escapedtonz

There aren't many decent properties available for under 500 a week in Tauranga nowadays. You may find there'll be something about them that is keeping the rental price down under the 500 level...i.e. the area it is situated, it may be small inside, it may have little heating or insulation and it may be on a small section etc etc.
Gate Pa is pretty close to Parkvale and Merivale. Not the nicest of areas that's for sure but not the worst. It's pretty built up around there as it's where the hospital is and there's a couple of schools, a big shopping area and an industrial area. You could get lucky but all in all not somewhere I'd like to be but doable for short term.
Use Google maps to have a look at the areas you find properties to rent. Spot all the industrial areas from birds eye view and have a look at street level around a few of the streets to get an idea of how a place looks.
One main issue with lower socio-economic areas is the risk of there being drug users and biker gang members. Yes Merivale and Parkvale are the worst two but all the surrounding subdivisions have the potential. Welcome Bay also has a bit of a stigma for this and doesn't have a supermarket which is a huge bugbear for many who live there. We known a few families who'v lived out Welcome Bay way and all but one have moved away as they didn't like it and the other hasn't been there long and are in a rental contract so I'd expect they'll leave as soon as that's due to expire.
You will need 6 x weekly rent upfront to move into a rental (one of them being the letting fee to the agent which will also attract 15% GST) and then on the day you move in you'll have to start paying the weekly rent to stay in advance. 4 weeks of that money is your bond and will be lodged with the government and you'll get it back when you leave assuming you leave the property as you find it.

I'd just look at anything that is offered through Canstaff or Tradestaff then take it from there. Depending on what type of electrician work you do there is certainly work here in Tauranga but not sure about Health Care Assistant.

I know there is work in Auckland for electricians but you won't be paid any more and the cost of living is higher plus the traffic is a nightmare. More difficult to find a decent and decently priced rental.

Increasing your chance will be difficult unless you are here in person.

mkuracka

If all the good properties are around 500 and more than it will be very hard to start there I think.

According to what I was told I can have between 750-800 a week in wages, if I spend 500 on rent plus god knows how much is electricity, water, internet and don't know what else we will need to pay we will be left with very little just to buy food.....not to mention we have 6 year old kid, will need some preschool - afterschool care that is not cheap....

definitely something to think about.

From what I have heard Napier/Hastings are the areas where properties are still cheap compare to Tauranga etc....will have to keep researching I guess and decide what's best for us. If my poartner will be struggling finding work she might as well struggle somewhere where it is going to be cheaper for us to live in general (Hawke's Bay).

escapedtonz

Yes. Very possible it may be unaffordable for you in Tauranga. Also check out Western Bay of Plenty as the Tauranga region only covers the city and inner city suburbs which is all under Tauranga City Council. Western Bay Of Plenty council do all the other outer lying suburbs.

Nominally you'll be working a 40hr week which is the norm here and with that you'll get 4 weeks annual leave.
At $26 per hour you'll be earning $1040 gross so taking off income tax and acc you'll be around the $750/$800 per week net pay.
Electric maybe $150 a month during warmer times and $230 a month in winter.
Water shouldn't cost anything if renting as it comes under rates which is paid by the owner not the tennant. Some properties have water meters so you may have to pay for usage every quarter but it's not expensive maybe $60 for 3 months.
Some properties also have gas - either mains or bottled. Just as expensive as electric.
Internet you'll be looking at $70 a month. Mobile phone contract $30 a month. Sky TV $50 a month minimum.
You have to pay for bins or bin bags to get rid of your rubbish. 2 wheelie bins (one general one recyxling) around $370 per year.
You have to pay to visit the GP $40-$50 per time assuming you qualify for ACC subsidised care (depends on visa status) otherwise it may be $70 + per time. Dentist is extortionate. $100 per visit just for a check up. $400 for a single filling. $8000 for kids braces.
Emergency care is free and anything your GP refers you.to hospital for is free. Kids free up to 13 years. Repeat prescriptions around $20. Each medicine at the pharmacy $8.

