Ethicare Resourcing
Auckland's skyline and the Waitematā Harbour seen across parkland from the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial
Relocation Collection · No. 01
Your journey begins here

Auckland

Tāmaki Makaurau — the place desired by many

A guide to living, working and settling in New Zealand’s largest city — written for healthcare professionals, by the team who help them move.

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15 chapters Updated July 2026 Free
Welcome

Kia ora, and a warm welcome to Aotearoa.

Moving countries is a big step. It is also, for most people, the beginning of a much better working life — shorter lists, real weekends, and a country you can cross in a day.

You won’t be doing it alone. Auckland is home to more than two hundred ethnicities, and whatever you left behind you will find some version of it here — the food, the festivals, the accents on the bus. New Zealanders call it manaakitanga: looking after the people who arrive.

This guide covers the practical ground — the health system, houses, money, schools, and where to go on your first free Saturday. Read it in order, or jump to what you need.

Nau mai, haere mai ki Aotearoa.

Ngā mihi nui — the Ethicare team

People relaxing on the lawn of a downtown Auckland park with the city skyline behind
Downtown · an ordinary lunchtime
Start where you are

Three ways into this guide

People arrive here at very different stages. Pick the one that sounds like you — each opens three chapters worth reading first.

Auckland, in short

The five-second version
1.7m
Residents · a third of NZ
200+
Ethnicities, side by side
50+
Islands in the Hauraki Gulf
48
Dormant volcanic cones
Where
Upper North Island, on an isthmus between two harbours
Climate
Warm and humid, subtropical. Frosts are rare
Main hospitals
Auckland City, Middlemore, North Shore, Waitākere
Getting home
Auckland Airport — New Zealand’s main international gateway
Contents

What’s inside

Fifteen chapters in five parts. Nine are written for Auckland; the rest are national and live once in Moving to New Zealand, so you only read them once.

Part one · Deciding
01 Welcome to AucklandThe city of sails and volcanoes, and what living in New Zealand’s biggest city means Read now → 02 Why AucklandThe case for the city, a typical week, and where we’d point you instead Read now → 03 Auckland at a glanceThe isthmus, the volcanoes, the harbours — and the year in four parts Read now →
Part two · The city
04 Healthcare in AucklandThe deepest job market in the country, the hospital campuses, and how the private sector fits Read now → 05 Where clinicians liveSixteen suburbs compared — pick your hospital and the list re-sorts around it Read now → 06 Getting aroundThe bridge, the motorways, the trains and the ferries — and whether you need a car Read now →
Part three · Money & home
07 Cost of livingThe most expensive city in New Zealand, and what a clinical salary covers Read now → 08 Renting a homeYour application pack, bond, tenancy rights and the Healthy Homes standards Shared · national 09 Money, tax & bankingIRD numbers, KiwiSaver, opening an account and sending money home Shared · national
Part four · Everyday life
10 Food, shopping & the everydayThe most diverse food city in the country — and where to find what you grew up with Read now → 11 Weekends & the outdoorsTwo harbours, the west coast beaches, the islands and the ranges Read now → 12 Driving & licencesConverting your licence, buying a car, a warrant of fitness and registration Shared · national
Part five · Belonging
13 Te ao Māori at workPronunciation, the words you will hear on the ward, and marae etiquette Shared · national 14 Finding your feet & your peopleHow friendship works here, and building a life outside the hospital Shared · national 15 Visas, registration & the moveWhich visa, what your qualification is worth here, and the order things happen in Shared · national
Work

The deepest job market in the country

If you already know your profession, start with your own guide — each one covers registration, what the work is like, and how pay is structured.

All rolesCurrent opportunities →Live vacancies across New Zealand, updated as they open. ProfessionSonographers →Registration, scope of practice and what the work looks like day to day. ProfessionRadiographers →MRT registration, modalities and how departments here are structured. ProfessionRadiation therapists →Where the centres are, and how the pathway into them works. ProfessionAnaesthetic technicians →A role that works differently here than in most other countries. PaySalary & how pay works →How agreements, steps and allowances fit together, and what to check before you accept.
Black sand and a dramatic headland on Auckland's west coast at dusk
Piha · forty minutes from the city
Sophie’s insight

Auckland is where most journeys into New Zealand begin — the biggest, most connected city, with the deepest healthcare job market in the country. It rewards people who want big-city life with the outdoors close by. Housing is the main cost to plan for, but few places offer this much variety within forty minutes of home.

Sophie Careem, founder of Ethicare Resourcing
Sophie Careem
Founder, Ethicare Resourcing
When you’re ready

Ready to explore opportunities?

Read the guide, save it to your pack, and plan the move at your own pace — even if that’s a year from now.

Explore current opportunities Ask Ethicare Plan your move Read the other regional guides