From Wiki

Contents 1 Dining 2 Education 3 Childcare 4 Health Care 5 Shopping

[edit] Dining

[edit] Education

As far as I'm aware children start out school life at Kindy (Kindergarten) where, amongst other things, they learn to knock nails into bits of wood whilst acquiring social skills and all under the watchful eyes of the Kindy educators.

From the date of a child's 5th birthday they can go to primary school (but can wait until they are 6). There are no yearly or termly intakes. Kids just go from their 5th birthday onwards. So, Primary schools start from age 5 and children finish there at Year 6. Years 7 and 8 are intermediate years. Some schools have these classes available at the Primary school, particuarly in rural areas, it is then a "full primary". Others the children change schools to an intermediate school for those two years and this is more the norm in towns and cities. Some schools will teach right the way through from age 5 - 18.

Most schools in New Zealand are zoned. You might find you have to pay a premium for a house in a good school zone.

Rural schools are still around in New Zealand, some with only one or two classes and one or two teachers but there are also rural bus services to most areas for children to travel to and from larger schools.

Schools are rated by a Decile number, 0-10. This purely rates the socio-economic status of the families of pupils attending and is not necessarily an indicator of a poor performing or high achieving academic status school. However, many people tend to prefer schools with a Decile score of 7 and above.

Schools are monitored and inspected by the Government by way of regular and interim ERO reports, similar to a UK Ofsted report. Most schools have websites which will give an account of their latest ERO report. All ERO reports, current and previous, can be viewed on the Government Education website.

All schools have fees. State schools request compulsory and voluntary payments. They will give you a break down of these costs. State integrated schools are semi-private and there may be fees of around $1,000 a year to send your child there. Private schools are around $10 - 12,000 a year.

With all schools you provide the pens, pencils, stationery, exercise books, folders, etc. I kitted my two out when we got here at a cost of around $90.

There may also be a fee towards school trips or IT or home economics costs which could be around $100 a year, although some schools may include this in their compulsory payments list.

There may be discounts avaiable on the fees and payments for more than one child of the same family attending.

Enrolling your child is easy and most schools deal with this directly, not via the local authority education department. You can find out which school zones your house is in from the local Real Estate Agents. You can make an appointment to visit the schools, collect a starter pack from reception, have an interview with the headteacher and ask any questions. The enrollment forms are easy to fill out and usually your child can start the next day if they wish!

School uniforms, I think, are expensive. Although some schools will allow cheaper non-embroidered items, eg plain navy short-sleeved polo shirt, from more reasonably priced stores, a lot of schools don't and sell the required clothing themselves or insist on the recommended retailer, eg Postie Plus. Some schools have stocks of good quality second hand clothing which they either provide at no charge, or are selling on behalf of other parents and each item will be priced. There is no stigma apparent here in wearing second hand uniform.

A school kilt, ankle length, is the norm for girls over Primary age. This will cost around $180-$240. A school blazer, boys and girls, for senior school is around $220 upwards.

If you do not have a Work to Residency Visa or Permanent Residency status (visitors visa) you may have to pay International Student fees for Primary, Intermediate and definitely for Tertiary eduction, which can be very expensive.

The school day lasts from around 8.45 to 3.15 but this will vary slightly depending on the school.

The school year starts in February. There are 4 terms each year, two summer terms and two winter terms. At the end of each term the children have a two week break. Summer holidays start around mid-December and school re-starts at the beginning of January the following year.

The schools usually have heaps of after school and lunch time activities, mainly sports-based. School trips are educational and fun and the children here are encouraged to build their own personal skills and confidence along with their academic abilities.

Some high schools, as elsewhere in the world, so have problems with bullying, anti-social behaviour, drugs and alcohol related issues. You should check with the school what policies they have in place if you are at all concerned about such issues.

[edit] Childcare

Just thought I would add some links for childcare agencies and places to look for babysitters/childminders.

www.plunket.org.nz this agency seems great for under 5 but may have links for older kids

www.porsenz.com this is a childcare agency for nannies, childminders etc.

www.babysitters4u.co.nz this is a site which allows you to search for babysitters (though most are childminders) they dont seem to call them childminders in NZ. You can email the people listed and they operate in all areas of NZ.

Maybe try joining www.littlies.co.nz its a magazine that goes to childcare places and theres a forum which you could post the questions on, most places have notice boards near shops so again try that.

--Dlmckay 23:10, 16 April 2008 (UTC) If you have permanent residency, and are paying for childcare, then you can apply for Childcare and OSCAR (before/after school) Subsidies - see here for a table on what you could apply for http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/get-assistance/extra-help/childcare-oscar-subsidy.html

Remember that all 3 and 4 years may also be able to apply for 20 hours free childcare. See this site http://www.teamup.co.nz/earlyyears/about/20+Hours+Free/default.htm for more information.

