Moving to NZ

platypus

platypus

platypus

Caporegime
Joined
25 Jul 2003
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So it's another year and again I'm posting a 'thinking of moving abroad' thread. However, it is not because I'm unhappy for once! No, I've just settled into a new job close to home and am enjoying working here, I love the UK and will always consider it home. I know a few people on here have done it, so any advice welcome.

However the commander in chief has had a tentative proposition come through, which gives us a lot of scope. Essentially, at this stage we have free reign to choose where we would move. Any of the major cities look great, though having had a look at the country personally I think I'd prefer the southern island for easier access to the ski fields/Queenstown seems like a great place to live near. I've been told that Christchurch is not a great place to be at the moment (property prices especially high).

As far as we can tell, her Visa/Residency will all be handled automatically, and I'd get them automatically as well due to being married, however I have enough points to start my own expression of interest anyway; so I don't see there being a problem in the process.

Nothing is set in stone, as above I'm happy where I am and she also enjoys her current job, but for her and us overall it could be a great career move. Pros, cons, would you do it?
 
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Sound like a great opportunity, how would you feel about leaving the rest of your family/friends?

I've know a few people that have emigrated but they've all pretty much ended up coming back as they "missed home".

HEADRAT
 
Yes, my uncle sold up and moved to NZ about 8 years ago. I aim to move there in a few years if i can get work over there, such an awesome place to live!
 
HEADRAT said:
Sound like a great opportunity, how would you feel about leaving the rest of your family/friends?

I've know a few people that have emigrated but they've all pretty much ended up coming back as they "missed home".

HEADRAT
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For me, no issue at all. My family is spread out across the globe and I don't have many friends :p.

For her? A more difficult prospect, which I think has the potential to cause issues long term - eg if we do go it will be for her career, and if she's not happy then it will make things extremley difficult. That said, it might be a useful thing to do for a few years and then come back.
 
platypus said:
That said, it might be a useful thing to do for a few years and then come back.
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I think this a very sensible approach to see it as a short/medium term move, if it all works out OK then it can be permanent.

My personal circumstances make emigrating impossible but I certainly would have considered it, I was offered a move to Seattle a few years back and did consider it.

HEADRAT
 
A cousin of mine went to NZ a couple of years ago because of BF's job, split up with BF pretty much straight away and got all stuff burgled from house! But decided to stay anyway and now got a good job and doing OK so it must be very nice there.

I don't fancy it myself, it would be nice to watch volcanos exploding from your kitchen window but I've heard there's a pretty bad drug/violence problem.
 
I'd do it tbh. If I get offered a post overseas ill take it with a view to building my career am living my life. I'd still go in looking to come back after a few years though
 
I did it a few years back and have no interest in moving back to the UK. Its nice here but its not much different to UK if youre expecting no violence, drunken stuff, etc. Just look at Stuff.co.nz and you'll see the same scumbag stories here. Overall I would say the experience is much better here but if you're thinking about doing IT jobs here forget about Queensland. There are 4 million people here and only 1 mil on the south island which is the same size as the north island. Mostly farm land and hobbits mixed with awesome scenary. I'd love to live on the south island but not much work in IT down there.

Avoid Auckland as they're weird. Just look at Magnolia :P
 
If you have the luxury of city choice I recommend Wellington.

Im from NZ living in the UK, having a blast over here but do eventually want to return home.

I think it would be a good place for a British person to emigrate to, culture shock would be minimal.
 
To be honest, I'm not even sure that I'd want a job in IT. The wife would be earning a much bigger salary, allowing me to think about retraining/moving to another industry perhaps. Whether she'd want too or not is another matter :p.

@Crimefighter - why Wellington?
 
Wellington is compact and has a villagey, 'close' feel to it - you can walk from one end of the centre to the other in a handful of minutes. It's very pleasant. I really like the place but I wouldn't want to live there. It's colder than Auckland and almost always windy but house prices are cheaper (if that's a concern) and the people are perhaps slightly friendlier, although this is very often overplayed (and, I always think, said by people who come from terrifyingly small villages and/or the South Island). It certainly has a different feel to Auckland but Auckland knocks it out of the park in many ways.

What do you want from your location? That might be easier than us trying to explain pros and cons to each of the areas you might consider.
 
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PapaLazaru said:
Wellington or Queenstown.
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Wellington is fairly cosmopolitan, don't expect London or New York though, windy and is a high risk earthquake zone even by New Zealand standards.

Queentown is a small holiday resort, population around 17k, with skiing in the winter and adventure tourism in the summer. It is incredibly beautiful overlooking Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables.

Waterfront property in Queenstown is the most expensive in New Zealand, even more than Auckland's CBD, but most of the town isn't more 5 minutes drive from the lake.
 
Emigrated to NZ about 4 years ago, we live in Canterbury, about 40 minutes from Christchurch (I'm lucky enough to work from home so the commute into Christchurch is non-issue). There are a few questions/comments in this thread so I'll just add a few things that might help based on what's been said (these are not in any particular order and represent a series of brain farts!).

I wouldn't recommend Christchurch right now, property prices have spiked due to good homes being in relatively short supply as most as waiting on repairs after the earthquakes. Much of the central city is still being demolished/rebuilt and it's going to be several years before that is finished. There are still some nice parts and we love where we live, Cantabrians are generally a relaxed happy bunch but the earthquakes (more specifically the slow repair process) has stressed a lot of people so it's not as friendly as it was even if it's better than most places in the UK.

