Best Moving Companies in Nelson

We assessed 8 moving companies in Nelson and ranked the top 5 on public rating quality, review volume and how recent the reviews are. The businesses listed below hold 1,329 Google reviews between them. No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Last updated 22 September 2026. How we rank

Top 5 Moving Companies in Nelson

The top 5 moving companies in Nelson are #1 Van and a Man, #2 NZ Van Lines Nelson, #3 Two Lads And A Truck, #4 Allied Moving Services, and #5 Award Movers, ranked by Top5 Score.

  • 1

    Van and a Man

    ★ 4.9 726 reviews Score 183
    Highest
    5★ 681 4★ 23 3★ 2 2★ 1 1★ 19

    Van and a Man takes on full house relocations, furniture-only shifts, and heavy single-item moves like commercial freezers, including jobs at short notice and sites with steep or difficult driveways.

    5 Rotherham Street, Tāhunanui, Nelson

    Call 022 375 7795 Map Is this your business?
  • 2

    NZ Van Lines - Nelson Movers

    ★ 4.9 184 reviews Score 165
    17.6 behind
    5★ 175 4★ 5 2★ 1 1★ 3

    NZ Van Lines Nelson coordinates local house moves, inter-city relocations to places like Christchurch, and international shipping to destinations including the UK and Australia.

    8 Rotherham Street, Annesbrook, Nelson

    Call 03 547 5698 Map Is this your business?
  • 3

    Two Lads And A Truck

    ★ 4.6 122 reviews Score 150
    32.6 behind
    5★ 106 4★ 4 3★ 1 2★ 3 1★ 8

    Two Lads And A Truck handles flat shifts, full household relocations including inter-city moves from Nelson to Christchurch, and heavy or awkward items like antique furniture and pianos.

    258 The Ridgeway, Stoke, Annesbrook, Nelson

    Call 03 547 2614 Map Is this your business?
  • 4

    Allied Moving Services

    ★ 4.6 87 reviews Score 149
    33.9 behind
    5★ 68 4★ 13 3★ 1 2★ 2 1★ 3

    Allied Moving Services covers local Nelson shifts, inter-regional moves to places like Tauranga, and international relocations to Australia and beyond, with packing of fragile items, kitchens, and awkward loads like grand pianos and trampolines included where needed.

    12 Venice Place, Stoke, Nelson

    Call 03 547 4820 Map Is this your business?
  • 5

    Award Movers

    ★ 4.9 50 reviews Score 148
    35.1 behind
    5★ 48 4★ 1 1★ 1

    Award Movers gets households, retail stores, and storage loads shifted across the Nelson and Tasman region, with Leon personally involved from first call through to the final item placed.

    Call 021 026 15103 Map Is this your business?

More rankings

More services in Nelson 11 links
Moving Companies elsewhere in New Zealand 4 links

Before you hire a moving company in Nelson

Whether you are hiring furniture movers for a house move, an office relocation or removals with storage, get a written quote after an in-home or video survey, not just a phone estimate: sight-unseen prices routinely blow out on moving day. Confirm what the insurance actually covers, whether the crew are employees or subcontractors, and ask for the final price as a fixed quote rather than an hourly rate that runs long.

The questions below are drawn from 445 customer reviews collected for this page.

What does hiring a moving company typically cost in New Zealand?

Local moves in New Zealand are priced by the hour, with two movers and a truck running between $120 and $180 per hour. Full house moves are often quoted as fixed prices, ranging from around $800 for a small home to $3,000 or more for a large property.

Factors like stairs, long carry distances, tight access, packing services, and weekend or peak-season dates all push costs higher. Fixed quotes give you more certainty than hourly rates, which can climb if the job runs longer than estimated.

How is a moving company held accountable if my belongings are damaged?

Furniture removal in New Zealand is unregulated, meaning no licence is required to operate, so accountability depends entirely on the contract you sign and the insurance in place. Most movers carry limited liability, which often covers only a fraction of an item's replacement value, so separate transit insurance is worth arranging before moving day.

Standard policies from any provider, including movers' own cover, usually exclude items packed by the owner and pressboard or flat-pack furniture, which is treated as fragile by nature. A written inventory signed by both parties before loading is your strongest evidence if a damage claim becomes disputed.

What should a moving quote include so the price does not change on the day?

A solid quote should state clearly whether the price is fixed or hourly, because an hourly rate with no cap can climb significantly if access is difficult or the job takes longer than estimated. Extras like stairs, long carries from the truck to the door, additional stops, and travel time between depots should all be itemised rather than left as verbal assurances. Packing materials, minimum call-out charges, and any weekend or after-hours loading fees need to be in writing before you confirm the booking.

What are the warning signs of a moving company you should not hire?
  • –A quote given over the phone with no site visit or video survey, leaving room for large price increases on the day.
  • –Requests for a substantial cash deposit upfront before any contract is signed.
  • –Pricing that is hourly-only with no cap and no written breakdown of what triggers extra charges.
  • –Damaged or lost items met with silence, unanswered calls, or no clear claims process, a pattern that appeared in more than one review set here.
  • –Crews subcontracted to third parties the company then disowns when something goes wrong.
  • –No-shows or late arrivals on moving day with no proactive communication beforehand.

Half of moving company one-star reviews are about damaged or missing belongings

What should you ask before booking a moving company?
  • –Is the quote fixed or hourly, and exactly what circumstances would change the final price?
  • –Are the crew direct employees or subcontractors, and who is liable if a subcontractor causes damage?
  • –What does the mover's insurance actually cover, what is excluded, and is owner-packed or flat-pack furniture included?
  • –Will someone do an in-home or video survey before quoting, rather than estimating over the phone?
  • –How does the company handle damage claims, what is the process, and what is the timeframe for resolution?
  • –Can you see a written inventory process, and will both parties sign it before loading begins?
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About this ranking

What the 8 moving companies listed above hold, at the 22 September 2026 check.

726
reviews held by the #1 ranked business
50
reviews held by the #5 ranked business
4.1
lowest rating among the 8 listed
3.8%
of their 1,329 reviews are one-star
How are the top moving companies in Nelson chosen?

We build this page from Google Maps results for moving companies in Nelson. Each one is scored on its public rating and review record, using the same published method on every page. Businesses outside the area, or whose reviews describe a different line of work, are left out. Every category and city is rechecked on a rolling cycle, about every two to three months. See how we rank for how rankings are made and who is left out. On specialist pages like this one, a business's reviews count in proportion to how many of them are about moving companies, so a business mostly reviewed for other work cannot win on review volume alone. See the words we look for.

Are you a moving company in Nelson?

No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Claiming and verifying your listing is free: it adds a small trust bonus (+3 points) to your score, for confirming a real operator stands behind the listing, and gives you a dashboard showing how your score is made up. A paid subscription adds a website link, a profile page and your ranking history. Claim your listing or see what a subscription includes.

Not listed? The usual reasons are a Google Business category that does not match, too few reviews to score near the top, or an address outside the area we cover. Check where you rank first, and if you think we missed you, get in touch.

How far is each one from you?

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