Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

Brain dump time I know. We're really getting close on making the move to the west coast from the UK. We're a little overwhelmed by the steps involved in getting there.

Really would appreciate any advice from anyone who has already made the move (I'm a teacher if that's relevant), did you have a checklist of things to cover off, what would you do differently in the planning and what are you do glad you did?

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

I am not the best to answer really as we are atill in the planning phase, but will be interesting to hear what advice you get.
Have you seen the checklist on New Zealand now website? nzready.immigration.govt.nz

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

Thanks for the reply. Let's keep our fingers crossed

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

What visa do you have?

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

Applying for an essential skills working visa

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

Has a school offered you a full-time job, and submitted proof to Immigration that they can't find a New Zealander to do the job?

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

Yes, and in the process of

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

Yeah we used a few checklists. We got them from a couple overseas expo's we attended in the UK. One from WorkingIn who we used as an Immigration consultant, one from the Emigration Group and one we found through ANZ bank. They pretty much covered everything and gave timelines of when to do things.
Can't really think of anything we'd do differently. It can seem overwhelming as there is loads to do but if you start early enough and don't leave it all till the last minute you'll be fine. There's heaps more you can do online nowadays through Internet portals, websites, apps & social media etc

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

Thank you

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

would of not sold the house in the UK to fund the move over.

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

We made a massive ever-evolving mindmap and made lists from that. Things we did well: a 2-week stop in WA en route gave us some really lovely family time sandwiched between the stress and sadness of leaving and the stress of arriving and setting up - I can't recommend this more if you have kids; booked some short term arrival accommodation near the beach so we had quite positive first associations (although we also had 2 weeks in a very decent motel as part of the health board relo package - think those days are gone!); we tried to accept all offers to socialise and make friends but especially with Kiwis and ended up with some lifelong close friends. Things we did not do well: should have come for a year or two only.

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

Should have kept the UK house and come with the thought & mindset of a two year trial run .

Certainly should have been more ruthless about what we brought over and what we did not.

Best thing - bringing our pet pusscats. I would never have left them. They were family.

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

Yeah we did similar and would recommend to anyone making the one way journey to NZ, as you say....especially if you have kids..
We did 5 days in Dubai/Abu Dhabi and 5 days in Sydney en route to NZ to break up the journey for the family, do a few touristy things in locations we'd probably not get to see again for many years. It was awesome family time.
We also set about to socialize as early as possible and just be very friendly and positive with everyone we met. We pretty much made a whole bunch of friends in the first couple of weeks in Wellington, some which we still see on a regular basis by making the effort to meet up or visit when time and cash allows now that we are in Tauranga. Off to Wellington at Easter for a few days to catch up with most of them :thumbsup:

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

I hope I am not hijacking the thread by asking those of you who have said "you would have kept your property in the UK" or "a 2 year trial run", is this because in hindsight, you would have returned back to the UK if you had done things differently?

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

For me the answer is likely yes although that is by no means certain. I would have done my time for my citizenship I think. It leaves one's options more easily open.

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

For me, yes. I love NZ (and now Australia) but I wish we had not burned our bridges and got carried away with "emigrating".

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

Yes, I agreed to 5 years to get Citizenship, mainly to give the kids options, but if I could have my time again I would of left after 2 years, unfortunately its now to difficult for timings with the kids and college and money issues

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

What are your main reasons for wanting to return to the UK if you could do things differently though? Is it financial, family or not what you thought it was?

We are doing our decision trip in November; I totally get everyone is different but I suppose i don't want to make a decision based on rose tinted glasses.

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

These things are very difficult to put into words . Sometimes it is simply about whether a place, any place, is a good fit for an individual or not. Sometimes that cannot be known until after living in whatever the new place is. That can apply to a move within the same country as to a move to another country.

Writing such thoughts & personal reasons can result in other posters seeking to somehow put down that person in some way simply because they had not settled 100% .

NZ is fine enough, it is simply not enough for me personally. I would have had to have lived here a bit to have ever known that or felt it. Will I return to the UK ? I do not know. We have been here 15 years now. Returning was only really relatively easily possible within the first two year window. After that all manner of issues come into play.

Did I do the homework? Yes. Did I have unrealistic expectations? No. Had I crunched all the numbers ? Yes. Do I regret an emigration ? No.

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

Thank you BEVS, that makes perfect sense.

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

Maintain a means to get yourself home if its not for you.
there are so many people who feel "stuck here" its not real

I've only had one big homesick pang during my 11 years here. It was for personal reasons and it passed once the issue was resolved,
but at the time the urge to go was overwhelming. There are however so many who have been here years who would go home tomorrow if they could.

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

It would be interesting to know where on the West Coast the OP is moving to and where they live now. Even people who move within a country can feel stuck and some who swapped city life for rural living suddenly realise it's not for them. Moving to the other side of the world can then even be more challenging.

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

Moving to Westport

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

I'm actually just over an hour away from Westport but the one in Ireland:-)

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

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Westport ? Take it you have been down the South Island West Coast and visited Westport?

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Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

Bring as much as you can get into your container. Don't think of buying new here if your current stuff is serviceable- buying new can be expensive - we could have got a lot more in our container had we known. don't bring anything that might have had soil on it . We didn't but customs assumed that a large Asian 'pot' was from the garden so came to the house to inspect it before we unpacked, spent less than 5 minutes checking it and left. The cost of the inspection - $250. That was 10 years ago so it would cost more now.

Re: Moving to NZ, what would have done differently, what are you so glad you did
 

Thank you