Your October 2025 Newsletter

October 2025

Kia Ora

As the year winds down and the festive season approaches, many of us feel the shift - deadlines to meet, family and social commitments, and the pull of rest and celebration.

It’s the perfect moment to revisit a much-discussed (and often misunderstood) topic: work/life balance, something New Zealanders value highly, with a culture that prioritises downtime, taking leave, and time outdoors.

We also share guidance on bringing pets to New Zealand, celebrate Kiwi words rark up and mōrena being added to the Oxford English Dictionary, and highlight a true symbol of summer: jandals - easy, comfortable footwear loved by Kiwis when the sun is out.

What Work / Life Balance Really Means

Many of our clients talk about wanting a better balance between work and life as part of their ‘why’ for moving to New Zealand.

There’s certainly a perception that Kiwis manage this quite differently to other cultures.

Why is this a ‘thing’ in New Zealand?

New Zealand consistently tops global work/life balance rankings for the following reasons:
Basic annual leave provisions are 4 weeks (20 days) plus 11 public holidays
A standard 37.8-hour work week
Employer respect for personal time
A culture that values outdoor life - hiking, surfing, or even a simple weekend at a bach (holiday home).

New Zealand’s approach to work/life balance isn’t just about workplace policies. It’s woven into the fabric of life here. For example, people do take vacations, including time off during school holidays to spend with their children.

Can it also be part of culture shock?

Despite being attracted to the idea of working less and enjoying life more, newcomers to NZ sometimes find it challenging to make the transition to what work/life balance means in practice. For many it is a big cultural change.

Here are some ideas for how to make the goal a reality:

Establish boundaries. Work/life balance is about knowing when work ends and rest begins
Learn to shift priorities. Lean into work for deadlines, then swing toward downtime, maybe a hike or a quiet morning at a local café
Balance = health. Mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing are essential. Balance isn’t just “fitting fun in”, it’s protecting your core health
Quality over quantity. It’s not the hours you clock, but how present you are - whether you’re enjoying a family barbeque in the backyard or a productive sprint at work

How to Navigate Christmas, Public Holidays & Year-End Breaks

The Kiwi summer holiday can be quite a challenging time for newly arrived expats. There is a crazy rush to get everything done prior to Christmas then everyone vanishes for at least 10 days.

I’ll always remember one American client telling me she had gone back to work between Christmas and New Year - she had never taken that time off before and it was just too confronting to even consider doing it in her first few months of a new job in a new country. Needless to say she was alone at the office!

If this sounds like you, here are some tips for how to set yourself up for holiday success in New Zealand.

Set expectations early. Let your team, clients, and family know your availability

Segment your time. Decide which days are fully off versus light check-ins

Use public holidays as anchors. NZ holidays are built-in recovery points - you're expected to use them!

In New Zealand, Christmas marks the start of the long summer break. Offices often start winding down before Christmas Eve, reopening mid-January. Many businesses even have compulsory shutdowns over the Christmas to New Year period. With school holidays running through early February, January is prime, beach and road-trip season.

It’s a uniquely Kiwi rhythm: barbecues with family, long afternoons at the cricket, kids racing around barefoot, and plenty of time outdoors.

For expats, it can be an adjustment to see cities like Auckland or Wellington noticeably quieter as locals swap office wear for shorts, sunhats and jandals.

Expats from the Northern Hemisphere often need time to get used to this, as in their home countries only the Christmas holidays are taken due to winter. While in New Zealand, many Kiwis take extended summer holidays.

But it’s also one of the best times to embrace the local lifestyle, slowing down, reconnecting, and soaking up the summer.

Final Thoughts

We can give you all the tips in the world, but stories from expats who’ve mastered the Kiwi work/life balance paradigm will always have the most resonance.

One client described the adjustment from a “grind never stops” mentality to a culture where taking time off is encouraged and respected by employers.

Another, who arrived from Singapore, was used to 24/7 convenience and efficiency, and initially found early closing hours and a slower pace disorienting. Over time, though, he reframed it as “a chance to stop and smell the roses.”