Anyone moved to NZ?
Discussion
Hi all.
Looking for some help regarding emigrating, please?
I'm an HGV Technician and it seems my trade is on two lists which list the 'in demand' skills required by both Oz and NZ.
Has anyone ever made this move, or began the process to?
My wife is in the RAF, but she is ready for a change now and fancies a job working with animals (zoo, vets, pet shop etc).
She could always transfer to NZ Air Force, so that's always an option, also.
I think, whichever one of us leads with the application, we both have quite strong/desirable skill sets so I can only see us being successful (hopefully!)
All help, comments, criticism, reality checks welcome!
Thanks in advance, Stuart.
Looking for some help regarding emigrating, please?
I'm an HGV Technician and it seems my trade is on two lists which list the 'in demand' skills required by both Oz and NZ.
Has anyone ever made this move, or began the process to?
My wife is in the RAF, but she is ready for a change now and fancies a job working with animals (zoo, vets, pet shop etc).
She could always transfer to NZ Air Force, so that's always an option, also.
I think, whichever one of us leads with the application, we both have quite strong/desirable skill sets so I can only see us being successful (hopefully!)
All help, comments, criticism, reality checks welcome!
Thanks in advance, Stuart.
Adenauer said:
- edit* - could someone with the 'power' please move my topic into the above forum? Thank you.
Well while I'm typing, perhaps I should add more detail. We are married, I'm 27, wife is 31, we have a dog and no kids.
Own 2 houses, neither outright, and would either sell our current house and carry on letting the second house, or let both.
You may want to check this out
http://britishexpats.com/forum/
As far as NZ goes, it's fair to say that people's experiences are mixed. Very mixed.
http://britishexpats.com/forum/
As far as NZ goes, it's fair to say that people's experiences are mixed. Very mixed.
My in laws are Kiwis:
Pros of Kiwiland are that its great if you have a family or are retiring as its fairly safe. focused on outdoor life and generally pretty quiet
Cons are that its 'Tinytown' and iirc the average business has 4 people in it, its a nice country but all the nice countryside a scenery is also available in Europe, its the end of the planet, miles away from anywhere, even 2.5 hours away from Oz, its quiet (dull)
Pros of Kiwiland are that its great if you have a family or are retiring as its fairly safe. focused on outdoor life and generally pretty quiet
Cons are that its 'Tinytown' and iirc the average business has 4 people in it, its a nice country but all the nice countryside a scenery is also available in Europe, its the end of the planet, miles away from anywhere, even 2.5 hours away from Oz, its quiet (dull)
Thanks to the mod who moved this thread for me.
And thanks for the replies.
We may be c30 years old, but we are more like 50/60 in our minds.
So the quiet-ish nature of NZ appeals. In reality, it may be TOO quiet, but we aren't looking for night life and the like.
We'll keep doing some research.
Keep the replies coming
Thank you, Stuart.
And thanks for the replies.
We may be c30 years old, but we are more like 50/60 in our minds.
So the quiet-ish nature of NZ appeals. In reality, it may be TOO quiet, but we aren't looking for night life and the like.
We'll keep doing some research.
Keep the replies coming
Thank you, Stuart.As to whether you'll like it or not really depends on you. It tends to be a bit of a "marmite" situation. I know Ex-pats who got off the plane and within weeks considered themselves Kiwis and still love the country 15 years later and would never return to the UK. Also know plenty of others who got of the plane, stayed here for a couple of years and moaned the whole time before packing up and moving back to the UK again.
There's a third type who belong to the second group, who realise once being back in the UK for a year that NZ really was better after all and come back to live for a second time.
Don't come to NZ thinking it'll be just like the UK as it's got its own personality.
If you can live without being a short plane/train ride from Europe and you're not going to miss your friends/family at home (the two main things that seem to pull people back), then you'll almost certainly love it here.
There's a third type who belong to the second group, who realise once being back in the UK for a year that NZ really was better after all and come back to live for a second time.
Don't come to NZ thinking it'll be just like the UK as it's got its own personality.
If you can live without being a short plane/train ride from Europe and you're not going to miss your friends/family at home (the two main things that seem to pull people back), then you'll almost certainly love it here.
