golgo13

Hi Guys,

I been an avid viewer/user of the BE forum since 2006.

So a little bit about me, turned 30 in September and have back in the UK since Feb 12.

I spent seven years away from the UK (1 year in Canada & 6 in Australia)

I planned to be in the UK for two years to spend time with family.

In 2014 I plan to move back to the southern hemisphere but have been considering NZ.

I have visited on numerous occasions mainly Auckland for work and Wellington once for a long weekend.

My line of work in the digital field building websites, social media etc.

I am single with no kids and have an Australian passport.

With regards to work opportunities I am torn between Auckland & Wellington.

I am more of a city person so being in the thick of things would be great to start with.

Anyone who has moved to Auckland or Wellington what made you choose either location?

Also could you please recommend areas to live in either city?

MrsFychan

Welcome golgo, can't help much with your questions as myself and the kids didn't really have much choice as to where we came to as husband had a job offer in Wellington and was staying with friends here in Pukerua Bay and that's how we ended up here.
I think the best place to start would be to look where the most opportunities in your field of work are and take it from there.
Not sure how the visa option would work for you so that is something you would need to look into also

golgo13

Good Morning MrsFychan,

Thank you for the welcome.

On the Visa side the Aus passport work kind of like an EU one so no visa required to work or live in NZ.

Catchafire

Just turn up and get yourself a IRD number and away you go!

Interestingly OZ PR holders also have the right to live and work here, but not the other way round.

golgo13

Right IRD, I guess more practical things first. Yes an Aussie passport gives you two countries, but not reciprocal. Can I organise that and a bank account from the UK?

MrsFychan

you can certainly open up an account but you do need to go into branch with passports to get cards etc
As for IRD here's some information

http://www.ird.govt.nz/resources/f/c...4a30/ir595.pdf

Caz8NZ

from your tagline I assume you're a Londoner like me? Auckland and Wellington are both great cities.

For me - Auckland is the winner. Its in an amazing location surrounded by some many great things to see and do. You have the choice of going up north to the Northlands, west to Waitakare and beyond, east to the Corromandel and south to - um Hamilton. Ah - Raglan would be a better one to mention. You have got fantastic Islands just offshore. A really nice climate - i hardly had to wear a coat all winter let alone scarf, hat or gloves. Also - Auckland is big - both geographically and population (about 1.4mil). This is a plus for me - being a born and bred London I like this.

I've visited Wellington and I did really like the place. Its very pretty, got a great vibe going on, really easy to get around and just looked really nice in general. Lots of things to see and do. But - its not for me - i was visiting friends so I got to see just how small Wellington is and everywhere they went they bumped into people they knew. For some people that's great, for me, i need a bit of anonymity every now and again to know that i'm not going to see people i know everywhere. Wellington is small both geographically and population (around 400, 000). There's also the weather down in Welly - for me - its a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.

Saying that - I think you need to investigate where the work opportunities are. there are less opportunities in NZ than OZ as its a smaller population so you do need to really factor that in.

As for the IRD and Bank Account. Yes you could apply for a bank account whilst in the UK but its probably not necessary. Very easy to do it once you get here. I did the KiwiBank one and they sort out the IRD thing for you at the same time and you get a card the same day (EFTPOS not visa) which means you can use it in shops but not online.

golgo13

Caz8NZ thanks for the insight on Auckland, I am so glad of your opinion and advice especially being a Londoner the anonymity factor would be a big thing for me.

Since a majority of my work has sent me to Auckland I will focus my research there, could recommend any areas to live? I am from Wimbledon in SW.

Yep the work aspect would be a big factor too, did you have a career change or are you in the same line of work?

Thanks caz8NZ & MrsFychan for the tips.

Caz8NZ

No worries :-)

My personal preference on the best places to live in auckland as a young single person is basically the surrounding suburbs of the CBD. You could live in the CBD directly but I think the suburbs are what make up at a lot of Auckland. Saying that - it has changed a lot in the year and a half i've been here- there's been mass development on the city centre in advance of the RWC and it has continued, there has been a lot of improvement and its much better than it used to be.

Ponsonby, Freemans Bay, Grey Lynn, Kingsland, Sandringham and Mount Eden would be my suggestions of nice areas to live in with good stuff going on locally, bars and restuarants etc. Parnell is nice too - but its a bit more "family". Grafton and Eden terrace are popular areas, but they are a little more "city" like - very busy areas. Newmarket is also popular.

Then if you go a little further out (more for your money) you've got Epsom, Ellerslie, One Tree Hill, Three Kings, Balmoral, Mount Roskill, Mount Albert. You've also got Remuera which is nice but pricey!

I would recommend when you get over here base yourself in a hostel for a while and see what areas appeal to you. My recommendations would be on the first lot a bit closer to the city (easier for commuting in and out - and getting home after a night out :-) )

I'd say Mount Eden or Ponsonby is a good area to start you off to see what you like when you get here.

Public transport in comparison to Oz or the UK is not that great. I would recommend a car is needed here - but I do have friends that manage without.