‘Home is people not the place’

Originally from a small city in Malaysia, Jen and her family relocated to New Zealand in her late teens. Several years later after studying and working in New Zealand she decided to move back to Malaysia, where she discovered entrepreneurship and tech startups in Kuala Lumpur.

“I worked on various stages of the tech startups lifecycle, and also worked for aMalaysian Government agency to help boost the startup and social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Malaysia. I was then offered the opportunity to work for a start up in Singapore so I moved again.”

In 2020 her contract in Singapore came to an end, and with Covid causing uncertainty and closing borders around the world, Jen decided to move back to Tauranga to be closer to her family.

Despite being familiar with New Zealand, Jen says returning to Tauranga was still something of a culture shock, especially from a professional viewpoint.

“I had built up some really strong networks in Malaysia and Singapore over the years, but it wasn’t until I was back in New Zealand that I realised how important those networks were. I really struggled in New Zealand not having anyone to reach out to during those first few years when I was setting up a digital innovation consultancy for a US-headquartered company. I knew I would have to build networks fast if I wanted to make this transition work.”

Jen focused on meeting new people and building communities and as someone who likes to stay active she realised team sport would be a great place to start, and signed up for competitive ultimate frisbee.

“I’ve met a lot of people through ultimate frisbee – there’s a good global community. When I went to Singapore last year I trained with a team there, similarly when I went to Kenya for work I decided to join one of the club trainings in Nairobi. It’s definitely helped to expand my network.”

Jen also had to adjust to New Zealand’s slower place of life, and smaller less dynamic cities but she says in time she has found her place in Tauranga.

“To be able to move somewhere, to have that choice is a privilege which not everyone has. I think you have to be clear about why you want to return to New Zealand. There is no doubt that New Zealand offers a great lifestyle, but if you want to grow professionally at the same level of exposure you’ve been used to overseas, it’s definitely a bit harder. It’s a different market, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it work, you just have to commit to it.”

Jen is lucky enough that her job allows her to work from offshore a few times a year, and last year she was mainly based in Singapore for two and a half months over the New Zealand winter. While she says she wouldn’t rule out another move overseas for now she is happy to build a life in New Zealand.

“I think that it’s important to keep your pulse on what’s happening globally, I am lucky I have been able to do that by working for a global tech company which has offices around the world. What I miss most about Singapore and Malaysia is its ease of travel and access to a diversity of people, different ways of working, ideas and discourse. But then New Zealand has its own benefits like lifestyle, friends and family, and now that I am settling back into New Zealand life, I think it would be a shame to lose it, so it’s about finding a balance that keeps you happy.”

Her advice to others is to get out and meet people when you land in a new city, and grow your networks as fast as you can.

“It’s good when you find people who you are comfortable with and generous with their network. You can hold an event like dinner or drinks, and then you can ask them to bring more people to join. It’s a great way to get to know more people and expand your network. It’s also important that you reciprocate generosity too.”

Ultimately however, she feels it’s not location that’s important, but rather the life you create no matter where you are based.

“The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. It’s people that make a home, not places. Be open to new experiences, and know that you will always have challenges. Once you understand those two concepts you will be happier for it – home is then wherever you make it to be.”