NZ or Australia-Advice Needed!
 

Hi I am looking to emigrate to either New Zealand or Australia with my mum who is a registered nurse (50), and my brother who is 17 and will be looking to go to university out there. I am 21 and will be able (hopefully) to get on a family visa as I'll be applying to do my teaching certificate in either country.
I am looking for advice, on behalf of my mum, on which country you feel we would be better off in, as I know the wages are better in Australia but the extreme heat and lots of insects are abit of a put off..where as NZ has lower pay/taxes etc but has so many things to do. So any advice on either country for nursing/teaching would be really helpful as we need to make a choice asap!

Cheers x

Re: NZ or Australia-Advice Needed!
 

hi there, i have done both and can say with no hesitation, go to NZ first!

its much more comfortable living without such intense heat every day and everything is on yourdoorstep, sun, rivers, mountains etc.

its a beautiful place and i am glad i came here first.

i tried ozzie for a while but compared to new zealand, its dry, hot, rivers are muddy, beaches are over rated and over busy, not really better off compared to new zealand.

hope this helps a bit.:thumbup:

Re: NZ or Australia-Advice Needed!
 

Thank you :) thats really helpful!
Got a few qs I am afraid!!!

With Australia how did u find the pay and standard of living costs?were the insects,spiders,snakes really as bad as people make out to be?Lastly what was the social scene like, I am 21 and my brother is 17 so want to make sure where we go/which country we chose is somewhere that has plenty for us to do and easy to make friends and fit in!

Would you say that NZ is better suited to young families than older teenagers?As I have heard its quite quiet in that respect and more a holiday place?Though I have also heard the opposite as well!Is it true that the cost of living is alot harder than in the UK?Sorry about so many qs just trying to find as much out as possible!

Thank you!!

Re: NZ or Australia-Advice Needed!
 

We also tried both, although New Zealand for a bit longer and felt the complete opposite. I would never go back to NZ, but would settle in Australia.

I found the overall standard of living higher in Australia. New Zealand I lived paycheck to paycheck, and never got to see the countryside. I also thought that it was expensive. About the same as Sydney, but without all the aminities.

Yes Oz has the bugs, heat, overcrowded beaches etc but New Zealand had the rain. Very restrictive as so much of what the country has to offer is outdoors, and I can not do that when it is cold and wet.

As for taxes and wages we were paid better in Oz and had lower taxes. There also seemed a lot more opportunities, and we did not face the "Oh, but you do not have New Zealand experience" spiel.

So each to their own. If you like the UK weather then go to New Zealand. If you prefer the heat, more social lifestyle and don't mind the bugs then try Oz.

Re: NZ or Australia-Advice Needed!
 

[QUOTE=

So each to their own. If you like the UK weather then go to New Zealand. If you prefer the heat, more social lifestyle and don't mind the bugs then try Oz.[/QUOTE]


Totally agree, done both prefer NZ. While Oz is in some ways far more exciting than NZ I could not live in Oz full time on a long term basis because of the heat, the insects and the intense distances to get anywhere.

There is much to be said for either destination..depends upon what irks you.

After 4 years in NZ am very content. Anyone who wants to move to NZ thinking the weather will be like Spain is mad, it IS milder here than the Uk but we are noted for our mecurial weather swings. I came here for low population and proximity to what was sooooooooooo far away from where we lived in the UK. We have so much on our doorstep here. In Northampton we just has rubbish, juvenile thugs, drug takers and criminals on our door step. The latter is alive and well in NZ but not in my neck of the woods. I could not afford to live somewhere comparable in the UK..ie quiet neighbourhood, great house, mountain views, pool etc,etc.

I very much appreciate the good life the Manawatu has delivered.

Re: NZ or Australia-Advice Needed!
 

Now, don't misunderstand me, I have never been to Oz and only been in NZ 21 months or so, but I find the above misguided.:unsure:

Like anywhere, the weather is very dependent on where in NZ you choose to live. They say Wellington is windy, the SI colder than the NI, Northland warmer than say Palmy ... etc, etc. Where we live in the Bay of Plenty there is a micro climate all of it's own and believe me, the weather here is FAR superior from Cornwall where we spent the last 10 years in the UK. It is not cold and it is not wet.