If you are left with 400 per week for everything else you are going to struggle unless you come here with cash to set yourself up and enough savings to cover whilst your partner finds work.

Not even spoke about transport. Will you need a car ?

Before and after school care isn't big here. There's not loads of places that do it. For both you talking like $30 per day but where it is and their operating times may not suit. We struggle with that but manage it ourselves as we have no other choice really.
Another thing you gotta think about is schools. They are zoned so you can defo get your kid in the school that is zoned for where you live but you're unlikely to get them in one out of zone.
Also school isn't free. Even the state schools have an annual fee plus a voluntary fee which everyone is kind of pressured to pay plus stationery uniforms trips books etc. Talking $300 / $400 a year minimum.

In all honesty you aren't gonna find the cost of living vastly different anywhere across NZ. The major cities are the highest so Auckland Wellington Christchurch Hamilton Tauranga etc. There are defo areas where house renting or buying is cheaper but they'll be really quiet places. Nothing much to do and not many jobs. Not sure Hawke's Bay is the answer.

I've said it many times before. A family needs to be earning minimum $80k a year here to live in the cheapest of areas. To live around a city like Wellington minimum $100k. Auckland minimum $120/125k just to be comfortable enough to make ends meet.
​​

escapedtonz

Also forgot to mention.

I met up with some UK Ex. Pats here in Tauranga a few years ago. Just like you I'd got to know them through the forum and when they arrived we started meeting up regularly so the kids could play etc. He is an electrician and got a job with some electrical contractor in Tauranga working on new builds most days then got bored with that and went in to more commercial stuff. He always complained wages were low although life at work and conditions were great. He also got a company van to use but couldn't use it personally. They rented a place down near Kulim Park, Bureta for a couple of years and his wife struggled to find a permanent job. Her first language is Polish although she was fluent English and unfortunately her job not skilled so found there was like 30 or so people going for every job she was interested in. The jobs always offered to someone else and her language may have been a contributing factor to her not being able to get a job ?
Anyways, they found it really difficult to live in Tauranga due to the cost of living. They considered other places to see if they could make it work in Hamilton or Hawkes Bay and she started selling hand made crafty things via Facebook groups but in the end after 2 years they decided enough was enough and returned back to the UK.
Doesn't work for everyone.
I feel we were lucky in the fact we were able to bring around £40k with us from the UK which we used to set ourselves up and covered those first couple years when you have things to buy like cars, car insurance, a bit of furniture, appliances and maybe contents insurance etc. Looking back now to 2012 I think we'd have really struggled without that nest egg.

Farleeey

valleygurl

Laser electrical were advertising in New Plymouth the other day
Laser Electrical | Careers

cym

I'm a little out of date with the costs, but in all honesty ring the EWRB and they can answer those questions. It's a bit like swimming in treacle - none of us like them - but it's a must do over here.
Any licenced sparky over here (NZ) can work in ANY Aussie state - BUT any licenced Aussie spark CAN'T work in any other state other than the one they are licensed in or NZ unless they take the practising licence test of that state(or NZ). So in that case we're way better off here.
Interesting to note that we both work to the same code AS/NZS3000, only the Aussie's are now using the latest one (2018) and we're not!
Assuming you are current in your UK City and Guilds, then all you'll need to to is a cross-over course, 2 weeks and a regs exam. The exam is open book and now multiple choice on a PC. You'll have to be total and utter muppet not to get the 60% pass mark.
Whilst you're doing this you'll be on a limited licence, meaning supervision. (they are getting harder on folk supervising and those being supervised). My supervision was my boss showing me where on the map I was supposed to be going!
But mine was 14 years ago now, and things have changed a lot.
Best to get it all done as quickly as you can so you can start earning.
So basically what you'll need is a company prepared to offer you a job on a limited licence. Not hard in places like Auckland/C.C., perhaps Welly or even in the provinces where getting sparks is harder.
Money is anywhere between $18 - $60 ph, depending on what it is you are doing and where you are based.
Work is way worse in my opinion than back home and if you are slightly better than average in the UK then you'll be a genius here.
All the best

jarv5116

Hi Mate,

Me and my wife come over to Auckland about 6 months ago.
Its worked out good for us but we never had kids and had good plans before coming.
Our plan was to move into a house share till we both had jobs and working. but you can't do that cause you have kids.

