elvis44

Hi there. Am pretty new to all of this. Does anybody have any good reference points for me and the family to investigate areas of new zealand which might be suitable for us to live in????

Jack The Lad

Happy New Year and welcome to the site

Try THIS from the top of the main page

Kippers

Hi and welcome.
There's lots of information right here
What line of work are you in?
This will determine to a large extent where you could live.

Kip

donnaf

Also do you want city life or rural? When we first joined we spent quite a lot of time going back through previous posts but you will find everyone really helpful if you just ask for the information you want. Are you planning a reccie or just going for it?

elvis44

We are hoping to use my husbands qualification as a probation officer to move with. So i spose that will mean city life - but dont want to be jumping frying pan into fire! currently live 20 miles south of leeds but commute a nightmare......

We are married with three great kids.... unable to afford a reccie first - are we mad to just be trying to go for it?????

Burt Badger

Are you mad?????.....no, you have just fallen into the grasp of the Land Of The Long White Lie.

Your husband will have no shortage of work as NZ has a higher crime rate, per capita, than the UK.

Think long and hard before making what could possibly be the biggest mistake of your life. We visited twice, bought the house / shed of our dreams. Stayed 2 years then returned to the UK. Whilst in NZ we were probably in the top 10% for earnings (I work off shore) with no mortgage and this still wasn't enough.

Why don't you fly over, without your husband and kids, to any area you identify as being a possible place to live. Then, and only then make up you mind if you really want to move there?

Burt

dreamfish

would you buy a house in devon without checking out the area first?
you've heard its nice but you dont know till you look around. and thats jsut the other side of the UK

we were doing what you are contemplating - but realised that to save up for a reccie is a lot cheaper than our entire family going over there and deciding we dont like.

we are leaving our children with grandparents. i reckon if you look at flights in april, about £600 each adult, and then camp for the duration - save on hotels/B&B.

Burt Badger

The problem with going for a recce is that it is still a glorified holiday. We did 2, and settled on moving to Tauranga.

Its hard to explian, but once you get involved in living in the country you find an underbelly that isn't that nice. You know......you scatch the surface and find that under that coat of sparkly gold paint is just a rotton old piece of wood.....

Ahhh....hard to explain with out a couple of hours to spare.

Burt

Pastor Flaps

Hi there

I would agree with anyone who recommends a reccie before you make you move and would agree that it is difficult to not be in holiday mode.

However you need to look at what is driving a move for your family and foucs on that.

Be very careful with comments made on this website. There is loads of great stuff on here which has helped us and we continue to post some helpful hints and tips for others. However there are some very negative comments posted as you can see in your thread. These maybe very honest but will apply to one particular circumstance. I would question why someone is posting negative comments on a website related to moving to NZ when they have already done and it didnt work for them. I would suggest it is better to put the energy into something new rather than looking back.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. If you are looking for different, then NZ along with other countries will give you that. If you dont decide to move, I would suggest you look for something different in the UK, as you are clearly looking for some change in your life.


If you would like more information please feel free to send us a PM, private message.

Paul

P2L

Think that there's some probation officers (or wives) that post on here if you go back thru the threads who might be able to answer your questions for you

Sarah

Jude J

Hi there,

There are also 100's of people who dont come for a holiday first and it works out for them.
Me and my family, hubby, 14 yr old son and 12 yr old daughter did it 4 yrs ago. We had no real capital, no friends or family here, didn't bring any of our belongings, didn't have a house lined up, nothing. We landed at Auckland airport and went to the bit where they have hotel details, picked one out and stayed there for 2 nights.
A week later we had rented a part furnished house and leased a car.
Luckily, we all love it here
I wouldn't change anything about it, I love the weather, love rain and wind, sun and clouds! I love the kiwis, having just had a week in Aus has made me appreciate all over again how lovely the kiwis are!

SarahB

We just went for it and its turning out ok for us. There are always going to be things that arnt perfect wherever you are though. The hardest thing is leaving friends and family behind, but we get to speak/webcam them every week so its not too bad.

I have met loads of British people here who love it and only one family who didnt like it. Do lots of research.... and youre doing the right thing in talking to people who have made the move, we only spoke to kiwis and people who had holidayed here and werent really given all the truthful facts.

Overall, if you find a nice place to live and you can afford to live here then hopefully you should be ok. We wouldnt move back to UK now thats for sure!! I hope it all works out for you. Good luck!

SarahB

Dirk1971

My advice to anyone thinking of coming to NZ permanently from the UK is to ask themselves : Could I find what I am looking for in the UK first? I'm sure 90% of the people who are heading over probably could move somewhere in the UK and be just as happy.

Why are you coming to NZ? Because you watched Lord of the Rings and thought the scenery was pretty?

What can NZ offer that the UK can't?

1) Better weather? Marginal.
2) Less crime? Hmmm about equal I reckon.
3) Better quality of life for the average person? Debateable.
4) Better schooling for kids? Debateable.
5) Access to beaches and the BBQ lifestyle? Beaches yes, BBQ no.
6) Cheaper outdoor activities. Yes.
7) No class system. Nope.
8) Hospital system better? Debateable.
9) Less people and stress. Less people for sure. Less stress? Depends. It get's hard to live on $15 an hour...
10) Cheaper housing? Depends where you live.
11) Better social life? No chance.
12) Abundant work opportunities? No.
13) Decent social welfare system? No.
14) Clean and green environment? No. Polution stories in the press regularly. Only have to walk along many beaches to see the polution.
15) Cheap food etc? No.
16) Cheap to eat out? Yeah in comparison.


That is just stuff I believe, of course those with the blinkers firmly in place, and those with the rose colored specs on, who don't even live here, will tell you different

And I will say, im not bitter, far from it, Im a happy go lucky person earning well in excess of 90% of the population - but it was a hard slog to get there, so please don't dismiss this as the ravings of some bitter twisted miscreant.

My advice is to come for a reccie, and take a hard look at facts and figures (Not just the BS that goes for advice on here, this post included!)

Check out stats New Zealand, Check work opportunities - are you prepared like 22% of other migrants to search fruitlessly for ANY job (not just the one they were previously doing) for over 6 months?

Come and live like a local on a Kiwi wage for a few weeks, or a month.

If at the end of it, you are convinced you have found your new home, start your migration application.

Good luck!

Bo-Jangles

Actually yes, I think so! In thinking of another thread I just read on here, anyone who wouldn't be prepared to stump up £700 of an airfare for a look see versus the cost of shifting your life here forever really is mad. A recce trip is never going to be real life, it's fun and you learn a lot, being a tourist in no way represents what living here is like, but many have changed their minds after an initial visit.

It's a gamble whatever way you look at it - spend a few hundred quid on a recce and find you love it or loathe it - or spin the wheel gamble all your chips, cross your fingers and hope that everything will turn out fine. :scared:

Bo-Jangles

Spot on!