16-04-2023, 09:13 PM
Hi, I currently live in Australia and am returning home this year. Grew up Southland, lived in Dunedin till I finished high school in 2009. I had meant to stay in Australia for only a year or two as I was just visiting siblings, but my parents in NZ then moved over and that led me to stay as well. The last few years I have unsuccessfully so-far battled mental health issues over the pandemic, which recently ended with me being committed into a hospital for a few months. This was pretty bad as I lost my (casual) job and had no safety net at the time, and being a Kiwi there isn't much help in Aus if you can't work. I've been living off my savings and family since then.
And that brings me to this post as I plan to take my doctors' advice and try to put a fresh foot forward in NZ since my savings are dried up, I'm out of a job and the ongoing medication changes I'm on makes it difficult to maintain employment anyway. I have a family member in Southland who I will ask to board with for the first few weeks, after that I would like to return to Dunedin and see about renting a room.
I've got an income protection insurance payout coming soon as I was insured for job loss, this will be just enough to cover my moving experiences and live off for a few months after. Since I left NZ when I was still a teen I have no bank account or IRD number. Are these something I can apply for online and get while still living in Australia? Because I would hate to arrive in New Zealand and only be able to access my funds through international ATM fees until a local bank account is made.
My other question is my super. I have read that it's possible to transfer Australian super to Kiwisaver simply enough. After that, is there anyway of accessing it before pension age? Is it possible I can meet the early withdrawal criteria? Because from what I've researched I can't get support from WINZ, not right away at least, due to residing in Australia the last 10+ years. So I was considering using some of my Kiwisaver to support myself until I get back on my feet. Thanks for your time.
And that brings me to this post as I plan to take my doctors' advice and try to put a fresh foot forward in NZ since my savings are dried up, I'm out of a job and the ongoing medication changes I'm on makes it difficult to maintain employment anyway. I have a family member in Southland who I will ask to board with for the first few weeks, after that I would like to return to Dunedin and see about renting a room.
I've got an income protection insurance payout coming soon as I was insured for job loss, this will be just enough to cover my moving experiences and live off for a few months after. Since I left NZ when I was still a teen I have no bank account or IRD number. Are these something I can apply for online and get while still living in Australia? Because I would hate to arrive in New Zealand and only be able to access my funds through international ATM fees until a local bank account is made.
My other question is my super. I have read that it's possible to transfer Australian super to Kiwisaver simply enough. After that, is there anyway of accessing it before pension age? Is it possible I can meet the early withdrawal criteria? Because from what I've researched I can't get support from WINZ, not right away at least, due to residing in Australia the last 10+ years. So I was considering using some of my Kiwisaver to support myself until I get back on my feet. Thanks for your time.
