Name:	Santhi and Michael
	Nationality:	Santhi - Malaysia Michael - Expatriate New Zealander
	Profession:	Santhi - Coordination and Events Michael - General Manager
	Migrated to NZ:	2004

Michael and his wife Santhi arrived in Wellington in 2004 with the aim of settling down.

Michael is now the general manager of a packaging company in Lower Hutt. Santhi, who has a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Winnipeg in Canada and an MBA from a joint Malaysian-UK programme, works in central government.

They have made progress with their plans to build a good life in New Zealand. Their new architecturally designed, contemporary, four-bedroom house was completed in August 2006, and they have since moved in. They hope their plans for a family will follow soon.

An Unexpected Decision

Michael, who was born and grew up in Christchurch, lived in Wellington for a decade after graduating in chemical engineering.

Then in 1995, his employer, an American packaging company, posted him to the east coast of Malaysia, to set up its operation in the city of Kuantan. For the following nine years Michael travelled extensively in Asia on business and held a variety of senior positions with the company.

It was through his work that he met Santhi, an investment adviser with the state government. They had been married three years when they decided to return to New Zealand. Their decision shocked Michael’s employer, and his colleagues.

“No-one expected me to leave. I was doing very well in my job.

“We talked about it a lot,” says Michael. “We were at that stage in life where we wanted to settle down, buy a house, and raise a family.”

Santhi was excited at the prospect of living in New Zealand. On her visits, she had found the country extremely beautiful.

The first year, however, was not so easy. Despite Michael’s love and support, she felt alone, and missed her family and friends. Things improved a lot once she started working. She began with a short-term contract in local government planning. After that she was appointed to a coordination and events role at a government department.

They did not consider living anywhere in New Zealand but Wellington.

A Compact City

“Wellington has everything you need,” says Michael. “It’s a nice size. It’s not so busy as Auckland and has a better vibe.”

The couple, who lived in a city apartment while their house was built, enjoyed being able to walk everywhere.

“Wellington is so compact,” says Santhi. “There’s lots of things to do and everything is close by.”

The couple love to eat out, and have a number of favourite restaurants and cafés both in the central city and in Jackson Street in Petone.

“Wellington has changed a lot in the 10 years I was away,” says Michael. “It’s a lot more cosmopolitan. The entertainment scene is great, and there’s a lot more choice of ethnic food than there was.”

Having established himself back in the Wellington business community, Michael says he is now looking for ways to use his knowledge of Asian markets to contribute to New Zealand’s overseas trade.

“Wellington is a good place to be in business. It’s in the centre of the country and, from a logistical point of view it offers links to every place in New Zealand and overseas. There are good reasons why you should be in Wellington. I can only see the advantages of being here.”