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Working holiday with toddler :)

Working holiday with toddler :)

Old Aug 3rd 2013, 2:56 pm
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Default Working holiday with toddler :)

My DH and I are coming to Christchurch November-ish 2013 with our then 2year old son. We will be staying in NZ for 6-8 months as an exciting adventure before settling down and buying somewhere. We will not be shipping ANYTHING and hoping to find furnished accommodation, any advice on what equipment to bring for our son?

Obv there are some favourite toys and a couple teddies who simply can not be left behind! On the plane we will take our booster seat (high chair) and buggy, as well as bedding for him and I already intend to bring clothes (inc shoes) for our entire planned stay

Books, toys and a potty are all pretty essential, is it worth the money to fill an extra suitcase with these kinds of things?

Is there any kind of toy library or similar service where I can borrow big items like a trike or car garage? or buy them cheaply/2nd hand? I appreciate there are lots of play groups and outdoor experiences available but for a stay home mum and a dramatic toddler its a long time to go without!

We're doing a lot of guess work so any advice is gratefully received
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Old Aug 3rd 2013, 7:57 pm
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Default Re: Working holiday with toddler :)

Hi guys and welcome to the forum.

Sounds like a great adventure, there are lots of resources in NZ for keeping a young one entertained.

My only concern is your visa. Are you planning on coming on a WHV? If so, you are not allowed to bring children with you as a condition of the visa.

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...idayscheme.htm
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Old Aug 3rd 2013, 8:21 pm
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Default Re: Working holiday with toddler :)

Hi Catch,

Nope not a WHV as DH is 31 and we just missed that boat! *doh!* He is signing up for jobs atm and once secured will send for a work to residence visa with me and LO, our son is not yet 2 so will not need a student visa. I've been reading up about visa's as we are doing our own and now he has interviews for jobs the ball is rolling, once sorted I suspect it will all happen very quickly!

DH is Brittish army redundee and we are leaving service families accommodation with little to no short term ties in the UK so we have perfect opportunity for an adventure over seas
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Old Aug 3rd 2013, 9:01 pm
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Default Re: Working holiday with toddler :)

Hi, having just emigrated the feeling of having nothing around you that is not yours is not a nice one, even though we packed some toys my kids always wanted the ones that were in the container.
The feeling when you finally get your stuff really helps you to start to settle down.

Plus everything here is really expensive to replace, something to bear in mind

Good luck with the job offers
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Old Aug 3rd 2013, 9:52 pm
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Default Re: Working holiday with toddler :)

I presume you know that WTR visas are generally only issued if your husband's job is either on the Long Term Skilled Shortage List or is for an accredited employer.

Just another thing, if you're coming over as visitors you will all need to purchase a ticket out of NZ to a country that you are able to enter-that doesn't have to be a return to the UK necessarily. You will not get on the plane leaving the UK without one. As UK citizens you will get a stamp allowing 6m stay in NZ
You may already know this but just in case...

Good luck, all the best with the job hunting
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Old Aug 4th 2013, 5:19 am
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Default Re: Working holiday with toddler :)

There are toy libraries but I don't know how widespread they are? - http://www.pegasustoylibrary.co.nz/.

Books are expensive over here - an option would be to join the library - http://christchurchcitylibraries.com...es/Membership/.

A fairly decent range of reasonably priced clothes/toys can be found at KMart. I have bought loads of t-shirts, summer skirts etc in the 18 months I have been here and they are still fine! . They also sell a load of baby equipment - if you let me know what you would be thinking of bringing with you, I can check on the cost for you?

Furnished properties are few. Another option would be to go for unfurnished and rent furniture etc - http://www.mrrental.co.nz/stores/region/christchurch for example.

Hope that helps a bit!
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Old Aug 6th 2013, 2:51 pm
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Default Re: Working holiday with toddler :)

Originally Posted by Persephone
I presume you know that WTR visas are generally only issued if your husband's job is either on the Long Term Skilled Shortage List or is for an accredited employer.

Just another thing, if you're coming over as visitors you will all need to purchase a ticket out of NZ to a country that you are able to enter-that doesn't have to be a return to the UK necessarily. You will not get on the plane leaving the UK without one. As UK citizens you will get a stamp allowing 6m stay in NZ
You may already know this but just in case...

