Sonja and I have been married for over 22 years and are now in our 40's. We promise to take excellent care of your home and your pets and hope you give us that opportunity! We are trustworthy, non-smoking, and take pride in clear communication and leaving houses clean and tidy and keeping your pets happy and healthy.
Our circumstances are perfectly suited to house sitting anywhere in New Zealand - all we need is an Internet connection and we can work, while we look after your house and your pets, day and night.
A recent change to our situation is we now own a small caravan to help us in between house sits. It is 6.5m overall length and 2.3m wide, so it doesn't take up much space but will need to be factored into the house sitting jobs we are interested in.
Want more background on us? Please read on!
I work in IT and was a Technical Director of several companies before starting to work for myself in 2014. I now work from home as a software developer and as a contractor to selected companies. Sonja has done retail over the years, but her main focus has been on volunteer work ... and looking after me of course :) And now that we are house-sitting her priorities include looking after your house and keeping your pets active, healthy and happy.
Over the years Sonja and I have lived in Napier, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland and in Asia. We returned to Napier in 2015 due to health reasons and because my parents needed help.
So far we have always lived in rental properties, and because of this our options with animals have been limited. We had cats when we were allowed, but we were never allowed a dog. However I grew up with animals. We always had at least one cat, and several dogs - from a Scotty Terrier to a Labrador and a beautiful Doberman. The cats typically slept in my bed growing up. The dogs were all trained by me, and thus I was the one who had that special relationship with them.
Sonja did not grow up with animals, and she was nervous when we got our first kitten - until it fell asleep in her lap. She has been in love with cats ever since and has always gravitated to dogs with an increasing desire to be the recipient of the love and adoration that only a dog can bring. I tried honestly, but I can't compare with those puppy eyes :)
Why did we decide to join Kiwi House Sitters?
In 2020 we purchased a section just out of Napier. It is super exciting that we finally own a piece of land in NZ, but the reality is that it would be several years before we could afford to build, especially given the current economic climate. So we started looking for a way to improve our ability to save. We were recommended to look into housesitting ... and we can’t believe that we didn’t think of it sooner! Our circumstances were perfect for this! We love animals, we can work from anywhere, and we take pride in the homes we look after.
So in July 2022 we started our house sitting career. So far we have done house sits in Otaki (4 months), Pukerua Bay (2 months), Mangakino (5 weeks), Tauranga (3 months), and Marsden Cove (3 months). Our next goal is to look after some homes and furry friends in the beautiful South Island.
If you would like to get to know us better, in person or over Zoom, then please just let us know. We can't wait to meet you and your pets one day!
Sincerely,
Matt & Sonja
Reviews (4)
Matt and Sonja have looked after our home, two little dogs (Miss Tilly, Maisey), Farmcat and numerous ducks and chickens for four months. I cannot speak highly enough of all these two have done for us. Not once have I been concerned for our animals nor our home. Our place is on five acres, with lawns that need mowing and a pond that needed managing in the wild weather. Sonja made our home her home and I loved coming home to all her little touches.
Their communication with all the news from ... MOREMatt and Sonja have looked after our home, two little dogs (Miss Tilly, Maisey), Farmcat and numerous ducks and chickens for four months. I cannot speak highly enough of all these two have done for us. Not once have I been concerned for our animals nor our home. Our place is on five acres, with lawns that need mowing and a pond that needed managing in the wild weather. Sonja made our home her home and I loved coming home to all her little touches.
Their communication with all the news from home was fantastic and Sonya managed vet visits with ease.
We have made a real connection and we will absolutely stay in touch and consider them part of the family not just the sitters. My two little dogs will miss both of them very much.
If you get these two - your onto a winner and very blessed.
DEBBIE (Manakau North Island, Jul 2022 - 4 months)
Matt and Sonya enabled us to have a stress free holiday as we were kept up to date with home and our dog. They left our home absolutely spotless and beautiful. Ike obviously loved them to bits
Thank you guys we would recommend and have done you to anyone looking to use this service.
TERESA (One Tree Point North Island, Jul 2023 - 1 month 3 weeks)
Matt & Sonja looked after our property & 2 small dogs for just over a month. We first chatted via text then met on a Zoom meeting while they were on a housesit & decided then they were perfect for us. They arrived the day before we took off for Aussie & kept in regular contact with photos & updates which was much appreciated. We came home to a lovely clean & tidy house, lawns mowed, 2 happy & contented dogs & baking in the fridge 😊 knowing we would be tired they were packed up & ready to move ... MOREMatt & Sonja looked after our property & 2 small dogs for just over a month. We first chatted via text then met on a Zoom meeting while they were on a housesit & decided then they were perfect for us. They arrived the day before we took off for Aussie & kept in regular contact with photos & updates which was much appreciated. We came home to a lovely clean & tidy house, lawns mowed, 2 happy & contented dogs & baking in the fridge 😊 knowing we would be tired they were packed up & ready to move on. We will not hesitate to contact them again when the occasion arises & hopefully will keep in touch in between.
CHRISTINE & COLIN (Mangakino North Island, Feb 2023 - Just over a month)
Matt and Sonja are fantastic, ideal housesitters. They were eager to get to know us and our housesitting needs right away, and are so friendly, responsive, and responsible. We were away for two months, and they cared so well for our highly anxious indoor-only cat, sending updates as he came around to them. When we arrived home they were all packed up with our house neat and tidy, with a couple of much appreciated extra touches after our long journey home. I can see they will be rightly be in ... MOREMatt and Sonja are fantastic, ideal housesitters. They were eager to get to know us and our housesitting needs right away, and are so friendly, responsive, and responsible. We were away for two months, and they cared so well for our highly anxious indoor-only cat, sending updates as he came around to them. When we arrived home they were all packed up with our house neat and tidy, with a couple of much appreciated extra touches after our long journey home. I can see they will be rightly be in hot demand, and we wouldn't hesitate to book them again if we can manage to!
ALICE (Pukerua Bay North Island, Dec 2022 - 2 months 1 week)
Safe house!
There is nothing more secure than having people at home while you're away. Get a house sitter.
Couple
Matt and Sonja have looked after our home, two little dogs (Miss Tilly, Maisey), Farmcat and numerous ducks and chickens for four months. I cannot speak highly enough of all these two have done for us. Not once have I been concerned for our animals nor our home. Our place is on five acres, with lawns that need mowing and a pond that needed managing in the wild weather. Sonja made our home her home and I loved coming home to all her little touches.
Their communication with all the news from ... MORE