Oh, and things are expensive in NZ. Very expensive. It's swings and roundabouts (owning and running a car is a lot cheaper, but buying something nice like a Porsche is much more expensive). General retail goods here are comically expensive, as is food. Housing on the whole is cheaper but not by a lot, but quality is generally lower because our NZ climate isn't as miserable as the UK's.
Outdoorsy stuff is a lot cheaper to do, and it's a lot less crowded (even Auckland's traffic congestion would make you laugh at how trifling it is compared to any UK city). Auckland feels pretty metropolitan (not compared to London though), but outside the main centres it's pretty quiet. It's also not like the UK where villages are dotted across the countryside a few miles from each other... there are a LOT of open spaces between towns.
Outdoorsy stuff is a lot cheaper to do, and it's a lot less crowded (even Auckland's traffic congestion would make you laugh at how trifling it is compared to any UK city). Auckland feels pretty metropolitan (not compared to London though), but outside the main centres it's pretty quiet. It's also not like the UK where villages are dotted across the countryside a few miles from each other... there are a LOT of open spaces between towns.
Esprit sums it up pretty well. I'm Kiwi, but have traveled extensively. Love Paris, New York, London, SF, Hong Kong, LA, Rome, etc., etc., but always enjoy arriving back home. If a laid back lifestyle is what you are after, NZ is hard to beat. If cultural pursuits are your thing, there's enough to get by on, but you have to keep your eyes open and grasp opportunities when they arise. It is a very small place relatively speaking. Just 4.5 million people spread across a country the size of the UK, and over a quarter of them are in Auckland. I have lots of friends who have moved here from the UK. Most love it, but as Esprit says, some can't wait to get out of here.
We have just taken on a new staff member. Her family moved out 18 years ago. Her mum loved it from day 1, her dad is was less enthusiastic. However, when he went back to the UK for a trip two years ago he realised there was no way he could have the lifestyle in England what he now has in NZ and was happy to return here.
We have just taken on a new staff member. Her family moved out 18 years ago. Her mum loved it from day 1, her dad is was less enthusiastic. However, when he went back to the UK for a trip two years ago he realised there was no way he could have the lifestyle in England what he now has in NZ and was happy to return here.
Stating the obvious a little, but different parts of NZ offer quite different experiences, lifestyles, weather etc so worth looking around before committing to a particular place if you can.
For example - I live in a small rural town in the deep south, which suits me well (surrounded by outdoor activities etc) but wouldn't have quite the same appeal to someone who likes warm winters and a city lifestyle.
For example - I live in a small rural town in the deep south, which suits me well (surrounded by outdoor activities etc) but wouldn't have quite the same appeal to someone who likes warm winters and a city lifestyle.
Climate here can be funny, I'm in New Plymouth and it never really gets above 26 in the summer and winter is mild compared to the UK. Although the wind here is the worse.
I've been here 7.5 years and am firmly in the stay camp.
The one thing I've found is the opportunities here are so much more, I went from working in a Tesco warehouse, to walking into a job with no skills making benchtops, to running the workshop and being in charge of 4 staff and teaching myself CAD.
I've also helped my father in law make this http://www.tradersandwhalers.co.nz/ and helped the Weta guys who were working on it and had a behind the scenes tour of the Weta workshop.
I've met Simon Gualt and Al Brown (we did Simon Gualts benchtop) famous NZ TV Chefs.
All things just never achievable for me in the UK.
I've been here 7.5 years and am firmly in the stay camp.
The one thing I've found is the opportunities here are so much more, I went from working in a Tesco warehouse, to walking into a job with no skills making benchtops, to running the workshop and being in charge of 4 staff and teaching myself CAD.
I've also helped my father in law make this http://www.tradersandwhalers.co.nz/ and helped the Weta guys who were working on it and had a behind the scenes tour of the Weta workshop.
I've met Simon Gualt and Al Brown (we did Simon Gualts benchtop) famous NZ TV Chefs.
All things just never achievable for me in the UK.
TheLordJohn said:
Could someone please give an idea of year round climate (roughly) of both main islands?
Decent overall summary here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_New_Zeala...As said above it can be funny though, with a lot of local variations and microclimates.
Edited by GravelBen on Thursday 26th November 08:30
Tony Starks said:
Climate here can be funny,
CR6ZZ said:
Yep, as others have said, the weather can be extremely variable. Not unusual to get four seasons in one day.
