Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

I've read some interesting posts on this forum; in particular the 'negative side of making the move' to NZ (which has all been very helpful by the way). I know I can't speak on behalf of every would be Brit ready to take the plunge, but I thought it might help others (myself included) to understand a little more about the reasons people make the move and also whether it met expectations?

For me, I'm looking for change, life experience, milder climate and a slower pace of life... ( I understand I don't need to travel half way around the world to obtain these objectives but these are my top reasons for considering the move).

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

I came because unknown to me at the time my wife was running away from problems. she is now an ex wife and living back in the UK. I chose to stay. NZ is beautiful and my home. The people who complain about life here would complain about life anywhere and my response is always the same, if you don't like it here, go home.
I don't notice the high cost of living, I earn an average wage and manage to save and travel and have all the toys I need, why others on higher salaries than me can't manage is beyond me. People grumble about poor housing, the answer is simple, don't buy a shitty house without insulation. If you do, don't start moaning to the rest of us about being cold, the choice was yours. My advice is don't let the miserable sods put you off coming . NZ is a great place to live and work.

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

Actually, I thought I was giving you good all round quality info about the Nelson/Tasman area. I don't see what is negative at all about that.

Others people's reasons and their own expectations will not be your own. You can gain nothing from that at all.
What you need to decide is what you want from your mid life change of location & where might be the best fit. Then we can help you by giving of our own experiences , opinions and points of view.
For example, you have now learnt that temperatures around NZ are not what you thought and will likely be too hot for you come summer. JustCol should be able to help you with further South and the Dunedin area. He moved from up north to down south.

Not that it in any way helps you or anyone else at all but we emigrated because we could. To try something new and different. My husband is severely dyslexic so being able to communicate and communicate well came into consideration. We both wanted to work and for husband to work in his trade, which he still does, it would be paramount that he could speak and write reasonably comfortably. We had already been to New Zealand - twice. It looked and is as we expected. How could it not be. However, as I have already written, over a long period of time something which may have seemed a good enough fit may no longer be what one wants overall. No different to your pull to move elsewhere.

So. Your go now.
Will you be seeking employment? You may need to go where the work is.
JustCol and I would agree that one needs a bit of care over housing stock and also affordable cost of living to be comfy . Getting that right helps someone settle. What is your budget?
Have you hopes to still travel overseas for holidays? Are you happy enough camping? Do you like hiking ? Do you enjoy small community activities. Are you into conservation?

That sort of stuff really.

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

Thank you - appreciate your response. 🙂

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

Hiya, I think ours wires are crossed. I didnt mean your reply re Nelson. I was merely highlighting how helpful the contributions were (even ones that don't affect me) apologies if my message seemed that way.

I currently work for the Welsh Government at senior (ish) level so good pay and excellent benefits, i.e 6 weeks leave, Flexi etc. I am also studying part time to become a professional counsellor because whatever path I choose, I don't want to remain as a civil servant for the next 20 years. I also envisaged working less days when the mortgage is paid (house worth approx £250k). My intentions would be rent for a while or until at least we decide the move was right for us. So in essence the rent we gain from our property will contribute to the rent we will pay in NZ.

Not bothered about travelling overseas, if the weather was better here I would happily spend time walking etc in the lakes or Scotland. Love Cornwall too so our holidays would probably consist of exploring NZ or just taking outdoor activity breaks. I grew up in the South Wales valleys where everyone knew everyone. A proper community, however, although we have only moved 15 miles out onto a lovely estate. The friendly community isn't here. We have the odd neighbour who will say hello but everyone keeps themselves private. There isn't a high street as such or options to eat out in nice restaurants unless we drive and I would ideally like to be somewhere where we could walk to such amenities.

We enjoy walking, cycling and he lives for fly fishing... We also enjoy taking the dogs on walks, Brecon Canals etc. I am a proper people's person and love getting involved in activities or helping out those who are in need so would like to meet people most definitely.

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We have a comfortable lifestyle with no financial worries (not loaded by any means) but have savings etc.

With regards to the weather 😊 Christchurch downwards seem more suited in terms of climate. Although, if my husband couldn't secure a job in the areas mentioned then I guess the move wouldn't happen.

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Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

You will never find a job down here with anything like the benefits of being a British servant. That level of self preservation and inequality doesn't exist here until you reach government level.

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

Oo. I dunno Col. We know quite a few in the councils up here and they have rather good benefits, rates of pay and the like. Mind you we have heard that civil servant job contracts are changing. Departments are being downsized and streamlined. A job for life may not be so with folks having to re-interview every year - as per DoC staff and some teaching staff. Dept heads are being asked to make cuts. Some staff are being asked to job share and/or go part-time.

What is good though is that many of the district councils are NZ immigration accredited employers. That would mean that they would be fine to offer Rainbow74 employment and something she may wish to explore by cold calling and contact direct. A job offer is a golden egg in NZ immigration terms.

