The Five Ws

When we tell people we are moving to New Zealand, we are inevitably barraged with questions about how our family feels about it, what we will do there, when we are leaving, where we will live, and WHY are we doing this. We will answer all of those questions in future posts, but first: why?

There are several reasons we are moving. In no particular order…

1. Because we can. Many people would love to move to New Zealand but cannot, due to immigration restrictions. Mom is a physician and thus on NZ’s green list, which means we can apply for a Straight to Residence visa (more on that later.)

2. Slowing things down. We have been feeling overwhelmed by the consumerism and work culture in the U.S. New Zealanders highly value work-life balance, such that apologies abound if one accidentally emails you during your vacation. There is no Amazon delivery, and we are looking forward to striving for Good Enough rather than anxiety-riddled Perfection.

3. Peace and kindness. Anyone who has traveled to New Zealand will comment on the beauty of the place and the kindness of the people. We want to raise our sons in a community that values respect and kindness without the crippling politicization that has manifested in the U.S. We prefer to see the person rather than the team they have chosen (except the All Blacks… that’s a worthy team to support!)

4. A global perspective. Growing up in multiple countries cultivates a patience, an understanding, and an empathy that we want to instill in our sons.

5. The great outdoors! We love skiing, boating, fishing, biking, hiking and camping. Moving to New Zealand gives us the opportunity to do those things in a new place and in closer proximity to our new home.

Will there be hardships? Of course. But we believe the best rewards in life result from overcoming challenges and taking pride in accomplishments rather than camping out on Easy Street. We are choosing to take the road less traveled by, and we hope that makes all the difference.