Carpezen

Hi all,

I'm in the early stages of a job search in NZ and looking for some information on how do the these 2 cities differ from each other in terms of: lifestyle, job opportunities, entertainment, wages, cost of living - rent etc. and finally having other expats around.

Thanks for your advice!
CarpeZen

ps_wardle

I personally prefer Wellington, Aucklands too big & it can feel a bit like the Uk in the city at least anyway.....wellington is really manageable, easy access into the city, lovely suburbs, alot of which are by the sea. As far as the city is concerned, you can walk across it really easily, its got all the business & shops you'll need, hundreds of bars cafes & restaurants, with some good cinemas too....& a beautiful harbour thats got an increasing number of leisure activities around it. Wellington is a great base to explore the rest of the country, the airport is near a lot of places & then theres the ferry to south island aswell.....i think its the best option, wellington is a great place to live, its probably a bit cheaper to live than auckland, but i think the wages might be similar (not certain on that last bit though).
Try out a search engine & look for wellington official tourist website (cant remember name of the top of my head).

AyeUp

I've worked in Wellington since moving to NZ almost 10 years ago, and have been to Auckland a lot over that time. I agree with the points made by PS-Wardle. Personally I wouldn't consider a move to Auckland if Wellington was a possibility. It's too big, too expensive (esp. housing) and commuting in & out can be a nightmare. But it depends what you're after - some folks love busy, expensive places ! Although certain jobs may be a bit harder to come by in Wellington (and the pay may be, on average, lower - not sure about that one), the lifestyle that you can achieve here is, in my opinion, far superior in many ways. Houses are certainly cheaper, the city is vibrant, and it's set in very picturesque surroundings, with ferries over to the south island, and a drive out into rural NZ from the city in minutes. One thing that Auckland does tend to have is more "international" music - if there's only one show in NZ, chances are it'll be in Auckland. There's pleny of cultural/arts/sports stuff always going on in Wellington. Some folks go on about the weather & wind in Wellington. It's hilly here, and yes, if you choose to live up on a hillside, you'll be holding down your outdoor furniture now & again ! But I really don't find it anywhere near as windy as a lot of folks suggest. I guess that one overall indicator might be that when I've spent time in Auckland on non-work trips (e.g. with kids) I've been surprised at how little there is to do there, and how the city seems to lack a real 'centre'.

babybella

ABSOULTLY POSITIVLY WELLINGTON.
Agree with the others, lovely city to live in.
KAZ

Carpezen

Thanks everyone for your comments. I'll be arriving in Wellington in 2 weeks to check the place and the job scene (IT Project Manager/Consulting). Can someone recommend a good suburb for renting? There are so many of them I have no idea what to look for or how to stack one against the other. We're 2 of us with a dog and looking for a min. 2 bedroom house with a small yard. Is 250-350 realistic for somewhere not too far?

Cheers
CarpeZen

ps_wardle

If you want a suburb within easy commute of the city, then your estimate on rentals will be the top end of it, i'd expect to pay around $300 plus change if i were you, but that may be furnished if you're lucky.
If you've a dog, then try out the eastern suburbs (Lyall Bay, Hataitai, Miramar, Island Bay etc) as Lyall bay is the only beach in Welly that allows dogs on it, & even then thats at the far end of the bay......plus around there is just stunning to live, great bays, good shops & cafes etc, 15 mins to city, buy the Dominion Post when you get there on either the wednesday or Saturday for tonnes of rentals...we did that & got a 2 bed beachside cottage with a back garden, set into cliffs so no-one was overlooking us either, in Lyall Bay, fully furnished (all new) for $340 p/wk, but that was 18 months ago, theres cheaper in the area, but this was 50 yards from beach......
good luck.....

shepslady

If you actually research the wages in NZ you will find that Wellington is the place to go if your qualified enough to make the big money. It is the business capital of NZ as well as The Capital City. Rents are lower there & its not so over populated as Auckland either. Wellington is definately the place to go for night life if your into the pub, club & cafe scene. only real downside to working in the centre of wellington is lack of parking but they do offer fairly good commuter services giving you the chance to leave your car at home. I personally wouldnt live in either but only because my hearts always gonna be in the south but given the choice between Wellington & Auckland Wellington would win hands down.

Shepslady

Both Wellington & Auckland are a great place to visit for a vacation with loads of things to do!!

