‘We Moved 7,000 Miles From Oregon to New Zealand To Get a Fresh Start in Our 60s’ 

Six months ago, Andrew and Kendall Crosby "overturned the bucket" on their comfortable, well-settled life in Bend, OR, packed up their belongings, and traveled 7,000 miles across the globe to start a brand-new chapter in Auckland, New Zealand.

Both in their early 60s and semiretired, the Crosbys grew up in Oregon, raised their children there, and built a career together in high-end residential real estate development. But after becoming empty nesters, the couple began picturing themselves moving overseas to experience a completely different way of life.

"It kind of came out of a series of conversations quite a while ago, where we just had a little dream of maybe living in a different country together," Andrew tells Realtor.com® in an interview from their new home in Auckland. "And we had a vision for New Zealand probably for the same reason that a lot of people do. ... It's just kind of this magical, far-off island Eden."

Mischa Mannix-Opie, director of client experience at Greener Pastures New Zealand, an investment-to-residency firm, says that the vast majority of their U.S. clients looking to move to New Zealand either full or part time have some personal connection to the country, whether through heritage or past visits that left a deep impression.

The Crosbys, however, had never set foot in New Zealand until they decided to uproot their lives in their native Oregon and move to the other side of the world.

The couple explain that a combination of factors gave them a "nudge" to emigrate.

"Conditions started changing in the U.S.," points out Andrew. "We're living in a really lovely place and it's not under stress, but the culture feels under stress. And this corresponded with our adult children being at a phase where we don't know where they're going to wind up."

The couple's son and daughter-in-law were weighing a move to Singapore for work, while their daughter was attending graduate school in Seattle.

"So we started thinking, 'Ah, maybe this is a really good time to make that jump,'" recalls Andrew.

Working with the international relocation program Expatsi, the Crosbys considered several countries offering "golden visa" programs, including Portugal. They eventually decided that New Zealand was the best choice for them. 

"We love wild places, we love exploring and adventure, and so it just felt like a good fit for us," Kendall tells Realtor.com.

Andrew and Kendall Crosby, pictured, moved from Bend, OR, to Auckland, New Zealand, six months ago. (Andrew Crosby)

Policy change fuels visa demand

The Crosbys are part of a growing trend. According to the latest available data from the 2023 New Zealand Census, over 18,000 U.S. nationals live in the country, part of a foreign-born population that makes up over a quarter of the nation's 5 million inhabitants.

And the number of Americans seeking to secure a foothold in New Zealand continues to climb, propelled by recent updates to the country's Active Investment Plus (AIP) program, which now offers two distinct pathways to residency through investment.

The Growth Category focuses on higher-risk investments in managed funds or New Zealand businesses, and requires a minimum capital injection of roughly $3 million over three years.

The Balanced Category targets lower-risk investments but carries a higher minimum requirement of $5.6 million over five years.

The Crosbys opted for the popular Growth Category, investing a lion's share of their required capital in local kiwi orchards.

"It's really exciting to be part of the agricultural industry here, because it really is the biggest driver of the New Zealand economy," notes Andrew.

The expanded AIP program is already bearing fruit.

According to September 2026 data from Immigration New Zealand, AIP applications are surging, and the U.S. has emerged as the single largest source of global interest, with 305 applications received representing 924 individuals.

Speaking to Realtor.com at last month's Outbound Summit in New York City, an event dedicated to wealth migration, Mannix-Opie highlights why Americans are flocking to New Zealand in 2026.

Beyond strong gun laws, low crime rates, and a laid-back lifestyle, she says that geopolitical safety anchored by the country's remote location is a key draw.

"We are a small country at the bottom of the world," says Mannix-Opie. "We are considered a safe haven, and we do feel that we are away from some of the geopolitical volatilities we're seeing."

Why move across the world?

For the Crosbys, political and cultural friction in the U.S. factored into their decision, but it was not the main driver.

"There was definitely a sense of wanting to maybe be out of the toxicity of some of the chaos that's unfolding," says Andrew.

However, both he and his wife stress that they did not want to be motivated by negativity and a desire to escape.

"We were really clear with ourselves: 'Look, where we live is beautiful. Let's not run from anything. If we're going to do this, let's make sure it's because we're really positively choosing it,'" Andrew recalls having a conversation with his wife.

