Rate of Americans Moving to NZ Climbing

Four Americans who moved to New Zealand speak to Business Insider about their reasons for departing the United States.

One of them, Heather Gadonniex, left the San Francisco Bay Area and went on what was supposed to be a quick vacation to New Zealand in March 2020. Accompanied by her husband, who is originally from New Zealand, and 1-year-old son, they ended up hunkering down with family for the duration of the pandemic-related lockdowns.

Gadonniex, 42, settled in Matakana, and while Gadonniex does miss the innovation and hustle and bustle in the Bay Area, she’s enjoyed the change of pace.

“We live a very different existence,” she said. “It’s really an idyllic place.”

“The ability to have more balance is something that I don’t think I realised how much I needed, but now that I have it, I think I’d be pretty hard pressed to give that up,” she said.

Original article by Jordan Pandy, Business Insider, August 17, 2023.