Having said that ... there will be people who will say they find NZ quiet, and they are older than you and your brother, so again if you chose NZ be careful to chose a vibrant area!:thumbup:

Re: NZ or Australia-Advice Needed!
 

Righteo then. I'll take a punt at this.

I grew up in Bournemouth and I had a brilliant time all through my youth, 20's and 30's anbd even 40's. No doubt about that. It was brilliant. Holidays abroad - absolutely brilliant. Travel - amazing. Home area - gave me everything I could want and more

Now here is the thing for you to answer for us .

What do you consider a great way to live ?

1 - clubs , pubs, nightlife

2 - back packing - travel, roughing it

3 - outdoors - sports, surf and just getting out there to walk , tramp , fish , shoot.

You are both of an age where you choose and then go for it.

wouldn't even bother considering the weather thing. It will not be the same whether you choose Oz or NZ.

Not quite sure why you think NZ has more things to do than anywhere else coz that isn't really the case. It has stuff to do but there again so does everywhere else.

Get your Mother on. I am surprised you post for her rather than empower her to post for helpself.

Get her on here. ;)

Re: NZ or Australia-Advice Needed!
 

We lived just south of Auckland, and to say it was not cold or wet is an understatement. I can count on my two hands the number of days when it did not rain or look like it rained. As for the cold I froze in NZ. Some of the older houses do not have central heat and so you either dress up in loads of layers of cloths or buy tones of those electric oil heaters, which chew up the electricity. The newer houses do have heat, but it tends to be one of those heaters in the living room. In the bedrooms it was very cold.

For me the weather has a huge impact. I love the outdoors, but just could not enjoy it in NZ.

Re: NZ or Australia-Advice Needed!
 

I agree with Loolah on this one. There is definately a micro climate this side of the Kaimais. Papamoa especially always seems to be bathed in sunshine, winter and summer. We lived in the South East of England and apparently had the best weather there but it doesn`t compare to here.
If your moving here for the weather then do your homework and look at Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay or Bay of Islands. I believe that the sunniest place in NZ is actually in the South Island, Nelson springs to mind but could be wrong.
Ash

Re: NZ or Australia-Advice Needed!
 

as i said earleir. i have lived in both new zealand and australia, and been in every ozzy city apart from melbourne.

I have to say that there is no way i could compare new zealands weather with the UK!!! maybe 10 or 20 yrs ago the UK had decent enough weather to be on a par with NZ, but these days the UK weather is completely down the spout!!!

here in christchurch it has been beautiful for weeks now with many days into the high 20's and even a few days with the high 30's.

like people have said above, each place in new zealand has different weather, but overall there a clear seasons which are all pleasant every year.

As for night life. in christchurch the nightlife is pretty good. on a par with any similar sized city in the UK for sure. I am 29yrs old now and dont go out quite a s much, but I am a musician in my spare time and play at a few bars in town so I definatley can say its a good night out here!! depends what you are into. there a few good nightclubs and a few good irish bars etc which are similar to pubs in the UK.

there are always lots of people from the UK out and about too.

the wages in each country depends on what you do. I work in the manufacturing sector and I found that honestly, between living in Australia and New Zealand the cost of living is hardly different. some things are dearer, some things are cheaper. there is no great divide that some may suggest and to be honest if the eceonomic crisis does hit this part of the world bad in the next 6months i would rather be in new zealand!

as for the cost of living being harder than the UK. no way!! i left scotland in 2004 and have had no notion of going back at all, only maybe for a quick visit to see friends. other than that i have definatley been better off than in the UK.

to be honest, i still stick to my opinion. NZ first because its size is not overwhelming and if you end up in a city you dont like then its very close to somewhere else and its not stinking hot everywhere with flies in your face!!!

i was in brisbane for a wee while and holy smoke. its like living in the friggin amazon jungle. 3 inch long cockroaches everywhere and mossies all over the place in the evening!!!

oh and one more thing... being a scotsman i love good pubs and theres few good ones on ozzy. new zealand all the way my friend!!!

