NZ to Australia

No visa application, just a boarding pass. The Special Category Visa makes crossing the Tasman easy, and quietly different from what most Kiwis assume.

The SCV is not permanent residency, KiwiSaver does not follow you the way people think, and the pay rise that motivated the move can vanish into setup costs nobody budgets. This guide covers what the easy arrival hides. Written by a senior HR professional with fifteen years on the hiring side of Australian migration. Opens in any browser, works offline.

What's inside

• The Special Category Visa explained: what it gives you, what it does not, and the citizenship pathway
• KiwiSaver vs superannuation: what transfers, what cannot, and the decisions to make before you fly
• Honest salary and cost-of-living comparison, with take-home tables at 2026-27 Australian settings
• First-week setup in the right order: TFN, bank, Medicare, licence conversion
• Renting and buying as a New Zealander, including bank wait times and lender criteria
• Every figure verified 1 July 2026, plus 6 working templates and checklists that save your progress

Pays for itself before you land: the TFN-first sequence alone protects your first payday from 47 per cent withholding.

General settlement information, not migration or legal advice. For your visa specifics, speak to an OMARA-registered agent before you arrive.