richandsarah3469

Well after many years (literally) of trying to move over to NZ from UK (Covid didn't help). Following an online and in-person interview, I have today received a firm job offer, including a relocation package, to get myself and my wife over to Auckland!

Exciting times!

I have been reading this forum on-and-off for a long time now and would like to gain thoughts on the offer....

• Gross salary 170K
• 20 days holiday plus Bank Holidays
• 2 weeks paid accommodation when we arrive
• 2 weeks car hire when we arrive
• 10K relocation allowance (reimbursing flights etc)
• Visa assistance (paying for applications and assisting the application process)

Just myself and my wife moving - we have 2 children who are both at Uni in Belfast and London. They may, or may not, come over once we are settled. They both have 2 years and 4 years to go at Uni. Ideally my wife would find work once we arrive (she is a secondary school English Teacher)

Would like to live perhaps max 1 hour commute

I would welcome your thoughts on the package, and our ability to get accommodation, lifestyle we can expect etc

Thanks in anticipation

Rich

Moses2013

Not in NZ myself now and all I know is that I know more people leaving than going these days. Like any country, it all comes down to your personal situation and if you have kids at Uni, I'd say you are not in your 20's anymore. The housing situation has not improved since 2016, so that's one thing to consider. Sure, $170K might seem high for some, it is Auckland though. At the end of the day you are taking the risk with a Visa and there are enough people in their 30's who can easily earn €100k in Europe and don't have to pay these prices. 20 days holidays is also not great if you are used to more and might need to travel back to UK. People always talk about lifestyle, you still have to work/pay and will be stuck in traffic most of the time. It just depends what you expect and want to achieve personally. You could easily travel to Pontevedra province and would have beaches, similar climate, better food and fewer people than in Auckland. If you love to work and this is the job of your dreams, maybe Auckland is the right choice.

Mitzi2013

Hi Rich

Just curious, your visa are they also paying and sorting it out for your wife as well as yourself, I take it the visa is EAWV and I can guess the company, which I won’t say on here.

Chris

Justcol

Congratulations, exciting times ahead.
Can't comment on the package as I have no knowledge of how others compare.
You haven't said where your work is based, as that will determine where an hours commute will likely put you.
Only advice I would offer is start researching rental properties and maybe reach out to agents as soon as possible as rents are high right across the whole Auckland region.
On arrival, don't expect little Britain. Things are different here but if you embrace the differences rather than complain as so many on here like to do, then you'll be fine.
Sorry I can't offer more input but I've not lived in Auckland for almost 10 years.
Good luck 👍👍

Justcol

Come on man, don't piss on his parade. Let the guy live his dream.

BEVS

Is 170k enough for Auckland Col ?
Seens like a fortune to me but we are just a pair of plobs. 😁

Bo-Jangles

That depends entirely on where you need to get to, but usually need to allow at least one hour to get anywhere during peak house.
20 Days of leave is the minimum
$170k sounds like a lot to me too but depends on what you're used to and how much equity /deposit you have to put down on a house; any other relocation costs are a bonus as very few get that.
You can rent a serviced apartment (most are in CBD) for the first two weeks (easy as) but will have to move fast to find something more permanent once you are here.

Clappy

170K sounds like a lot and it is much higher than the average local wage but the OP has not said what their line of work is. All companies that are listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange http://www.nzx.com provide a table in their annual report showing how many employees are paid in bands over $100,000 so it is easy to see where a salary sits in the corporate hierarchy as long as your company or a similar one is listed on the exchange.

A commute no more than one hour will be from somewhere else within Auckland city boundary and probably best to start nearby to the workplace. My commute is about 26km west Auckland to north Auckland, it usually takes about 30 minutes but I do that around 6.00am to avoid the worst of the traffic - if I start work later than that I can expect the commute to take much longer.

Justcol

$170k...its enough to keep me in pies and cheese rolls, but apparently being a country bumpkin negates any opinionI may have 😂🤣

Moses2013

Shame on me😂. Nobody knows the dream though and it all comes down to housing anyway. It's the same when you earn €40K in Barcelona and it is the dream for those who don't mind renting or living in apartments. If you want a lifestyle block under €200K with a bit of land, you face a longer commute.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money...age-house.html

I would have to earn 3x more in any capital to afford a home that would make me believe, I live the dream.


I agree with you now and they should just go for it.

Justcol

Not if you work close to where you live 😁

Moses2013

Yes and my commute is currently nada, unfortunately there is no guarantee that will last forever and the OP is in construction management.
Pukekohe seems more affordable and something with like this around $919K https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/property...ing/3561452400
There are a few others around the 800K mark, so 5 times the salary is probably fine and with both of them working even better.
Maybe a pay cut and job in a place like Dunedin would offer the better NZ experience.

Bo-Jangles

It's also a long way out and away from everything; a commute to town from there would wear very thin in a very short amount of time.

One also needs to study NZ properties and terminology to understand what you are getting for the money. That house is on a sub-divided section; the numbering gives it away - usually a number followed by a letter a, b, c and is on a Right of Way (ROW), which is a shared driveway. The buyer of any such property needs to beware and hope for exceptionally good considerate neighbours, or otherwise risk neighbours at war scenarios over access and maintenance of the shared drive and garden areas (if any).

Justcol

Dunedin is a shit hole. I wouldn't recommend living there to anyone
Probably better off around central, but there are no beaches, and it seems everyone want to be close to a beach.

Moses2013

That's the thing and any place with people could be seen as a s... hole, so at least you have fewer of them down there. The big question would be what lifestyle the OP expects?
Is it a property with beach access, a home with a few acres next to a lake, less traffic, better shopping etc.
Money is one thing and what about the working hours and conditions. 4 weeks holidays would be the least you can expect, so asking for an additional week should be no problem.