Kirstie | Fernhill, Queenstown

“So where I work, they’ve always been so kind to me, and looking after me, especially during this time. They’ve really helped to keep everybody in a job, even if it’s just the subsidy and everything.

But just to make sure that our team is still staying together. Our landlord has been amazing putting our rent down, and making sure that we still have a roof over our head and can afford that, and my brother, who has always looked after me in Queenstown, has helped me out more than I can even say.

When I first got to Queenstown, my brother was already here, and he’s been my life support the whole time. We’ve had difficulties in the past with housing, and he’s always been there for me, to look after me, and let me stay on his couch sometimes. He’s been there to lend the money when I’ve needed it, because Queenstown has been a hard place to live. When you first get here, it’s hard to build up fulltime work, the offer of sponsorship, and somewhere where you feel really settled. But having him here has made that really helpful to me, because he’s just been – I’m losing it now. He’s just been the one that’s always been there for me, and then with work, they have been so loyal to me. I started with them three years ago, and it was part-time, and it was a difficult slog-through, but I’m the manager there now, and they’ve sponsored me, and they’ve always tried to help me develop. I’ve learned so many new skills. I started off coming here, never having worked in menswear to now being the manager of the store. I know how to alter trousers, and I know all of the products, and it’s just been such a great learning curve.

I was born in North Wales, in the UK, and I studied geography at university, and then I studied to become a geography teacher. I did that for two years back at home, and that was incredibly stressful, and I needed a change of pace, a change of lifestyle, and I found myself out in New Zealand just looking for adventure and new experiences, and I’ve been here ever since.

My main values in life are family and friends, and I think this whole time with the Coronavirus and Covid-19 it has really made me realise that. I think being so far away from most of my family has shown me that they are actually the most important things in life and having strong friendships or family around you, just makes everything so much better.”