Ok daft question time
 

Whilst looking on the net at houses in New Zealand, i have noticed one problem........ they don't like there kitchens, they are very small and very basic or big and very basic. I'm a real foodie (I'm a chef) and love my large kitchen with nice units and with lots of work space. Can any one help me and let me know if this is across the board or just the houses we have looked at (100's) We are now thinking about buying units and tops over here and shipping them over with our stuff and then fitting a kitchen. You may think i'm mad but I've always been a kinda girls who thinks the kitchen is the heart of the home.
any advice any one....... :confused:

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we thought the same - i believe that there is an IKEA opening in Wellington so it may be an idea to get the units from there?

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Oh, for heaven sake, you are not coming to a barren land - NZ design is often as innovative as anywhere in the world! Forget about shipping kitchen units. One of the great things about NZ is that you can talk to suppliers and say, I want this, that and that... and they will do it for little extra cost - not like the Uk where anything outside the square costs a fortune.

Have a look at www.cuisine.co.nz - "The best food magazine in the world" Nigella Lawson, November 2004.

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[QUOTE=cottageinthesky]Oh, for heaven sake, you are not coming to a barren land - NZ design is often as innovative as anywhere in the world! Forget about shipping kitchen units. One of the great things about NZ is that you can talk to suppliers and say, I want this, that and that... and they will do it for little extra cost - not like the Uk where anything outside the square costs a fortune.

Have a look at www.cuisine.co.nz - "The best food magazine in the world" Nigella Lawson, November 2004.[/QUOT

YES I KNOW WE ARE NOT COMING TO A BARREN LAND, BUT FROM WHAT WE HAVE SEEN THERE ARE NOT MANY MODERN KITCHENS. AND IKEA OVER HERE SO CHEAP. SO THOUGHT THAT MAY BE OUR BEST PLAN.

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[QUOTE=pinkninny]

My Brother is a Chef in OZ and he also likes a big kitchen with all the gadgets and likes cooking with gas etc.

In NZ I think you may have to look at either a new House as they will have all the mod cons , some advertise saying "Gourmet Kitchens" OR either buy a house and put in a new kitchen yourself. To put in a brand new kitchen you would be looking at approx $12k + depending on what you want.

Do a google on kitchen design. There are loads of companies, I would suggest that if you decide to put in a new kitchen yourself to get a few quotes as they will all vary. Some places have units set up so you can see what they look like and will give you 3D image etc.

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[QUOTE=pinkninny]No need to shout.... there are loads of kitchen design companies and plenty of old and new houses with stylish modern kitchens.

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[QUOTE=pinkninny]IKEA furniture is overpriced and cheaply made, so for what you are paying to firstly buy it and then ship it then you would probably be paying way over the odds, when you will be able to get a kitchen here

take it from someone who lives with a man who makes furniture for a living when I say IKEA is overpriced for what it actually is

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[QUOTE=kwprwn]Not to mention how on earth can you buy kitchen units when you don't know what house you will be living in???
You don't know what style of house you will want to buy, you don't know what local rules and regulations there may or not be regarding plumbing, electrical issues or whatever, you don't know whether kitchens are the same size or anything. How would you get anything to match?
Believe it or not there are people in NZ who are passionate about cooking and entertaining, you just haven't met them yet.

Also, define modern. If this is a case of having the newest shiniest gadgets then NZ can do this, you just may need to pay more. If you mean the latest trends and designs, then NZ can do this - there are heaps of design companies out there that will be able to design whatever you want. If you mean following the current fashion in kitchens in the UK, then you may find that the current fashions in NZ are different, but hey so what, better to do something that fits with the character of the house to help resale value.

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i to am a chef, & have a young family & i'm consatnatly in the kitchen. I like to spread out & need loads of space in my kitchen. We rent a house & the kitchen here is not my dream kitchen but its very well planned & thought about & i have no problems with it.

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I wish it was the same here!!! We have gone from a lovely big kitchen in the rental to an original 30 year old teeny tiny kitchen in our own house!! I had to sort out what I used most and put that in the cupboards... and the rest of my equipment is in 3 boxes downstairs in the storeroom. Im getting used to it and have to say it was well built but jeez its tiny and cooking a meal takes some planning. Have next to no surface area.... makes you wonder why the kitchens were so tiny 30 years ago when the rest of the house is pretty big.

My friend has a brand new house and her kitchen is lovely... just as nice as new kitchens back home with every mod con and underfloor heating too.

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We are in the process of putting in a new kitchen to our house just now. We went to a cabinet maker ( there are LOADS of companies) and they are making a custom built kitchen, totally as we want it ( even though he took the mick out of my pink fridge!) for about the same price as an Ikea one - just something to think about.

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they don't really give realy dimensions on realeastate info here. We have a nice big kitchen and it is the heart of our home. You will surely find something. There are a wide variety of homes here depending on your budget I hasten to add. TYhere are many 70's efforts still in place that the kiwis think are fine (mostly hand built) and then there are some beautiful homes ( I could never afford, sadly) that have these wonderful kitchens! We put one in to our 5m x 5m kitchen and it's lovely but we did have to compromise cos they haven't the choice here liek the UK and they're not cheap. All up I reckon it's cost us 9k including appliances and I think I coudl have done it for aobut 2k sterling in the UK. It's lovely now though. :-) So importing might be a good idea cos there doesn't seem tyo be a BnQ or a Magnet or Homebase all that handy that does kitchen doors etc....

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Not a daft thought at all - my parents brought over flat packed kitchen units from one of the DIY stores when they emigrated - they managed to get two kitchens out the units they had.

My kitchen is a ghastly grey and pink 80s affair! Horrid!! Pink benchtops - I ask you! :scared:

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Some of the old villas have quality joiner made kitchens that it would be a real shame to rip out and replace with mdf units.
We put a new kitchen in our last house and bought the units, worktop etc from Bunnings and it cost under $4k including the sink taps and waste disposal unit .. it was a very budget kitchen, but looked the part.
The standard kiwi kitchen units are very basic, with flat laminate doors, they come in a vast choice of colours but that is about it.
If you fancy bringing some Ikea units over then you bring them and don't listen to what folk tell you on here. I love Ikea, wish they had one in Christchurch for all the kitchen nik naks and cheap duvet covers etc but I didn't like their kitchen units, I always thought they were a bit over priced for what they were.
The body of even the most basic units over here are actually amazingly good quality and very sturdy, maybe do an internet search and see if you can find the DIY stores such as Bunnings and Mitre10 just to get an idea of what NZ offers.
I don't know if Freedom furniture do kitchens, they are a bit like Ikea but have Habitat prices.
There are loads of cabinet makers over here too who will put you a kitchen in at a very good price so maybe worth investigating them too before you make a decision :)

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thanks for the advice every one some are very good and have taken the advice on board, others not so good and very anti bringing a kitchen over. yer we know that we don't know the size and other stuff u need to know but as from above it can be done and got two kitchens out of there units, more confused than ever.never thought my simple question would bring such extreme views.