Case Studies

Mark Stewart

Having spent 20 years as a Foreign Exchange Trader in London, New York and Germany, Mark Stewart was ready to slow down. He was seeking a more relaxed environment and also a safe place to bring up his children. New Zealand with its English language, law and schooling system was a natural choice.

Background
When asked what motivated Mark in his decision to transfer his UK Pension to New Zealand, he responded with “Having been in NZ for 10 years now, I feel that I have completely settled and am very likely to retire here. As I approach retirement I want to have more control over where my money is. In the last 10 years or so there have been instances of UK pension companies falling over. In addition the performance in some cases has been disappointing and I continue to be exposed to exchange rate fluctuations”.

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Sofia Williams

In November 2007 Sofia Williams moved back to New Zealand after living in the UK for 35 years. “I decided to retire and felt New Zealand would allow me a better quality of life”. 

Background
Sofia moved to a small coastal town some 70kms from Wellington where she had spent her teenage years. “A number of my friends had moved over the years from Wellington up the Kapiti Coast. I liked the raw and natural side of this coast and a few years ago whilst on a holiday I had found a delightful spot overlooking the a stream, wetlands, sand dunes which also had a glimpse of the sea. I brought the house as an investment and it also gave me a step on the property ladder if I ever decided to return to NZ. The setting was a far cry from the rat race of London”.

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James Barnett

James Barnett has been living in New Zealand since 1991. He and his wife Sarah decided to give themselves three years to settle in New Zealand before making the final decision to shift for good.

Background
James and Sarah arrived in Auckland, neither with jobs but quickly gained employment. James explains, “My wife and I decided to live in New Zealand after visiting. We came out with no job established, but we had managed to get residency. Since then we have evolved into a family of four, with two children and are very happy”.

James monitored both his and Sarah’s UK Pension Plans from time to time, requesting his free ‘annual statement’. He wasn’t in any desperate rush for the money, and was more concerned with the timing of the transfer, to ensure it was the optimal time to do so.

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