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

That's good to know! I hope to get into counselling though, but if the offer is there, I'd be silly not to accept! I have experience in policy development and I note there are a quite a few vacancies around that area. I guess it's something you learn along the way as it isn't exactly the most riveting role, but has its benefits when moving around within public sector (it's all about policy development wherever you live at the end of the day).

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

We came here on holiday, liked what we saw then decided to give it a go. Fancied an adventure so thought why not? We were young (still are hopefully!) with not much to lose. Happy here, not remotely interested in what the UK has to offer.

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

I knew nothing about NZ but wanted to move out of Londonas I was ready to start thinking about settling down, and buying a house etc and it seemed impossible in London. My Kiwi partner didn’t want to move to a smaller UK city as he had lived in London for so long. I suggested we try Auckland, his hometown for a year to see how it went. I’d lived in other European countries for short periods so was happy to try . I wasn’t prepared for just how far away it is. ( 18 years later still here)

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

I had wanted to emigrate for years well about 4 years.
Since I got out the army I got bored of the UK and fancied a adventure if I'm honest.
My wife was proper against moving for years. Then one day I said I'm going.
Started looking at places and choose NZ.
I enjoy NZ but im happy with my own company and not a social person, so it suits me.
I haven't really been round my family since I was 17 and joined the Army. So it was just normal been away for me. If I had children then it would have defo been alot more to consider. But I just got offered a job sorted visas then a few weeks later jumped on a plane with a bag of clothes each for me and my wife.
Done some number crunching and it worked out we were better off living in NZ compared to Essex.
It's very very hard to compare stuff because everything you can think of is different. there is a different way todo everything. people moan about every little thing. It's just NZ has a totally different way of doing everything. you got to embrace the differnce and roll with it or it would drive you nuts. That's why most people will probs end up back in the UK they fight it instead of rolling with it.

Me my wife both enjoy it out here. At the moment there is no plans to go back.

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

That's the thing though and starting from scratch when you're in your twenties is very different and you were basically just starting life:-). Different locations can work at different times and every life is different too.
Even people who move within Europe or same country can struggle and then moving to a country with visa requirements in your 40s is a complete different story, especially if you wanted security in life. When you're older it might be the healthcare and then others who moved for better weather suddenly realise they can't get the curtains they want and everything is double the price, or moan about other things.

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

Because I love it :)

Originally moved in 2009 with my then husband and two young girls, he was from Christchurch and after a few holidays there we both decided we'd had enough of Sydney (I'm an aussie and still hate Sydney!!).

We ended up back in oz for reasons I won't go into at the momentbut have wanted to go back for years. I've been back three times to visit since we came back.

Myselfand my younger dsughter (miss 17) movedback earlier this year. She announcedto me sbe wanted to go back, finish school there and go to uni there. You couldn't get me there fast enough

I'm 51 in June, I'm happy here, still love it and no regrets. Stayimg put now!

Michelle :)

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

Interesting thread.

I will answer in a different way, why we passed on New Zealand and went to Australia, even though I had previous NZ experience and ties. This is in no means to run down NZ, but just to give added material for OP to think about, and several things I write about will apply to NZ as well.

The context was that my wife (Italian) and I (North American) had been living in the Middle East for several years and it was time to move on; neither one of us wanted to go back to our home regions, and we were tired of expat life and didn't want another temporary position in Africa etc. We initially focused on NZ because of my past ties there. I worked with tons of Australians and NZers overseas, who provided a lot of advice and input along the way.

What led us to Australia instead was:

1. Finances. There is a huge economic gap between Australia and New Zealand that was too big to ignore. Finances and economics need to be the #1 factor in your decision-making. Intending migrants continually discount the combination of low wages/high costs that NZ presents or think that they are obstacles that can be easily overcome if they just have the right "attitude." Unfortunately, cash is king, and cash - your ability to earn it, keep it, and save it - is what is going to make or break this move, not "attitude" or "spirit of adventure." You need to treat this as a business decision, not as an emotional or social one. That may mean coming to NZ; going to a different country; or staying in the UK depending on your circumstances and projections. Like with a business deal - don't be afraid to back out and walk if things change negatively for you.

You also need to set an exit point for when you consider NZ (or any country) is not working for you, and you need to do that before you move, to prevent emotion from clouding things once you are on the ground. For instance: "If in one year I do not have a secure job and am not earning xyz in income, I will pull the plug and go back." That may be proportional to how much of a rainy-day fund you bring over. Some companies will allow you to take extended unpaid leave so you don't have to quit right away when you leave the UK - that is worth investigating. We arrived with a year's worth of income set aside; many people will say that is excessive, but we knew it would allow us a lot more runway, and help us get through early bumps without too much worry.

