DavenHelen

Just heard today that our EOI has been successfull which is fantastic , but ........

From reading these threads over the last couple of months there just seems to be so much negative feeling about the quality of life in New Zealand and should we still go for it.
Yes we have some concerns about leaving some our friends behind but main concern are the negative posts on here regarding: cost of living, making friends & schooling (aged 5 & 8) compared to the UK.

Look forward to hearing positives on our exceiting adventure.

Thanks
Dave & Helen

TeamEmbo

Congratulations on being selected

The 'negative' posts on here regarding cost of living, housing, lifestyle, education are indivduals personal experiences and points of view from people living and working in NZ. I personally love it here, it's the best move we could have made for us, however, it's not all been plain sailing. Nowhere is going to be 'perfect' and NZ is not England down under so it is very important, I think, that no-one assumes it is going to be England in the Sun. NZ is unique. It has its own culture and ways of doing things and they just happen to speak a form of English. Some people adapt, others don't.

Negative posts are not intended to put anybody off but it would be wrong for us here just to post up yeah it's great, you'll love it. So between us what you're getting is a balanced view of living and working in NZ. There may be some things that aren't an issue for you personally, that may bother some posters here. There may be some issues you know won't suit you/your family to compromise on. It's all so very personal as we're each of us different.

Personally, I love my house - it's nowt flash - but it's something I could not have had in the UK. I love the town I live it, the people are friendly and my neighbours are great. We have good access to all kinds of outdoor pursuits that we've taken up since being here that we're enjoying and the kids' school on the whole is ok. But, we have a huge mortgage, we have to budget very carefully, we have nothing left over for savings and presently no chance of a holiday like we used to do each year. We make up for that by going out and exploring NZ - this year we'll just load up the car and drive till we find a good spot to camp out. But that suits us, at the moment. My OH has a good job here which he loves and no 3-hour each way commute like he had in the UK and I've managed to work from home which is something I wouldn't have done in the UK. In the UK we each had nearly new cars, here we have 1 4x4 which is 18 years old but its sound and suits our needs and OH has a works ute. Its swings and roundabouts but all in all, we're glad we took the plunge so despite some of the drawbacks, we feel we have a happier, more relaxed lifestyle here.

My advise would be to listen to the 'negative' posts along side the 'positive' ones and research as much as you can about aspects that might be an issue for your family as ultimately only you will know if it is something you can live with.

garfield250

Hi

I will echo TeamEmbo, the posts are meant as a balanced view and not meant to frighten or put any one off. They are personal experiences of the people already out here. They are reflective of individual needs, requirements and location and lifestyle.

I live in a rural area the nearest shops are 20 minutes drive away, I have a lifestyle block which we could never have had back in England, we have a nice house, again nothing flash but it suits us and our needs. I am fortunate to be a well paid job, I drive a 15 year old 4X4 with over 200,000 kms on it but it suits me and does what I need (i.e. haul stuff around the block, get me to work and onto the beach for fishing).

The lifestyle we have here is what is important (a lifestyle we could only dream of in England).

Do not let the 'negative' posts frighten you; they are not meant in that manner rather a reflection....do lots of research......but above all remember its not 'Little Britain' but a unique place (same as every other country is unique) it has similarities with Britain but that is all they are, similarities. It has its good points and its bad points (but every where else has those points as well).

Only you can make the decision to come over here........the opinions here on BE are personal opinions and we all have those....but the opinions are balanced.
It is not a bed of roses for all, but personally speaking I never liked roses too much but I call New Zealand my home, I enjoy it here and could not consider a move back to the UK..... just my experience.

Mudplug

Hi Dave and Helen

Firstly congrads its such a wonderful feeling enjoy it, its a long road.....

We are in the final stages of our visa process and still have the same feelings as you are having now, we are also worried that it might not be the dream we first thought it might be, my husband has a good job with a good wage, we live in a big house in the countryside, kids go to good schools and we want for nothing really, but if we dont take the gamble......... we will never know if it would of worked out for us.........
I think the best thing to do is research as much as you can, if you have a job offer then you know what sort of wages to expect and what area to look into.
If like others have said before you like the shopping, night life and general expensive living then it might leave you out of pocket but if you are looking for quality of life and frugal living then its worth giving it a go.

No one can make the choice for you, just dont regret the choices you make,
We are going for it even tho we know its going to be hard, but dont think I could live with myself if we didnt,

Wish you tons of luck

Wooly_Cow

Well Done on your selection.

I think I know where you are at......now that things are progressing I guess you are having a few doubts and wanting people to validate your decision to come here.

Well as has been said for many people this is a great place, and if you need reassurance about any topics then just ask, after all most of us have been through most of what you will go through and are still here and for the most part happy.

BUT please don't read 'negative' comments as trying to put people off. People are just trying to be honest and pass on sometimes painful and expensive lessons. Don't close your eyes to these but maybe ask how others have addressed them for themselves.

