Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Hi there,

So Hubby and I have decided after 10 years in NZ that we are going to move to the Gold Coast. Hubby has just got a FIFO job and the kids are super excited to go. There is nothing keeping us in NZ now so we thought why not try.

Would love to pick someone's brains about moving to Oz...What moving companies to use, transporting pets etc etc

Thanks :D

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

First question is normally "what visa"? - unless you are all New Zealand citizens.

Even then, it is normally worthwhile to plan a strategy to get Australian permanent residence and citizenship in due course.

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Ha Ha ....I KNEW you would ask this question. Yes we are citizens here in NZ and will start the ball rolling for PR when we get to Oz.

Thanks

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Hi there
We moved from Christchurch to Brisbane a year ago and used Grace removals, who were great. Cost us about $7500 for a 20ft container (can't remember if that included insurance). Everything arrived intact and it took exactly a month from packing up in Christchurch to having our things delivered in Brisbane. We brought our cat over which was a pretty straightforward process - we used a local Christchurch company to organise it so that probably isn't much help to you. A lot of the moving companies offer it as an add on service.

Be prepared for lots of bureaucracy when you get here - everything seems to be much more complicated to set up here than it is in New Zealand. My advice would be to organise plenty of copies of documents such as birth certificates, passports, proof of address etc. You will need to prove your identity many times! And be patient - if you don't get what you want from the first person you speak to, try someone else! There are so many rules that even the people working in the government departments don't always know what's what!

Good luck with the move. Let me know if I can answer any more questions.
Cheers :)

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

It strikes me that we could really do with a 'Moving on to Oz' sub-forum. :p

All the best with your plans NZGrl

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Not such a crazy idea, after all there is a moving back to the UK forum and a lot of people do end up in Australia sooner or later, we must have quite a resource of information and advice between us.

It's been a while since I moved over from New Zealand NCGRL so my prices, shipping companies etc. are out of date now.

There's a very good website that will show you all the property in an area that's up for sale, and most importantly it includes sold prices too It's called http://www.onthehouse.com.au/

You'll find there's a wide range of property to chose from from lifestyle blocks to urban penthouses so take your time to find out what you like and where you want to live.

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Hey thanks everyone.... I really appreciate your help. Maybe a beer or wine will be in order on arrival for those of you that live on the GC.

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

I have to say that we would have seriously considered this recently but are too old for a PR status.
I do know a couple also unable to gain a PR status but who moved over anyway - to Tasmania.

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Hi
Yep. Been here 4 years but off to oz, Melbourne. OH company sponsoring us for residency so when that comes through we are off for a new adventure. Maybe before Christmas but maybe after. Would be good if you let usknow quotes aswell. When we thought about it 2 years ago it was about 14500 for 40 ft and 3500 for two dogs and two cats. Can find emails/ companies.

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

JAJ, just wondered if you can help with a query. We are currently planning to stay in NZ for now but OH (nearly 50 :eek:) works for an Australian company in NZ, if he were to transfer to Australia, how would we stand re:PR? We have NZ citizenship, so in terms of getting in & being able to work, we know that's not a problem.

It's our age that goes against us (I'm 47) as far as I'm aware. All very frustrating really, given that OH lived in Sydney from 18mths to 6yrs old but his parents "didn't think" to apply for citizenship :frown::thumbdown:.

Very grateful for any advice you can give.

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Congratulations :thumbup:

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Hey there

Why do you want to get PR in Oz....what are your reasons?

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

I was under the impression it would give us more rights in Oz. Not sure about this though. Or maybe I need to find out about gaining Oz citizenship. I guess I'm just finding out what the options are for now.

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Dunno what your OH does Vital, but there's employer sponsored visa options, which in certain situations offer a waiver from age restrictions etc. Have a look on the Australian immi site, but I bet JAJ will be along soon to help you.

FWIW, my ma got her Australian residency age >50 and not really in tip top health, so it can be done but it depends on employment and location factors.

