The Complete Moving House Checklist (NZ Edition)

Everyone you need to tell and everything you need to sort, in the order it actually matters. From booking movers to redirecting your mail.

This is the checklist we wish every Christchurch mover had before moving day: not just what to pack, but everyone you need to tell, in the order it actually matters. Work through it at your own pace, or jump straight to the section you need.

The Moving Checklist

8 Weeks Before You Move

Book your moving company. The earlier you lock in a date, the more choice you’ll have on timing and price.
Give notice on your rental (if renting). For a periodic tenancy, tenants must give at least 21 days’ written notice. For a fixed-term tenancy, notice must be given between 90 and 21 days before the term ends, or it becomes periodic. Check the details at Tenancy Services.
Start a “moving folder.” Physical or digital. Somewhere to keep lease or sale documents, receipts, and this checklist all in one place.
Declutter before you pack. Every item you don’t move is one less thing to pack, carry, and unpack. Sell, donate, or bin anything you haven’t used in the last 12 months.
Check your tenancy agreement or sale contract for bond conditions and move-out cleaning requirements.
Get moving quotes sorted. Including whether you need packing services, storage, or help with specialty items like a piano or spa pool.
Check your insurance covers your belongings in transit. Ask your contents insurer and ask your movers what cover they provide.
Measure your big furniture against the doorways, hallways and stairs at the new place, so nothing gets stuck on moving day.

Buying or selling?

Arrange house insurance on your new home to start from settlement day, and check what your lender requires.
Book your pre-settlement inspection with your lawyer or agent.
Plan to change the locks and garage codes once the keys are yours.

4 Weeks Before

Redirect your mail and update your address

This is the one people forget until it’s too late. Mail can take weeks to catch up once you’re gone.

Set up NZ Post mail redirection at co.nz. Apply online at least 4 working days before you want it to start (6 if applying in store). Note it only covers NZ Post mail, so anything sent by other mail providers or couriers still needs your new address.
Use NZ Post’s free change of address tool on the same page to notify a number of organisations at once.
Update your address with IRD via myIR, so tax correspondence and any Working for Families payments aren’t delayed.
Update the Electoral Roll at nz. Takes about five minutes online with a NZ driver licence, NZ passport or RealMe.
Notify NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi. Update your address for your driver licence and any vehicles registered in your name, so renewal reminders and rego notices reach you.
Update your KiwiSaver provider and any other investment accounts.
Firearms licence holders: notify Te Tari Pūreke (Firearms Safety Authority) within 30 days of moving. If you hold endorsements, notify them before you move. Details at govt.nz.

Finance

Update your bank(s). Address changes are usually a two-minute job in the app for ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Westpac, or Kiwibank.
Update your credit card and insurance providers (house, contents, vehicle, life, and pet insurance if you have it). Your premium may change based on the new address.
Notify Work and Income or ACC if you receive any payments from either.

Work and services

Tell your employer’s HR/payroll team. For tax correspondence and emergency contact details.
Update your GP, dentist, specialists and pharmacy. Or start enrolling with a new practice if you’re moving out of the area.
If you have school-age kids, check enrolment zones for your new address and start the enrolment process. This can take longer than people expect.

2 Weeks Before

Utilities to connect before moving day (not on it)

Compare power and gas providers for your new address using Powerswitch (run by Consumer NZ). Switching is often the easiest way to save money on a move, and it costs nothing to check.
Book your internet connection. Ask your provider how much notice they need, especially for a new build or an address that’s never had fibre connected before.
Update your mobile phone provider with your new billing address.
Arrange your final meter readings at your old address and connection dates at the new one, so there’s no gap (or overlap) in service.
Renting in Christchurch? Note the water meter reading at move-in and move-out. Christchurch City Council bills property owners for excess water use, and tenants are generally liable for those charges unless the tenancy agreement says otherwise.

Subscriptions and memberships

Easy to forget, mildly annoying when you do:

Streaming services (Netflix, Neon, Sky, Spotify). Usually just a billing address, but worth checking
Gym or fitness memberships. May need to transfer to a new branch or location
Magazine, newspaper or wine club subscriptions
Online shopping accounts (Amazon, Trade Me, PayPal). Update saved addresses so nothing gets sent to the old place
Any local delivery services (meal kits, courier accounts)
Library card and any club memberships

Other people and pets

Update your pet’s microchip details on the NZ Companion Animal Register at co.nz. Updating is free. This is the one people most often forget, and it matters most if your pet ever goes missing.
Update your dog’s registration address with your council. If you’re moving between Christchurch City, Selwyn or Waimakariri districts, let both your old and new council know. Christchurch lets you swap an existing registration tag for a Christchurch one.
Tell friends and family your new address for anything posted (birthday cards, deliveries, etc.)

The Week Of

Confirm final arrangements with your moving company: access, parking, lift bookings for apartments, and timing.
Arrange care for kids and pets on moving day, so they’re safe and out from underfoot.
Refill any prescriptions so you’re not caught short in the first week.
Start packing a “first night” box: toiletries, chargers, a change of clothes, kettle, tea/coffee, medications, and any paperwork you’ll need immediately.
Prepare your appliances. Defrost and clean out the fridge/freezer a day or two before the move, drain washing machine hoses and fit the transit bolts, and empty fuel from lawnmowers and other garden equipment.
Ask your movers what they can’t carry (for example gas bottles or flammables) and make your own plan for those.
Charge your phone and any portable chargers. Moving day drains batteries faster than you’d think.

Moving Day

Take final meter readings (power, gas, water) at your old address.
Do a final walkthrough of every room, cupboard, and drawer before the truck leaves.
Take photos of the empty property for your bond/exit condition report if you’re renting.
Keep valuables, important documents, and the “first night” box with you rather than on the truck.
Leave appliance manuals, remotes and labelled keys for the next occupants.
Confirm keys, alarm codes, and any garage remotes are handed over correctly at both ends.

After You've Moved (First Two Weeks)

Check power, gas, internet and water are all correctly connected and billing to the right address.
Confirm your mail redirection has kicked in, and keep an eye out for anything that still needs updating.
Register with a local GP if you haven’t already.
Find out your rubbish and recycling collection day at the new address.
Locate your fuse box, water shut-off valve, and gas shut-off (if applicable). Good to know before you need them in a hurry.
Follow up your bond refund if you’re a tenant, so it isn’t held up.

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Moving Across Christchurch, Selwyn or Rangiora?

However far you’re going, the checklist above covers it. But if you’d rather leave the heavy lifting to someone else, that’s exactly what we’re here for. NZ Moving Services are trusted [Christchurch movers] offering house, furniture and office moves across Christchurch, Selwyn and Rangiora, with a fully insured, police-vetted team.