louloumama

Hi All

I am currently researching Nelson as a possible place for us as a family to head for (kids aged 12, 9, 6).

Would really appreciate any inside info from those in the know about the area. Particularly schools - High School and Primary schools along with good areas to consider for living .

I have googled and come up with Nelson Boys College / High School which looks like it might not be a state run school ........?????

Any snippets of inside info would be very much welcome

thanks all

janek

Yes state run the boys College. The oldest state run college in theand the meeting country, we went for a tour of it a few months back and it seemed really impressive, maybe someone else on here will actually have a student there. Hampden street school [primary] also have a website and they are directly opposite the boys college, rated very highly. But I hear good things about Nayland College[coed] and Waimea college[coed] as well, they are not in Nelson really though, Stoke and Richmond.
If you want to live in the direct vicinity of Nelson Boys a lot of the housing is quite up market, so as with everything it will depend on your budget, there is cheaper housing close by but may be on the dark side of the street, you will pay more for a house if it is in a sunny position.
got to run now!

ratm1968

Hi, Nelson is lovely, best of luck if you choose this City. I must admit i struggled to find work, came back to UK and was offered first school business manager post i applied for, spoke volumes i think. I applied for seventeen 'lesser' jobs in Nelson, and was offered only 1 interview.

Our son attended the college. The uniform is expensive (and they wear shorts - embarrassing for Joe - but he adapted). The school is friendly, and lots of international and english students.

Even though Joe was the youngest in his year group, he was far ahead of them in terms of what he had covered in the curriculum. His head of year said this was a common experience for UK students.

Joe enjoyed the learning experience, said it was fun, more connected and vocational and way more casual.

I would recommend the college on Joe's experiences. He enjoyed his limited time there. And adapted very quickly, which is key i think. He was 15 at the time.

There's a voluntary contribution of approximately $300 per year i think, which is as private as it gets.

Good luck! I intend to return when the climate improves, and the points total reduces for ITA.

louloumama

Thanks for your replies janek and ratm1968. We are still researching Nelson and surrounding areas and so far it is .

We originally did a reccie of the North Island - loved it but have some reservations and keep hearing advice to head to South Island ????

I am a midwife and am hoping there will be posts around the Nelson area should we decide to jump there.
Good luck ratm1968 for your return . . .

x

Frenchy

Hi there,
We live in Blenheim which is just 1 and 1/2 hours away from Nelson and we go over regularly. I am a specialist Nurse working for Nelson Marlborough DHB I have a fair amount of contact with the Midwifes here so will keep my ear to the ground for jobs if you like. We also did a reccie on the North Island and really like Tauranga. IMO South Island no better or worse just quieter, it all depends what you are looking for. They do say that this area is a little harder to 'brake into' in the way of Kiwi v 'Pommy' barriers!!!

We have ben here almost 3 years now. Feel free to pm me if you want any info on the hospital etc