Annette - District Nurse, Timaru

"My name is Annette Holden and I am a UK registered nurse, who came to New Zealand in August 2014, this process took about one year.
The easiest part of the process was working with Accent Health Recruitment and buying the plane tickets! The most challenging part of the process was getting my visa and the high cost of emigrating.

My first impressions of NZ were what a beautiful place, nice people and the scenery is just lovely. The photo attached was taken at Lake Tekapo and as I write this, I am sitting at the beach with my family eating fish and chips  LIFE IS GOOD!

I have found that New Zealand does not cater for vegetarians especially well- many items have gelatin or beef fat in the food, the cost of living is higher and I do miss Cadburys chocolate!
The thing I miss especially though are my family and friends. It has taken a long time to settle down, to make new friends, learn a different culture and understand the language i.e gum boots etc. My suggestion is to speak to someone who has gone through the process already -I did and it really helped. Use a company for the visa process and to find a job. We used Paul Goddard Migration Planners for the visa process. This was the best move as it made the process so much easier. Accent Health Recruitment helped me find a job and supported us through the process of emigrating and I could not thank them enough for their assistance and support.

You go through so many emotions for the first year. You have highs and lows. I only know that at this stage in my life it's frightening and exciting. Don't have a plan as you never follow it. Live for the moment. It's a journey that we will continue to follow."