Pack makes settling in the Hutt easy

Settling in a new country is always tough, but with the help of Councils settlement support service, Moera local Editha Pangan has made an easy transition to her new life in Hutt City.

Lord of the Rings was among many reasons for moving to New Zealand. “My son loves Lord of the Rings, he has all the figurines. We had a vote about where we wanted to live everyone shouted New Zealand, New Zealand!” she says.

Editha moved to Lower Hutt in August 2009 and knew about settlement support from reading the news and friends.

“I got in touch and received a Welcome to Hutt City pack and I still have it today. It’s been helpful for finding out about education, jobs, money, and buying my house,”

“It’s great because the pack has all the information we need and if you want to talk to someone all the contacts are in one reliable place. You know it’s the truth,” says Editha.

Hutt City’s settlement support pack contains information on aspects of life in New Zealand from our education, health care and tax systems to how to rent a house and open a bank account.

“It really has made it easier,” says Editha.

“It even mentions the weather but you really need to experience it yourself - it’s like having all four seasons in one day,” she laughs.

Editha landed her current job helping other Hutt City locals through contacts she made at a recent settlement support event. Editha’s long term goal is to put her masters in policy to use and become a permanent resident of New Zealand. This means finding a permanent skilled job before her 9 month visa expires.

Copies of Welcome to Hutt City are available free from Hutt City Council or can be downloaded from www.huttcity.govt.nz/ssnz