What UK GPs say about working in New Zealand

Some UK GPs have already made the move to New Zealand. In the second part of a five-part series based on a new guide by Pulse, Rachel Carter finds out the positives of the move and what they have struggled with

‘My job satisfaction has been better here because I’m able to do more and generally people are quite appreciative of what you do,’ says Dr Valerie Kuan, who moved with her husband to North Auckland in 2022.

‘When I first came to New Zealand, people were saying “thank you for coming”. It happens here all the time and it’s just a wonderful thing.’

Despite its distance, Aotearoa New Zealand (the Māori-language name for New Zealand) remains a popular destination for UK-based GPs. There are a number of reasons, including the working conditions and lifestyle. But it is also the similarities in terms of language and health system.

UK GPs who have moved there, say that there are many similarities in the scope of practice, but the range itself is broader. Dr Julia Hook relocated to the North Island’s Kāpiti Coast last November and compares it to what UK general practice would have looked like 20 years ago.

‘I think our scope in the UK has shrunk – at home we no longer do certain things and instead refer to other agencies,’ she says. ‘Whereas here they do a lot more still – it’s things like minor injuries, simple fractures, suturing, and some infusions of medications. Some of the prescribing GPs do here, such as ADHD medication, is also only done by specialists in the UK.

‘This may not apply to all practices – it could depend where in the country you are and the patient demographic. But in the practice I work in, I have had to upskill a bit.’

Working in New Zealand also offers the opportunity to work with the country’s indigenous Māori population, something Royal New Zealand College of GPs (RNZCGP) president and former UK doctor, Dr Luke Bradford, says many GPs who have come from the UK enjoy.

‘Māori culture is very rich with huge amounts of tradition and they are very warm and welcoming people,’ he says. ‘A lot of English doctors really warm to the Kaupapa, which is the story and history around Māoridom, and enjoy looking after Māori Whanau (families).’

This is something Dr Lucy Harrison, an FY3 doctor who has been working in an urgent care clinic in Auckland since January 2025, has valued. She chose to work as a non-training registrar in urgent care as she felt it offered a ‘good mix of GP and more acute presentations’.

‘Most of my patients are Māori and Pacific people and it is a big part of your practice here to learn the health needs of these different populations. You have to be on the lookout for different pathologies that you won’t necessarily see in the UK in your day-to-day work,’ she says.

‘In the UK, for example, we don’t even have things like rheumatic fever anymore. It was a bit of a learning curve at the start but I think it’s really interesting and good for personal career development to be able to work in an environment with a new set of patient needs.’

Lifestyle

The nature-focused lifestyle and diverse range of outdoor hobbies that New Zealand offers is one of the main benefits reported by UK GPs who have relocated to the country.

Dr Harrison has enjoyed being in easy reach of the surf beaches surrounding Auckland. ‘Surfing is something you can do in the UK if you’re well-geographically positioned in Wales or Cornwall, but it was rare that I was able to get to those places,’ she says. ‘Here, it is much easier, there are coastlines everywhere and lots of cities are situated around the coast.’

Dr Bradford, who lives and works in Tauranga on the North Island, says he and his wife ‘fell in love with the lifestyle’ when they first came to New Zealand to work as house officers.

‘Lifestyle is key down here, we’ve got beautiful outdoors, it’s safe and the environment and the climate is good,’ he says. ‘Some of that autonomy from the Government that the private business model here offers is probably appealing for GPs in the UK too, who may feel that they are more at the whim of the political party in charge at the time.’

Dr Buzz Burrell, who moved to New Zealand in 1992 as a pre-consultant research fellow before completing his training in general practice, agrees the lifestyle is a ‘no brainer’.

‘It genuinely is – New Zealand is still a really underpopulated country and it’s unusual to be more than half an hour away from nowhere,’ he says. ‘There are more sunny days and even a sunny day in winter seems warmer than a sunny day in UK summer.’

Working conditions

Feeling valued by patients and colleagues is another benefit cited by GPs who have moved to New Zealand.

Dr Kuan says the GP practice she started with helped the transition go smoothly. ‘They helped us with some accommodation and a car loan when we first arrived. I was there for three years until family circumstances meant I needed more flexibility, so I switched to locum work.’

Dr Hook echoed similar sentiments. ‘The job is so much better in terms of the experience on a day-to-day level, teamwork, and the way you are looked after,’ she says.

‘It’s the little things – they provide tea, coffee, biscuits and cheese, there are always meals out for celebrations, and every time somebody has a birthday, they get a box of chocolates. It’s a nurturing environment where the practice makes a big effort to make staff feel valued.’

However, there are challenges. Dr Jordan Singh moved to the Kāpiti Coast in 2023, and says the lifestyle is ‘more laid back and the political climate is better suited to me’. However, he adds that there are differences that need an adjustment period – including co-payments.

‘It can feel strange to charge patients for care, especially when you’re not used to it,’ he says.  ‘It can also lead to a feeling of pressure – sometimes you see patients who don’t need anything, but because they are paying for your time you feel you should do something. Follow-up appointments can be tricky too, because each time the patient will pay again, and they might also need to pay for transport to see you. Whereas in the UK, follow-up appointments are free.’

There are also family considerations – including, of course, the distance. Dr Harrison says: ‘There are other factors to consider, especially how you are going to cope with the distance and being away from family. My family came to visit a few months ago, which was really nice, but if they weren’t in a position to do that, it would be harder.’

It is not just those you left behind in the UK. Dr Kuan says: An important consideration is whether your partner can find work here. My husband has been able to keep his job in the UK until now and we have split our time between the two countries, but he has been unable to find a job here so we are returning to live in the UK soon.

‘If the two of you are doctors then you will have jobs here, but finding any job outside of medicine could be difficult in the current economic climate.’

The next part of the series will focus on what pay, taxation and pensions. You can download the full report here