“Different Doesn’t Always Mean Better or Worse”: SA Woman Shares Culture Shock After Moving to NZ

• A woman living in New Zealand shared a video of the things that felt strange to her after leaving South Africa
• From houses to schools, she showed just how different daily life in New Zealand feels compared to South Africa
• South Africans shared their thoughts, with some feeling inspired and others saying New Zealand sounds too quiet

A South African woman living in New Zealand had people back home talking after she posted a video about the things that took some getting used to after her move. She shared her thoughts on 9 April 2026, with a list of everyday things that felt completely foreign to her when she first arrived. She has since come to appreciate these things as a normal life in New Zealand.

She started with the houses. No high walls, no electric fences, no barbed wire anywhere in sight. Just open front gardens. She also showed public spaces like supermarkets and shopping centres where there are no security guards posted at the doors or car guards in the parking lots. She showed her children walking to school on their own. Traffic was another big one. The roads she showed were calm and orderly, with no taxis cutting queues or forcing their way through intersections. Also, large metro buses were the public transport.

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She was careful to frame the video as a personal reflection. She said her intention was simply to share what feels different for someone who grew up in South Africa, and that she hoped it could serve as motivation for anyone considering a similar move.

Watch the TikTok clip below:

Mzansi debates life in NZ

People shared their different opinions on TikToker @jodeebonga's clip:

@zolanhlangulela wrote:

"I lived in Australia and got bored. I'm back in SA now and feel so happy."

@Clau added:

"South Africa is my home. I choose not to talk badly of my home. Enjoy your new home 🇿🇦"

@Amstel said:

"Looks very bland and boring."

@Life Outdoors🎣🇿🇦🇳🇿🇦🇺 said:

"It's okay to share what amazes us. People are so jealous in the comments."

@rihmag_42 said:

"I just moved back from abroad because I missed SA, but I know if I moved to New Zealand, I would never come back 😭"

@Eezi eez added:

"Visited family in New Zealand and felt depressed on the flight back to South Africa."

@Denise George added:

"A friend went to Auckland for 6 months and came back saying, ' Never again. She felt suffocated. But my experience was different, a very beautiful place 🫶🏽"

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More on South African expats

• Briefly News recently reported on a South African woman studying her master's degree in Ireland who said something about SA universities that had locals either laughing or agreeing.
• A South African woman working in New Zealand opened up about a side of corporate life abroad that nobody warned her about.
• An entire South African family packed up and moved to Denmark, and the moment they showed just before arriving at their new home had people emotional.

Source: Briefly News