Good luck, all the best with the job hunting
Yes I am aware of the visa restrictions, we have both done a lot of reading up before we even started looking at jobs and places to live FYI my husband is a carpenter so it on both lists.
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Old Aug 6th 2013, 2:57 pm
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Default Re: Working holiday with toddler :)

Thank you everyone for your feed back

Clothes are not an issue as we will bring them all with us - we are not emigrating but having a "working holiday" before settling down. British Army redundancies mean we are homeless & relocating and as we dont own property, DS is too young for school and I don't work is the perfect opportunity for an adventure! As its only short term and not worth shipping hence asking about books and toys.

Libraries are brilliant, ill be sure to register straight away!

Thanks for furniture rental Chippy, sounds like a great idea and good alternative to shabby furnished places, ill be sure to check that out
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Old Aug 6th 2013, 4:39 pm
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Default Re: Working holiday with toddler :)

Originally Posted by mily.lei
FYI my husband is a carpenter so it on both lists.
if you mean the three skills shortage lists, carpenter only appears on the CSSL.

The Chch libraries are good, I usually used Riccarton. Only downside is that they won't let you renew a book, it has to be returned and then picked back up off the shelves I could understand it if someone had reserved that particular book... Not a big problem in the big scheme of things
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Old Aug 6th 2013, 11:28 pm
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Default Re: Working holiday with toddler :)

Hi there and welcome Mily.lei.

I wonder if it might be helpful if this thread title is tweaked. The phrase is
a cause of confusion to many of us , including myself. We all know you cannot have a working holiday with a toddler, nor a working holiday here without a working holiday visa.

Let's try to be more clear about the visa thing

First, the phrase "working holiday" in terms of being in NZ is not a possibility so perhaps best to choose another phrase. I believe you mean that if your OH can get work , you will come to NZ initially for the experience and then maybe hope or choose to settle here in NZ. Is that what you mean? Or do you mean you hope to come to NZ to live and work for a while before perhaps moving on elsewhere to another country in the hope of settling down . ?

Your husband is a carpenter . This occupation is seen as skilled, provided NZIS recognise the quals and work exp. The trade is only in shortage for the Canterbury rebuild. It therefore appears on just the one list - Canterbury shortage list. This means that an employer in that area is free to offer an overseas person a job offer.

Should your husband gain a full time permanent job offer from an employer in the area, he will apply for an Essential Skills visa. You will apply for a family stream work or visitors visa. Your dependent child, a visitors visa. Both attached to your husbands essential skill visa.

If the job offer comes from an NZIS accredited employer, then provided the offer is for $55K pa per 40hr week or so, then he can apply for a Work to Residence visa. You and your child apply for the relevant visas on the back of that application. The WTR visa is essentially a form of temporary work visa. He will work for 2 years and then if he still meets the WTR criteria at the end of those 2 years, you could go on to apply to become NZ residents if you so choose.

As a carpenter is seen as a skilled occupation & if you decide you wish to remain in NZ as residents, then provided you have enough points, you could apply to become NZ resident via the Skilled Migrant Category. With his trade qualifications, his work experience and NZ employment he should be in a good position to have enough points to make an application and get picked from the pool.

If he does not gain a job offer whilst overseas, you could in theory , simply fetch up on NZ shores as holiday visitors. You must not work on this visa. Strictly speaking you shouldn't look for work on this visa but people do it all the time. We did 10 years ago.

If he gained a job offer whilst here in NZ then you would be applying to remain to live and work per the above. They would be called permits , not visas.

Any form of temporary work visa or permit runs just for as long as the employment contract states, up to around 3 years maximum I believe ( someone correct if that is not right) So, if it is a one year contract - a one year visa is issued.
They are renewable at the end of their term provided another job contract is issued but it is best to be very mindful that NZIS is not obliged to renew. They could say no. If , for example, it was decided NZ had enough carpenters of their own in the Canterbury area, or that there was no further shortage and didn't need overseas tradesmen anymore, then the temp work permits would not be renewed. It happens.

If one is coming to NZ and really rather hoping to remain indefinitely, then the aim must be to become a resident. From that position one is free to choose whether one stays or not.

Can anyone think of any other permutation of visa that might suit the OP?

Other than that, fingers crossed there is an offer of employment and you all get to experience SI NZ.
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