Steven1976

We have been reading this site for a while and have now got to the point where we want to take the plunge.

We have a really young family and are looking to move to the Northlands, Mangonui area. The idea is that we sell our house here and use the capital to buy a place outright in NZ. What we don't know is what is the community feel like over there? We want to part of a community and not feel isolated like we often do in blighty. We also want to grow as much of our own food as we can and live off the land a bit. We are both teachers so hopefully that'll come in handy for the extra cash, but what's it really like over there?

Any hints from anyone that's made the move would be great!!

Campbells

New Zealand is a great place to bring up kids. It also offers fantastic opportunities to own a sizable piece of land. We have a few friends close to us that have 6 acres and up, and the one family try to live off the land as much as possible. Both parents work and have a 30 minute commute to Albany ( North of Auckland).

A great site to look at is www.trademe.co.nz where you can get a good idea of the cost of housing / lifestyles blocks and sometimes private sellers listing there. It also offers an idea of the value of lots of other things too. It is a good idea to get a regions map of NZ so u can understand the geography of the listings . www.wises.co.nz is another good source for online maps.

Have you started your PR application yet ? I am not really up to speed with the ins & outs for teachers but you may have to take a job here for a while to get your PR.

You should also have a look at buying some land and putting your own house on the land, if you have the time there are some great kit-houses available here and you can save quite a bit that route. You can also see on Trademe that you can buy houses and have them transported to a site so if you have some cash there are lots of options to consider.

My advice would be to rent for a good while and not dive in as there are so many options to buying here, auctions etc. If you have cash, cash is king but obviously when understanding the market value.

NZ is great for the community spirit and if you are into living off the land you will feel right at home here as a big part of NZ is their agriculture.

Personally I would start with the immigration and understand the parameters if you haven’t already done so.

Cheers and good luck.

I don’t think you will be disappointed with NZ…

PS: Have a look at the Great NZ picture thread - you could request some pics for your target region.

Wiz'n'Ton

Hi there, and welcome to the forum! It sounds like you are going to have a great time of it in NZ with the plans you have - and as Campbells says, you couldn't try a better country for a bit of 'The Good Life'.

We wish you all the best with it all!

Are you primary or secondary teachers?

Wiz'n'Ton

Steven1976

Hi there, thanks for your replies and for the welcome

I am a primary teacher and my wife teaches up to the age of 14 (middle schools). My idea is that the wife works as a teacher whilst I look after the little one and look for ways of working from home (eventually!!) We are really just starting out in terms of our application but have decided that try as we might, we just can't get the lifestyle we want for our family in the UK. We want to work less,(don't we all?) see more of each other and give our kids a happier start in life and having visited NZ a few years ago, it's the place for us!

sky

The kiwi community spirit is alive and kicking .... you'll have absolutely no probs at all immersing yourselves into kiwi life. The New Zealanders sometimes can be quite nosy and forward lol but that's all part of it I suppose and us brits aren't really used to that invasion of our privacy in our own homes quite so much as the New Zealanders I think.
Prob the more rural you get the nicer the neighbours and the community feel
Just my opinion though, I'm no expert other than having lived here for over three years now.

soulflour

Hiya

We moved here to a rural town in Northland 18 months ago. We have two small children and my partner is a teacher (high school).

We lived fairly rurally in the UK for the last couple of years and before that were in Brighton. We can't BELIEVE the community here I honestly think we must know (at least to talk to) about 75% of the population of this town now!! I get people who I don't know coming up to me to talk about my partner and how great it is that he's doing xy or z and he gets the same...

... our town was settled 'on mass' by scottish immigrants, and they still have 'working bees' here - there was one on Saturday to clean up the area outside the carpark of my partner's school. Everyone turns up and pitches in and gets on with it - it's fantastic.

We're SO busy now it's madness - we're involved in so many things, and groups, and both playing way more sport - but at the same time have more time with our kids! My partner gigs every weekend which he loves (most of the time) and also brings us very welcome pocket money.

If you want acres here it's fairly affordable (this isn't the cheapest town!). We only have 1/4 acre which is more than enough for us at present (see all the activities above!).

The beaches here are so beautiful, and provide you with lots to eat (for free!). My 6 year old is a member of the surf-life saving club and is catching waves like he was born to it (before we got here he would cry when I washed his hair! (he was 4)).

Anyway, that's enough waffle! good luck with your plans - in our opinion it's the best thing ever! ha ha

SF

Steven1976

It sounds exactly what we are after. After listening to the police sirens last night and again first thing this morning, it won't be long before we get going!!

I'm not sure yet who is going to be the main bread winner, myself or my wife. I fancy a break from teaching and trying something new in a country where there is a "can do" attitude. It's all very exciting although we haven't told the parents yet. I can hear them now, "Don't take our grandchildren away from us!". Thank goodness for the internet and webcams.

pixi-dust

Hi we're up in Northland too.
We moved just over a year and a half ago. We're about an hour away from manganoui ( very good chip shop!) Life here is blooming brilliant! We dont have kids ourselves but our friends do and they seem so happy and rounded. There is just so much for them to do. loads of outdoorsy stuff. one of them has been diving since she was 12.
We live near a very very small village, with a few bigger ones about 20 minutes away. Like SF said its just so friendly - everyone went out of their way to speak to us when we arrived, there was genuine interest, not nosiness!

My husband works in one of the bigger towns and everyone talks to you - and seems to know who you are - some people wouldnt like this but I love the community feel of it all. It feels very safe up here.

Good luck with your plans

PD

karonious

Soulflour and Pixi-dust - what lovely posts.
We all know nowhere is Utopia or the Garden of Eden, but when you can count your blessings and appreciate the positive things that you have on your doorstep, it makes life worth living.
Karma to you girls