When I was growing up in Brisbane I was referred to by my Sunshine Coast cousins as a “Briso”. Although definitely a derogatory term, Brisbane or Brisvegas as it is also known, has moved on a little. The latest resident to be nicknamed is a NewZealander living in Brisbane, who is now referred to as a Briwi (Brisbane Kiwi). If you are one such person and looking to move back across the ditch I have compiled a little guide to shipping for the Briwi. 
What will it cost to ship your stuff to New Zealand?
Usually when a Briwi first contacts us they are looking to do a cost benefit analysis. Will it cost more to ship than it’s worth? Well of course it depends what your goods are worth and how much you want to ship, but it can be very cheap to ship to New Zealand. Many of our clients ship quite old furniture or Ikea furniture, (which apparently is not available in New Zealand) and find it more economical than replacement.
There are two main ways really to ship, the first is to take your own container. A 20 ft container will hold a small 3 bedroom house. By small we mean, just one lounge room, dining room, outdoor setting and an average amount of furniture and effects. If you have more than one living room, 3 large bedrooms, a study and media room, you would probably need a 40 ft container. A 20 ft container door to door Brisbane to Auckland can be under $5,000 or it can be up to $7,000 depending on the packing services needed. A 40 ft container can be up to twice this. You really need to get a custom quote from one of our sales consultants.
If this is too scary, good international movers like Ocean Sky will have shared container options through the ports of Auckland and Christchurch. This means that the container is shared amongst a variety of consignees, goes into the main port and the consignments are delivered to the various places on the island. This gives you price options from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
What should I not pack?
When packing for your goods when moving to New Zealand you need to be aware of MAF (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry). New Zealand is serious about its bio-security and you need to be very aware of any dirt or biological products on your goods. MAF look at every shipment and take special interest in items such as mowers, ladders, camping gear.
How long will moving to New Zealand take?
Shipping to New Zealand is quite quick if it is a direct sailing. We have moved people door to door from Brisbane to Auckland within a week if it is a full container, and the sailing is timed well. However there are contingencies and a more realistic time-frame for a full container to Auckland is about 2 weeks and up to 3 or 4 weeks to the South Island if the sailings do not line up with packing dates. Your shipping consultant at Ocean Sky will be able to advise you on this issue.
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