Migrating to NZ

the_candyman · 28 Jul 2011 at 09:49

Well this is it. I have one day left till I purchase a lovely one way ticket to New Zealand.
Making the big old step to leave the UK and start something new.
I'm not planning on leaving till the end of november this year but it is still a big day tomorrow.
So have any of you migrated to another country and is there any tips on what to expect? As in working, cars etc. Any tips on what I should be taking? Obiously my life but items, documents etc.

boxman2000 · 28 Jul 2011 at 09:53

My cousin moved to NZ a few years back - her advice to us (as we were looking to move to Canada) is that places can be quite insular so best way to meet new people is to get involved in local activities/groups (church, sports, charities, clubs, associations etc).

Can't help you other than that - good luck.

[FnG]magnolia · 28 Jul 2011 at 10:09

Did it. Ask away.

ste_bla · 28 Jul 2011 at 10:31

Your going to get shafted by exchange rate at moment and if you have been in past but not recently prices have gone up a lot

Lived there 2 years sister still there any particular q ask

JHeaton · 28 Jul 2011 at 10:46

ste_bla said:
Lived there 2 years sister still there any particular q ask

If you eat a whole box of Rice Bubbles with four pints of milk, will you die?

Cooper · 28 Jul 2011 at 10:47

Make sure you dont burn your bridges in the UK, as the odds say 70-80% of Brits leaving the UK return within 5yrs..

Those arent very good odds that things will work out......

Marky · 28 Jul 2011 at 10:49

Cooper said:
Make sure you dont burn your bridges in the UK, as the odds say 70-80% of Brits leaving the UK return within 5yrs..

Those arent very good odds that things will work out......

That's a pretty surprising number - Got a source?

aproctor · 28 Jul 2011 at 10:56

Marky said:
That's a pretty surprising number - Got a source?

They are large figures but i am not that suprised.

Several people on the forums have raised questions in as many weeks, yet they have not even visited the country they want to emigrate to.

On top of this, there are family concerns and a different culture to get used to.

I imagine the figure is much lower for people who visit the country a few times, have help to move and have family/social connections already.

Abraham · 28 Jul 2011 at 10:58

Cooper said:
Make sure you dont burn your bridges in the UK, as the odds say 70-80% of Brits leaving the UK return within 5yrs..

Those arent very good odds that things will work out......

Is that 70-80% of people who intended to move permanently, or does it include all the people who only intended to go for 1 or 2 years?

Dark Sun · 28 Jul 2011 at 11:09

Good luck to you. I love New Zealand and spent a few months there earlier this year. As someone else touched on, join some local clubs to meet people. I played football even though I'm pretty crap but it was a good way to integrate into the local community. NZ is pretty easy to get by really.

steve_c · 28 Jul 2011 at 11:10

Cooper said:
Make sure you dont burn your bridges in the UK, as the odds say 70-80% of Brits leaving the UK return within 5yrs..

Those arent very good odds that things will work out......

I went (intended to move for good) - returned within a year. Was a beautiful country but bored me to death after a while.

I had a decent job in I.T and lived in Auckland. Compared to London - it's absolutely dead and I had both ex-pat friends and kiwis. The kiwis were desperate to move to the UK and after a year - I kind of figured out why.

I know a lot of people that moved back to the UK for the same reason. You also feel quite isolated geographically (for obvious reasons).

Wouldn't change it for the world though. Had a fantastic time travelling for 2 months after I decided I wasn't going to hang around. YMMV.

Totality · 28 Jul 2011 at 11:19

I'm the opposite. The UK bored me to death and I sat around most of the week after work just waiting to go out drinking at the weekend. I was raised in the countryside so I suppose being stuck in a UK city bored me as I liked to do outdoors stuff.

Moved to NZ and love it. Hardly any people or traffic about. I live 5 mins from work and next to the sea to do kayaking, kitesurfing, fishing and hunting. Now it's winter it's a 15 min drive to the mountain for skiing.

The night life sucks but I never really enjoyed it when I lived in the uk. It was more of a habit as that's all I could think to do at weekends living in a city. If you like the outdoors and hate crowded places then NZ is great!

Food is bloody expensive though

Dark Sun · 28 Jul 2011 at 11:20

Totality said:
I'm the opposite. The UK bored me to death and I sat around most of the week after work just waiting to go out drinking at the weekend. I was raised in the countryside so I suppose being stuck in a UK city bored me as I liked to do outdoors stuff.

