robernelli

Well that is disturbing. My wife is Asian. We didnt get a bad reaction at all whenvisiting the North Island but have not yet made it to the South. Chch was a possibility for us due to job opps but will more likely be going to Wellington where I am hoping, being the capital, that it will be quite a cosmopolitan city (ok that does not mean no problems at all - nowhere will guarentee that). Will be checking both places out anyway before accepting anything. I agree that it is best to get the best job yiu are likely to get sorted first before really deciding where to go though touring round my help cross a few places of the list.

I would have thought $400k would have got you quite a lot. We have seen things on the outskirts of Wellington that look ok and we could buy outright for little over $200k. As long as its not made of polysyreene or something, we can then have the money to upgrade some building materials if not all of it is to our standards. Alternatively, why not consider buying some land and build you own (not literally of course). I think someone already suggested that. I am suprised to find that this amount of money is considered inqdequate but I suppose it depends on what youre used to.

Rob

PS. Any recommendations for good areas within commuting distance of Wgtn, say out towards Kapiti coast. Anything up to 45 mins out really would be ok.

jandjuk

I wouldn't worry to much about ChCh - I may have made it sound worse than it is.

I think you would find I big difference in attitudes towards 'westernised' english speaking asians, and 'fresh' immigrants, if you follow....

I wouldn't expect any direct racism to your wife's face, or discrimination - just jokes and comments about 'asian drivers' and that type of thing.

I wouldn't be too worried about it, but you're right I think in general Wellington would be slightly more cosmopolitan than ChCH.

Incidentally Asian in NZ means Chinese or Korean. People from India are simply called Indians (even if they are from Pakistan or Bangledesh!)

I've also been watching the wellington property market closely. You could get something not bad for about $200000 - though I would budget $300000 in case the property market keeps going up, and/or you decide you want something a little nicer!!

Don

Hi. Back in another caff. Thanks for all the comments and advice!

Sorry if I sounded a bit down - the travel does get to you after a bit especially with the toddling twosome.

Part of my disappointment is that this residency process has taken us the best part of 2 years and of course in that time we have been excited about what we could buy in terms of the family home, tracking on the internet etc and visiting NZ 6 months ago. We didn't realise the housing market had got quite so heated until now.

Simply put, instead of the GBP being 3.5 to the Kiwi dollar, it's now closer to 2.8 (-20%). Plus house prices in the hot areas (incl coastline more or less everywhere) have gone up by a good 60% (typically - and often more). So we will be able to afford a lot less house in a lot worse area than we hoped.

Eg - yesterday we found the PERFECT place to live for us - Sandspit outside Warkworth. Beautiful, fantastic, villagey etc. Motorway improvement will shave 10 mins off the trip to AKL, which should be down to 45 mins or so outside rush hour - not for work but for the AKL fix now and then. Can we afford to buy there? No, but as every agent told us, just a year ago we'd have been able to buy any number of really nice family houses for the same budget, about NZD400K. Nowadays tht would buy you a section plus 100K towards the new house or a section with a tumbledown bach on it.

Positives - we can afford rural family house in many places, ie newish house with 4000+ sq metres. Even Tauranga (maybe 20 kms away). Looking now at Whangarei, money goes a lot further, as was true of Whakatane. Yes - we are considering remoter towns now, Wellington might even get another look.

We don't need to be in AKL, Chch or Wellington for the immediate future, so feel we might as well go for lifestyle now. Househunting starts in earnest again tomorrow, my badass Surf 4WD is getting a new windscreen put in right now courtesy of AMI (will this invalidate my no-clams bonus?)

I still like the idea of Chch so may end up for dinner at Paula's after all! (Thanks Paula!)

Still v worried about the currency and the overheated mkt though...

sky

Glad your feeling a bit more cheerful. Makes me really depressed to hear abour property prices going up so much in NZ ... it seems nobody wants to buy our property here in the uk and we keep having to reduce the price, we wont be able to buy a shed by the time we actually do manage to sell this bloody millstone thats round our necks.
Is there anything cheap round Chch anymore?

arthurm

Oh dear, I think you're right to have second thoughts about NZ if this trivia bothers you. Perhaps one of England's well-known multicultural paradises would be better?

deedee

get use to the windscreen replacements.....we have had screens smashed too,and the insurance people allow one a year free of charge as its so common.Also rear screens get smashed alot as the roads are so gravelly and they bounce back of trailers and tow bars.We smashed one in our Land Cruiser in the first 400kms of getting it and twice more before it was replaced.Then the week after it was replaced it was smashed again and last week it was in for a rear windscreen
The hilux has got more chips in the screen than Harry Ramsdens but it hasn't gone through yet.
Hope your having more luck this week at searching for a home...fingers crossed for you all.

whisky

We too had to reduce the price of the house by £16,000 and worry that it will mean it will be a bit harder for us in OZ.
Our sale still isn't through, but all our worldly posessions are going today in that container.

Whisky

robernelli

Thanks for your advice, jandjuk. In that case my wife is Indian (Bangladeshi) not Asian! She does have the advantage over most in one respect, in that she is very knowledgable in both 'western' and 'eastern' cultures where for most people it is mainly one or the other. Plus she gets on with older people and can talk for ages about old cooking recipes etc! I really hope this is better in NZ overall, we have had some problems in the UK , though I know nowhere is perfect and there are countries much worse, even in Europe. Anyway, thanks for your reassurance.

As for house prices in Wellington, well, thats what I thought

Rob

bondipom

I know what you are saying but Bangladesh is in Asia.

Jolyn

Sorry it's been a rough start Don.

Some observations:

I grew up in NZ in Auckand in the 70s. Just at the start of Maori land rights activism so there was some racism but not too bad. That said, I'm pakeha so wasn't on the receiving end. The head girl of our school was Samoan (sister of the all black captain) and half of my high school was Maori or Pacific Island.

It sounds like most of the recent racism has been directed at Asian migrants - especially in the South Island which is a bit still in the dark ages. Racism against asian migrants is a problem everywhere in the western world - the North Island of NZ couldn't be any worse than Britain for that surely?

Houses in NZ do tend to be a bit rough and ready but it kinda goes with the lifestyle. Definitely not the place for your nice house in the commuter burbs.

Everything in NZ looks a lot better when the sun shines!! I always found it looks discouraging October to December when the winter's meant to be over but it's still gloomy. In February it will look idyllic and the tatty houses will look rustically charming...

Best of luck Don!

robernelli

I know. I suppose its the reverse in the UK where someone from Korea or even Japan would probably be labelled "Chinese" but would rarely be called "Asian" even though they are. Just shows how ignorant we can all be really.

Rob

Jolyn

Hadn't thought of that but yes - Asian down under means of Oriental extraction (to a racist) - generally Vietnamese. Asian doesn't mean of Indian subcontinent extraction like it does in Britain. Had me very confused when I came to Britain - took me a while to figure out Pakistani people were referred to as Asian.

jandjuk

Growing up in NZ I never thought of India/Pakistan/ Bangladesh as Asia. Of course it is part of Asia, but it is usually referred to as the 'sub continent'.

Asia is such a big place - which ever bit is nearest to your country becomes 'Asia'.

In addition to my previous reassurances, for quite a few years (she may still be)the mayor of Dunedin was Sukhi Turner - an Indian women - which goes to show attitudes aren't too backwards. She is the wife of Glenn Turner the cricketer so that probably helps a little bit.

On a similar subject - there is also an MP (and former mayor of small NZ town) who is a transexual (Georgine Beyer) - (possibly Maori I think too??)

NZ attitudes don't so backwards after all...

Makes a change from balding white middle aged men anyway.