Like most South African émigrés, Andries and Michelle van Wyk left their home country in search of a 'safe haven' - they found it in New Zealand.
Andries and Michelle Van Wyk didn't think it was possible for them to leave South Africa. Just the thought of the immigration process was daunting enough. But on 12 June 2014, after a fateful job interview via Skype with a New Zealand employer, Andries and Michelle realised that their dream of living in a safer country was in actual fact, about to come true.
"Two days later [after the job interview] we were told that Andries got the job, and that the employer wanted him to start work in three weeks," says Michelle.
"We were so excited and scared at the same time, but we got all our paperwork together and decided to sell everything in our house. The interview was on 12 June and Andries got on the plane on 12 July. Everything happens so fast. There wasn't time to think about anything twice. We just grabbed the opportunity."
Michelle and the children remained in South Africa to tie up loose ends, while Andries began his employment in the beautiful coastal town of Gisborne in New Zealand's northern east coast.
In early September, Michelle and the children boarded a plane to New Zealand to join Andries, and begin their new life, which came with a few challenges. "We found ourselves in a new country, in a new culture. We had to start from scratch, the kids had to learn how to speak English. Our three year old couldn't speak a word of English." says Michelle.
"Our daughter was going to intermediate, and although she spoke English, she was at a difficult age."
Towards the end of October, Andries and Michelle found out that they were to expect a new addition to their family. Michelle's pregnancy came as a surprise, and presented a new set of worries for Michelle and Andries.
"We applied for our residency in early January and just prayed that it would be approved before baby arrived. There were times we thought of going back to South Africa, and perhaps have the baby over there," says Michelle.
The family's residence visa application was approved on 28 May 2015, two weeks before the birth of Michelle and Andries' baby girl (who was born a citizen of New Zealand). It has been almost one year since the Van Wyk Family arrived in New Zealand. Despite the initial challenges, the family has settled into their new surroundings well. "We are very happy, the kids have settled in nicely - they have made friends and adapted to all the new things," says Michelle. "Silver Fern Immigration assisted us with all our questions, and helped us through the entire process. There were good days and bad days but through it all they supported us and helped us stay positive."
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