Sugo

its fun having choices, being gay make making friends alot easier, like family replacement for some, from what my mates here say melbourne is better than sydney, so will give it ago first, i kind of like moving, its fun i know i must be mental :scared:

sky

Good luck Sugo, let us know how you settle in Oz please.
When do you go? bet you can't wait!

Sugo

hey sky (time to say i told you so lol) dunno probably next few months, the seed has only been sown,

i think having time off from work has helped as wok here has been shite, never met so many egos, both kiwi and expat, mental really, even if work is shite in oz at least i will have something more todo than go around some 30somethings house to watch dvd's, cos there is nothing to do outside

sky

LOL no way would I say that!!
I wish you the very best, come back and let us know how you do. Im staying put here for now but who knows what the future holds.

kiwichild

OMG! That reminds me of Perth BUT first you got to get the invite ! :scared:

Buzzy--Bee

A large proportion of them do.....

Cheers

Buzzy

Biddy

Thanks for reminding us again.

kiwichild

And many go back as well. I have been in OZ for over a decade and it has only served to remind me how there are so many more important things in life than 'making it' on a materialistic level.

SheilaGirl

Yes i agree there are more important things than making it on that level.....but then again, what is the point of living in a beautiful country like NZ and not being able to enjoy it because of working long hours to have some extra much needed cash, having money worries......is it worth giving up a certain amount of "luxury" habits we have here in europe, to live a life in NZ wondering if you have done the right thing?? no matter how bad you want to live there!??
Basically what i have been reading so far is, yes life in NZ is relaxed, laid back, more out doorsy, etc....but wages are shockingly low, taxes are high, very limited vacationdays, rascism towards immigrants (which i really cant understand!! as the country consists of immigrants or descendants of immigrants! even the maori's were once immigrants!) cost of living is higher, dentist and gp visits are expensive for adults, you pay for everything your kids need for school (which i find strange!).
I guess if you grew up in nz you have nothing to compare it with.......but coming from outside nz you would very much realise the difference....I guess the main shock and disappointment comes from people who have been hearing all positive stories about nz and think nz is paradise and then make serious plans to move and start investigating......only to discover its not what is promised........I am not saying people are looking for an easy, lazy life........I am sure everyone is willing to get stuck into making a good life with working hard and doing their best to make in work, but its only fair to expect something for it.......

Sorry to say but i think i will leave NZ for what it is and turn my head to Oz and maybe visit nz in my vacation!

happy in nz

school fees are volantry and we dont pay ni tax

CWEMM02

I am going to have to put my fire proof suit on for this one. I have been reading this forum for months. I have the following information. The first is that while there can be valuable information gained by asking specific questions, there information value of the board as a whole is not high.

Second, the questions repeat themselves such as bank accounts, currency conversion, bringing the pets, post boxes, getting an IRD number, what mover to use and how much does it cost, best places to live, am I doing the right thing, how long does it take, what airline should I choose, double glazing and sausages.

Lastly, but most importantly, some people like having a soap box, other people have a need to share their anxiety, other people have a bad/good experience and tell us all about it. Understanding that you may be getting a limited view of individual experiences, you must try to read the board and develop an overall impression while at the same time recognize that a sizable number of posters are not in NZ and that of all the Brits who move to NZ a very small portion actually post on this site. In addition, less than 10% of Brits leave in the first six years.

No one can tell you if you are happy now or going to be happier later if you do or do not move, change your job, your spouse, have kids, get married. You have to research, know why you want to make a change and determine the relative benefits you perceive as a result of making a decision in favour of moving or not. You also have to understand your personal tolerance for stress and coping with change. Then it doesn't matter that you can't find a good sausage, you already knew about it before you came, you knew yourself and you knew what you were doing.

Keep reading the board, enjoy the posts, but know yourself and what you are doing and why. You will appreciate the posts and their information content better. Moving to New Zealand is not really the end of the world.

southerner

I hope you have come to this conclusion based on specific research of your own situation rather than the general viewpoint of a few other posters.

For example, there are people who find they can get paid more in NZ than the UK. Admittedly they are in the minority. And for many the tax rate will be less in NZ, and I would hazard a guess that any prejudice against immigrants is very rare.

Biddy

Totally agree with you on these points.

isv

No no no no NO!

Taxes in NZ are NOT high when compared to the UK (or Oz). You have to dig deeper and compare the overall tax burden that applies to you.

Although the tax rates are comparable there are far fewer stealth taxes in NZ.

In particular there are no National Insurance contributions from either yourself OR your employer. This has a major impact on many folks especially those are self-employed or run their own businesses.

However, there is a very small ACC charge. There are no 0% tax thresholds in NZ either and there are limited opportunities to make tax-efficient pension contributions in NZ. BUT if you run your own business and/or invest inproperty there are far more generous allowances than in the UK.

In my case my top rate of payroll tax in the UK is over 64% (40% + employee NI + employer NI). In NZ my top rate will be 40.x% (39% + 1.x% ACC).

On top of the obvious payroll taxes also factor in the lower taxes on fuel, insurance, VAT/GST. There's no stamp duty on property purchases either. Then also prepare for the two MAJOR advantages NZ offers: no Capital Gains Tax (so long as you're careful) and no Inheritance Tax.

Finally - if you are a new migrant and will be arriving from this month onwards don't forget that NZ will now allow you a 4 year tax holiday on overseas income. You wont pay a penny on most of your overseas earnings (but some obvious gotchas to look out for) and this is particularly advantageous if you have some investments left behind in the UK.

If you do the figures you will perhaps be very pleasantly surprised. Having said that if you are earning a lower salary then the fact that you are saving on NI contributions wont impress you... but as I've said all along if you are self-employed or run your own business NZ IMO is by far the more tax-efficient place to be.

By all means don't move to NZ for a bunch of other vaild reasons but the tax environment should not be one of them.

Alan.

SarahB

Of course these questions are going to be asked again and again.... some people come on and dont maybe realise that they might have to look back over the last few weeks to see if there was a post on that particular subject. I'm sure when I first found this forum I probably asked questions like these. Information is important to that particular person. I dont care how many times somebody might ask me "hey Im thinking of moving to Auckland, what is Beachlands like?".... I'll answer as many times as I have to if it helps somebody out.

I love it here.... I come on here to help other people love it here too. I only found this forum a little while before we emigrated... I wish I'd found it before that... I have had some very good advice from this forum too over the last year.

Still havnt found a decent sausage here though....