set one up for you in advance of moving to NZ as they may be able to help you out. To contact the Customer Service Centre, call 0064 800 501 501 or email them at boxandbag@nzpost.co.nz.
Fees can be paid annually in advance, or quarterly by direct debit. A standard small box will cost from NZ$125 per year, a large box will cost from NZ$175 per year.
Hold Mail
http://www.nzpost.co.nz/receiving-mail/hold-mail
Mail can be held for up to 12 weeks (or longer with an extension) at a post shop of your choosing and you may apply for this service online, however, to apply online you will need a New Zealand driver’s license as proof of ID.
Prices start from NZ$5.50 for 1 week, up to NZ$66 for 12 weeks.
NZ Post Contact Details
Email: nzpost@custhelp.com
Phone from outside NZ: 0064 9 367 9710
Phone from within NZ: 0800 501 501
Post shop hours vary by location. They generally open at 8am or 8:30am Monday-Friday and close at 5:30. Some are closed Saturdays, whilst others are open from 9am until 2pm. All post shops are closed Sundays.
Moving Your Belongings
Most large moving companies ship overseas – or are affiliated with a company that does. Here is a partial list of NZ-based companies that can move your belongings to New Zealand.
- Allied Movers – http://www.alliedmovers.co.nz
- The Moving Company – http://www.themovingcompany.co.nz
Insurance
Homeowners insurance is not required in New Zealand unless you have a mortgage, in which case the mortgagor will insist upon insurance. It is recommended that you get cover in case of fire or other disaster. Renter’s insurance is also offered. Some providers include:
- AMI – http://www.ami.co.nz
- State – http://www.state.co.nz
- Vero – http://www.vero.co.nz
- Tower – http://www.tower.co.nz
- FinTel – http://www.fintel.co.nz
Gas, Power and Water
Gas & Power
Auckland residents have a choice of several power companies to use – most offer both gas and electric, and offer package deals to consumers who buy both. Companies have several plans which vary in cost — the website http://www.consumer.org.nz/powerswitch will help you estimate which energy company will offer you the best rates. Currently the best option is PowerShop as this allows you much more control over how much you spend, along with a very good online monitoring system that allows you to see how much power you’re using.
All companies accept payment via direct debit, credit card, internet or telephone banking or by mailing a cheque, and most enable you to spread payments evenly throughout the year.
Average power costs for a family of four are a little over $NZ 1000 per year.
Getting connected is really easy and most companies can organise for this to be done within 1-2 days, or you can specify a date in advance so that power and gas are available when you move in. It is important that you take readings from all meters on the property prior to moving in, and ensure that you notify the power company of these readings. This will ensure that you do not pay for the previous tenant’s power usage and are only liable for usage from the date you take over the property.
Companies such as PowerShop will enable you to complete the entire process online and will do all the work for you as well as making sure that there is no interruption to your power supply. Other companies, such as Mercury, you will need to phone and arrange times and dates.
Gas and electricity are provided by:
- PowerShop — http://www.powershop.co.nz
- Contact Energy — http://www.contactenergy.co.nz
- Genesis Energy — http://www.genesisenergy.co.nz
- Mercury Energy — http://www.mercury.co.nz
- Nova Energy — http://www.novaenergy.co.nz (also specialists in solar)
- Meridian Energy — http://www.meridianenergy.co.nz (electricity only)
- EmPower — http://www.empower.co.nz (electricity only)
Water
Water is supplied through Auckland City by WaterCare at http://www.watercare.co.nz. In more rural areas, homes may require tank water. If you rent, your landlord may pay for water but leave the responsibility to you, this means that when the bill comes through, either you pay the bill and the landlord will reimburse you, or you forward the bill on to your landlord. Bills come every three months, and average around $100 for a family of four. You can pay your bill via direct debit, internet banking, telephone deposit, credit card or in person with cash or a cheque.
