Scottish84

Hey everyone,

I am considering a contract to work in Christchurch and i am looking for some advice, help and info if possible. So far i have read some mixed responses about living in NZ...i will be heading there on my own, so what is the social life like (apart from snowboarding and hike/trail)

I have looked at a few sites for renting apartments, but not to sure of any approximate costs of living: (also, any suggestions for best areas to live and websites to find accommodation?)

Tax (council)?
Utilities?
Broadband/Phone Etc?

Also, can anyone confirm if there is state medical and dental or is this done privately like the US?

any and all information will be greatly appreciated

Cheers

Genesis

Hi, most medical care is NHS style but you have to pay for doctors visits, about $40. There are one or two other things that you have to pay for like an ambulance if you need one, but all the really expensive stuff like the big foot op. I have had done are free. Broadband and a land line with all free local calls is about $100 a month thereabouts..deals are to be had. Council tax will be around $200ish a month dependent on the value of your property. If you rent I think its inclusive, can some one clarify that please? Gas and electric are comprable to what you will have been paying in the UK (I assume you hail from there??) and will depend on how well your place is insulated and how careful you are about light switches etc!!

Now the tricky bit..friendship. Kiwis are very friendly on the surface..lovely bunch of people but very hard to get to know really well. Don't know why that is many others echo what I say. Some suggest that their lives are well sorted and they have little time for new chums, others suggest that we are just poms and will be off in a short while thus not worth investing time in (we have been here over 6 years!!). Others opine that they just don't like poms and we should have gone to Oz where apparently they are way friendlier!!!!

But its a cool place and inspite of the many problems that prevail here I love NZ mainly because it is soooooooooooooooooooooooo depopulated. One of the main reasons for leaving the UK was the feeling of being hemmed in and overcrowded. Now I have a forest for a back yard, mountain views and I can park my car OUTSIDE my home. I lived in a very crowded inner city in the UK where all types of crime were rife. Where I live now in my neighbourhood there is never a chav, no drunken youths and virtually zero crime. Nice. Good luck mate, what will you be doing in Chch??

PS have a look at www.trademe.co.nz It is our e bay and you can get a feel for the price of literally everything there...cars, houses, rentals, junk, white wear, EVERYTHING!!!!!

alanmacc

I totaly agree with Genesis about the friendship parts, I put it down to NZ being so depopulated that people here went to kindi then to school and uni together so have known each other for all their lives, but I have found them a pretty friendly bunch.

As far as renting goes try www.realestate.co.nz for some pointer sin rental, areas now to miss out in chch would be likes of Avonhead, Aranui, Linwood, Sumner ......... all mainly due to the recent quakes. But I still love living here and call this place home now

Justcol

Socially NZ is nothing like the uk.
not as many bars or pubs and during the week most are shutting up shop around 9pm.
weekends are different but where i've been the evenings are in two halves. normal folk
go out at 7 or 8 ish then the bars quieten down a little around 10 before all the kids come out
to play at about 11 for the dj's.
you get used to it but its not like home. Most bars have sports on the tele's all day and night
which is great if you like rugby or netball (yep i did say netball )

Dont let this put you off, we dont move here to have it just like the UK and those who live here
and constantly grumble about NZ should STFU and sod off back to blightey

If your renting your not responcable for rates, the landlord is.

Wages are little lower and food costs are a little higher but its nothing drastic. If it was do you
think we'd all be mad enough to stay here when many of us have other options for places to live.

Kiwis are nice friendly folk and make you feel welcome but they are a little guarded at times, on the other
hand the brits who are here tend to be VERY friendly and will go that extra yard to make you feel welcome
I moved to a new area a month ago and didnt know a single person in the area, I work on my own so
have no work mates, however I now have friends to drink with when i go out and ride with when i'm out on
my motorbike and have coffees with at the weekends, come on down you'll love it

Debbie2NZ

I live in Linwood and the earthquake damage isn't that bad here. Can't really tell you more than the other posters. That's a pretty fair assessment of life in New Zealand at present. If you order fish and chips you will be asked whether you want it in breadcrumbs or batter (breadcrumbs can be the default if you don't speak up) and they can be heavy handed with the salt, annoyingly you won't be asked if you want salt and vinegar on your order.

Corner shops are known as the dairy. Kiwi's are reserved/cool like British people which (to me) is better than 'in your face' fake friendliness. I found them to me more polite than the society I left behind (only 4 months ago admittedly !). No glaring in the supermarket, more of an excuse me please and a smile.

When crossing the road as a pedestrian at a corner intersection, cars HAVE to give way to pedestrians. Please remember this as an unwitting stand off can happen ! BTW, the car that breaks this rule will be the car that runs you/me over ! Good luck with your move.

With regard to renting, we live in a 2 bedroom link detached house which costs about £520 pcm to rent which as the others have said includes rates. Ours includes water too but that might just be our arrangement. Rents are quoted per week in New Zealand.

The buses are good in Christchurch. There's no trains. There's a railway but that's mostly for freight or the occasional scenic route train on an excursion.

Petrol is about 20p cheaper per litre. There's about 6 shopping malls in Christchurch suburbs but 2 of them are still closed because of earthquake damage. The city centre is behind a cordon a.k.a. the red zone and is likely to stay that way for some time.

The Cathedral suffered extensive damage during earthquake/s and it's 50/50 whether it gets demolished.

Riccarton is a good suburb and is still functioning. Burnside and Cashmere are expensive for property, I think that's the posh end !

A building that is due for demolition will red stickered and you can see the sticker on the building. A yellow sticker means it needs further assessement before a decision is made. Green sticker means carry on as normal. If you see what looks like bright yellow or bright pink grafitti on a building or the path outside that's where Urban Search and Rescue were in Feb/March.

EQC is the Earthquake Commission, it's a government department set up to deal with earthquake related claims. There's frustration in Christchurch about how slow things are going with the EQC. Whole suburbs of Christchurch will have to abandoned as the ground is unstable. A report is due on Thursday 23 June as to which ones. This is the report that was due at the end of May and the Prime Minister (John Key) is having to step in now because the delays are getting out of hand. BTW the mayor of Christchurch is called Bob Parker. You will see a lot of him on t.v. if you come here. He's got a lot of announcements to make !

alanmacc

Yeah but Cashmere is only posh if yo ulive on the hill .....

Debbie2NZ

alanmacc - no bolly in Rolly ?

alanmacc

Bolly hell no we only drink champers out here ... lol

Debbie2NZ

jmh

I think Kiwis are a bit cautious with Brits because they expect them to be looking down on them. Judging by some of the comments on this forum they are probably right at least some of the time. You will find them more friendly when they know you are not judging them or their country.