Before you start

Unlocked handset
Passport or ID
New Zealand address and bank account, for postpaid plans
A handset capable of receiving Emergency Mobile Alerts

Step-by-step

1
Buy a prepaid SIM on arrival
Available at Wellington Airport, supermarkets, and One NZ, Spark and 2degrees stores. Prepaid bundles are the sensible starting point while your address and bank account come together.
In personWho: YouDay 1
2
Consider Skinny for value
Skinny is Spark's own low-cost brand running on Spark infrastructure — the same coverage for less, which is the standard local recommendation and the right trade for most newcomers.
OnlineWho: You
3
Check your handset can receive Emergency Mobile Alerts
Alerts are broadcast to all capable phones in a targeted area by emergency services, with no sign-up, no app and no charge — they work even without credit. Most phones from the last several years are capable; check yours and make sure alerts are not muted, because in Wellington this is the notification that matters.
Mobile appWho: You
4
Move to postpaid once you have an address
Contracts need a New Zealand address and bank account and typically a credit check. There is rarely a reason to hurry — prepaid and Skinny plans are competitive.
In personWho: You
5
Check fibre by address, not by suburb
Fibre coverage across Wellington is extensive, but the steep hill suburbs and older properties on private rights-of-way are the exceptions and the installation can be involved. Check the specific address before you commit to a lease if working from home matters to you.
OnlineWho: You
6
Have a plan for when the network is down
In a significant earthquake, mobile networks are expected to be congested or unavailable. Local emergency guidance is to text rather than call, to agree an out-of-region contact everyone reports to, and not to rely on the phone as the whole plan. A battery bank and a wind-up or battery radio are standard Wellington household kit.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport or ID
New Zealand address and bank account, for postpaid
Proof of address for a fibre connection

Things most newcomers don’t know

Emergency Mobile Alerts need no registration, and that is exactly why people miss them.

The system broadcasts to every capable handset in a targeted area — no app, no sign-up, no credit required, and it works on a phone with no plan at all. Because there is nothing to opt into, newcomers assume they need to do something and then assume they are covered when they have not checked. The two things you can actually do are confirm your handset is capable and make sure you have not silenced the alert channel.

Source: New Zealand emergency management — Emergency Mobile Alert

Skinny is the same network as Spark for less money.

It is Spark's own low-cost brand running on Spark infrastructure. You give up some retail support and get identical coverage, which for most newcomers is the right trade. The same logic applies to the other resellers — you are paying the parent network's price for the parent network's towers either way.

Source: community-reported, widely corroborated

111 works from any phone with or without a SIM, and 105 is for everything else.

Emergency calls connect regardless of network or credit, and New Zealand also supports 111 TXT for people unable to speak. Separately, 105 is the police non-emergency line for anything not happening right now — a theft discovered later, a non-urgent report — and using it keeps 111 clear.

Source: New Zealand Police — 105 non-emergency

In Wellington the honest telecom advice ends with 'and assume it will not work'.

A major event on the Wellington Fault is expected to congest or disable mobile networks, and the standard local guidance reflects that: text rather than call because texts get through congestion better, agree an out-of-region contact everyone checks in with, and keep a battery radio because radio broadcast survives when the cellular network does not. It is not a reason to buy a different plan — it is a reason not to treat the phone as the plan.

Source: Wellington Region Emergency Management Office guidance; community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming you must sign up for emergency alerts — you do not, but you should check your handset is capable.
Paying premium-network prices for coverage a reseller provides identically.
Checking fibre availability by suburb rather than by the specific hill address.
Signing a long contract before you have a permanent address.
Treating a mobile phone as your whole emergency plan in a city expecting network outage.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.