Are we doing the right thing?
 

We've been looking at moving to NZ one i've finished my uni course and after looking here and few other places i thought i should ask if NZ is for us?

So about us I'm 18 and my sister is 21 so we like to go out to pubs and clubs her more so than me. we are all like to go sking and i would like to learn to snowboard/surf and just genraly get fit again too much sitting about on internet. My dad and i like cars and i'm hoping to get a job in "hot rods" of some sort. my sis wants to open her own beauty salon shes fully trained and ran her own here. Mum and dad are looking to move into the rural little bit of land for the dog(s) and more importantly for me to play about on with quadbike:p(thats not a hugly important thing just a plus). My dad in into hillwalking and like to get away atleast one day a month. My mum has a love for swimming and used to teach part time before she started to work again once we'd "grown up" and would like to get back into it. So i think thats about it sorry if i'v gone on and on.

So is NZ for us and/or am i dreaming of a much better NZ that it is (i know its not some dream land where we will be looked after hand and foot but is it posible to live like i'v said with a little/alot of work.

Hope someone can help me:thumbsup:

Edit 1 We want to go to Christchurch or Auckland

Edit 2 We would be living on a small to no mortgage and i think we've worked out to have about $500,000 to spend on. My dads got lots of quals (dunno for sure whats ones C & G and a HND in business) and works for bt for 35+ years started at bottom and worked his way up. sorry thats not much help

Re: Are we doing the right thing?
 

Don't move to Auckland, you should be looking at the South Island, so Christchurch would be good, check out Hang11's Photos.


http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...404926&page=48

Re: Are we doing the right thing?
 

I'm not sure anyone can give a definitive answer on this one! :eek: Probably best to come over and see for yourselves and spend a bit of time in both north and south islands.

All the things you list as enjoying are available and there is more emphasis IMO on family time and quality of life.

Whether NZ is for you is something only you can answer :blink: How you can live depends on your own circumstances though, like how much money you have to bring over to start up with, if you would be mortgage free, or paying a large mortgage on a NZ wage? Whether you have the right quals for the NZ jobs. They want skilled migrants but you have to have the quals (or get what you do have assessed by NZQA) and relevant recent experience in the job for the quals you are claiming. Or you could just go over on a 12 month work visa, find a job, re-apply at the end of 12 months, etc, but you wouldn't be entitled to any medical cover or be able to buy/mortgage an NZ property.

Hope this helps and good luck in all you do :)

Re: Are we doing the right thing?
 

We would be living on a small to no mortgage and i think we've worked out to have about $500,000 to spend on. My dads got lots of quals (dunno for sure whats ones C & G and a HND in business) and works for bt for 35+ years started at bottom and worked his way up. sorry thats not much help

Re: Are we doing the right thing?
 

Sounds good then!!! No mortgage and dosh in the bank :thumbup: As far as I understand it (and I do get very confused so I might be wrong) if your dad gets an offer of employment his quals/experience would have to be relevant to that job and the job would have to be in an area of absolute skills shortage in order the get the points for an EOI submission. Look on the NZIS website for what jobs are on the list and what quals / experience they recognise.
But with money behind you, I think you could maybe just apply for the 12 month work visas (which become permits when you land in NZ), get work when you get here and then put in for PR. There are lots of ways of doing it.
I am not sure what the age for dependent children is or what proof you have to provide that you are totally dependent on your parents, but the NZIS website is very informative and will answer all these questions for you. If unsure you can email them direct with your questions.
There are plenty of people on here with infinitely more indepth knowledge on all this than me :o hopefully some will reply to you, maybe if you ask something more specific in a new thread? Good luck with it all

Re: Are we doing the right thing?
 

$550k will not go far in Auckland..go to Christchurch....FAAAAAAAAAAAr more house for your money!!!!! Give Auckland a WIDE birth. You will be able to do everything you wish there and more. Christchurch is also full of boyracers..as is pretty much every town in NZ!!!!!! So plenty of scope possibly for the rods, aye? As to wether you will like NZ..as someone else said..you have to visit it to find out. It is my heaven..but lots of people hate it..and I understand why. You have to be a certain type to like NZ I think.

Re: Are we doing the right thing?
 

Could be a problem in terms of the pubs and clubs. They exist, after a fashion, but they don't really happen. However, that'll depend on what you're used to.

The outdoorsy stuff though is very much there. Wall to wall outdoors. One thing about the skiing - of all the people I know who have skied in NZ and Europe (be they Kiwi or otherwise), they have all said the skiing in NZ is not a patch on that in Europe. My Kiwi boyfriend likened it to shopping in Gucci (Europe) and then being forced to shop in Poundstretcher (NZ). This is a man who thought the skiing in NZ was perfect... before he left the country. That is not my opinion, however, I don't ski. I've only been once in my life and then I mostly stood on the slope trying to look like I might know what I was doing if I dared to move anywhere.