Royal New Zealand Navy Transfer
 

Good morning all,

I am currently serving in the RN and half way through an application to transfer to the RNZN. Having never been to NZ, I have been carrying out a lot of research on the Internet and have read through quite a lot of posts on here (a lot of which seem to be very negative 😂)

I am 27, single, I would be on approximately 80k and unfortunately don't have much in the way of savings to help. Is this a good enough wage to keep me going ? Bearing in mind i love a good beer, how is the social scene in the city?

Apology's if this has been covered in another thread, any advice would be appreciated 😊

Re: Royal New Zealand Navy Transfer
 

Hi and welcome and btw its evening here . As you have been reading around a bit more you will find the positive posts as well. I don't really think its a case of being negative more a frustration that things could be better but it is often hard and expensive to achieve.

as for you situation a single bloke on 80K should do ok but does depend on where you want to try out.

Re: Royal New Zealand Navy Transfer
 

Hello. There was a display of working boats at Viaduct Harbour on Auckland's waterfront (best place for a harbour !) a couple of weeks ago. There was an open invitation to the public to board the vessels for a look around if they wanted to.

One of the boats was the NZ navy boat 'Wellington'. I spoke to a sailor on board ship. I could tell he was Scottish from his accent. That of itself is neither here nor there.

He remarked that he had transferred to the RNZN from the RN and it had taken about a year to get things in order for the transfer. He agreed to drop a rank and put up with the drop in pay to get into the RNZN but he will go back to his 'old rank' and pay scale if certain conditions are met with regard to his work in a year's time. His girlfriend lives in Auckland, from that I assumed he lives with her unless he's away with his work.

The naval base is Auckland is in a place called Devonport. Properties apparently are very very expensive there. An NZ comedian who lives there once remarked, for a joke, 'in Devonport everybody wins' i.e. just poking fun at how smug and insular some of the financially better off suburbs of Auckland are.

However, I'm told the housing on the naval base are as dreary as any other government housing that's provided for service personnel and their families.

So, a single man on NZD80,000 may get by initially but you may need more income to support future plans if they go beyond rent, a reliable car and a few choruses of, 'what shall we do with the drunken sailor'. Income tax is less, there's no National Insurance to pay and petrol is much cheaper here than in Britain. You might find just about everything else costs more than in Britain. I thought cheap petrol would read across to make other consumer things cheaper. Nope.

Good luck

Link to NZ navy website:

http://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rct...77648437,d.dGY

Link to discussion thread regarding Devonport Naval Base:

https://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rc...77648437,d.dGY

Link to NZ Naval Careers:

http://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rct...U_TlwlezsP6mZw

Re: Royal New Zealand Navy Transfer
 

Social Scene in Auckland ? Um, dunno really. The bars down Vulcan Lane, off Queen Street look ok.

Auckland town centre i.e. Britomart transport hub & Queen Street are ok if you work there or are visiting as a tourist. Mostly shops and little coffee kiosks, sandwich bars, pizza places and noodle canteens. They do not keep late hours either. There's no after the pub takeaway or curry culture in NZ, it seems to me. Maybe someone who knows what they are talking about could advise you better.

My husband spent his time as a young man socialising in Auckland, around the time you were born as it goes ! His old haunts are long gone. Except for the Middle Eastern Café on Wellesley Street, off Queen Street. Yeah, it's a café selling Morroccan food. Very nice but to me it's just a café. There's a 'good enough' steak restaurant next door to it and an Mexican place next door to that in turn.

Velvet Burger in Fort Street, Auckland does nice burger and chips. It's slightly better than Burger King or Burger Fuel, better atmosphere too.

We visit Auckland a few times a year. Either for a family visit as my husband's mother and sister live in the suburbs of Auckland. Or to go to a concert at a central Auckland Venue.

The Tyler Street Garage is a bar in, um, Tyler Street, central Auckland. Yes, you've guessed it, it used to be a garage. There's other bars around that area. That seems to be the sort of social centre of central Auckland.

