Rosanna spent time as a pro-bono legal adviser to Bosnian-Serb politician Radovan Karadzic, accused of crimes at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, including crimes against humanity and war crimes.
"That was pretty intense, a very big trial."
The couple are well travelled.
"Then we had children and the travelling seemed to be over," Hein said. "There was always this wish to travel."
So they decided to shift the family abroad and looked at a few places, including Canada.
Hein did not need to do further study to be a vet in New Zealand and looked at a few jobs, including one at Wanganui Veterinary Services, which he took.
"Things kind of fell into place in New Zealand," he said. "Whanganui fitted the bill. It was a bit of a gamble, but travelling is always a bit of a gamble."
First impressions removed any doubt.
"I remember as we arrived here at night," Rosanna said, "we drove past Virginia Lake. It was really beautiful."
"It's big enough. It has almost everything. It has its library, its cinema and its bars... lots of schools," Hein said.
The Stoops said it was a great city to raise their young family.
"This city really is one big community," Rosanna said.
"Everyone is friendly and supports each other. It was really a rat race, our lives in Holland. The kids can really be kids here."
