skybluestu

Well guys after five and half years in this wonderful country I completed my integration and became a New Zealand citizen. It’s been a great journey so far and I and the family have now made New Zealand our Home. I’ve been back to the UK and Europe a number of times and I am always glad when I get back to NZ. Don’t get me wrong we miss our close friends and family desperately sometimes but we don’t miss the UK.

Our story started when we decided to emigrate later on in life aged 45 and 47 with three teenage children aged 13, 15 & 17, the wife skills enabled us to get full residency and she opted for a job in Napier. We loved the climate and the Hawkes bay Region but it can be a bit quiet and you need to travel to Auckland or Wellington to see some major events or shows. Our youngest settled in at school and made some great Kiwi friends (no real bulling problems except for the usual girls on Facebook scenarios). Our middle boy had to wait 12 months until he could go to Uni so he did a number of part time jobs whilst he waited. Our oldest boy was already doing a football scholarship in the USA so came back for his first Christmas holiday to Hawkes Bay, what a difference to Coventry in December.

The wife was the single wage (68k) coming into the household and it was hard for me to find a job of the same type and wage that I was used too especially in Hawkes Bay as all the more senior sales roles were in Auckland or Wellington. After 3 months without work and applying for anything that moved, going to the job centre and local library to use the internet I finally got a break through the expat network at the local football club. So I dusted off the heavy goods licence and did a range of jobs from class 5 lorry driving to selling cars at Toyota. After 8 months I spotted a company that manufactured fire engines in NZ and as an ex fire officer and as I had previously worked for a UK fire engine manufacturer I rang up out of the blue and asked to speak to the director. There was no jobs but I managed to talk myself into a position they created for me but it meant moving to Wellington.

I moved down to Wellie and within 6 months the Family joined me as the wife had been offered a management position with another company in the educational sector. We moved to the Kapiti Coast and over the last 3-4 years have made some great friends manly expats but also Kiwi. The coast life suits us and you get used to the Wellie commute, the middle son settled into uni and now is just about to start a master’s program! (Got his mum’s intelligence) The daughter is taking a gap year after finishing school and the oldest son is deciding whether to stay in the USA or come back to NZ and not the UK.

Life continues to move on and the latest chapter is that I have now working for a company based in Melbourne and looking after the NZ and Australia. Its hard work with the travel but rewarding but the things that I take from this eventful five years are the following

• Take the chance in moving to NZ it’s better to give it a go than sit their saying you had wished. We had never been to NZ before we decided to emigrate and only had images in our minds from our research. We came out on one wage with a positive outlook
• Don’t buy a house immediately give it 1 to 2 years because you don’t know where you could end up
• There are jobs there just got to put yourself forward and expect knockbacks eventually you will find a good one.
• Wages aren’t as high as the UK,- correct in the main most aren’t but you’re not in the UK. It’s a lifestyle thing (no im not a hippy). Jobs can change and so can wages
• We had no friends when arriving but now have a good circle of close friends. They might never be as close to some friends you left behind but you made them over a lifetime.
• Remember the UK is a long way from home and it is very hard when you lose someone and you’re in New Zealand, make sure you have some airfares put away to use in an emergency.
• Family can be very spiteful when you tell them you leaving and this can cause a lot of stress and doubt that you’re making the right decision. Just push through it and remain strong as a family as you are the only ones you have got in NZ
• Kids can make friends and we found the school educational system good
• Enjoy life in New Zealand we do more here than we did in the UK,
• Foods more expensive and there isn’t the choice – eat local and fresh
• We can’t just hop to Spain/Europe for a holiday – great places in NZ, I haven’t visited half of them yet. For us living on the coast is like a holiday with the beach and hills at weekends
• Old houses are cold and draftey new houses have insulation (hopefully)

I’m sure there are another 110 points I could mention and I’m not looking through Kiwi tinted Glasses NZ isn’t for everybody but at the moment it is for us

Cheers Skybluestu

j19fmm

What a great positive post, thank you for sharing x

LauraNotts

Congratulations!!

Venezuelan007

Nice post

DennisBergkamp

Great post and tips- funny how so many of us West Midlanders leave the place!

Hazelnut

Thanks for such a positive post and congratulations on the citizenship

gaz1277

Strange how you find people Stu......
How you going?? Hope Cliff is treating you well...
I met Stu whilst he was working for the company that built NZ Fire engines as I work for the NZ Fire Service.
Good points and I agree with them all - keep your options open. If you have moved to other side of the world for a better life, what is wrong with moving to a different town if it doesn't quite work out.......
My 5 years coming up in August - citizenship or not??

dorothy t

Hi just online and having a look round and saw New Zealand then spotted your message. I am a bit envious to say the least. Although pleased you made it at the same time, you may not even bother looking on here now as you have now reached your destination. I visited New Zealand the first time in 2003 for 6 months 14 yrs ago! then again in 2005 . Daft idea met a bloke in UK and he was going over working towards his residency I didn't want him to go for 8 months so went with him. Then again 2 months in 05 . It didn't work out but I had a great time in the 6 months traveling and the kiwis are nice people I made a few friends and didn't want to leave in 2003 but the 6 months visa only allowed me to stay for that time. I missed the place loads when I got to the UK I thought about going back if I could find a job but I was mid 40s then and may have had a chance. I re married and told myself to forget NZ but now my circumstances have changed and I curse myself for not trying to get a job there and who knows a chance of citizenship. I don't have a trade or skill as such just a retail back ground and voluntary work experience . But I missed the boat too late for me now I am 61 this Year and I looked online ,the NZ Imigration state anyone over the age of 56 is too old.
I would do anything to be in your shoes it's the best place in my opinion . I had a lot of laughs there along with a few sad times , mainly my partner was messing me about and left me in Wellington to find my way round but I managed. I do miss the people and life syle out there, so heres to you and family you lucky thing. I stayed in a place called Oamaru in the south Island for a few months , lovely people there. I wish I could have kept intouch with people there but they're busy Tried emailing a few times then the emails stopped. Hope you are having a good life . I'm thinking of trying Spain if I can find some where not too hot . But if I thought I could go to N Z I'd be off asap. One day I hope to visit N Z again .

Dorothy