My chum left for the Gold Coast last week. I envy her the excitement and the exploration and all the buzz, but not, if I'm honest, the Gold Coast.

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

OH is in procurement BB. He has a lot of contact with the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply in NZ & Australia. He is a fellow of CIPS & is on some judging panel or other (I pretend to listen but you know how it is ;)). As I say, he is employed by an Aussie company & is well thought of by the executive (from what I can gather). As I say, we are just looking at options right now. Not convinced it's the right move necessarily as there's so much we do like about NZ. Not sure where I'd want to live. Gold Coast doesn't appeal to me either.

I appreciate the info about your ma though.

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Yeah I was not at all bothered about the Gold Coast until

1. Realised that its not all like surfers

2. loads more work for me around that area

TBH New Zealand is sooooo boring I can't wait to go somewhere a bit more lively!

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

On a side note..If you were a Kiwi passport holder and moved to Aus, but had a Brit passport too, could you claim residency on the Brit Passport EVEN if you had a job on the kiwi passport

and then end up with 3 passports if you went through all the hoops?

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

You don't get a job on a passport :huh:

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

sorry, I didn't mean to sound derogatory about your plans! We stayed in Brissie for a couple of months in 2001 and there's much to adore about that bit of the world, but I guess we're all different and all at different life stages looking for different things, and the GC is not for me at this point, but I wasn't basing that on Surfer's :)

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

I have 3 passports and I didn't use my British passport at all when I came over to OZ, I came over on the Kiwi passport and 2 years later applied for citizenship of Australia. that was before the 2001 watershed though, when it was easy. but it still holds true, apart from the access to welfare during the first 2 years.

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

I meant a job claimed by having a kiwi passport i.e you can work right away

Thanks for responding derab

would be cool to have 3 passports!

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

OK, but I still think you're a bit confused- why would you claim residency on the British passport? Surely you'd apply for PR based on your skills and job offer, not your British passport? Unless there's some magic way in that I don't know about.

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Start with www.immi.gov.au to find out if you are eligible for an Aussie visa. Doesn't matter whether you use an NZ or UK passport when you apply, if you hold both you'd need to declare them both. You can't get Aussie citizenship without getting PR here first.

Aussie Immigration forum is here - http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=32

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Many thanks Pollyana. I shall have a look at that when I've handed my biophyics paper in online. Looks useful :thumbup:

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Hi, Yep im getting on the ?Aussie gravy train too, been in NZ for two years and plan to move to Melbourne then onto Perth in December, taking 1 dog and have been quoted various prices from Wellington, cheapest so far being $980. Sticking with good old sevenseas for removals company, I used them when I came over from UK and they were fab.
YAY garenteed sunshine :)

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

yep but you need some cold good for the bones ,

my mate lives in Perth,absolutely loves it

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Been quoted between 7 and 8 grand to move my stuff over. Thinking I might sell everything and start again

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

I cant wait! Im just too bloody excited. Head down, arse up over next few months. Save save save!! :thumbsup:

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Are you applying through Aussie immigration from scratch when you move to Aus?

Just wondering, as I might head to AUs in future, but i might have to wait till i get a Kiwi passport

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Im going over on a Working hol, then will change to sponsored PR once i find a job/area like i would like to stay xx

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Hi there.

We lived in NZ for 2 years in the 1990s, Mrs Buzzy is a Kiwi. Due to the fact that at the time in the South Island a job working in a paint shop for $9.50 per hour was applied for by 150 people, yet everything was between 2 and 10 times as expensive as the UK, we had to return to the UK as we had no money, no lifestyle and no future.

We have now lived in Melbourne for 5 years, and it has been the best move of our lives, a better lifestyle than NZ and a better income than the UK. Win win!

Bear in mind though, that I don't think South Island NZ, where even Christchurch (pre-earthquake) was really just a medium sized regional town, can be compared with London or Melbourne, both of which are vibrant, exciting, happening cities.

However because I can, I'm going to compare our lives in NZ and our lives in OZ anyway.