The waterfront has been tidied up but seems to be mostly blocks of flats and offices. There's the historic customs building which is now a café. There's the terminal where the cruise ships dock. There's the ferry terminal at Queens' Wharf. There's the mechanical handling equipment of the working port. Wynyard Quarter has had a shed load of money spent on it and it's largely restaurants and old fashioned tram taking passengers back and forth just for the novelty. There's something called, 'the cloud' which is a rectangular semi permanent marquee venue space.

Re: Royal New Zealand Navy Transfer
 

Hi. I think youre right. A lot of this forum is quite negative. Dont let it put you off what could be a good opportunity. I think there are quite a few Brits in the NZ armed forces. I think 80k is a good salary for a single person in Auckland and its just a quick trip across the harbour bridge to the central city. I think you should enjoy it. Are you required to live at the base? If not, I recommend flatting with others. Good way to settle in quickly and accumulate friends and save costs. Just about anywhere on the North Shore would be good. Good luck.

Re: Royal New Zealand Navy Transfer
 

Thank you for your replies.

Yes hoping to stay on the Naval Base initially if my application is successful. Did read about property prices being outrageous, I assume this is referring to big family homes as ive seen some very reasonably priced apartments in the city !

As for the negativity - moaning is one of the only things british people are good at, so I'm used to it 😂😂

Anyway, won't get too ahead of myself - they might not want me anyway!

Re: Royal New Zealand Navy Transfer
 

It's not "moaning" ;). Just people sharing experiences, negative and positive. If you only read the good then you aren't doing your research properly.

Most people here share the good, and the bad, and that helps us all be better prepared for a big move abroad. That's not to say you are going to necessarily have a negative experience, but it's always best to know as much as possible I think.

Anyway the best of luck with your application, sounds like a great adventure.

Re: Royal New Zealand Navy Transfer
 

Good luck with the process! My husband has gone from the RAF to the RNZAF and started with them last month, with me joining in December. He did have to take a slight drop in salary, although when initially applying was willing a drop in rank but fortunately didn't have to do that. I can't speak for the city area as we will be based outside Palmerston North, and living in defence housing. A long process but definitely worth it!!!

Re: Royal New Zealand Navy Transfer
 

Thank you! It's early days for me, submitted my CV/OJARS about 6 weeks ago now, they've just been emailing me every 2 weeks with an update. I have my fingers crossed!! I wouldn't mind a reduction in rank, it's just the reduction in pay that would annoy me !

Re: Royal New Zealand Navy Transfer
 

Fingers crossed for you too! Have an adventure while the opportunity is there! We were 2 years to the point my husband went over, but that's only our experience. We got our visas in February but he put in a lot of notice to the Air Force... Could have gone earlier

Re: Royal New Zealand Navy Transfer
 

2 years!!! Wow! I was hoping to have an answer before xmas!

Re: Royal New Zealand Navy Transfer
 

We were a year for the job offer but needed that before we could apply for residency. Process for navy could be quicker, I can only speak for us. We knew of 2 other families applying the same time as us so could have been they had a lot of applicants the route we went down

Re: Royal New Zealand Navy Transfer
 

Have some BE karma for your very helpful posts nikkijane88.

Pleased to read that after the long and what can be quite stressful process you are settling in well.

Re: Royal New Zealand Navy Transfer
 

Hi Mate, I left the mob as a WE killik and I had an application in to move over, still might, the thing that's putting me off is my family would be coming with and I'm not sure I want to leave them in a different country not knowing anyone when I deploy! Seems to me you're in an ideal position though, get yourself on the base loads of money for exploring/shant!

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Re: Royal New Zealand Navy Transfer
 

The naval base is in the posh part of town but there is also some naval housing in the Belmont area. I would think if you could earn $80k and stay on base you'll be doing pretty well frankly.

Out of all the forces, the navy 'appear' to do more than the others and also 'appear' to have the most fun. What is it that is making you want a move from the RN?