:thumbsup:

Re: NZ or Australia-Advice Needed!
 

I have to say that there is no way i could compare new zealands weather with the UK!!! maybe 10 or 20 yrs ago the UK had decent enough weather to be on a par with NZ, but these days the UK weather is completely down the spout!!!???
I don't think UK weather's any worse than it was 10 or 20 yrs ago! at least it wasn't before I moved to NZ just under a year ago.

Certainly Auckland weather is very much warmer than anywhere in the UK, I don't recall one frost day in the winter. The winter was however very wet, and though not cold (outside at least) it felt so in the house I was renting as it had all the insulation of a cricket pavillion. Damp is a problem in many of NZs poor housing stock.

Taxwise, I'm NZ taxes are higher than those in Australia, and certainly the UK.

the wages in each country depends on what you do. I work in the manufacturing sector and I found that honestly, between living in Australia and New Zealand the cost of living is hardly different. some things are dearer, some things are cheaper. there is no great divide that some may suggest and to be honest if the eceonomic crisis does hit this part of the world bad in the next 6months i would rather be in new zealand!
NZers are moving to Australia at a great rate than ever before, so they must see some attractions there. The facts pretty much prove the av standard of living is higher in Australia than NZ, it wasn't the case 20 yrs ago, but the gap's growing

All that said for the mo I'm happy in NZ, and prepared to give it a proper shot.

Re: NZ or Australia-Advice Needed!
 

The pay difference for nurses between Oz and NZ isn't minor- when you factor in the family tax breaks and salary packaging it's quite huge- we've been really, really surprised, so make sure you and your family do your homework on that one.

As for bugs- we lived in rural NZ and were invaded by blow flies half the year- my mum lives on the coast in NSW and never sees the number of bugs we did.

NZ weather is nothing like UK- here in HAwkes Bay we get a few grey days that compare but other than that it couldn't be more different- and there's huge variety all over.

The intense heat you describe in Australia is found only rarely in the likes of Melbourne, which enjoys a climate only a tad warmer than Hawkes Bay. Just avoid Perth, Brissy etc.

Your brother is 17 and you're 21--- I'm afraid that most people of your age you meet in NZ will be planning or wishing they could hop the ditch. Consider Melbourne :)

Re: NZ or Australia-Advice Needed!
 

hiya

I have never been to Aus but I can only tell you how beautiful NZ is . For a start the weather is nothing like th UK and i only left it a month ago i have had more sun here in 5 weeks than last 3 years in britain and thats no lie. Last year we had 2 lovely days around 21 degrees in britain and that was our summer. It was 33 here last week and hot hot hot. I know people will argue about this but in NP i find all the food shopping and things far cheaper than they were when we left britain , but this isnt the case everywhere, we spent xmas with friends in papamoa and could not believe the differance in prices , so you would need to watch for this when deciding where to live. Also since we have arrived we do so much as a family even if its just going for walks or going to the beach etc , and i think that has a great deal to do with the weather. Another thing is i have found every new zealender very nice , they seem to go out there way to help you, but maybe i have just been lucky. Our sky engineer (south african ) said the same thing to me the other day, he has been here 2 years , his brother in aus and hates it said everyone so rude etc and he wanting to move to New Plymouth but that could just be him.. in NP there are also lots of bars and clubs in town centre if thats what you looking for . As for bugs all we seem to get are flys and wee spiders oh and a couple of stick insects but hey i had them as pets when i was younger so dont bother me. You wont find a white tail or anything like that in np , so i have been told.though was one in the house we were in whilst in papamoa.. how funny garys friend grew up there and hadnt heard of them and the 1st day we arrived 1 walked into the living room . i never saw it though i was in the garden with a bottle of wine

i think you will all just have to do a lot of research and work out what works best for you's

sorry for ramble , i tend to get carried away as i just love this place sooooooooo much

caz