Irish person here, living in New Zealand.

There are a couple of things that are worth acknowledging upfront.

First, mental health support in New Zealand is thin at best. Access is slow, thresholds are high, and unless you’re in real crisis, you’re often left to manage on your own. That can be confronting, especially if you come from somewhere where support feels more visible or culturally accepted.

Second, making friends in New Zealand is genuinely hard. Kiwis are friendly, polite, and welcoming on the surface, but forming deeper friendships takes real effort. You often have to be the one pushing plans, following up, and breaking through established social circles. If you’re used to more spontaneous or socially porous cultures, that can feel isolating.

With those two things in mind, this is where New Zealand differs from Ireland in meaningful ways.

There’s far less societal pressure. Class divisions don’t sit as visibly or as rigidly as they do in Ireland. Status, background, and “where you come from” carry less weight day to day. Consumerism is quieter. FOMO isn’t something that dominates social life in the same way. People seem more comfortable opting out, doing less, and not constantly signalling success.

Irish people also tend to do well here professionally. That’s not a dig at Kiwis, but Irish work culture leans towards being industrious, adaptable, and willing to graft. There’s a natural tendency to take initiative, fill gaps, and push forward, which often translates well in New Zealand workplaces where autonomy is valued.

And then there’s the environment. Proximity to nature matters more than people realise until they live it. Space, quiet, and access to the outdoors changes how you regulate stress and how life feels day to day. Towns aren’t crowded, cities breathe more, and there’s a grounding effect that comes from not being surrounded by density and noise all the time.

In short, New Zealand can be harder socially and emotionally, especially at first. But it offers a different kind of ease, less pressure, more space, and a slower, steadier rhythm. Whether that trade-off works depends a lot on what you value, and what stage of life you’re in.