Though Kendall notes that "it didn't hurt" having the opportunity to spend the latter part of their lives in a kinder environment with less stress.

"That's really been a big gift to ourselves," she adds.

It took the Crosbys roughly a year to navigate the visa application process, organize logistics, and fulfill New Zealand's rigorous biosecurity restrictions and vaccination protocols for their dogs that were joining them on the family adventure.

When deciding where to settle in New Zealand, they sought a location that was radically different from anything they have known before, which brought them to the bustling, culturally diverse Auckland.

Sitting on a narrow neck of land between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Tasman Sea to the west, New Zealand’s most populous metro boasts hundreds of stunning beaches, parks, cultural attractions, and restaurants.

“It has real complexity, but it's very soft,” says Andrew. “We were sort of saying it feels like a mix between Hawaii and San Francisco, with a little bit of Seattle thrown in. But it doesn't feel nearly as large or grinding as Seattle or San Francisco might. It still has all the makings of a real metropolitan city, but it's like a mini Toronto."

Into the unknown

The Crosbies were won over by New Zealand's stunning landscapes. (Andrew Crosby)

Moving to New Zealand brought no shortage of surprises, starting with the local flora and fauna. 

Unlike the Crosbys' native Pacific Northwest, which is teeming with coyotes, deer, elk, and bighorn sheep, New Zealand has no native land mammals. Then there is the landscape, dotted with a bewildering blend of pine and palm trees. 

"We keep saying, 'This is weird. Like, what is this place?'" jokes Kendall. 

The couple's adult children fully supported their life-changing move, which gave Kendall peace of mind.

To bridge the great physical distance between the U.S. and New Zealand, the family had to embrace time zone adjustments and long-haul flights.

"We decided that we will make ourselves a little bit more flexible crossing the ocean," says Andrew. 

Buying a house in New Zealand

Noncitizen investor visa holders are allowed to purchase one home in New Zealand if they relocate there permanently. (Sandra Mu/Getty Images)

Much like the U.S., New Zealand faces major housing and affordability headwinds, which make it difficult for the median income earner to purchase a median-priced home in a major city without going house-poor. 

In the first three months of 2026, New Zeland’s outflow of citizens to Australia reached a 13-year peak, according to newly released data from Statistics New Zealand reported by Bloomberg.

At the same time, more New Zealanders are returning to their homeland, with 13,460 citizens making the reverse journey from Australia in the 12 months through March. 

On the housing front, New Zealand is in the throes of a sharp downturn. Home prices in September dropped to their lowest level in more than five years—19% below their 2022 peak—Cotality reported last month.

Shrinking home equity is projected to weaken consumer confidence, further strained by rising unemployment rates and surging energy prices.

To safeguard the housing inventory for its citizens, the government restricts foreign nationals from buying residential properties or land. Under updated AIP policies, investor visa holders are allowed to purchase or build one home valued at a minimum of $2.8 million. 

However, there is an important loophole: Buyers who intend to move to New Zealand permanently and establish their primary residence there can apply for the "One Home to Live In" program, which waives the minimum purchase threshold.

Taking advantage of this exception, the Crosbys moved to Auckland, stayed in a rental while they scouted various neighborhoods, and ultimately purchased a home with a pool for under $2 million.

Despite recent construction surges, a large share of New Zealand’s housing stock is older and hampered by problems related to insulation, heat retention, and drafts. But the Oregon couple lucked out. Their new home had been renovated by a previous owner from Sweden who imported high-efficiency, triple-paned windows to keep the space warm without spending a fortune on heating. 

General cost of living remains high for locals relative to average incomes, particularly for imported groceries and fuel. For U.S. expats like the Crosbys, however, the strength of the U.S. dollar offsets those costs.

Another major financial shift was health coverage. New Zealand has a universal, tax-funded public health care system, which many people supplement with private health insurance to bypass long wait times for non-urgent surgeries. Even with the additional coverage, the expenses are thousands of dollars lower than in the U.S.

"That's just a huge deal that really changes how we see our finances," says Kendall. 

Reflecting on their whirlwind journey, Andrew acknowledges the courage, patience, and depth of planning required to make such a monumental leap.

"It definitely takes a lot to really undo the life that you've built over years and to let it go, and I think there's something really freeing in it," says Andrew. "You can either turn to what you're holding on to tightly, or you can turn to the opportunity to really learn and just to experience yourself differently at any stage of life."