A journey to an unknown land.

JULIE TEGG, along with her husband and two children, then aged 10 and 6, came to New Zealand 18 months ago. They'd sold up their home in Gloucestershire and travelled around the world to a country where they knew no-one, so Tegg could work as a core midwife in Middlemore Hospital's delivery suite.

Their journey round the world began when Tegg, recuperating from surgery, spotted an advertisement for a bereavement support midwife, her speciality area, in New Zealand. Her husband was between jobs and she was suffering from "itchy feet". She talked about the job with her mother, who subsequently emailed the agency about the job. "That planted the seed really. Our children are my mother's only grandchildren so I felt that by emailing about the job she had given me permission. Our children were not yet in secondary school and I was 37 and my husband 48, so if we were going to do it that was the time."

Tegg had heard New Zealand was "like England 20 years ago", it had the same language and she felt it couldn't be much different.

A registrar at the hospital she worked at was a New Zealander who painted a rosy picture of life here and the idea of emigrating took hold. That registrar returned to New Zealand and began work at Middlemore and it was through that contact Tegg got a job. "I was interviewed over the phone. It was pretty laid back."

Tegg was determined to get residency before she left England. "I wanted a guarantee that we could stay in New Zealand once we got there. That process took nearly a year."

The paper work for immigration was arduous and her registration with Nursing Council was delayed because she only provided transcripts of her midwifery training, not her nursing training. But she found the Council to be prompt in its replies to her emails and was delighted when her annual practising certificate enventually arrived in the post.

The family received an "excellent" relocation package which included accommodation in a motel for a month, car rental for a month and Tegg's flight to New Zealand if she signed an 18-month bond.

Tegg began the process to emigrate in February 2001 and arrived in New Zealand on January 31, 2002. The family was met at the airport by a midwifery manager whose laid back attitude appealed. "She gave us a welcome pack and said 'chill out and give me a ring some time next week and we'll talk about the job'."

Three other UK midwives were staying at the motel and the family was invited to a barbecue on their first weekend. It was a portentous outing as Tegg loved the area and within three days had put in an offer on a house there. "We haven't looked back since."

Aspects of New Zealand life which appeal include the better weather, the fact people are friendly and willing to talk, the relaxed approach and that it is far safer for the children--"they have regained some of their childhood".

A downside is that her husband has struggled to find permanent work and has had a series of short-term contracts. And the misconception that it is very cheap to live in New Zealand--"we have a bigger mortgage than we did in the UK".

After just two weeks as a core midwife in delivery suite, Tegg was offered a position in community midwifery in ante- and post-natal care, based in Mangere. Culturally it was something of a shock, although she was well used to a multi-racial environment in England. She is now the charge midwife, heading a community team of 25 midwives. There is a great sense of teamwork and she really appreciates the more laid back approach. Midwifery care is very similar, although the ability to prescribe is a major difference. "It's exciting to have that opportunity but it still feels really strange when I fill in a script."

The number of children many women have is something Tegg has had to get used to, as is the different style of communication Pacific women have. "They tend to look up to you, they'll get out of their chair for you and I can't get used to that. For me personally, midwifery care is two-way care but that is difficult where there are communication barriers. A big challenge is how to make these women feel they are partners in their care."

Regarding cultural safety, Tegg believes it is a matter of respsect, of letting barriers down, of saying "I don't understand", of honesty, of asking when you are unsure. "It is also about understanding your own culture and what it means to you."

Medical terminology--she had no idea what an ecbolic was and knew leurs as venflons--and the fact in the UK drugs were always referred to by the generic not brand name, were some other different aspects of the nursing culture. The use of technology is far more advanced here--"I didn't know how to send a fax When I came here".

She appreciates the informality, the good management/staff relationships, and the flexibility in her work.

Now, two years on from their arrival in a strange country where they knew no-one, Tegg is able to say it was the right move. "It has been a really good move for us. It has made us stronger as parents and as individuals. Career-wise it has been really good for me. I wouldn't have changed anything."