reecefam

Hi All,
I have been offered a job in New Zealand but the more i look on the various ex pat web sites, i am not sure why people have moved!
We have two girls, aged 11 & 8.
Can you tell me say 5 things, where New Zealand is a lot better place to live than England and may be 5 things, which you miss from England?
Maybe i am getting nervous but i see more people moaning than saying they made the right decision by moving!
PLEASE help!
Martin

P2L

Martin stop panicking!!

We're not ignoring you mate, It's 6.15am here and the only reason I'm posting is cos I woke up at 4 and can't get back to sleep

BEVS

Blimey Sarah Early bird or what !

You're just getting nervous Reecefam. Maybe your eye is catching the less enthusiastic posts rather than seeing the more rapturous posts. This board tends to have a balance of people with all sorts of views.

I don't think anyone listing 5 things about NZ is going to help your nerves.
Post up about your job offer and where you are settling to get a picture from the people that actually live there. Just as in the U.K. each area has it's own charactor, weather and lifestyle.

reecefam

Thanks Sarah and Bev...
I was offered a retail job in the South Island, about $70k a year, with car, but i have been holding out for a job with them in the North Island, either an hour South of Auckland or an hour North.
Looking at rentals, $500, seems like the average price, for a similar house we own here.
They are confident of finding me a suitable job up there but it has delayed the offer on paper.
They are an accredited employer with immigration, with a skill shortage, so i understand that helps with the Visa process.
I hope the above detail helps.
Thanks again.

P2L

Hi Martin

I would suggest that you change where you're looking for rentals. $500 a week on rental is steep IMO have you looked at www.realestate.co.nz for rentals, they offer the best choice or www.trademe.co.nz too.

Can't advise you on which areas to look at because we're on South Island, but plenty of people on here can advise you what is within commutable distance of Auckland.

HTH
Sarah

kiwi_child

You'd find your income would go further in the south island and you'd have much shorter commutes to work in say christchurch compared to auckland. pace of life can feel more slower/laidback in the south too, although this can be experienced elsewhere. Depends on where you live, work and job/personal demands I guess. Where in the SI would the company want you to operate out of? Good luck with it all

howardk

hi.....to do normal things...live,eat,travel etc etc reasonably $70k will not go far....it is quite low...$100k minimum will get you most things for an average standard of living.....

Avid

Yeah? Well I won't tell you what I'm paying then...






but I'll keep dropping hints until somebody asks me outright

Avid

Can reading/writing 5 things on an internet forum really make a person do something or change their minds?

You can't judge anything you read on this site (except for factual information) until you've been here and experienced it.

Generally speaking..

happynz

How much do you shell out to keep a roof over your head?

I pay NZ$175/week, but we live in a cupboard.

waynepfry

Just while I'm on - Howardk, how on earth did you come to ''70k won't get you very far...100k will get you an average standard of living'???!!!

The average salary in Auckland is 52k and your standard of living depends on many things - mainly your expectations and tastes (eg do you eat out a lot, do you like expensive wine etc etc).. It also depends on how much euity you have to bring over, where you are living. If you thing 100k will give you an average lifestyle you are obviously deluded.

Back to the initial question - I wouldn't let anybody put you off coming to NZ. 70k (especially for South Island) is a good salary. I know people on less who manage to get by. By and large you don't get paid as much over here but we've found the standard of living to be comparable. It is difficult to list five reasons why NZ is better than the UK. However in my experience it is better here and here are some of the reasons: the climate is better (well in Auckland anyway), the opportunities for outdoor living are better, it is safer environment, the children are far happier, the lifestyle is more easy-going, there are better opportunities for employment long-term, crime rates are generally lower, it is a new life experience, it's the perfect chance to go on what would be expensive exotic holidays in the UK (eg Raratonga, Australia, Fiji, Samao etc), things like skiing are easily accessable and a lot cheaper, fishing is usually free and easily accessable, housing is generally cheaper (this does depend on where you live).

All told you'll make what you will of it. New Zealand isn't utopia but where is? From what I've seen it is a better lifestyle than back home but that is only my opinion. Before we came out we had a long hard think about whether the move was worth the risk - selling our house, big move for the kids, lower salary. We took the plunge because we came to the conclusion that it is better to regret having done something, than not having done anything at all. I know a family over here who have been here a year and want to go back. That said they're staying over here for another year as they're really enjoying the experience and they're seeing the benefit for their kids - and they're certainly not living off an 'average' salary of 100k.

Anyway whatever you do all the best of luck!

reecefam

Thanks lot...some really great replies there. I was hoping the salary would give a good lifestyle but that does not sound positive now but i suppose it does depend on where you live!

Avid

wow...that must be a really nice cupboard..

Avid

I don't think terms like 'standard of living' and 'lifestyle' apply if you are on 52k. You'll eat three times a day on that income and can sleep indoors, but that's about it. Even allowing for the differences in the cost of living, 52k is still about 19,000 pounds/year BEFORE tax

As it's been said many times, you really have to be an outdoors sort to get the best from NZ.

howardk

..............be very wary of someone that say's they can 'live' not just 'get by' on $52k pa..........do you want a lesser standard of living than the one you had in the UK....avid is right you have to use the great outdoors...and it is great....having said that we have had 2 periods of living in NZ and are now heading back to canada....( we are english and fully understand why people leave the UK )............