Todd umptious

Hi guys, posting for the first time, looking to move to New Zealand in the new year and would appreciate any advice on where is best to live.

Looking for somewhere that has a reasonable construction industry (I'm an electrician), would also like there to be a good amount of people of a similar age (23-33). Also a nice area to rent an apartment where I can feel safe, would be willing to spend extra for peace of mind.

Thanks

LauraNotts

Hello, welcome

Have you investigated your visa options? Have a look on www.immigration.govt.nz if you haven't already to check whether you are eligible. Different visas have different time frames and you will almost certainly need a job offer to have a realistic chance.

The very obvious one for construction would be Christchurch but there would be work in any of the larger centres in NZ for a properly qualified tradie. I don't want to give any advice on nice areas or anything firmer until you know you can come and have narrowed it down a bit

Todd umptious

Ive been looking into getting a working holiday visa which I would at first get for 12 months. A job would not be essential for me right away as I have savings. Like a lot of people who move to NZ I was looking at Auckland, maybe Wellington, but I'm unsure about what is an average weekly rent price?

concretepump

bay of plenty, is a very busy place and its one of the warmest places in new Zealand, forget Christchurch every man and his dog is there or wants to go there , wages would be better, in Tauranga, and there are a lot of things for young people to do as well as old

MrsFychan

on a WHV you would not be able to work for the full 12th months and I beleive you have to prove a certain amount of ready money for the application.
to look at rental costs you would be best looking on trademe but be aware you would unlikely get one set up before you came over so I think you would be best looking at hostels or maybe even holiday lets. I also doubt you would be able to get work as an electrician on a WHV as you need to be registered and monitored here to do any work and gain a licence, Recognition of overseas qualifications | Electrical Workers Registration Board, so I think you would need to be looking at cafe work or that sort.

Tom H

I was going to say, I've heard it can be tough for trades people to seek employment on WHVs.

Your best bet is more a one year essential skills visa (you'll need a job offer).

As for areas - Wellington is a no brainer, although i'd look to see if you could get Rotorua, Tauranga or Queenstown as well. Wellington will have the employment and the demand. Magnificent city is Wellington....

LauraNotts

One of the things I did to sort out a rental was ask a friend I had in NZ (who could register on trademe) to contact people for me so I could liaise with them myself. People were a bit nonplussed but were happy to talk to me once they realised why I hadn't done so myself. That worked out as well as it could have done - the place was fine the flatmate had 6 cats lol.

LauraNotts

Oh and a PS on the WHV.

I can't find anywhere on the NZ Immigration website where it says you can't work for the full 12 months. It does say you can't work BEYOND 12 months. I came over on one and accidentally took a permanent job which I had been led to believe was fixed term (I fixed it pretty quickly by getting my DHB to change it to 'temporary at my own request)

I suppose because I was in the process of switching to a work visa by the time 6 months rolled around I may have missed something somewhere but I remember looking for the not more than 6 months condition on my paperwork and being unable to find it.

MrsFychan

United Kingdom Working Holiday Scheme

if you want to get a WHV longer than 12mths you will need to get medicals done. you are not entitled to work any longer than 12th months, that is on the extended visa as well. you can only apply for this type of visa once but if you only apply for 12mths you can apply for an extension to 23mths once here but as stated incurs additional cost

newkiwi

Auckland, Tauranga, Christchurch, Wellington all good.
As for safe, you should be fine.