groupHouse sitters

Ben & Mia

Pet Sitter Ben

Picture of House Sitter, House Minder and Pet Sitter at Kiwi House Sitters, New Zealand. User Pet Sitter Ben

About us

groupCouple

46, Teacher/Tutor

36, Artist/Lecturer/workshop facilitator

Experienced and reliable UK based couple looking for longer cat/dog/house sits!

favoriteWhy we love house sitting

We just love getting to try out living in different parts of NZ! We aim to move here, and doing this is giving us such a great feel for where we'd want to end up. Also who on earth would want to stay in a hotel when you could curl up with a furry friend!

Looking for: Northland, Auckland, Tauranga/Coromandel, Taupo, Taranaki, Wellington, Nelson, Wanaka, Otago, Christchurch,

I'm UK born but with NZ ancestry (my mum!) am back visiting NZ again this summer. I'm here for 5 months and looking to try out living in different spots in NZ. I will be working remotely in the mornings and then looking to get out to do outdoorsy things (surfing, kitesurfing, paragliding, hiking ++ whatever else is available) in the afternoons. I grew up with cats at home ... Read more
Looking for: Northland, Auckland, Tauranga/Coromandel, Taupo, Taranaki, Wellington, Nelson, Wanaka, Otago, Christchurch,

I'm UK born but with NZ ancestry (my mum!) am back visiting NZ again this summer. I'm here for 5 months and looking to try out living in different spots in NZ. I will be working remotely in the mornings and then looking to get out to do outdoorsy things (surfing, kitesurfing, paragliding, hiking ++ whatever else is available) in the afternoons. I grew up with cats at home (and love them!) I currently live with 2 degus and am really up for getting to know some other animals, be they dogs or more unusual pets/livestock.

I've put a few different places I'm interested in staying at the top of the listing, the truth is I'm not fussy about where provided I have a good spot to work from where I can get good access to the outdoors things I want to do. We currently have most of February booked in Queenstown, so initially we're looking for longer sits from Oct 26 to Jan 27. Once we have a few of those booked in we'll be looking to fill in gaps.

I own property in the UK, so I know what is required to keep a house going and won't just ignore any problems that need addressing. On top of that I am clean tidy and respectful, I'm here to work and enjoy the outdoors not host dinner parties or party parties at your house!

I look forward to hearing from you and I just can't wait to explore your corner of NZ!

From late November I'll be joined by my wife Mia, she's an artist and loves dogs. Well, lets face it she loves all animals, but dogs are her favourite!

Show less

Pet care

My partner and I have been pet sitting in New Zealand for coming up for 4years, we also pet sit in the UK (which is homes for us). I (Ben) love cats and enjoy the challenge of a timid moggy, my partner (Mia) is a real dog person but to be honest with you she loves all animals. We know that the idea ... Read moreMy partner and I have been pet sitting in New Zealand for coming up for 4years, we also pet sit in the UK (which is homes for us). I (Ben) love cats and enjoy the challenge of a timid moggy, my partner (Mia) is a real dog person but to be honest with you she loves all animals. We know that the idea of rodent pets is kinda weird for an NZ native but Mia has (and has had) several degus as pets which she loves with all her heart!

In the past we've looked after cats, all sorts of dogs: from 50kg big boys, superannuated greyhounds and excitable Jack Russells. We've also looked after chickens, ponies, goats and fish!

We don't claim to be experts on these other animals, but we will show them love and are perfectly capable of following instructions!

Show less

petsWilling to care for these pets

DogsDogs
CatsCats
FishFish
BirdsBirds
Rabbits/Guinea PigsRabbits/Guinea Pigs
Chickens/Ducks/GeeseChickens/Ducks/Geese
Farm AnimalsFarm Animals
HorsesHorses
ReptilesReptiles
NoneNone

agricultureFarm experience

We've done one sit on a lifestyle plot. We're not experts, but we're happy to learn!

Trust

Gold member24 months
reviews5 star reviews
diagnosisReferences

diagnosisAbout our references

Very happy to provide NZ based references!

