Brit family spends £20,000 moving to other side of the world and say it's just like living in the 90s

A family who spent £20,000 to move to the other side of the world and live in New Zealand say it was 'worth it' and they're living in a home that reminds them of the way the UK was 'in the nineties'.

Sean Purdy, 36, and his wife Tania, 40, had travelled around South America for nine months last year with eight-year-old son Atticus and seven-year-old daughter Aurelia.

Though they both worked while they travelled, Tania as a teacher and Sean in marketing, their life on the move wasn't sustainable and in May they moved back to the UK.

Tania had been applying for teaching roles in New Zealand and the day after they landed back in Britain she had a job interview for one of them, a week later she was told the position was hers and the Purdy family were looking at their next big move.

They put their house up for sale but deals don't happen quickly and they had to borrow £15,000 then get another £5,000 from family to afford the move across the world.

The family travelled around South America last year before returning to the UK, then Tania got a job offer from New Zealand (Sean Purdy / SWNS)

Last month they flew out to Katikati, Bay of Plenty, and moved into their new rented home in New Zealand with Tania teaching at a secondary school and Sean becoming a labourer to help make ends meet.

The Derbyshire man said that 'things happened quick' and after Tania was offered the job they mulled it over for 10 days before deciding to move to the other side of the world.

It's still early days but they're enjoying a better work life balance and while they've not really noticed things are cheaper they do like the lifestyle more, with them still spending around £1,800 a month in various costs of living.

He said: "Initially the reason we wanted to move out of the was the cost of living, but in New Zealand it's pretty much on par with back home.

"For us, it's the work life balance. We still work in New Zealand but everything is a bit more slower paced and not so much like the nine to five rat race the UK seems to have."

The family flew out to New Zealand to start their new life there and they say it's 'just like the nineties' (Sean Purdy / SWNS)

He said that he felt the UK was lacking in 'culture and connectivity with big friend groups', saying that being in New Zealand 'reminds me of how the UK was in the nineties' where 'people just seem to want to help out complete strangers'.

"It threw us off a bit as our experience in the UK, people are helpful but you are more into yourself and what you need to do," Sean said.

"The Kiwis seem to be more out of their selves and happy to help random strangers at a whim."

Sean said that while he'd 'never been invited to anything school wise in the UK', three days into living in New Zealand and the family was invited to a traditional Māori greeting called mihi whakatau.

He said: "We were full on greeted and sang and got a hongi – where you put your head on their nose and do a deep breath."

It cost them around £20,000 to move over to New Zealand, but they plan to stay there for the rest of their lives (Sean Purdy / SWNS)

Breaking down the costs of moving to New Zealand, the family had to spend £3,000 on straight to residence visas, while health checks for the family cost £800, while he and Tania had to undergo a police check which cost £300, and flights across the world cost the family £3,000.

There were 'a bunch of other bits and bobs' which piled on the costs, and then the family had to deal with the 'unexpected things' like finding a place to rent and buying a car so they could drive around once they'd migrated.

Even though they had to borrow money to afford the move the family think it's been '100 percent worth it', with beaches and mountains both within easy reach of their new home.

"The trade off at the moment is the first one to two years costs will be harder and things will be harder as we're in a completely new country," he said.

"It's still a trade off of having an outdoors lifestyle, community and a bit more freedom. That's the trade off we're happy with."

They're planning on buying a house pretty soon, though they need to sort out selling their old one first (Sean Purdy / SWNS)

Their plan is to complete the sale of their house back in the UK so they can afford to get a mortgage over in New Zealand.

Sean added that since changing career he's spoken to 'people who were managers or doctors who took a big step down' in their careers after the move to New Zealand and said the important thing was 'the Kiwi experience'.

The former marketer is on £31,942.50 a year as a labourer while Tania is earning around £42,590 as a secondary school teacher, and the working day is slightly shorter in New Zealand.

They're planning to live there for the rest of their lives, but said that since some of the younger New Zealanders leave the country 'as they say there is not much to do' they might move away again if they own children decide to go.