If you plan on going to Auckland you wont survive on 800 dollars a week no way. rent is 500 minium in lower areas. if you want a nice area your talking 600 to 700 for 3 bed house. I don't know where you live in the UK but its like living in and around London counties on 400 quid a week its pretty much impossible unless you have serious savings if your wife can't get work. I take home bout 1200 a week and I would be on the bread line in Auckland on that without kids. Alot of lads I work with have immigrated here aswell with kids. The guys work dayshft and there wifes do night shift.
Also it's very diffcult to compare stuff money wise. iv found everthing completly different priced and wages so its very diffcult to compare things.
You will see what I mean when you get here and live here. I have come to the conclusion if you have enough money and are happy then doesn't really matter how much stuff costs here or the UK.

I work in construction and there aint as much work out here as there is back home. i think its cause there less people. so not as much work so everything is on a much smaller scale out here. You don't see houses getting build and new estates getting whacked up like back home.

jarv5116

Hi Mate,

Me and my wife come over to Auckland about 6 months ago.
Its worked out good for us but we never had kids and had good plans before coming.
Our plan was to move into a house share till we both had jobs and working. but you can't do that cause you have kids.

If you plan on going to Auckland you wont survive on 800 dollars a week no way. rent is 500 minium in lower areas. if you want a nice area your talking 600 to 700 for 3 bed house. I don't know where you live in the UK but its like living in and around London counties on 400 quid a week its pretty much impossible unless you have serious savings if your wife can't get work. I take home bout 1200 a week and I would be on the bread line in Auckland on that without kids. Alot of lads I work with have immigrated here aswell with kids. The guys work dayshft and there wifes do night shift.
Also it's very diffcult to compare stuff money wise. iv found everthing completly different priced and wages so its very diffcult to compare things.
You will see what I mean when you get here and live here. I have come to the conclusion if you have enough money and are happy then doesn't really matter how much stuff costs here or the UK.

I work in construction and there aint as much work out here as there is back home. i think its cause there less people. so not as much work so everything is on a much smaller scale out here. You don't see houses getting build and new estates getting whacked up like back home.
To answer one of your questions if you work 60 hours a week in the UK to have the lifestyle you and your wife enjoy. you will have to work the same here. You won't be able to cut 20 hours of your work in the UK and expect to work 40 out here for the same money in the same job role and same lifestyle. only way that's possible is if you are very very lucky get a really high paying job and live in an area way outside a city where rent is very low. which would mean a very big commute to work.

Its not as stressfull out here and everything is on your door step. even living in Auckland you dont have to travel hours to get to the likes of lake district or nice beach like in the uk. everything on your door step. In Auckland your only 10 mins away from nice beach no matter where you are. 20 mins from park reserve in the countryside. 100s of city parks 2 mins away. It all depends what your into. You don't have to travel miles to have all the lifestyles and it dont cost much to enjoy the countryside and beaches.

kentspark

I came over nearly 2 years ago and went with tradestaff, they were helpful and them finding work for me was easy.

I did my 3 months in auckland to satisfy my visa requirements then moved to Hamilton.

demand for sparks is high so finding work is easy if you decide to leave tradestaff/canstaff as long as you dont sign a 12 month contract, I worked through tradestaff for around 9 months and then moved onto a couple of other companies.

I started on $30 and I'm now on $32 but thats high, most of the locals are on $26 because they dont know how to ask for a pay rise.

we also looked at Tauranga but the housing prices seemed high and we decided Hamilton was more central.

my post is brief, but feel free to ask me any questions.