Hope everything goes reall well and don't forget to ask for advice on anythign (except immigration processes of course - comment for NZIS )

Wooly_Cow

So to be specific;

The cost of living – this will depend so much on your personal circumstances. All I can say is that for us we are about the same as we were in the UK, in terms of what we spend on various categories as a percentage of our income. At the moment we have slightly less disposable income because we are renting at a rate that is more than the equivalent costs of owning a house in the UK (mortgage, bills etc.). We had budgeted for this to be offset by interest on our capital but of course with stupidly low interest rates that ain’t happening. However we are living within our means and not eating into our savings. With careful budget planning you should be fine. Remember it will take you time to get through the expenses of emmigration which do not stop once you get here.

Making friends – we have made a lot of good friends here quite quickly. Of course you need to make the effort. Join clubs and never pass up an opportunity to meet people and help others and you’ll fit in just fine. We found it easier than in the UK but then I guess we are more motivated here to create new support structures (and there’s nicer people – comment for my mates in NZ!)

Schooling – well it’s quite different BUT seems to work. New Zealand education system is rated certainly no worse than the UK by international comparisons. Once again it very much depends on you and your children’s needs, but you should find most approaches catered for. Our children are happy in their schools and certainly as happy as they were in the UK. The eldest (16) does complain that the teaching methods are different than he is used to, but of course he has been used to a UK system for 9 years so I reckon that’s understandable.

Where are you planning on living?

Numptyhead

Hi Dave and Helen,

We have only been here for 3 weeks and it has been a whirlwind for sure but it has also been a wonderful experience. BUT perceptions of quality of life are so relative to the person.

We love it and it has everything and more than we where hoping for.

It is expensive to set up home here, even if you have a container being shipped out, but the amount of expense very much depends on what you are prepared to live with until your stuff arrives.

We arrived on the 10th Nov and the container will not be arriving into NZ until the 23 Jan. We have bought a washer, fridge, freezer, sofa, beds, bedding, kitchen bits, vacuum cleaner....lots of bits were bought at a local auction, which was great fun and very cheap. Got a dehumidifier for $3!

Secondhand fridges and freezers are expensive here. Bring them with you, especially a big deep freeze. We costed a big one here (500litre) $1799. We ended up buying a second hand 'tatty but works' (300litre) for $295. One at the auction went for $400. We haven't got a chest freezer coming unfortunately. I didn't think we would need a big one....but WRONG. Cheapest way to buy meat here is to buy a half beast(cow) or pig and they soon fill a freezer up. Also needed to freeze your home grown veggies or when buying up the veggies when there is a glut (cheap).

People here are lovely and so kind. Someone has loaned us a TV. Someone else some crockery and glasses. You have to be prepared to make do a little or it becomes even more expensive to set up home.

Its the same expense if you were setting up a new home in the UK. Same with food. It is expensive to fill a new kitchen pantry, both here and in the UK. Food has gone up so much in the UK in the last couple of years.

Our daughter is 13years old and was so apprehensive about starting school. No fears there, she loves it. I would have thought it would be even easier with younger kids. Your kids will love it. They will play out and do all the stuff we are afraid for them to do in the UK. The other day I got home and DD was in wet clothes. On asking her what she had been up to she replied that she had been bridge jumping into the river with her school friends . I nearly died, but she loved it and was so proud of herself. (She used to be afraid of heights). I'm not advocating this practice, by the way

The move is massive and stressful, no matter how well planned. Make sure you have spare cash for when you get here for the items and food I have mentioned. I would reckon that we have probably spent about $10k to set up which includes a motor for $2500, purchased from 'trade me'. $2k for the bond and rent for new house.

We decided to have sky installed....thats $65 a month for the basic package (My Sky which is the same as Sky plus). Word of warning for those of you going to get sky. The sky plus box is $15 a month rental or you can pay a one off fee of $599. Even if you pay the $599, you don't ever own the box here in NZ....or dish for that matter!

Also got broadband (the unlimited option) which is $119 a month, worth the extra IMO...to be unlimited.

You mention 'quality of life' and we have found, so far, that it is here in abundance. My working week is 40 hours max. I easily did 60 hours in the UK. I'm home more. My drive to work is breathtaking and I can't believe it. We have oranges and lemons and all kinds of weird stuff growing in the garden

Don't think about it being cheaper to live here because its not, having said that its about the same as the UK right now. Some things cheaper other things dearer...just like the UK, not necessarily the same items as the UK though. Bread and milk are more expensive here. Fruit and veg is cheaper. There is way more choice than we thought there would be from reading prior posts.

As with all posts.... negative and positive, it is so important to read them all, only then can you gather a more balanced picture. I'll stop now as this post is ending up too long!

Genesis

Hi, well done being picked..good innit? Now re the posting. Everything has a good side and a bad side..even a lottery win apparently. There are always pros and cons in everything we do. That includes where we chose to live. Northampton where I escaped from IMO vastly had cons outweighing pros and fortunately we are ALL very happy in NZ. My house is wonderful but strange in construction from what I am used to. The driving over here is crap. We lost a huge amount of money because NZ can't be arsed to regulate finance comapanies..(I take some blame but the shit would not have hit the fan had the govt done something before 45 finance companies fell over). Houses are generally poorly heated and insulated by british standards, we are very isolated here and it costs way too much time and money to visit friends and rellies back in the UK. I could go on BUT on the whole the good FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR outweighs the bad. For the 1st time in 45 years of my life I am content. NZ suits me and it affords me and my family a life we would needed a small lottery win the have in the UK.

