Pros and Cons of Working and Living in NZ
 

Hi all
I have the oppurtunity to move to NZ with a Job offer, i am a diesel mechanic.

I also will be moving with my partner and 2 year old son.

Just wanted some advice on moving and what its like living out there with a small family .

Any information will be greatly appricated.

Many Thanks

Re: Pros and Cons of Working and Living in NZ
 

I love it here, it suits me and Ive settled easily.

Climate is better and with that the outdoor lifestyle, beaches, BBQ, ect ect.

I like the way NZ makes me feel, even walking down the street I feel happy, safe and have a sense that ive actually done something (coming here) that has made my life better.

Heres a thread to some other positives. There are more than likely lots of others as well.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...1#post11059501


My OH is less convinced and pines for Scotland and her family - Distance and isolation are certainly a con for her.
She says clothes are not as stylish as well - I can live with all of this.

For me the pros outway the cons without any shadow of a doubt

I also have a nearly two year old son and strongly beleive that he is better off here.

There will be contrasting opinions, each just a valid as mine and based on experience.

What part of NZ are you looking at?

Re: Pros and Cons of Working and Living in NZ
 

its much a muchness for me I have to do the same stuff I did in UK but with a prettier backdrop, which I suppose I could of obtained in another part of the UK from where we were.
I don't find the weather a good point, its more extreme. The sun is stronger so you have to slap cream on. The rain seems to be heavier and the wind, don't get me started on the wind, I live 30K outside of Wellington and in a Bay so I guess the wind is going to be stronger.
2 years in and still undecided.
I found the primary education for my 10yr old lacking and she complained of being bored, luckily have moved her on to higher education and she is now doing much better. Younger son not having much formal UK education is doing ok but then he has always been more sporty. We have also moved him from one school to another and it is performing much better than the first.

They both are over the "lets go to the beach" and sport clubs seem to be seasonal here so we have some months where there is nothing they want to participate in, which is a shame as they had various clubs in the UK they attended all year round.

Hopefully for me with a move I may feel more settled and be able to make it feel more like a home rather than an agreement of sticking it out for 5yrs I had with my husband who was the one wanting to come.

Re: Pros and Cons of Working and Living in NZ
 

It's the greatest country in the world. Spectacular views, spectacular activities, everything about the place is brilliant. There's no country in the world as good as New Zealand

A fabulous health care system, great child care facilities, tourist activities, you can fly anywhere so cheaply, driving standards are better than anywhere you can imagine, houses are quality, honestly I cannot think of a better place in the world to be in than New Zealand

Where else could you live an affordable Mayfair lifestyle.

Work is fantastic as well. No such thing as waiting till the last minute, demanding you spend 5 hours telling what you've done every minute of every hour during the day, literally you can just walk into work and spend 8 hours googling or be on facebook and you'll get paid. It's just such a fantastic laid back non stressful atmosphere in the world. You will love it

There are no cons to this magnificent country. Just double check that you can obtain a visa and then once you are here, relax and enjoy a lifestyle that the whole world will be jealous of

To be in a better position, learn Mandarin.

Re: Pros and Cons of Working and Living in NZ
 

At the end of the day, much it is going to down to you and how well your family adjusts to life here.

We live in a rural part of the South Island. There are a lot of opportunities to enjoy the countryside, I am self employed, so my working hours can vary greatly. Our kids were born here, but they are very happy and at a young age very independant. For us it has been great, but not everyone wants the same things as we do......

I will say, the main reasons I became self employed is that I could not stand working for Kiwi employers. Not because they were "mean" to me, but just a different work ethic (poor customer service) that did not gel well with me.

Re: Pros and Cons of Working and Living in NZ
 

Yeah right!

Re: Pros and Cons of Working and Living in NZ
 

If you can make your own entertainment come.
If you need entertainment made for you don't come.

Me I love the country the people and the lifestyle. My only regret is I should have come here years ago. ;)

Re: Pros and Cons of Working and Living in NZ
 

Hi Kirby,

Pro's and con's are difficult to discuss in some ways because everyone is so different. We all like and want different things. We are all affected by different things as well and peoples' experiences of NZ are entirely subjective.

My personal pro's are:

- beautiful scenery with an abundance of outdoor activities on your doorstep.
- the weather to be able to do outdoor activities on a regular basis.
- friendly and welcoming people.
- less congestion on the roads making commutes much more bearable and road trips at weekends being pleasant rather than stressful.
- being able to buy a property that will eventually give me the opportunity to run a business from due having to more space.
- being able to own a home with lots of outside space so that we can grow our own food, have a dog, entertain friends with BBQ's etc. We don't have kids but that would be a big plus point added if we did.
- the opportunity to travel this part of the world - as well as NZ I am looking forward to seeing more of Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji etc.
- easily being able to upskill here. The same courses I was looking at in the UK are more than double than what I have paid here, which in turn, has increased my chances of securing better paid work in future.

My list of con's:

- the new 20% deposit rule for first time home buyers put a spanner in the works for us buying a house and many other young couples looking to get on the property ladder.
- My family and friends are a long way away!
- Chch is prone to natural disasters - earthquakes and flooding.
- traffic in Chch can be a irritating depending on where you live, where you are going and where road works are located. Having said that I tend not to moan too much as it's still an improvement on what I have experienced in the UK and I will be living outside of Chch soon so it wont affect me as much.

NZ isn't utopia or paradise. It has its problems like any where else in the world - crime, dodgy Government decisions, left wing politicians etc. But many people move here and adopt NZ as their new home enjoying many happy years or a life time living out here :)

Re: Pros and Cons of Working and Living in NZ
 

:thumbsup:

Re: Pros and Cons of Working and Living in NZ
 

Worst case I have witness was the break up of a family because immigrating can put a lot of stress on your family and quite a lot of people don't really enjoy living in NZ. In the end she left with the kid and he stayed in NZ alone. NZ for me was not the right place at all. Luckily mypartner saw it the same way. I really didn't like working for Kiwi employers, I didn't like the isolation, the country is very small and there is nothing else, too quiet, very expensive, and not much cultural diversity. Either you fit in or you don't. To me the outdoor and bbq lifestyle was great for a few years but having the same old same for decades.... no. Main reason for my return was my family btw.

Re: Pros and Cons of Working and Living in NZ
 

Assanah you seem to be posting more times on here now you have left then when you were here :huh: missing NZ maybe ;)

Re: Pros and Cons of Working and Living in NZ
 

Do you try to undermine what I am saying? No, I don't miss NZ. I am however interested in what happens to expats in general. That is why I am also writing in a German expat forum, in a forum for expats in Germany etc. pp. I also feel that I can contribute to this particular forum as I am a prime example of someone who has left. And I can practice my English ;)

Re: Pros and Cons of Working and Living in NZ
 

It was what is known as British humor.......a joke ;)

Re: Pros and Cons of Working and Living in NZ
 

Right.

Re: Pros and Cons of Working and Living in NZ
 

I generally agree with the above.

There are 4 additions I would made:

1) Do not move to Auckland unless you have very deep pockets or are happy to lose some of your savings
2) In Auckland - traffic is worse (especially at rush hour) than many places in the UK
3) House prices here make many places in the UK seem very cheap
4) Accepting the above - its a great place to visit and you can live a very happy life here