2. Risk management. New Zealand is a small, remote country and in many ways is a place where everyone knows everyone, or everyone is only 2 or 3 phone calls or reference checks away. That's fine; what concerned us was that if we had any early mis-steps or got the wrong person off-side, NZ is so small that might follow us around the country, even though we don't have any history of putting people off-side. In small towns it can be very difficult to know who is related to who, who went to school with who, who knows who in what job, and so on - so very easy to inadvertently put your foot in your mouth, or take a course of action at work that inadvertently has unintended ramifications. Australia is a lot bigger and you can start fresh there if need be. "Tall-poppy syndrome" is very real - and not just in NZ - but there is a very effective inoculation for it. The locals will respect you a lot more, and a lot quicker, if when you arrive you stay quiet, keep your head down, and allow yourself time to grow into the town rather than trying to make a quick or immediate splash.

3. Hearing other people's migration stories . . . I have been on the expat circuit a long time, and there has always just seemed to be many more negative migration stories, and a higher failure rate, for people moving to New Zealand than for other countries like Canada, Australia, Ireland, the US etc. It would be really naive to just ignore that, or think there's nothing to it except for "negative attitude." Not saying that to put you off, but it highlights the need for essential and massive preparation and a "business decision" mindset. That goes for everywhere, not just NZ. International migration is one of the most challenging things a person will ever take on - not to be taken whimsically - and for whatever reason there just seems to be an extra degree of difficulty with integrating into New Zealand. That also led us to think Australia would be a safer choice.

Once we decided on Australia and got our visas, we did three recces before moving. The first was to activate our visas. The second was to look at our short-listed relocation sites and to choose one. The third was to visit potential employers in the chosen site to investigate hiring conditions and allow them to put a face with a forthcoming CV. Again, many will say three recces is excessive, and I often read a lot of whinging in the forum about how expensive and time-consuming recces are, and people get caught up in the emotion of the move and just want to go as quickly as possible. But . . . an extra recce is a lot less expensive than taking 5 or 6 months to find a stable job instead of 2, or if you choose the wrong area to move to and have to relocate again fairly quickly, etc.

All in all . . . things have worked out very well for us . . . I hope the road you head down is a productive one wherever it takes you.

Good luck.

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

Thank you so much for taking the time to provide me with such an in-depth response; and equally important, your honest advice. The difference in our salaries is of some concern ( both have good sources of income in the UK).

I guess we still have a long way to go, including our upcoming visit before we progress any further with our intentions.

I really appreciate the content in your post 🙂

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

I have to say that is one of the best summations of the mechanics and considerations involved in moving to another country I have ever read or heard.

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

1. Escape a badly overcrowded country
2. Farm in a country where the political system values farmers
3. Hugely improve our quality of life (we are happy to be isolated, self-sufficient and to live frugally)
4. Develop new friends, skills and adventures

I spent 23 days touring NZ in June 2017 getting as far north as Coromandel and as far south as Invercargill. I avoided Auckland as big cities are the antithesis of what we seek. I stayed with farmers including 2 British expats, a Welsh dairy farmer in Canterbury and a Yorkshire ex-dairy farmer in the Bay of Plenty who now grows kiwi fruit. Their experience and advice has been crucial.

We will be looking to settle in South Island, somewhere with "no near neighbours" where the landscape raises our spirits and we have challenges to get our teeth into.

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

I get your points with the overcrowded country, although you are in a very crowded area in general;). I don't really know if the political system in NZ values farmers more, because when I speak to people here in the Republic of Ireland who have also worked in NZ, they say that farmers in NZ have the same challenges. No matter where you are, you have to adapt to change and farming is no different to any other industry, be it car manufacturers or software development. One guy in Cork decided to purchase buffaloes from Italy and now produces the most amazing mozzarella, others have gone into snail farming and found other markets. I'm surrounded by farmers here but all seem to do the same thing and talk about Brexit (including my uncle). Only very few have used the time to look at other markets, but those who have changed are very successful. I'm only a hobby farmer myself LOL but try different things and grow all kinds of fruit in the garden (cherries, kiwi fruit, plums etc.). Just saying that all people seem to have challenges, so it's really down to each individual rather than the country.

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

I moved here because I married one of them and she wanted to return 'home'.

To be fair to her she had been very clear from the day we started dating that this would happen one day and I was content to accept that. I liked living in London but thought although it suited me as a young man I probably wouldn't still want to be there when I was older, New Zealand seemed a plausible next-step for my later years.

So I didn't come here with any expectations for a 'better life'.

It has been fine for us because we had some money when we got here so have bought a house and life is 'easy' (despite a longer working week and a longer commute).

It is an idyllic place for little kids to grow up but a terrible place to start a career. If I had grown up here I would have spent my teenage years dreaming of escaping then in my twenties I would have moved abroad - if you have talent then you can go anywhere, if not then Australia is still an option for people that are born here.

Re: Why did you move to New Zealand?
 

We came for an adventure and we are still here 16 years later.

One day I literally asked hubby if he fancied emigrating as there were nursing jobs advertised in Australia and New Zealand and he said New Zealand as there were too many snakes and spiders in Australia.

7 months later we had sold up in the UK, had visas, a job and were here.

Gill