Frequently asked questions

I find rental homes in Hawke's Bay for families moving to New Zealand. You tell me how your family lives; I turn that into a brief, search the market, ask property managers your questions, walk you through the homes you like on video, and help you with everything you need to apply and sign.

It's a 30-minute call with me, and it's where every engagement starts. We talk through your family, your timing, and what you need from a home — and whether the service is a fit. Afterwards I send you a short written brief: my suggestions on neighbourhoods, schools and timing, based on our conversation. The call is free.

From US$3,500, paid upfront when you sign on — the first 3 families sign on at launch pricing, from US$2,995. The base includes up to five recorded video walkthroughs and up to two live Zoom viewings, plus the search, shortlisting, and application work end to end. A year of the community, three months of support after you move in, and a welcome package are all included, and I take on three families at a time.

My setting-up service — the practical side of arriving. You tell me what you'd like organised: power and internet, furniture, bedding, the kitchen, the kids' school kit, food for the first few days. I bring you options, then shop and collect — or you order online from NZ shops I recommend and have it sent to me. Second-hand is fine too: Trade Me, Facebook Marketplace and op shops. Every purchase is approved by you first. It's billed hourly: US$475 for the first 10 hours, then US$50 an hour or another 10-hour block. You don't need to be a home-finding client to book it.

No. The fee is for the work: the brief, the search, the walkthroughs, the time with property managers and landlords, and support through the application. What's on the market during your window is outside anyone's control. What I can promise is that you'll see the best of what's available, with someone on the ground working for you.

We agree a search window together — typically four weeks of active searching. If you want a home ready when you land, we start about a month before you arrive. If you'd rather see homes in person, we start two weeks before you arrive and keep going for two weeks after.

Hawke's Bay — Havelock North, Hastings, Napier and around. That includes the suburbs and villages families ask about most: Taradale, Ahuriri, Greenmeadows, Clive, Haumoana, Te Awanga, Waimarama and Bay View. If the right home sits just outside that, we're flexible. Rentals only: the service is built around finding a rental home for your arrival.

You don't need to be here. I recommend listings that fit your brief; when one interests you, I contact the property manager or landlord for the details and ask your questions. If you like the answers, I arrange a time and record a video walkthrough for you to watch and share. If it's a real contender, we do a second walkthrough live on Zoom — and when you're ready to apply, I help you prepare everything you need.

A private online space I run for the families I work with: my relocation checklist and guides, local recommendations, my picks of current listings, and the other families mid-move or already landed in New Zealand. A year of it is included with the full service.

Hawke's Bay is one of New Zealand's sunniest regions — around 2,200 hours a year, with a dry, mild climate. That turns into everyday life here: beaches like Waimarama and Ocean Beach, close to 200 km of flat, easy cycle trails, Te Mata Peak on the doorstep, and the world's largest mainland gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers. It's wine and orchard country too — 70-plus wineries and weekly farmers' markets — and the schools, especially around Havelock North, are a big part of why families settle here. It's the life we chose for our own family.