Another source of income assistance for those with children is the Working for Families Tax Credit https://interact1.ird.govt.nz/forms/famcalc2009/ is a calculator for 2009.

[edit] Health Care

It struck me the other day that the one thing we found difficult to understand about NZ was the healthcare system, how useful it would've been to have had a really good guide on how to access it properly.

For instance, my son had an injury at school not long after we arrived on the North Shore, rather than take him to casualty at the hospital (which would have been free I found out later) I took him up to a private provider "Shore Care" on the advice of the school. No waiting to be seen, he received excellent care and was stitched up for $40.

In the UK the first port of call for any medical issue is your GP but it can be different here: the GP can be circumvented in some cases. eg. A family member injured their knee ice skating and limped off to the doctors who advised physio treatment under ACC (again at ShoreCare) had 5 sessions free with no months long waiting list either! The physio said next time you get an injury just come here, there's no need to go to your doctor.

If you have health care insurance and want a 'suspect' mole removed you can go straight to a private clinic and get it done, the insurer pays them direct and again there is no need to go via the GP - unless you want him/her to recommend a surgeon to you or don't have insurance.

I never had to use an ambulance, a service that is operated by St John's Ambulance, and I think there is a charge for it if you do. Some people take out small policy to cover this. Now don't take this as being the case for all parts of NZ, it could be different elsewhere.

Health Insurance can be organised through a company such as Southern Cross or you could look at an "Expat" type policy from a provider in your home country.

Just found this useful tool on the main forum http://www.moh.govt.nz/eligibility.

[edit] Shopping

Shopping in NZ is quite unlike what most UK ex-pats will be used to, choice and range is not as huge as you would expect from the geographical location of NZ, and the much smaller size of the population, but there are a lot of good local products and stores.

Food shopping - there are a rang of supermarkets across NZ, including Pac N Save, Woolworths, Foodtown, New World and Countdown. Pac N Save is generally the cheapest option with New World at the other end of the spectrum. Local markets and roadside shops selling straight from the growers is the cheapest way to buy fruit and veg when compared to supermarkets.

Take Aways / Fast Food - like any other country on the planet, NZ has Burger King, Pizza Hut, Wendys, KFC, MacDonalds, Dominos and Subway, as well as the likes of Starbucks. There are a number of NZ chains also, Hell Pizza being one of the main local pizza chains.

Coffee - there is a huge coffee culture in NZ at the moment, especially in Wellington where they seem to love their coffee, so there is always somewhere to sit and get a decent caffeine hit and usually a good selection of snacks, cakes etc.

Clothes - this is where a number of ex-pats find themselves a little dissapointed, there are very few of the usual high street chains most folks would be used to as import tax on goods is rather high for NZ and there is not the market here to support firms setting up. There are some exceptions, such as main brand names like Levi Stores, Hush Puppies, Footlocker and Esprit. NZ does have a great range of skateboard/surfing stores, as you would expect. Shoes are a general source of concern, being rather expensive when compared to the UK and with a poor range of products, it may be advisable to stock up in the UK before coming across! There are a range of local and Australian clothing firms, such as Glassons, Portmans and Max for women and Hallensteins or Rodd & Gunn for mens clothing. The main department store in NZ is Farmers. Wellington contains Kirckaldy and Staines, oft refered to as locals as the local equivelant of Harrods, probably be people who have never been to Harrods!

There are plenty of boutique/local designer/designer stores, Paris Texas stock a range of clothing from a selection of labels for men and women.

Sports - Rebel Sports are the main chain across NZ, also R&R are another local firm with a few stores across NZ. There are plenty of outdoor stores as you would expect in a country obsessed with the outdoors, selling local brands such as Icebreaker, MacPac, Khatmandu, Swazi and Fairydown. Though some products are pretty expensive when compared to the UK prices.

Random - The Warehouse (where everyone gets a bargain) is an NZ institution, where you can buy almost anything and everything, K-Mart is also here and is a similar kind of store.

Housewares - Briscoes are one of the main sellers of homewares, but you should only ever buy something from them when they have a sale on, no one seems to buy stuff at full price, but never fear they seem to have a sale on every week anyway!

Entertainment - books are very expensive in NZ, so stock up before you come and look out for offers and 3 for 2;s, better still join the library and find your local second hand bookstore! In Wellington I'd recommened Arty Bee's Books, 2 branches one at either end of Courtney Place. Local bookstore chains are Dymocks and Whitcoulls, while Borders now have stores in Auckland and Wellington.

DIY and hardware - Super sized warehouse stores such as Mitre10, Mitre10 Mega and Bunnings supply everything you can think of and more, from plant pots, garden and indoor plants, garden furniture, BBQs, home maintenance and building materials, power tools, paint, screws, kitchen sinks and everything between and beyond. Would be cross between Wickes and B&Q.