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If you've been living at home with family before coming to New Zealand, it may take some time to adjust to independent living. Before leaving your home Country, think about the skills you may need for your new life in New Zealand, and how you can best prepare yourself before you leave. You may need to learn how to:
· Budget / manage money
· Manage your time
· Study independently
· Prepare meals and undertake household chores
· Live with others (non-family members)
Remember, if you do have difficulties with your new life in New Zealand, you can always ask for help.
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Before you leave, it is useful to try and find out as much information as you can about the city/town you will live in, the education provider you will study at, and what to expect of living and studying in New Zealand.
In addition to the website of NZIoS, the following websites may be useful.
http://www.newzealand.com/
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/
http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/
http://www.asbbank.co.nz/
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Keeping copies of important documents, like the photo page of your passport, makes good sense because it will be easier to get a replacement if you lose them. Having an extra set of passport photos is also a good idea for the same reason and for obtaining ID (Identity) cards for when you are here.
Make two photocopies of your passport photo page, airline tickets, driver licence and the credit cards that you plan to bring with you and any other personal information such as records of your banking and insurance. If you have any special medical conditions, bring a note in English explaining the condition. List the serial numbers of your travellers' cheques (cross off the numbers from your copy as you use the cheques). Leave a photocopy of everything with family or friends at home and pack the other in a safe place away from where you carry your valuables.
If you buy anything duty free at the airport, keep the receipts because you may need to show these to Customs at the airport when you arrive.
Before you get a visa you will also need to know where you are staying when you arrive, even if it's only for a little while, because you won't get a visa if you haven't arranged a place to stay. Your school or institution may help you organise this.
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It's best not to bring too much luggage with you. Airlines have strict baggage restrictions for both carry on bags (cabin baggage) and check in luggage. Make sure you learn about your airline's policies concerning luggage size, weight, goods restrictions, and any other matters, before you begin packing.When you check in, the airline staff will weigh your bags. You will usually be allowed about 20 kilograms for the luggage you check, plus 7 kilograms for any bags you carry onto the plane. If your bags weigh more than the weight allowed, you will incur excess baggage charges or you might even have to leave some of your belongings behind.
In addition, if you need to make a domestic flight to your final destination in New Zealand there may be different baggage restrictions. Make sure you check with your travel agent or look at your airlines' (all of them) policies concerning baggage restrictions. Non compliance with weight restrictions (whether domestic travel within New Zealand or international travel) could end up costing you a lot of money! This also applies for your return trip to home.
Items that may be useful to bring to New Zealand are listed below:
· Mother tongue language textbooks relevant to what you will be studying in New Zealand
· Electronic dictionary
· Tape recorder (for recording classes/lectures)
· Mobile phone (more expensive in New Zealand than China. Refer to 'Keeping in Touch')
· Familiar items from home e.g. favourite CDs, photos of your family and friends
· Camera
· Recipes for your favourite dishes
Put your name, address and phone number on the inside and outside of each of your bags.
If you wear glasses, pack an extra pair and bring your eyeglass or contact lens prescription. Bring them and any medication you need in your carry-on bag. Many medicines are illegal in New Zealand. The Customs staff at the airport may want lots of information about any medicine you have with you (refer to 'Clearing Customs' on p. 13). Keep medicine in their original, labelled containers. Bring copies of any prescriptions and the generic names for the medicine. Get a letter from your doctor explaining your need to take the medicine. If you have any doubts that the medicine you take may not be legal in New Zealand, you should check with the New Zealand Embassy in China. Other items you should include in your carry-on bag include:
A change of clothing (at least underwear), a toothbrush, and other personal items you would need if your checked luggage is delayed or lost or your flight is delayed
· Telephone numbers and email addresses of friends and relatives in New Zealand
· Telephone numbers and email addresses of your school or institution (International Student Office), and / or homestay organiser
· Address and telephone number of the accommodation you will be staying at on arrival (including homestay details)
· Passport and airline tickets
· Traveller's cheques, cash, or bank cards
· Important personal documentation
· Medical and dental records
· Extra passport-size photographs
· A pen to fill out documents for arrival
Make sure you pack your own bags, that way you will know you have packed all the things you need and want. Label all your luggage inside and outside with your name and address in New Zealand (even if its just a temporary address).
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Prohibited Items
New Zealand has very strict laws regarding what you can bring into the country to screen out unwanted pests and diseases. You must not bring in any animals or insects (live or dead), fresh foods, including meat and some packaged goods. There are also limits on goods that you can bring in. If you have any of the above, you must declare them when you arrive. Failure to declare could result in a fine or prosecution. It pays to check with Customs if you have any doubts. Go to: www.customs.govt.nz. To find out more about what you can bring in, go to: www.protectnz.org.nz. Remember to tell friends and family, who may send you things, of New Zealand's strict laws.
Illegal drugs
Do not import illegal drugs into New Zealand. The importation of drugs could result in your imprisonment. Be wary of carrying packages or baggage for strangers.
Be aware that ephedrine and pseudoephedrine-based products, such as Contac NT tablets, are subject to legal restrictions in New Zealand. These restrictions mean that you may only bring these products to New Zealand for your own reasonable personal use.
This is because these substances are being widely used in the manufacture of the Class A controlled drug methamphetamine. If you become involved in the supply of these substances, knowing that they are to be used for a criminal purpose, you face heavy penalties under New Zealand law and could go to jail for up to seven years.
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The faster you learn English and adjust to think in English the more you will get out of your New Zealand experience.
You should practice your English as much as possible as soon as you know you are coming to New Zealand. Go to watch English movies, listen to English radio and watch English TV programmes – especially the news. Read a lot of English. New Zealand newspapers and magazines are available on the internet – (e.g. http://www.stuff.co.nz, http://www.nzherald.co.nz, http://www.cuisine.co.nz, http://www.unlimited.co.nz). You can also use the search term ESL in an internet search engine to access English Language Exercises.
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Do not carry large amounts of cash when you travel to New Zealand. Carrying large amounts of cash is not safe. Traveller's cheques are the safest way to carry large amounts of money, and are accepted at hotels, banks and some shops. Another option is electronic transfer from China, once you have opened a New Zealand bank account.
Bring enough cash with you for the first week. US dollars or pounds sterling are best. US$200 should be enough to last your first week in New Zealand. Once here, it's easy to change your money (travellers cheques or cash) at a bank, or Bureau de Change kiosk at the airport or in the town or city.
If you bring NZ$10,000 cash or more with you, you'll need to declare this to Customs when you arrive in New Zealand. Once in New Zealand, it's not very safe to keep large amounts of cash at the place you are living or on your person. By large amounts we mean anything over NZ$1000.
You can use most credit cards with Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club, and American Express being the most widely used. The Police recommend using credit cards rather than carry cash.
ATMs (Automatic Teller Machines) are widely available in shopping malls and outside banks in all towns and cities. International credit cards and ATM cards work as long as they have a four-digit PIN (password that is made up of four numbers). Check with your bank before leaving home to make sure your PIN will work when you get here. Do not tell anyone your PIN number.
Once in New Zealand you should open a bank account because this is the safest place to keep your money.
