pinkyandbrain

Hi I have just joined your forum having read some of the threads . There appears to be a good mix of people; those who have lived in NZ for a while and those who have been there for a couple of weeks. We plan to emigrate in a couple of years hoping to both get jobs over there I teach and my husband runs his own business. we have two children 11 and 8. Our reasons are many and although we are very much aware of some of the downsides I wondered if any one could share their experiences/cost of actual living in NZ.

nero

I think the key thing is do your research and do your sums. Life can be very tough if you get the sums wrong. Dreams can become nightmares if you make assumptions which are not founded.

It is easy to fall in love with an idea and not explore why you are moving half way round the world. Are you leaving one country to only find the same problems in your new home?

Don't get me wrong - we love it here and would not change anything. When we originally visted in 1995 we loved it, but we knew that we would have been very poor and slaves to our work if we had moved out then. Instead we took the time to get better educated and get some money together. Finally our dream was realised in 2007 and we have no regrets. We came knowing the pros and cons of moving out here and we have settled in well. I am certainly not saying this is the perfect route or the one that everyone should take. It worked for us. Please just ensure that you know why you are coming and that you are not just running away, that you do your research and your sums. Good luck with your dream

maisiep

We've been over here about six months and we really like it. But life is a lot more expensive relative to earnings here. I found this a shock as previously we had come over on holiday from the UK and so spent our whole time doing the conversion thing and it seemed very cheap. Then when you are earning dollars (and wages are lower than the UK), it comes as a bit of a wake up call. I have become far more cost aware since we moved here and I regret not sticking some of our Ikea furniture in the shipping because you simply can't find cheap replacements here!

Having said that, there's so many plus points to life that aren't money related over here. We work less hours, are less stressed and spend less of our time slumped on the sofa watching TV.

But don't underestimate the money thing, it does come as a bit of a shock.

pinkyandbrain

Hi thanks for replying .it is always great to learn from others' experiences and to seek their advice. I totally agree with your advice nero as we have calculated that we need to make sure we move when we are financially strong. we realise that New Zealand isn't the place where we are going to make money per say but although we will earn much less we will gain more in terms of space and freedom. Where we live now is overcrowded and very expensive.
Your point about living costs maisiep are interesting because i have heard this mentioned before. I just wondered if i could ask you both a couple more questions. Are the houses really that bad ie construction and lack of heating and is the education system better than the Uk. (I know they are both very generalised questions)

maisiep

Hi,

Well I can't help with the education system thing as we don't have children.

The house construction thing...well, it's certainly very different to the UK and there seem to be a lot more things you need to be aware of in terms of construction, etc. Some of the "leaky homes" stuff out here has been shocking. Having said that, it's not as if all the houses are falling down! If you're buying somewhere you just need to make sure you do your homework properly, sites like www.consumerbuild.org.nz will tell you what to look out for.

The heating thing is quite an issue out here. I think I can safely say that living in the UK I very rarely had a conversation about how people heat their houses, here it's a constant topic of conversation! If you're used to central heating then you will find it a bit of shock coming here as it's just not the norm. Most people we know have either a wood burner and/or a heatpump. The woodburner is all nice and cosy when you're sitting at home on a winter evening having a glass of wine, but when you get up at 7am and have to get your newspapers and kindling and wood together and faff around with matches - well there's nothing cosy or romantic about that!! IT's just a different way of doing things, and there are plenty of ways to heat your house, you just have to think about it a bit more and, crucially, do the equation between how important it is to you to have a warm house vs. how much you want to spend on heating costs.

nero

We are in the same boat and cannot comment on the education system, but if you search the forum there are quite a few threads on this subject.

Re the housing and heating maisiep is spot on. When we originally moved here we were living in a Quest flat, the metal windows were not airtight in any way and when the wind blowed it seemed to come through the flat. We only had a fan heater and it was cold. Mind you it was winter and we were renting.

In the UK we loved our central heating and our house often resembled the Bahamas! Here we have no central heating, but we have a house with a heat pump, wood fire and we have recently insulated both under the floor and ceiling. This has made a huge difference. We have an oil heater in the bedrooms and electric blankets in the winter are heavenly. Heating your home here is different and you do adjust to heating the rooms you require rather than heating everything.

Some of the housing stock is very poor and does resemble sheds. You have to be picky when you buy, there are some very good homes out there. We have an ex state house and it is excellent - solid and warm. Because of the lack of heating in many houses, condensation and mould can be a big problem. This is minimised with dehumidifiers, but we have a good HRV (heat recovery ventilation) systems which exchanges air inside your house for air outside. It supposedly circulates the warm air. We love it because it works, we never have condensation or any mould in the house.

NZ is starting to think about how to insulate, heat and save energy and the ability to buy a home with these elements are now available. We will in time convert our windows to double / triple glazing in the future and put solar heating in, but we have to save up for this.

When you start looking for rentals or houses to rent or buy, do not lose heart there are many houses out there that are awful. We looked at heaps before we found one that was warm, mould free, solid and in the area we wanted. Just be patient there are some great homes out there. Good luck

Cheesehead

Our oldest son (6 yr) has been at school for about a month now and despite a wobble on the first day has settled in very well and in fact likes it much more than in the UK - more playing, being outdoors, small classes. The teachers and principal are super enthusiastic. But as you know, a school is only as good as its principal so you need to check the web for school results - type ERO reports into google - great website for checking out what's what, bit like the OFSTED reports. Personally I think we made the right move on that front. Who knows on the rest - time will tell.....

Riverside

DON'T We have been here since april, found the job offer wasn't there when we arrived so had to spend the next 4/5weeks trying to find another job. So managed to find on in New plymouth, but the wages are less than half what I was earing in the uk!
Food costs stay about the same as the uk, and in order to feed the family, the percentage of money left over at the end of the week is drastically lowered....in fact I have now week left at the end of the money.!!

By the time I had paid out for motel charges, cattery fees, money to keep family occupied while I looked for a job, then removal costs from wellington to new plymouth, and now house rental cost ( not forgetting heating costs in this 4bed shed we are in) it has eaten up all the buffer I had built in, on just everyday living....let alone being able to get out and enjoy ourselves.

I have just found out that my qualifications have never been "mapped" before so no one can compare them with nz quals, and will effectively have to re-qualify in order to be able to continue as a gas engineer here!!!!

Quite apart from that I have just had an arguement with a t****r in a carpark where I was waiting to park for ages and he just drove into the space I was waiting for!

The bloke that owns the company I work for treats me like a child, knowing full well I need the job more than he needs me....I am stressed to the eyeballs and see no way out!!!

Be 200% sure before even thinking that the grass is greener!!

BEVS

Hey Riverside. I have wondered how you were getting on .

Really, really sorry to read about all the difficulties and strife. I do hope it gets better for you all . Know what you mean about some of the employers. Husband has come across a few NZ homegrown in his time that have spoken with him as though he was a half-wit. Mental when you think he ran his own small business and has been fully qualified to craftsman standard for 30 odd years or more. With people like that it says more about them and their insecurities than it does about you and your skill level.

Why are you being ask to re-qualify? I don't understand. You had the letter from the PGDB stating you could sit the gas reg exams and assessment. What more are you being asked for because that should be it to get you registered.

Are you on a WTR visa? I can't remember.

You know, you can come on here anytime and let off a bit of steam. Sometimes only other expats can understand how it can be when the going is tough.

pinkyandbrain

Thanks for replying, although i am sorry to hear that things have been really difficult. I hope you and your family come through this and although this won't make you feel better I wish you luck.