Your first few weeks
- Arrive. As a NZ citizen you’re granted a Special Category Visa when you land. Nothing to apply for in advance. (Family members who aren’t NZ citizens need their own visa first.)
- Open a bank account. The major banks let you start this online before you arrive.
- Get a tax file number from the Australian Taxation Office once you’re here. It’s free and online.
- Enrol in Medicare at Services Australia, with your NZ passport and evidence you’re living here. Until then, public hospital care and subsidised medicines are covered under the reciprocal health agreement.
- Swap your driver licence. New Zealand is a recognised country, so you exchange it without a test. Plan to do it within your first three months; Service SA will confirm your timing.
- Choose a super fund. CHSA pays 12% on top of your salary into it. Most people can also bring their KiwiSaver across to an Australian fund that accepts trans-Tasman transfers.
Where to live
CHSA has two clinics, so you can choose the lifestyle that suits you.
Near Seacliff (south)
Our main clinic is a short walk from the beach. Popular suburbs nearby include Seacliff, Brighton, Hove, Somerton Park, Marino and Hallett Cove on the coast, and family suburbs like Seacombe Gardens and Oaklands Park a little inland. Cafés, good schools, and an easy run into the city on the coastal train line.
Near Salisbury (north)
Our northern clinic is in Salisbury. Nearby suburbs include Salisbury, Mawson Lakes, Parafield Gardens and Golden Grove, with newer homes and family-friendly streets. Generally more house for your money.
Schools and childcare
- Public schools are zoned, so where you rent decides your local school. The school year runs from late January to mid-December, in four terms.
- NZ citizen children enrol like local students. Public schools charge a modest annual materials and services fee, usually around $800 a year. If anyone in your family is on a different visa, we’ll check their situation with you first.
- Childcare: as a NZ citizen you can claim the Child Care Subsidy. Join waitlists at a few centres as soon as you know your suburb.
Getting around
- Most people have a car. Adelaide is easy to drive, with short commutes by Kiwi city standards. Registration costs more than in NZ, about AUD 705 a year.
- Public transport: trains run along the coast near Seacliff, and buses and trams cover the rest of the city.
Money and health
- Medicare covers public hospital care and subsidises GP visits once you’re enrolled.
- Hospital cover: on most CHSA salaries, basic private hospital cover costs less than the Medicare levy surcharge you’d otherwise pay. We’ll help you choose.
- Family Tax Benefit is available to NZ citizens with children.
- A path to staying: NZ citizens can apply for Australian citizenship after four years living here.
Life in Adelaide
Adelaide is a city of about 1.4 million with a Mediterranean climate: warm, dry summers and mild winters, and a lot more sunshine than most of New Zealand. Beaches run the length of the city, the Adelaide Hills sit 20 minutes away, and McLaren Vale and the Barossa are within an hour.
It’s a festival city, with the Adelaide Fringe and WOMADelaide every autumn, and it’s easy to get to know people. New Zealand is two and a half hours ahead, so calls home are easy, and flights to Auckland take about four hours.
Finding your people
There are plenty of New Zealanders already living in Adelaide, with Kiwi groups online, plus rugby and netball clubs across the city. We’ll introduce you to people in our network, and your colleagues at CHSA will help you settle in.
Questions about the move?
Book 20 minutes with Trevor, or go back to the overview for registration, pay and the numbers.
Book a callBack to the overviewGeneral information as at October 2026, not migration, tax or legal advice. Check government requirements (Services Australia, the ATO, Service SA and the SA Department for Education) before you rely on them, and we’ll help where we can.