By Rosie Leishman
Kiwis living in London may be the ‘norm’ but the ‘NZ Vikings’ based in Copenhagen, believe the Dane’s could teach New Zealanders a thing or two about a balanced lifestyle. Photo: Rosie Leishman
Living in London is a rite of passage for many New Zealanders seeking an overseas experience. But the community of Kiwis in Copenhagen believe Aotearoa could learn things from Danish ways.
38,600 migrants departed Aotearoa in the May 2024 year, the highest in history.
Unlike her friends moving to London, Amara Johnson chose Copenhagen. “I wanted something different and not be like every other person in London,”
Amara Johnson, 26, moved to Copenhagen earlier this year to do something different than the rest of her friends. Despite the differences, Johnson is loving the Danish lifestyle. Photo source: Amara Johnson
Johnson gets paid double her NZ earnings in Denmark, compared to her friends taking extreme pay cuts for London life.
Her favorite part of Danish living is the lifestyle. “Work-life balance is better. I finish at 6, whereas in NZ I finish at 8 on a good day.”
Miriam Wilson, who moved to Copenhagen in 2023 agrees. “Lifestyle is top tier. It’s forefront of Danish culture.”
“If it’s a nice day, the offices clear out in acknowledgment that you should be soaking up sun while you can.”
Work life balance is something the Copenhagen Kiwis agreed was the biggest difference and perk of living Danishly, as well as healthy lifestyle habits– things New Zealand could learn from. Photo: Rosie Leishman
The Kiwis agreed social sports, cycling and greenery also encourage healthy lifestyles.
Both said NZ could learn to appreciate the small things. “Kiwis like to complain, whereas here, Danes only complain about weather,” said Johnson.
However, Wilson acknowledged Denmark’s lack of multiculturalism compared to Aotearoa. “They focus on “doing things the “Danish” way rather than embracing other cultures and are a bit closed off.”
Despite distance, Visa challenges, supermarkets not being as good, and adapting to Danes’ private nature, Copenhagen might see more Kiwis looking to dabble in Danish ways.
This story is for a New Zealand audience, specifically for a younger audience, interested in moving overseas. This could be published on e.g youth driven platforms like https://www.renews.co.nz/ or https://thespinoff.co.nz/ or national ones like https://www.rnz.co.nz/ or https://www.stuff.co.nz/