Moved to NZ and love it. Hardly any people or traffic about. I live 5 mins from work and next to the sea to do kayaking, kitesurfing, fishing and hunting. Now it's winter it's a 15 min drive to the mountain for skiing.

The night life sucks but I never really enjoyed it when I lived in the uk. It was more of a habit as that's all I could think to do at weekends living in a city. If you like the outdoors and hate crowded places then NZ is great!

Food is bloody expensive though

Where in NZ are you based? What do you do?

steve_c · 28 Jul 2011 at 11:32

Totality said:
I'm the opposite. The UK bored me to death and I sat around most of the week after work just waiting to go out drinking at the weekend. I was raised in the countryside so I suppose being stuck in a UK city bored me as I liked to do outdoors stuff.

Moved to NZ and love it. Hardly any people or traffic about. I live 5 mins from work and next to the sea to do kayaking, kitesurfing, fishing and hunting. Now it's winter it's a 15 min drive to the mountain for skiing.

The night life sucks but I never really enjoyed it when I lived in the uk. It was more of a habit as that's all I could think to do at weekends living in a city. If you like the outdoors and hate crowded places then NZ is great!

Food is bloody expensive though

Yup - definitely horses for courses. I'm from London so the change was quite dramatic for me. Don't get me wrong - I love the countryside and outdoors. I participate in a lot of outdoor activities and pursuits. I always have the option to get out of London for a few days and get to some beautiful scenery in Wales, Scotland of even the South of France - all within a few hours. Living in NZ - you don't really have the choice of either lifestyle - and that's what made the decision for me in the end.

If you enjoy outdoor activities and the countryside - you really can't do any better than NZ. I also think it's a fantastic place to retire or bring up children compared to pretty much anywhere in the UK.

It's without doubt *the* most beautiful place I've ever seen and I spent nearly 5 years travelling in all. I suppose I just prefer a bit more life, culture and the opportunity to meet lots of new people and simply didn't get that in NZ.

mejobloggs · 28 Jul 2011 at 11:54

the_candyman said:
Migrating to NZ.

Heh, doing the complete opposite in a few weeks

the_candyman · 28 Jul 2011 at 12:13

Cheers for the reply's guys. My dad lives over in NZ so I have been there a fair few times over the years and I love the place. Went over in January to scout the place out. Looks amazing to say the least. Jobs are good and I have a good degree to launch off with so I should'nt be without a job for so long. If not I can work for my dad for a bit with his company. I have it easy to compaired to a lot of other people.
I'm not really a night life person and I enjoy the quietness of the countryside so its all +++ for me.
The only reason I would come back to the UK would be my family but other than that, the UK has nothing for me.
The question is, bank accounts, are there costs involved with them as my dad said they are not free?
And is it IRD? Their version of the NI number. How do I get one of them?
Any good places you would reccomend to explore?

Kutter · 28 Jul 2011 at 13:17

Been in the USA for a year and 1 day. Things were hard at first but they are slowly getting better. Probably the worst thing is the fact that you have no credit history when you move to another country, so you have to start again.

Biggest mistake i made was not selling my house before i came here and renting it out. Now im out of my fixed rate, its going on the market.
My quality of life is much better here in the states, im in a very low to non existant crime area, decent paying job and the beach is 5 minutes away. Coming from a northern mill town thats bliss

The health care system over here is a joke though, the insurance companies are a bunch of crooks that will let you pay premiums then drop you and refuse to pay for treatment you had 6 months ago.

One of the great things is the fact if you work hard and strive for something, you can usually do well over here and people arent pessimistic like in the UK.

Marky · 28 Jul 2011 at 13:28

doofski said:
Biggest mistake i made was not selling my house before i came here and renting it out.

Why is that? I'm hoping to move to Canada for a year (to see what it's like before fully deciding to move

). But I'm planning on buying a place here first, and then renting it out for a year while I'm away.

Seemed fool-proof as you get your mortgage paid while travelling

DefiantAsh · 28 Jul 2011 at 13:31

JHeaton said:
If you eat a whole box of Rice Bubbles with four pints of milk, will you die?

Lol

Kutter · 28 Jul 2011 at 13:41

Marky said:
Why is that? I'm hoping to move to Canada for a year (to see what it's like before fully deciding to move ). But I'm planning on buying a place here first, and then renting it out for a year while I'm away.

Seemed fool-proof as you get your mortgage paid while travelling

All the hassles with letting agents, mostly them being useless, the fact that its really hard to remorgage when your not a resident, if you don't plan on moving back its just less hassle and worry.