This information contained in this section is designed to help facilitate the transition from overseas to NZ. A number of independent sources of information have been listed where appropriate and individuals are strongly encouraged to gather as much information as possible to develop a realistic and personal impression of life in NZ.

Costs

Personnel enlisting into the NZ Army from overseas are responsible for all travel expenses incurred. This means that all costs associated with travel, relocation, household removal and immigration/citizenship are the responsibility of the applicant.

Transfer between services

It is a common misconception that personnel are able to transfer from one overseas service to another. This type of arrangement is simply not possible. Current (overseas) serving applicants must be entirely discharged from their service obligations prior to being enlisted into the NZ Army. This includes being free from any long service leave, resettlement leave and any reserve liability that may exist. It should also be noted that Superannuation schemes and rights towards Pensions cannot be transferred to New Zealand. Where an applicant already has an entitlement to a pension an application for enlistment into the NZ Army would not affect this entitlement. However, any specific concerns should be addressed directly to the applicant's appropriate Pension/Superannuation Fund administrator.

Pay, Tax and Superannuation

NZ Army personnel are paid fortnightly and are subject to 'PAYE' (Pay As You Earn) tax in accordance with current New Zealand tax rates. Details of tax rates and brackets can be found at www.ird.govt.nz.

All personnel enlisted on an engagement of six years or longer are required to become a member of the current Armed Forces Superannuation Scheme. Personnel enlisted on an engagement of less than six years may however elect to voluntarily contribute to the Superannuation scheme upon enlistment. Details on this scheme can be found on www.nzdf.mil.nz. Overseas Superannuation schemes are unable to be transferred into an NZDF scheme.

Medical and Dental

All service personnel are provided with medical and dental care. The New Zealand Defence Force does not provide cover for the families of the service personnel.

New Zealand's public health system is good by world standards. Comprehensive life-long medical care is available to everyone. All essential health care is provided free through the public health system. This means that while some routine services, such as visits to local doctors and dentists, have to be paid for, more costly services, such as hospital treatment are, with minor exceptions, available free to all residents.

Military Housing

All members of the NZ Army are entitled to accommodation assistance. There are currently four types of accommodation assistance offered by the New Zealand Defence Force ranging from barrack accommodation and service houses, to a taxable allowance for personnel who rent privately, and lastly a taxable allowance for personnel with a mortgage on their family home.

Please note that overseas enlistees have no special priority for service houses and personnel will be allocated a house as soon as one becomes available.

Family Friendly / EEO

The NZ Army has family friendly, equal employment and anti-harassment policies in effect. Family friendly policies have been implemented so that the unique aspects of the service (such as deployments etc) do not impact adversely on the families of service personnel. These policies can be viewed on www.nzdf.mil.nz

There are also a wide range of trained personnel that are able to provide guidance and information on any aspects of discrimination, harassment or other adverse events.

Medals

Any award received whilst in the service of any Commonwealth nation of which The Queen is head of state may be worn without restriction subject to production of satisfactory evidence of entitlement.

Leave

The standard entitlements to Annual Leave are to be based on the aggregate period which an individual has served in the Regular Forces: less than five years service, entitled to 16 working days of leave, more than five years service, entitled to 21 working days leave. Ordinarily, service whilst in Overseas Forces is recognised and reflected in the Offer of Service.

Military Personnel are also entitled to 13 days Statutory Leave.

Employment for Partners & Family

Getting a job in New Zealand may be a challenge if you have not arranged work before arriving. The more experience and qualifications you have to offer, the better your chances will be in securing a position. However, even well qualified migrants may take six or more months to find suitable employment.
It is also common for highly qualified migrants to accept more junior positions than they held at home. Disappointing as this may be, it does provide new migrants with the New Zealand work experience most employers demand. These difficulties tend to diminish with time, but it is important to be prepared for a period of adjustment during at least the first year of residence. www.seek.co.nz, www.netcheck.co.nz, and www.jobsearch.co.nz are the best sources of employment opportunities.

More Information / Feedback

Any requests for further information on this or the other linked websites can be directed to the Overseas Recruiting Officer.

Please advise if there are any aspects of the recruiting process which are not covered in this site and you believe should be. We will consider all requests and update this site as required.

Important Note:

The links provided below will take you to sites that are not controlled by the New Zealand Defence Force. The New Zealand Defence Force in no way endorses the goods or services they may offer. The New Zealand Defence Force does not accept liability for the veracity or currency of any information contained on these sites. These links are provided for your assistance only.

Useful Websites

www.immigration.govt.nz
Excellent website which provides up-to-date information on living in NZ, comparable standard of living in NZ, gaining Permanent NZ Residency and Citizenship, housing, health, education, work, business, the Treaty Of Waitangi and useful contact addresses.

www.nzqa.govt.nz
NZQA can be contacted if any qualifications require to be assessed to a New Zealand equivalent as part of an application for Permanent NZ Residency.

www.nzdf.mil.nz
Public domain information on the New Zealand Defence Force and links to the single services.

www.govt.nz
Provides detailed information on local and central Government services.

www.moe.govt.nz
The Ministry of Education website with information on early childhood, primary & secondary education.

www.ero.govt.nz
The Education Review Office website which provides government reports on all schools in NZ and two helpful publications – Choosing a School for a Five Year Old & Choosing a Secondary School.

www.moh.govt.nz
The Ministry of Health website with information on all areas of the public health system.

www.ird.govt.nz
The Inland Revenue Department website. Information on all tax related issues.

www.purenz.com  www.tourisminfo.govt.nz  www.stuff.co.nz
General information on New Zealand.

www.stats.govt.nz
Information and statistics on New Zealand.

www.open2view.co.nz  www.realenz.co.nz  www.real-estate-nz.com
Real estate websites that provide an idea of house prices and what is available in each location of New Zealand.

www.rentalproperties.co.nz
Rental property website that will provide an idea of availability and prices of rental properties around NZ.

www.seek.co.nz  www.netcheck.co.nz www.jobsearch.co.nz
Employment opportunity websites.