The big move

What we did during our big move

After our residency was approved and my wife job offer was confirmed, we have only about 2 months to prepare to move. I remember that period was very stressful as I have to cope with the feeling of leaving our relatives back home as well as to arrange for some of our stuff to be sent to New Zealand. One of a main question most migrant would ask if whether to ship their things over to the new country. Although New Zealand would not tax on GST on the items that you bring in for your first visit  In my personal opinion I if far easier to start from scratch and only bring over those things which have some sentimental value. This is not only due to the cost of freight but also the uncertainty of where you would be settling in within the first year. It is more than likely that you would rent a house and moving all the furniture would add to the burden of moving.

Prior to our move I had sell off our property in Malaysia. As the time to sell of the property is horrendously lengthy I am lucky that my sister was able to manage the sale for me. I had drawn up a power of attorney for this purpose. I would advise those who faces such situation to do the same but the person you name in the power of attorney must be trustworthy and willing to do this task. I had also discontinued the power and water supply. For those who wishes to rent out your property, it is advisable to get someone reliable to manage it. 

It is also important to nominate someone who is reliable to handle your financial affairs should you missed out something important and you are not present to attend to it then. 

One other very important task is to get your tax clearance as you would not want to be detained at the airport for any potential tax liabilities. 

Lastly, we had a farewell gathering, which was a moment filled with mixed  emotions of sadness, excitedment  and anxiousness. A moment which you would leave and start to miss your loved ones. You might also have doubts if you had made a right decisions where you embark into a new journey.