515
New member
Mr Burwell, below is info for temporary import of a vehicle into Nz. https://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/importing-a-vehicle/exceptions/importing-a-vehicle-temporarily/
Family of 4 moving to New Zealand
- Thread starter AK Burwell
- Start date
515
New member
Camper vans in NZ seem to hold their value very well, so you would not loose much over your stay.
Kea sells ex lease campers.
www.rvsupercentre.co.nz
Trade Me is the eBay of Nz, most dealers and private sellers will list here.
Kea sells ex lease campers.
Maui & Britz Ex-rental Motorhomes for Sale | RV Super Centre NZ
Maui, Britz refurbished motorhomes and ex-rental campervans for sale in Auckland and Christchurch, NZ. Visit our dealerships today and talk to our RV experts. Buy and sell motorhomes and campervans at RV Super Centre.
www.rvsupercentre.co.nz
Trade Me is the eBay of Nz, most dealers and private sellers will list here.
515
New member
Driving a LHD vehicle in NZ is difficult as most roads and even state highways are only dual carriageway ie. one lane north and one lane south. Roads are generally twisty and hilly making passing difficult enough in a RHD vehicle.
Also there are not many options to make use of real 4*4 camper.
Also there are not many options to make use of real 4*4 camper.
AK Burwell
Member
All of this is good information and certainly a strong recommendation and likely the direction we'll go; buying something to explore in country. At first the consideration of bringing our own van was appealing as we could pack it full with our gear in a container but the restrictions on size for a container make the vehicle size restrictions either not a full fledged camper or crazy expensive like an Earth Cruiser or the pop up addition to a low roof Sprinter. Then if you end up doing roll on roll off shipping you're unable to pack it with your belongings for safety and security of your stuff as the dock workers drive it on and off plus that option is 3x more expensive than a container.
So on to where to live and unsure where you live but interested in what you think? We're most interested in the outdoor recreation and climate of a place like Nelson, NZ. My wife would be looking for work as a GP and I'm looking for work building interesting commercial or residential construction projects.
alanymarce
Well-known member
"A newer LHD rig can only be imported for a year or maybe 18 months using a carnet."
If you are going to be resident you cannot bring a vehicle in on a carnet. It's for visitors only. A carnet is normally issued for 12 months and can be extended for another 12 (not true for some countries though).
Assuming OP will be a resident, unless the vehicle is older than 30 years (I think it's 30) or in a few circumstances which I suspect will not apply, you can't import it.
If you are going to be resident you cannot bring a vehicle in on a carnet. It's for visitors only. A carnet is normally issued for 12 months and can be extended for another 12 (not true for some countries though).
Assuming OP will be a resident, unless the vehicle is older than 30 years (I think it's 30) or in a few circumstances which I suspect will not apply, you can't import it.
AK Burwell
Member
Our main visa for the family will be an essential skills work visa and that's up to 5 years but we'd likely only be in country for 18-24 months.
Tudor Tanase
Member
Make sure your wife can actually work as GP. Otherwise the govt gives you the visa (as they need Dr’s - you’ll soon see why) and the NZ Medical Council will make sure she can’t work (they hate competition). Anyway that was 20 years ago, I hope things changed for the better.
Very few places open for 4wd, fences and locked gates everywhere. Bought a 4wd and swapped it for a van after 6 months as no use for 4wd and total pain to sleep in anything but a hard walled camper/van due to wind and rain. Apart from that, very picturesque country, worth visiting. Less so settling.
AK Burwell
Member
Good and consistent advice on the 4wd access. Sorry to hear it sounds like you were oversold and under delivered on your work in NZ. We have several colleagues who have established practices from the US in NZ in the last 10 years so we expect things to work out professionally for us but will certainly make sure we've gotten all the correct paperwork complete.
AK Burwell
Member
Well.... we kept the dream alive and hit almost every imaginable roadblock but have successfully expatriated. We were buried in paperwork for a year, sold everything we didn't need, fit what we did need in a 20' cube from our PNW home and have finally made it to New Zealand! Just in time as COVID and forrest fires rage on. I write this as we spend day 10 of 14 in MIQ (managed isolation and quarantine). Once clear for COVID risk, we motor from Christchurch up to Nelson to take delivery on our 1997 Toyota Hiace 1KZ SuperCustom G with full-time 4WD and a low 99k km's. Ended up working with Duke at YotaImports.com near our old home in Bend, Oregon to spec and procure our initial van build that is heading over in our container. Started with a FrontRunner roof rack, Westy ladder, Dukka snorkel, Ironman shocks and HD springs to provide a touch more clearance and better ride quality. Not going full dedicated camper but did add an ARB awning, a Trail Kitchen and large family swag for camping or trailhead or beach visits. I will share more pictures once the container arrives but here is the van as bought...
AK Burwell
Member
AK Burwell
Member
Ended up getting work in Nelson! T - 4 days until we are there!
AK Burwell
Member