Agreed, on Friday afternoon as a southerly front blew through we went from 27 degrees down to 9 degrees in less than 20 minutesI've seen 3 feet of snow in my garden, had winds top 200kph and sweltered in 40+ degrees, all in the same place
TheLordJohn said:
Hi all.
Looking for some help regarding emigrating, please?
I'm an HGV Technician and it seems my trade is on two lists which list the 'in demand' skills required by both Oz and NZ.
All help, comments, criticism, reality checks welcome!
Thanks in advance, Stuart.
I moved down nearly 10 years ago, with my job being on the 'desired' list. The move was a transfer with work, so that made it easier, but I still went through all the paperwork etc. You may know already, but it's easier if you can get more 'points' when applying for work visa/ residence permit. Points for being on skill shortage list, having a job offer, living outside of Auckland etc etc will get your application through quicker.Looking for some help regarding emigrating, please?
I'm an HGV Technician and it seems my trade is on two lists which list the 'in demand' skills required by both Oz and NZ.
All help, comments, criticism, reality checks welcome!
Thanks in advance, Stuart.
As others have said cost of living can be higher, and average wage here I'm sure is lower than UK (?). Mortgage/Loan rates are also higher, and they tend not to throw money at you like they do in the UK, especially for new immigrants.
I believe the immigration process maybe easier (and cheaper) than Aus, in fact people used to come here first, get citizenship within 3 years then wander across the ditch. Thats changed now.
I enjoy living here, miss old buildings and being able to get pretty much anything delivered next day, but the lifestyle is much better.
HTH
Alex
alex.tvr said:
I moved down nearly 10 years ago, with my job being on the 'desired' list. The move was a transfer with work, so that made it easier, but I still went through all the paperwork etc. You may know already, but it's easier if you can get more 'points' when applying for work visa/ residence permit. Points for being on skill shortage list, having a job offer, living outside of Auckland etc etc will get your application through quicker.
As others have said cost of living can be higher, and average wage here I'm sure is lower than UK (?). Mortgage/Loan rates are also higher, and they tend not to throw money at you like they do in the UK, especially for new immigrants.
I believe the immigration process maybe easier (and cheaper) than Aus, in fact people used to come here first, get citizenship within 3 years then wander across the ditch. Thats changed now.
I enjoy living here, miss old buildings and being able to get pretty much anything delivered next day, but the lifestyle is much better.
HTH
Alex
Thanks for taking the time to reply. As others have said cost of living can be higher, and average wage here I'm sure is lower than UK (?). Mortgage/Loan rates are also higher, and they tend not to throw money at you like they do in the UK, especially for new immigrants.
I believe the immigration process maybe easier (and cheaper) than Aus, in fact people used to come here first, get citizenship within 3 years then wander across the ditch. Thats changed now.
I enjoy living here, miss old buildings and being able to get pretty much anything delivered next day, but the lifestyle is much better.
HTH
Alex
I'm fairly sure we'll be looking to NZ over Oz, but I'll keep researching
We really need to know where in NZ you are thinking of moving to - as has been said above, each place is individual, and very different to many areas of the UK.
Some areas of Auckland have house prices approaching those of London, so depending where you are moving from you may have to adjust where you move to. Having said that, if you have any equity in a UK property in an affluent area, you may be able to pick and choose the size and location of a house here, but please remember that a typical kiwi house is nothing like a typical UK house.
As mentioned above, the local climatic conditions vary enormously here, as it is more maritime than the UK, but certain areas are more continental that the UK due to the presence of some quite big mountain ranges altering the prevailing weather to the other side of the range. For example - the areas immediately to the East of the mountains in the South Island is usually nothing like central Scotland (as you would have expected and despite the Scottish place names ) because of the influence of these mountains.
Some areas of Auckland have house prices approaching those of London, so depending where you are moving from you may have to adjust where you move to. Having said that, if you have any equity in a UK property in an affluent area, you may be able to pick and choose the size and location of a house here, but please remember that a typical kiwi house is nothing like a typical UK house.
As mentioned above, the local climatic conditions vary enormously here, as it is more maritime than the UK, but certain areas are more continental that the UK due to the presence of some quite big mountain ranges altering the prevailing weather to the other side of the range. For example - the areas immediately to the East of the mountains in the South Island is usually nothing like central Scotland (as you would have expected and despite the Scottish place names ) because of the influence of these mountains.
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