Fors & Againsts
 

Hi all...I'm new here.Just discovered this site yesterday.:) I need some advice and this looks like the best place to get it.Ok,here goes.
We are thinking about moving to NZ within the next couple of years but haven't yet been.We are due to visit next january for a month to see if we like it enough to try for emigration.My parents visit yearly and 2 of my sisters have been and say it's 'the best place on earth' and they all want to move there.I am married with 2 daughters,1 is age 4 and the other is 3months.My husband is a carpenter by trade and has been in the business for 18yrs now.I would just like to hear opinions from someone different to my family who have been there and done it.Where is the best place to be for families like us and for work?My dad likes orewa and surrounding areas and they do sound nice but they are of a different age group to us.Would we like it there?:confused:
Also my sisters have 2dogs to get over there..how much does it cost for them to take them over?Ooohhhhhhh i have so many questions and would appreciate any advice i'm given,but this is a start.
Looking forward to hearing from you all..
Thanks in advance..
Anniexx:D

Re: Fors & Againsts
 

Why do you want to leave the UK?

Re: Fors & Againsts
 

Why would we want to stay?
The government are taking more and more money off us every year and it's not getting any better.Where is the money going?Certainly not benefitting us in any way.It's getting overcrowded here and we're getting sick of sitting in traffic for up to 2hrs just to get into the city centre,might aswell live in london!We want a better quality of life for our children.More countryside,clean beaches,better climate,they're just some of the reasons but i could sit here typing all day!!:zzz:
Anniexx

Hi

Don`t know if you subscibe already but if you go to

www.outboundnewspapers.com

You can subscribe to their New Zealand News which comes out each month. I currently get the Australian and the New Zealand ones and they are really helpful.

Hope this helps

footie chick

Will check it out now..
Thanx.. Anniexx:)

Re: Fors & Againsts
 

I live 45 kms North of Brisbane in Australia, have done so most of my life, with 3 years in NZ and short stints in the UK. All you say is true here too...I have grown to despise all Government in this country...

There is plenty of countryside all around me but no jobs...I can't afford to live close to where I work...the commute is only 50mins however...

Beaches are nice here but like everywhere the higher the population the worse they are. Climate, well strokes for folks...I personally hate the heat and humidity but have lived in it most of my life. A matter of acceptance I guess.

As for NZ it is a big step from the UK. You know they can't even afford one plane and therefore do not even have an Airforce...!!!

NZ is a pretty...but could you really live there..I mean REALLY live there...????

Re: Fors & Againsts
 

Like i said before..we haven't been there yet and are due to go in january,so we'll know then if we like it.I just think that while we're young and can do it..then why not?We're an outdoorsy kinda lot and love the countryside but like you say,jobs would be a problem there.Thanx for your input matey :)
Anniexx

Re: Fors & Againsts
 

Best of luck. If you can hook the jobs AND the lifestyle your're set...but look at the job side first...unless of course your independantly wealthy...then it's all about lifestyle...

Re: Fors & Againsts
 

Re: Fors & Againsts
 

Hi there,

We moved to NZ 6 months ago from Worcestershire Uk. So far we are enjoying it very much and have no regrets.
I don't know anything about the area you mentioned, so I can't help you there. As for your reasons for leaving the UK I feel you will benifit on every point except the tax one. NZ, having a very small population has a very small tax revenue which doesn't seem to go very far. You sometimes feel like you don't get much for your money, and are topping it up with doctors fees and school donations/stationary fees etc. However the cost of living in general is lower ie housing, motoring, food etc. NZ wages are lower (engineering trades in our case), we are under the same pressure to pay bills as we were in the UK but do so from a brand new 4 bed house in the best part of our town with a Pajero on the drive, which is a far cry from what we could have ever acheived in the UK. What little money is left over at the end of the week seems to go a lot further.
As for jobs, carpenters are in very short supply all over NZ due to the boom in new house builds. Be prepared to earn less money than the UK and lose a few years on the career ladder. Also NZ'ers have a tendancy to prefer to employ NZ'ers but as they are so desperate for carpenters this may not affect you too much.
All in all we love it here. There is much more space, much more freedom our children have adapted to NZ life without any problems and are thriving in their new school. Their Grandmother, a UK Educational Psychologist, recently visited the school and was very impressed with their approach to learning, as are we.
Emigrating is damned hard work. My advice is to be single minded to the point of bloody minded and just have a good go at it. The first few months are really tough but also really exciting. You need to be prepared to give it at least 2 years no matter how you feel when you first get out there.
We couldn't even contemplate life back in the UK.

Anymore questions feel free to ask.

Paula

Re: Fors & Againsts
 

originally posted by Florida_03
QUOTE

"As for NZ it is a big step from the UK. You know they can't even afford one plane and therefore do not even have an Airforce...!!!"

Come on Florida.......
Talk about misinformation, of course NZ have an AIRFORCE
at least PB backs up his rubbish with facts
Just read a post today from someone who is joining the NZ airforce, you better let them know............. :eek:

:scared: yep thats me hoping to join the RNZAF - we have been told they have planes!

Paula..Thanx for all your info..has been a great help.I'm sure i'll be back tomorrow with more questions..hope you don't mind?It's saturday night now and kids are wailing..bedtime methinks!
Good to know that NZ does have an airforce or you'd be well stuffed Kezza..hee hee!!:D
Seeya all tomorrow :zzz:
Anniexx (Nz bound!)

