New Zealand Expat in London Highlights Housing Differences and Shares Cultural Insights

Since Vita Molyneux settled in the British capital in March 2024, she has grown fond of its vibrant atmosphere, calling it an ‘upgrade’ from her previous lifestyle.

In an interview with the Express, the travel journalist expressed her delight in discovering homes equipped with double glazing and the wealth of career opportunities available.

She noted that the media industry in New Zealand is struggling, making it difficult to sustain a career there. In contrast, she found the UK offered higher salaries and a broader spectrum of work options.

She explained how the media industry in New Zealand is ‘on its knees’ and says she was struggling to maintain a career there, whereas in the UK she found higher pay and a greater range of work available. 

What’s more, London provides the sense of anonymity Vita craved; she said she misses the ‘lovely sense of community’ in New Zealand but that it can be a ‘double edged sword’ with everyone aware of everybody else’s business. 

The New Zealander also said she’s able to see positives in the housing Britain offers – something that many people born here complain about. 

Vita describes the housing in New Zealand as ‘unbelievably poor-quality’ and admits she ‘grew tired’ of it.

Travel writer Vita Molyneux moved from New Zealand to London in March 2024 and has experienced a range of benefits from career opportunities to better housing

The cost of renting was ‘extremely expensive,’ according to Vita, and the journalist often ended up ill in the winter months because of the bad conditions she was in. 

Damp, mould and no double glazing are common features in houses in New Zealand. 

Central heating also wasn’t widely used in Vita’s experience – a vast contrast to in the UK. 

Despite the discrepancies, Vita insists she has a deep love for her home country and ‘always will’.

However, she does note that many people have ‘romanticised’ the country into a version that doesn’t quite match reality.

Many Brits do move to New Zealand though and there are 122,571 British and Irish people living in New Zealand, according to a recent census.

Removals company John Mason International published a report noting an increase in outbound moves in 2025. 

UK migrants are typically choosing Christchurch, Wellington and Hamilton over Auckland.

The journalist admits she loves her home country but feels people have romanticised it

‘This seems to be influenced by New Zealand’s visa system, which awards extra points to skilled migrants who live outside Auckland, giving them a faster route to residency,’ says Simon Hood, the company’s owner.

Aside from an increase in Britons moving, he says the biggest inbound markets are South Africans – emigrating for the safety, stability and jobs in healthcare and engineering – and Australians. 

The country has also changed its ‘golden visa’ programme, an immigration scheme that grants residency to foreigners who make significant investments; and there has been a 500 per cent increase in applications this year (so far) on 2024, according to immigration advisory firm Henley & Partners.