NZ as a whole is a very friendly place, there are areas more prone to violence but on the whole I feel safer than in the UK and it's easy enough to avoid gang areas and the gangs tend to fight amongst themselves not with the public.

I don't feel there is a worse drug problem than in the UK but again some areas are worse, Queenstown is notorious for drug use but I think that is more soft rather than hard drugs. Drugs are always going to be found in developed countries where people have disposable incomes, I've never been negatively affected by it since we arrived and it's not something I'd worry about mentioning to someone emigrating.

Auckland is cool but it is busy, if you are looking for a slightly quieter lifestyle then Wellington or one of the other towns (there are more than Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch) might suit you but that depends on work. It is pretty rare to find jobs advertised on the major online sites that aren't based in the main three cities so you might have to be more creative about finding work.

Property as a whole in NZ is cheap compared to the UK but not compared to NZ incomes, especially when you factor in higher interest rates (currently 5-6% on mortgages and that is an 50 year low). If you want a nice house in a nice area within easy commuting distance then expect to pay quite a bit. Kiwi homes are generally not up to UK standards so expect to pay a premium for one that is.

We love it here, there is a better emphasis on work/life balance and we get out for walks every weekend. People are friendlier, the weather is better (I didn't expect this to make such a difference) and it's an easy country to be happy in as long as you have a decent income.

Obviously, NZ isn't a utopia or no one would ever leave and there'd be more than 4m people here, there are plenty of people who move here and leave soon after (or after a few years). In many cases that's due to missing family/friends or general homesickness, sometimes it's down to things not working out but a lot of the time it's down to a lack of research or unrealistic expectations. New Zealand is an awesome place but it's still just a place so it's worth thinking about what you want from the move. If it's to be able to get out hiking, exploring more often or to be able to go skiing/sailing/etc then you're probably onto a winner. If it's just the idea of living on the Lord of the Rings set and hoping that brings happiness in itself then you might be disappointed. Either way, spend the time now not later.

Like I said, for our part, we can't imagine moving anytime soon, we have a great place with a view of the mountains and skiing/kayaking/hiking within 45 minutes. We have a 2 year old who I get to spend heaps of time with and she is able to grow up with a rural lifestyle which we always wanted for her. We've got great friends, a good community and enjoy each day for what it brings, whether that's chasing a sheep out of our garden or trekking in the hills.

If you've got any specific questions then feel free to drop me an email, trying to answer "What's it like?" or "Should I do it?" is pretty tricky without knowing what you're looking for and what ticks your boxes.
 
ricky1981 said:
Property as a whole in NZ is cheap compared to the UK
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Some great advice in your post but the above is not accurate. IIRC you paid a very, very small amount for your nice place but that is far from the rule and the latest trends are showing an ever shrinking property market in the places where people want to live and an over-abundance of people who want to live there.

The average house in Auckland costs over GBP 310 grand

That's the average. In the nicer parts is is certainly more expensive.

Yes, I know that's only Auckland but Wellington is also showing increases although it has always been cheaper to buy there so perhaps less significant.

Anyway, my point was that the OP should ask what he wants from the place he lives in and then ask or do some research.
 
Yeah, point taken and I wasn't terribly clear with what I was saying which is that if you have a place in the UK that you have decent equity in then that money would generally get you a nicer place in NZ. What that doesn't account for is you will be earning less here so only really benefits you if you bring a good chunk of money across with you.

It brings me to another point which is to think in terms of your potential earnings not in terms of what the NZ cost is compared to the UK cost. My mum visits a lot and always goes on about how cheap everything is because her $5 cup of coffee equates to less than £3 but fails to realise we don't earn our old £ income.
 
platypus said:
To be honest, I'm not even sure that I'd want a job in IT. The wife would be earning a much bigger salary, allowing me to think about retraining/moving to another industry perhaps. Whether she'd want too or not is another matter :p.

@Crimefighter - why Wellington?
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ricky1981's post above covered a lot of great stuff about NZ. The lifestyle is fantastic (weather contribute's), and when the Mrs and I want to start a family we will be heading back to the outdoorsy lifestyle that we both grew up with....I want that for my kids.

Specifically regarding Wellington, I love it because its compact but has enough people to mean that there are plenty of events happening in the city and it has a good "buzz" about it.

Its also a beautiful place!

A lot of people talk down Auckland, but its actually pretty good and has a lot going for it. You would find a good lifestyle in either city tbh.

Drawbacks with Wellington are the wind - Ive never experienced a windier place, but you cant't beat it on a good day...of which there are plenty.


Edit: One of the things I am looking forward to when I go home is a 1/4 acre section with a backyard big enough for cricket/football/BBQs, and a double garage!!!
 
[FnG]magnolia;23479496 said:
What do you want from your location? That might be easier than us trying to explain pros and cons to each of the areas you might consider.
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Thats a good idea of course! We live in Cambridge and hate the "big city" (eg London). Thats not to say we don't enjoy the advantages of living in a small city, but we're both from small villages, and prefer an easy kind of laid back life - but with good facilities. We're both fitness fanatics, myself especially, into extreme sports and the more usual (running, cycling, swimming). We enjoy "cultural" activities - opera, theatre, etc. Think rural/small village with close ties to "civilisation".

Education facilities is an important consideration - if we do move and make it permanent we'll be having children out there.

Regarding house prices, the wife would actually be getting a pay rise if she does take the job, but initially I'd be out of work. We'd plan to rent for the 2 year "trial period", and then see, so whilst house prices are an important consideration its not an immediate one, but one we definitely need to factor in.
 
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