NLSE

Hello again! Another new thread from a newbie.

Is there a way of opening a NZ bank account from the UK in readiness for the sum of money from our house sale?

What are the procedures of opening a NZ bank account whilst still in the UK.

Any help greatly appreciated.

dash1965

We opened up an account while over in Auckland with ASB. They have a branch in London and you can set up an account with them before you go. I'm sure others will too.

You might be advised to open an account with a money transfer company such as HiFX (there are others) as you get a better transfer rate especially for large sums of money.

That's what we have done anyway. You can aet up an account with HiFX (and others) really easily and they don't cost anything to set up an account.

Good luck

Dave

NLSE

Thanks again Dave!

phil01

Hi,
we opened our bank account whilst still in the UK. with the National Bank, applied online, faxed over the documents they wanted and got a letter saying all done. We then did an international money transfer into our NZ account and the money was there ready and waiting for us when we got over here... you can apply to most banks online and they do have an international section.
Debbie

NLSE

Thank you for your reply Debbie.

Maz

You should be able to set up an account with Kiwibank (www.kiwibank.co.nz) online. We set ours up in person, but can bank online, too. Remember, if a bank that's not Kiwibank goes belly up, all your money disappears back to Australia. Kiwibank is the only NZ-owned bank.

donnaf

We deposited our house sale money with Hifx who were brilliant and they transfered it to our NZ account when we wanted them too. You can also advise them to transfer at particular exchange rate and things like that. we were going to use moneycorp who provide the same service as Hifx but they really messed us around so I wouldn't recommnd them.

NLSE

Well after visiting the EXPO last month we've opened up a Westpac account. We're now in the process of finalising with MoneyCorp for the transfer.

Does anyone have any experiences on using either of these companies please? Good or bad.

My MIL seems to think we should really use a UK bank for safety . I’ve searched forums on both Westpac and MoneyCorp for any information and have found them both recommended.

Baron Silas Greenback

Jeez I wish it was that easy in reverse! The UK retail banking system is a nightmare for an immigrant to open an account with.

littleal

Westpac are bankers for the NZ government - is that a recommendation for you?

Seriously, a colleague's son has just gone a gap year to Australia. He has had no problems with Westpac. However HSBC at this end are causing him lots of grief.

Alison

sarahw

We opened an HSBC account in NZ from London - was pretty easy and got cheque books, ATM cards delivered to UK address. But don't expect HSBC NZ to be the same as HSBC UK - much smaller organisation, fewer branches/ATMs etc

NLSE

Well their 'lollies' tasted bloody lovely from the EXPO so we've opened up an account with them!

I had a case of the MIL thinking she knew everything yesterday but I think she was just concerned for us. Bless her.

mongoosegirl

i was wondering about this. i bank with HSBC in the UK and they have HSBC in NZ too, so would i be able to transfer my british bank account into a NZ one somehow? would that be easier than opening an account with a different bank in NZ or not (considering how stupid and inefficient HSBC sometimes are)? i know they have HSBC in NZ because i saw one in auckland near the hotel we were staying in, but is it widespread throughout the country and a major bank like it is here?

newkiwi

No need to stick with HSBC. It is very limited by way of branches etc..
Stick to main NZ banks, most allow you to open a bank account before you arrive in the country, very easy and painless.

Id recommend ASB, National Bank, or Westpac. (large retail banks similar to what Barclays, HSBC or RBS would be in the UK) Look on their websites for "Life Events" or similar. Pick one that allows you to open an account before leaving the UK, no need to do otherwise.

Kiwibank gets consistent high customer feedback, but i have no personal experience with them and they are a smaller outfit.

The bank account bit is nice and easy, enjoy, the rest of the whole immigration malarchy is tougher and more of a hassle...

Welly Wife

Hi

We set up a Kiwibank account before we left the UK. All done online and by fax - no hassle. Although they are not as big as some of the others. They operate from within Post Shops so for convenience it is great as I can do my banking and posting all in one place.

So far I have found the staff really helpful and when I was struggling to do something via internet banking, they took me to a private area and showed me how to do what I needed. No problems since. I manage the account online just as I did in the UK.