BobbyDazzler

Good luck with your job hunting. I'd be interested to know what opportunites there are down there for us IT types.

I too am an IT Project Manager (Prince2) but with additional Service Delivery (ITIL) skills and qualifications

If our plans to emigrate to Oz fall through, NZ is definitely somewhere we would consider - got to get away from this rat race and awful weather that is the UK

Enjoy your trip!

Regards

BobbyD

JAJ

If weather is your concern I'm not sure if you should be looking at New Zealand (and Wellington in particular).



Jeremy

shepslady

C'mon Jeremy although the weather in NZ might not be as brilliant as Australia it certainly sounds like its better than the UK & Wellington isnt as bad as it used to be, even the winds seems to have died down there now

Don

NZ weather can be a lot of things depending on where you are, as can UK weather. So Cornwall's climate is 'better' in most people's eyes than Greymouth's and than many of the S Island's west coast settlements (which is probably why nobody much lives there! ).

There are quite a few mild in winter, warm in summer, long spring & autumn, generally dry (but enough showers to keep it green) bits of the UK - such as most of the bits south of the Bristol-Dover line - and quite a bit of variety even in that zone.

Northland compares well to Tasmania's climate.

For Andalusian weather go to Queenstown.

For Mediterranean weather a la Barcelona go to Hawkes Bay or (nearly Mediterranean) Bay of Plenty.

For a bit more variety (a la Lisbon?) go to Christchurch.

Carpezen

Hi all, wanted to updated ppl on how things went. Got the job in Wllington. The work permit and work visa processing was a breeze (I hear it is usually this way for people who meet the requirements for skills shortage).

The hardest thing was finding a house to rent which accepted a dog (lab retriever). Most landlords simply refuse to let to ppl with pets.

Wllington looks like a great place to live in, small yet not too small and unless you're looking to party every night in a different club then there's plenty of entertainment. People I have across in the past 3 weeks have been very nice, friendly and helpful which makes the transition over easier. Moving to the US for example was more difficult in that respect as people were very closed and cold.

Things that could be improved on here:
1. Houses are cold - electricity/gas bills are going to be high in the winter.
2. Banking services - about 30 years backward, lots of different logins/passwords, high fees etc.
3. Expensive rent relative to wages. Buying a house is definitely a better financial option once you're sure you want to make a long term commitment to NZ.
4. Shopping - expensive and limited variety, but hey who comes to NZ for shopping right? The place has lots more to offer in other areas. So it's all boils down to personal preference of lifestyle.

Overall we're very happy with the move so far.

BobbyDazzler - I'm pretty sure you'll have no problem getting a job, not only that but if you do your homework and legwork you'll probably have more than 1 offer and be able to pick and choose the location/company you prefer. One thing to keep in mind, thay put a lot of emphasis here on cultural fit and peer reviews. Sometimes it feels a bit arbitrary - does it really matter what sort of books or movies I like?

Anyways, thanks everyone for the replies to my first post.

Good luck
CarpZen

babybella

[QUOTE=Carpezen]Hi all, wanted to updated ppl on how things went. Got the job in Wllington. The work permit and work visa processing was a breeze (I hear it is usually this way for people who meet the requirements for skills shortage).

Congrats on getting the job, was it something you set up before leaving. My hubby is in IT too and worked in Welly for years. He keeps trying to tell me the market is dead and much more work in Aus but I keep pushing for a Wellington return.
Go and have breakfast at Cafe L'affaire on Tory St, yummy!!
KAZ

ps_wardle

Hi carpezen,
glad its working out, bit concerned by the 4 things that could be improved, you've only been there 5 mins.......
one piece of advice is that whilst the basis of your points are right, give nz time, my opinion is it takes a bit of time to get used to some of the things there, their practices etc, so if after 5 or 6 months, you're not sure, dont give up, give it time, these things you've mentioned will not matter after a bit. Besides, the bank charges aren't too bad, & when we went overdrawn, they charged $20, whereas here its £25, so theres ups & downs about it.

Where did you get to rent then ??? as i said, lyall bay is the only place that lets dogs on it, at the far end (airport end) & they're pretty keen over there too for fining you over dogs......
hope it all works out, good luck,

babybella

Wardle,
How about some karma for me, Deb is on my tail. Remember I did tell you it was cafe l'affaire in Tory St for the best breakfast with champagne in town.
KAZ