Tell us a little about yourself and family.

We're originally from Leeds and there's me, my husband and three boys who are aged 6, 13 and 18 years now. We arrived here two and a half years ago.
My husband is a qualified bricklayer and we secured a job for him before we arrived.

What were your reasons for choosing New Zealand?

We've always wanted to emigrate, we've thought about it a few times in the past and the time just seemed right. We talked it over and New Zealand seemed the right place for us.

How long did the emigration process take?

About a year, six months to get all our paper work together and then six months to get our permanent residency and finally come over.

Where do you live in New Zealand?

We live on the outskirts of Christchurch on the South Island

What differences have you noticed between NZ and the UK?

You imagine there won't be much difference at all at first, but the truth is it is a completely different culture.

There is a lot more emphasis on sport, they are a very sporty nation, my boys are always doing something active at school and are a lot happier for it.

The kiwis are very positive thinking, and mostly a friendly lot.

The houses shocked us at first and I thought the older villas looked awful but as time has gone on you get used to them and they even look pretty.

The build of them is also completely different and a lot lack adequate insulation. Double glazing and extra insulation and soundproofing are now included in most new builds now though. We live quite rural so have to also get used to the occasional power cut but it's not too bad and we have a logburner for heat and to warm the water, so we just cosy up and wait for the power to come back on.

The food tastes completely different and it takes a while for your taste buds to get used to it. I couldn't eat the chocolate, (not such a bad thing), and lots of foods seemed very sweet to us but after two and a half years here I bet if I visited the UK the food there would taste funny to me now!

What do you enjoy most about NZ?

I've done the rollercoaster of emotions ... not being sure, then loving it, hating it, loving it again etc, etc. I love the bright blue skies in the daytime, the night skies are awesome with all the millions and millions of stars. You can't really see the night sky in the UK because of all the light pollution but here it's amazing!

The country is beautiful and it smells so lovely too.

What do you miss from the UK?

The shops, a full in depth news report, having disposable income, central heating and my friends and family of course.

If you or your spouse work how easy was it to find employment?

My husband had a job secured before we got here and I had an interview lined up for two days after we landed. I found it really easy to find employment but wasn't happy devoting all my hours to work, instead of settling my family into their new country so I decided to become a stay at home mum.

How does the work environment differ from the UK?

It's very full on, I didn't find it relaxed at all and neither did my husband in the building trade. That's why I left my job because I was expected to put my work before my family.
 
If you have children how easy was it to enroll them in a new school?
Very easy, we dropped in without an appointment and filled a few forms in and that was it, they did ask to see our passports to make sure we had permanent residency but that was all.

How different is the education system from the UK?

I think it involves a lot more confidence building than the UK, and a lot more fun! The kids are spoken to as equals and made to feel proud of their achievements. My children have blossomed here .. my youngest has ADHD so can be very challenging and they have made him feel so good about himself. His teacher is constantly telling him he has a superior brain and he is bursting with confidence.

The schools have loads of sporting activities so the kids aren't as couped up in their classrooms as they were in the UK either. They're also encouraged to be more independent and do things for themselves.

Have your children settled?

Yes they absolutely love it here.

Has your quality of life improved, if so how?

Not at first it didn't and my husband was out of work for a while about a year after we arrived so we really struggled financially. He left the construction industry and is working in a completely different job but is a lot happier. We only now are feeling like we are finally getting somewhere.

How does the cost of living compare?

Because the wages aren't brilliant the cost of living seemed higher to us and we were very shocked. Basics like your weekly shop seemed really, really expensive. You soon learn though how to budget like the kiwis and I buy a lot of stuff in bulk now. We don't eat convenience foods and we bake a lot. Fruit and veg is cheap as long as you buy it in season so we just buy what's cheap and don't buy what's not.

How does NZ fit into your long term plans?

We're here for the long haul, we feel very safe and happy here.

In retrospect is there anything you would change?

Yes, we would never have bought a house, we should have just bought land straight away and built our own. We are just in the process of finally buying land now, having sold our NZ house.

Are there any final thoughts you would like to share?

You have to be pretty tough to get through all the ups and downs you will most definitely experience here. Just stay strong and things gradually will get a lot better.

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