Re: Fors & Againsts
 

Sorry, what I meant to say was that "NZ...can't even afford one fighter plane..." They have no Air Combat capability...

http://www.janes.com/aerospace/milit...0514_1_n.shtml

As for the statement that "NZ...therefore do not even have an Airforce" I stand by that. A few Orions, Hercs, Choppers and bib and bobs are not what I'd call an Airforce.:scared:

Hi
 

My husband is also a Carpenter and has just started his job out in New Zealand (been there 3 weeks). He's really enjoying it so far. As mentioned, Carpenters are very much in demand and are on the 'Occup. Shortages List'. He was offered the job whilst we were on holiday/fact-finding visit in October. Me and the kids are still here for a while longer - daughter doing GCSEs. but we hope to all be out there next year.
Have visited nz twice, both north and south island - we preferred the south island. Send me a private message if you want any questions answered.

Bryher

Re: Fors & Againsts
 

I think the funniest thing is that their emblem is a Kiwi!!

Re: Fors & Againsts
 

Well said Florida....... a reality check. Sorry to disagree with Paula but cost of living here is not as good as the UK. The pound goes further there than the dollar here. Travelling to Oz is not cheap.....we headed off to Sydney for a few days and it cost in the region of $2000. Now think about flights to the UK. Salaries/wages here are far lower than UK. As Florida points out it then becomes all about lifestyle (does that just mean a bigger house or newer car?) As regards education....spoke to 4 Kiwi teachers recently returned from work in the UK. They were shocked at the difference in standards and what is expected from kids. As they said, they were teaching maths in the UK to a level 2/3 years above what is accepted here. They too had gone there expecting to slag it all off, as is the way so often amongst teachers here, only to find that it compared more than favourably in several areas. By the way, winter in the South Island can be as bad as the UK believe me......and all that WITHOUT central heating!

Muppetking obviously doesn't know the secrets of getting cheap air tickets to Sydney.

As for lifestyle. Read what other expats are saying about why they're leaving the UK...crime, over-crowding, traffic-jams, crap weather etc.

Paula said how they can afford a bigger house & car in NZ, yet you disagree. Hmmm you can't really disagree with facts muppetking.

You say you spoke to 4 Kiwi teachers...yeah right. Judging by the accuracy, or lack of, your previous posts, what's the bet you made that up as well. NZ is ranked 5th amongst OECD countries for academic performance.

:D

Thanks for that valuable contribution.

I tried to limit the number of words with 3 syllables so you would have a better chance of understanding ;)

I appreciate it.

Neither do I....do share please.

Or is it because in fact you do not know any words of three syllables or more?
Honestly, muppetking is expressing his opinion...and since he does in fact live in NZ, I assume he knows a fair bit more about it than you!
Coincidentally my sister recently moved to Auckland (at christmas)....and talking to her, much of what muppetking talks about is spot on...

Jaffa is a Kiwi Andrew. He has never lived in the UK so is unable to make personally informed judgments about the pros and cons. By his own admission he has only ever lived in the North Island (never visited the South Island) and Sydney!His posting merely contradicted me or called me a liar. Charming!;) We are of course waiting to hear how to get cheap flights to Sydney. I went with my family, 4 of us, and stayed in a good hotel and ate out. Not too much to ask I think.

Anywayyyyyyyyyyyyyy..back to the subject in hand.Damned nice weather we're having at mo :D

Sorry Annie....I think I had kept to the original point of the thread until......I was stalked:scared: Have you had any further thoughts yourself?

Welcome to the message boards Annie, you will find that they almost always get taken over by these silly arguments that have nothing whatsoever to do with the original thread.

Quite right Stoney, that is a problem. But look back on this thread and see who started the spat and then wished to continue it! I expressed an opinion, heaven help, me on a public forum.

Loads of thoughts muppet.Mainly about life over in NZ.My life is really torn about whether to go for immigration or not.One problem is my parents,they are over 70,although a very young acting 70 and also want to live over there for the rest of their time.They wish they had done it sooner.But how do we get them over there without having to wait another 3 yrs(so we can sponsor them) if we get over???????The mind boggles,really it does.My brain hurts :eek:

Anniexx

Even though, I think you have wandered off a little from the airforce mistake, the trick on here muppet is to know when to shut up, otherwise you just become a bore heaven help you.

Oh and before you retort, why dont you start a thread of your own and leave annies to gather the worthwhile information she is after.

Can you not use the chat room for this..seems like a nicer place:D

please follow your own advice!

Ditto

you're proving your own point. Where in this thread did you talk about NZ? You've posted several times, but not once talked about NZ.

Now you are doing it Bill

Felt compelled to respond Annie. Welcome to the site. :)

You should apply for immigration if you can so at least you have the option. Better to try and fail, than not to try at all.

You might decide to stay if your parents can follow you, if they can't then it was a nice adventure if you go back. How to cope with leaving family behind is a really difficult topic, one we will struggle with for sure.

You have to weigh up the pros and cons in 2 columns and see which comes out stongest for you.

Best of luck in your decision
Mash.........

WILL YOU JUST ALL STOP IT...:mad:
(said in a ladylike manner)

Sorry :(

Mash...

NO NO NOT YOU MASH...ugggghh
Thankyou for your input..very sensible.I'm thinking about ringing immigration about my parents as it would be a real wrench to leave them behind being a close family and all.
Annie xx