Wages: Almost everyone I know earns between AU$80,000 and AU$150,000. An employed tradesperson can earn around AU$80k, a self employed one AU$200k. I pay overall about 25% tax, there are that many tax rebates and allowances available. In NZ (in the 1990s) my wife and I earned NZ$22,000 between us!

Costs: Food shopping is about the same cost here and NZ. But the supermarkets here are crap so we shop at Aldi and local shops. One of the advantages of the supermarkets being crap is that little local high streets are well patronised and there's a great community. Bills are a LOT cheaper here. Petrol is a lot cheaper. Clothes are a lot cheaper.

Attitude of locals: In NZ, when I said where I came from, the response was generally something derogatory about England. In Australia, people are interested in where you come from, most of them have been to Europe. Nobody, without exception, judges you by your background here. I have only been called a pom once, that was by another Englishman. In NZ I got it as an insult or a wind up pretty much every day.

Work: Much the same as UK, but there is more flexibility. I work 7am - 3pm and I work from home around 2 days per week. My overseas experience was valued as there weren't enough locals with my skillset. In NZ, it seemed to be considered that your employer was doing you the biggest favour by even bothering to give you a job and you should bow down and be grateful daily.

Health: The doctor here is free, as are many of the outpatient services through something called "bulk billing". In NZ it was $50 to visit the doctor. The health services so far have been better than the UK even in as much as you can get a doctor's appointment quickly and at a time convenient to you, even weekends. This convenience was the same in NZ.

School: Can't compare with NZ as didn't have kids then.

Lifestyle: Best ever. We can walk to the beach, the water is warm enough to swim in 6 months of the year. We can afford to own a boat. We can drive to ski slopes in 2 hours. We can fly to tropical parts in 2 hours on an internal flight (this has been a real novelty!). There are lots of bushwalks near us, in the hills about 30 mins drive away the scenery is just like the NZ bush, with tree ferns etc. We can drive to vineyards. We are lucky enough to be able to live in a nice house in a nice area with a garden large enough for the kids to have lots of fun with their friends. We couldn't do any of this in NZ. We couldn't afford to.

Culture: Nothing as good as Europe, but way ahead of NZ. We have been to many shows, plays, musical recitals from Mozart to Iron Maiden, fringe theatre, comedy and I would even say that the restaurants here are better, more affordable and more available than London. There are several art galleries and museums here of various sizes. Every weekend there is some festival or celebration going on in one or other part of Melbourne.

Did I mention we love it here? :D

Pick your area wisely in Australia though. The number one thing has to be income. Without income, it doesn't matter how much the sun is shining, it's all just an unsustainable dream.

BB

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

School: I can compare and I think the standard is far higher here, even in Queensland.

My children all went through fee paying schools here in Australia and the range of subjects and facilities that were available to them were outright superb. Now they're moving on to go to top notch universities which are also very well equipped and which have highly regarded international reputations. The state assists with fees (Commonwealth Supported places) and their loans will be HECS debted which means they don't start making repayments until they earn $49,095 .

There is no interest charged on student loans but they are CPI linked when they are 11 months old so as to maintain their real value.

If graduates decide to work abroad they're not penalised for doing so and no one comes looking for student debt repayments, unlike New Zealand which is pursuing some ex students relentlessly for their outstanding loans.

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Brisbane is a kinda cool place! First post for a while, how's everyone doing?;)

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Very well thank you. Was up your neck of the woods a little while ago, very nice part of the word you have there in the Bay :D

Did you ever go for that second storey on your house and the sea view?

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

How did you know that :eek:

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

You were talking about it eons ago :rofl: I have one of those sort of memories.

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

You do realise that people are going to pester you to finish off that journal? now that you've made an appearance and all.

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

I know, they'll have to wait a few months and buy it :fingerscrossed:

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

We ended up moving down the road.

Re: Anyone else moving to Oz?
 

Excellent idea, much easier than doing a reno.