Availability

eventNext 12 months

Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul

eventCurrent bookings

2027: 6-27 Feb

event_busyAlso Unavailable

2026: 1 May - 19 Oct

Preferences

scheduleHouse sit duration

0 - 1 week, 1 - 2 weeks, 2 - 4 weeks, 1 - 2 months, 2 months +

where_to_votePreferred locations

Anywhere in New Zealand


Reviews (16)

Thank you so much to Ben and Mia for all their care and attention during our house sit. They looked after our old Greyhound and younger Whippet/collie for a week and did everything that we requested. We felt reassured throughout the whole time and were really impressed with their communication and updates. The dogs were their usual happy selves when we returned home and the house was clean and tidy. Ben was very easy and friendly to deal with, which we really appreciated. We’d highly ... MoreThank you so much to Ben and Mia for all their care and attention during our house sit. They looked after our old Greyhound and younger Whippet/collie for a week and did everything that we requested. We felt reassured throughout the whole time and were really impressed with their communication and updates. The dogs were their usual happy selves when we returned home and the house was clean and tidy. Ben was very easy and friendly to deal with, which we really appreciated. We’d highly recommend Ben and would gladly have him and his partner Mia back for future sits.

Show less
Ben was very good at communicating and he & Mia left the house and garden in very good order. They did a good job of looking after my anxious cat. Would have them back again.
Ben and Mia did a short housesit at our place. Apart from a little miscommunication everything went well and all animals were happy and well when we came back. (I will be more clear with instructions next time). They also took great care of our gardens and pot plants inside the house. We highly appreciated that we could meet them a few weeks before our housesit. That made it easy to leave the animals in their care. We can recommend Ben and Mia as house sitters and say thank you for ... MoreBen and Mia did a short housesit at our place. Apart from a little miscommunication everything went well and all animals were happy and well when we came back. (I will be more clear with instructions next time). They also took great care of our gardens and pot plants inside the house. We highly appreciated that we could meet them a few weeks before our housesit. That made it easy to leave the animals in their care. We can recommend Ben and Mia as house sitters and say thank you for taking care of our animals.

Show less
Ben and Mia were fantastic housesitters. They communicated regularly before, during and at the end of the sit. The cats were well looked after, the house was clean on our return, and the plants were all thriving. We had one friendly cat and one shy boy, but Ben and Mia made sure both were cared for. We have no hesitation in recommending them to others.
Incredibly responsible house sitters - I recommend them 100%. Awesome communications and wonderful care of our sometimes-challenging pets. Thanks so much Ben & Mia, I hope the rest of your time in Aotearoa is delightful :D
Ben and Mia were fantastic. Friendly, proactive communication, and took such good care of my cats and the house. Came home to an immaculate house and happy cats. Thanks so much!
I would highly recommend Ben as a sitter. His communication was excellent. Very attentive to the needs of my somewhat timid cats. Kept me very up to date with their goings on, including videos. And the house was spotless on my return, including a couple of spring-cleaning type items I had not expected to be done.
Thanks Tim, it was a pleasure! :)
Ben was highly communicative, easy to deal with and took great care of Rupert the cat. Highly recommend
Thanks Mike, it was a pleasure! :)
From House Sitters UK
Sadly we had to cancel this sit with Ben as I was hospitalised with a respiratory infection. He was incredibly understanding and kind, and offered to come for a few days instead of the week if that proved possible. Sadly it was not to be either, but a lovely offer. In the lead up to the 'not to be' sit we had great communication with him. Hoping we can all get it together again sometime soon.
From House Sitters UK
Ben is a fabulous house and more importantly pet sitter! From the first phone call I felt confident that I was leaving everything in safe hands. He arrived in good time, made friends with Florence (my timid cat) and got to know the chickens. Whilst I was away I had regular updates and an audio message from Florence. My home was all clean and tidy when I got home. I would have no hesitation in leaving my home and pets with Ben again.
Ben was an awesome house sitter and took great care of our two puss cats. He provided good communication while we were away and left the house tidy and clean. He followed up afterwards to check that everything was OK and we would definitely like to have him house sit for us again.
I highly recommend Ben to take care of your house and your pet. Excellent and easy communication, our cat was happy and well taken care off and house was spotless when we arrived back home. I would welcome Ben back to my home anytime.
Ben and Mia looked after our little family while we were away down south. Ben was great at giving us updates and kept us in the loop of all the adventures they were going on with our dog. Lovely people and we came home to a happy house hold :-)
We highly recommend Ben as an excellent communicator who is responsible, organised, caring, and flexible.
Ben was a great house sitter and cared for our cat and garden whilst we were away for just under a week. He provided regular updates and the house was clean and tidy when we returned. He was very responsive to messages when we were arranging the house sitting job and proved to be responsible and trustworthy. I would highly recommend Ben for any future house sitting jobs... great peace of mind while we were away on our holiday.
Ben was an excellent sitter for my house and cat. He gave me regular updates on how puss was doing and was very helpful when my plans changed and he altered his to schedule to stay on longer than agreed. He is also very honest and I wouldn't hesitate in recommending him to sit someone's home.
Garden Maintenance

Green garden!

Make sure the garden and pot plants are thriving when you get back - get a house sitter.