I don't have to work, Kate works in the job of her dreams that eluded her in the Uk we have a house that we love with a beautiful pool (and we did not consider our selves rich upon departure from the UK and we are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay poorer now having lost $140k) we just found that the british pound even at a lowly (low at that time..it was $3 a few months later!!) $2.64 exchange rate back in 2005 bought us a kiwi life that is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better than what we had in Northants. At the back of my house there we had dudes dealing drugs..here we have a small forest and mountain views.

In short NZ has given us its fair share of problems. We have invested a large sum of money getting our house right we have not had the easiest of 5 years here BUT we are all quite content.

NZ may or may not be for you. Much will come from your inner self as to if it works or not..your expectations, your frames of reference to go by. My caveat is that where we lived was soooooooooooooo shite anything would have been better..and here where we live is way beyond our greatest expectations.

Many will speak badly of marriage aye? Yet most of us do it and like me give it a 2nd try when the 1st does not work!!! He who dares? If you don't give it a run there will be a huge bright neon sign in your mind...'What if.....' Good luck.

Hokey-pokey

Gotta say that made me laugh out loud ! Good on her and you too. Shes received the Kiwi baptism. Well done !

Wooly_Cow

Who from? Telecom Big Time costs only $59.99 (https://www.telecom.co.nz/broadband/...204473,00.html) for all you can eat. OK so it's a managed service but as long as you're not doing loads of time critical peer to peer stuf peak time you should be fine.

Edit: Hang on - we've had this converstaion haven't we

Numptyhead

Hi Hun,

No, don't think we have had this conversation...lol. We have total home and big time for $119, which is unlimited calls within NZ, $2 for 2 hours to Oz and $4.50 per 2 hours to UK and the unlimited broadband. I should have said we had the telephone package included...ooops..lol!

bourbon-biscuit

You can't imagine there aren't bad aspects to life in NZ- if you read any of the forums on BE you'll find ppl griping about life in their new home, which is fair enough given life is never perfect.

However, imho&e the schooling and the friendships are one of the very best bits about living in NZ. I love the schooling here and I've spent plenty of time in the schools my kids have attended I've also made some great friends- so long as you're open minded, friendly and up for trying new things and socialising in new ways there seem to be plenty of opportunities to meet ppl.

The cost of living aspect depends totally upon what income you have and how you live now, how much equity you'll bring over, how much you'll earn and where you'll live in NZ. Brits don't like to talk figures about such things but without that info (and arguably even with) noone can tell you whether you'll struggle here or not. A ballpark minimum for a comfortable life here with 2 kids seems to be around the $80K-$100K if you've got an average mortgage to service, less if you won't need one, although there are plenty who happily get by on less (me included- although I wouldn't describe that aspect of living here as wonderful!) and some who'll swear you need more, which might be more true if you're heading to Auckland or Wellington then if you're heading to Waipukarua.

HTH, BB

dannigirl

Hi Dave and Helen,

Just wanted to say top post TeamEmbo!!

Actually all great posts in response to your query. I would just advise that you do look at it from all sides, looking at all the negative issues as well as positive. I am sure that you will still experience huge culture shock, whether you settle or not is dependant on so many variables. Just don't ignore the negatives, they sure are there, so if you are somewhat prepared it may help you anticipate some of them.

I think Wooly_Cow said about needing to have your decision to come here validated. I think this is a great point and so true. It is such a huge leap of faith with no guarantees. FWIW I am a returning kiwi and I am struggling with all the negative issues....BUT I know what the positives are so can't even imagine what it must be like if this is all totally new to you.

I really wish you all the luck with your decision making. Hopefully this is just a wobble that can be worked through.

Right, am off to increase my NZ sky budget allowance!!

Dannigirl.

DavenHelen

Hi all
Wow!!!!

Thanks for your replies and good wishes - it has been MUCH appreciated
It has been so great to be able to read other peoples experiences and everyone has been so helpful , no we arent expecting it to be a bed of roses but do feel happier after reading your views.
we don't have a expensive lifestyle here in the uk and are not at all materialistic . Our favourite holidays/weekends too, involve packing the tent up and going exploring and meeting up with friends .

We had a fantastic 6 mths in Auckland in 1998, and especially since having the children , feel N.Z is where we want to bring them up.
We have found a lot of useful views expressed since we 1st looked at this website and think some of it has probably given us a wobble.

Thanks again
D & H

Cadibel

Hi Dave and Helen,

Congrats on your EOI being selected and hope your visa processing is as smooth as can be.

We head out to Auckland with our 2 kids (same age as yours) and hope that the quality of life will be better in NZ - we will be poorer financially - but money isn't everything!

Certainly we're hoping to escape some of the bureaucracy in the UK - when I enquired about a before school club at one of the primary schools we were looking at, I was told they didn't have one, as parents would resent paying for something they already had for free! i can just imagine our current primary school having a few leeters to send out if parents dared send their kids a second before the allocated time

Good luck on your journey!