Name:	Maartje
	Nationality:	Dutch
	Profession:	Fashion Designer
	Migrated to NZ:	2004

Dutch fashion designer Maartje had what sounds like a very good life in the historic city of The Hague.

She designed garments for the Dutch royal family and the rich and famous of Holland and lived with her graphic designer husband Jeroen and three daughters in a 19th century house. The high-ceilinged rooms were hung with antique mirrors and modern works of art.

They left it all behind for a new life in Wellington.

Relaxed Lifestyle

Maartje explains that the main reason for the move was New Zealand's “relaxed way of life – your lifestyle.”

“Life is getting worse, politically and environmentally, in Europe. It is incredibly crowded and getting more and more hostile. Seven years ago, Jeroen suggested moving to New Zealand because he knew it had what you can’t find any more in Europe. We wanted to give our daughters another chance in life.”

It was not a decision taken lightly. They came to New Zealand in 2002 and spent three weeks travelling around the North Island in a campervan – in the winter.

“It’s easy for a country to sell itself in the summer, so we decided to go in a negative season,” says Maartje.

Compact Central City

The family liked Wellington immediately. “I’m a real city person, so I love Wellington. It is like The Hague – you can walk to everything. Wellington has a creative buzz you don’t have anywhere else in New Zealand,” says Maartje. “It is great to have so many different things in such a small area.”

A part of the city which Maartje loves is Cuba Street. “All that hippy stuff – neo-hippy is so new in Europe – but here it will never go away,” she laughs.

Finding Work & Settling In

Just to make sure they were making the right decision, Jeroen came to work with Wellington design company Gibson Rusden for a trial period of 10 weeks and loved the experience – he still does. It’s a big change from running his own very successful business in Holland, but he enjoys the environment on the waterfront and the easy friendliness of his colleagues, and the rugby games at the Stadium.

The children are now settling in well at their schools, even to coming home with projects based around the All Blacks. Their oldest daughter says she is happier and freer here than in Holland.

The only hard part was leaving family behind, but friends have descended on them with such regularity that scarcely a month passes without visitors from Holland.

Their rented house has great sea views, but low ceilings and huge windows leave little room for giant mirrors and paintings. And there is no central heating for those chill southerly days. An architect friend has come from Holland to draw up plans for their new home on the hills in Ngaio that will have absolutely everything any family could need.

Plans for a New Business

Maartje plans to start her own made-to-measure fashion business in Wellington. She specialises in bridal wear and also evening and formal clothes. “I love to take the aura from someone to make something unique,” she says.

But Maartje’s first priority is to oversee the building of the family’s home and then unpack all the heavy, tall furniture, huge mirrors, and big paintings to create a domestic work of art. “I love to grow and follow my heart,” she says. And her heart is now in Wellington.