Haere mai, haere mai, haere mai. Tena kotou, tena kotou, tena kotou katua.
For anyone returning to NZ, the welcome chorus of Maori powhiri and birdsong as one walks through the arrival's hall can be an emotional roller coaster. No-where else in the world can offer that same experience, so it can trigger mixed feelings. If you're returning to New Zealand because things haven't turned out the way you planned the feeling is even more intense.
For some of you returning in 2020, it could be that you've had to reduce your OE time to just a few months rather than the few years you had planned. And that is truly disappointing. But for many, it will mean the end of an era. It will have meant deciding to uproot your children from their schools. It will mean leaving behind loved friends and places. It may mean giving up precious possessions or a job and lifestyle that you built over a long period. For these families, we know that this is truly a heart-breaking and challenging time.
The global financial crisis in 2007 saw many kiwis returning home before they intended—my family among them with two small children in tow. We had just registered our eldest son to start school when suddenly my husband didn’t have a job in the UK any more The other half of the Pinnacle Marketing team, Kerry, returned home from the states with her 3 children under the age of 8 after separating from her husband. Other friends returned home earlier than planned to care for loved ones when they got ill or if family members died before their time. None of us found it easy.
If you’ve returned to NZ because of the current global pandemic, you’re not alone. As well as the fellow kiwis returning now, others have gone before you.
Returning to NZ after living away can be both wonderful and soul-destroying. You remember the things that always frustrated you about 'home' that you had forgotten about. You quickly start to miss the things that you might have hated overseas, but which you now realise made life so much easier (of course I am talking about the tube or subway – NZ public transport has a long way to go). Mostly your sense of 'home' is displaced as you readjust and re-settle.
Our top tip is to focus on the good stuff about moving back to NZ and let your happy memories of your time away shape your thinking. Don’t get lost in thinking about what you can't control and what you've left behind.
Good things about being in NZ are (and we're not even going to mention being Covid free!):
1. You can see the ocean from just about anywhere
2. Shoes are optional – even to the supermarket.
4. Pineapple lumps, Vogel's bread and marmite are available at every supermarket and corner dairy.
5. You can be in the country in under 30 mins even from our biggest cities without driving on a 4-lane highway.
6. We're the first in the world to start each day – so we have a head start on everyone else.
7. There's no need to carry cash – use your card or phone to pay for anything and everything
8. You can go skiing and surfing on the same day.
9. We have some of the world’s most spectacular scenery and most incredible wildlife.
10. Whitaker's chocolate – enough said.
In a year of global chaos and uncertainty, focus on looking after your loved ones and on what makes you feel lucky. Haere mai returnees. We're happy to see you home.
Photo by Marco Marques on Unsplash
