# Moving to NZ - worth the Risk?



## Engineer 1

Hi there, I am looking for advice from expats who are recently moved to or away from Auckland, NZ.

I have been an expat for quite a few years, living in Africa, Dubai, Hong Kong etc. and have been offered a good job in Auckland, however reading various web site I really get mixed reviews on the quality of life in Auckland and negativity relating to incomers.

For me this move would be long term with property purchase and personal investment.

I was hoping to get some honest feedback on the low-salary/high cost of living scenario in Auckland and real opinion on quality of life there before I make a decision. Moving would be a substantial drop in salary but worth if for the quality of life and my daughters future.

Also - after reading through this forum, there definitely is negativity towards non-kiwis, which doesn't bother me, but I am afraid for my Indonesian wife and 2year old daughter

thanks for the interest 


NZ to win the Cricket?


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## inhamilton

Engineer 1 said:


> Also - after reading through this forum, there definitely is negativity towards non-kiwis


Are you asking questions or making a statement?
Being a kiwi myself, I don't believe there's any more negativity towards non-kiwis as anywhere else. I lived in London for a while and there was negativity towards non-Brits. It happens everywhere to some extent unfortunately.

However, a report by the Asia NZ Foundation reports (among other things):
_By 2011, 55 percent of those surveyed viewed Asian immigration to New Zealand as positive. Most New Zealanders agreed Asian people contributed significantly to the economy (83 percent) and brought valuable cultural diversity to New Zealand (79 percent). However, some still believed that Asians did not mix well with New Zealanders (46 percent) and could do more to learn about New Zealand culture (70 percent). _
Increased contact with Asian people generates positive feelings, report finds | Asia New Zealand Foundation

In regards, is it a risk to immigrate to NZ, then the answer is possibly. Was moving to Africa, Hong Kong and Malaysia a risk for you? Did you still go despite these risks? Why do see your NZ move as permanent if you know nothing of the country and have these bad perceptions? Why would you move here if you think NZer's will treat you and your wife badly? And by 'real opinion' I guess you mean negative opinion, right? Come down and have a look first. A lot of people do that and end up staying. If not, I'm sure Mikesurf will be along soon to give you the answers you are after. Lol.


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## mikesurf

inhamilton said:


> If not, I'm sure Mikesurf will be along soon to give you the answers you are after. Lol.



Life's pretty dull without risks. How's that?


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## escapedtonz

mikesurf said:


> Life's pretty dull without risks. How's that?


Amen!

Tis an adventure....not a destination. We only get one chance at it so why not try to be different and enjoy the ride


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## inhamilton

escapedtonz said:


> Amen!
> 
> Tis an adventure....not a destination. We only get one chance at it so why not try to be different and enjoy the ride


Plus every opportunity lost is an opportunity gained for someone else, and there appears to be quite a long queue


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## Paksenarrion

I´m of mixed heritage and have lived for approx 25 years in NZ, love the country and enjoyed the lifestyle. It´s never easy to immigrate, there will be a lot of obstacles but now-a-days there is a lot more support around. In the last few years the cost of living has increased. Working out your monthly expenses in comparison with your monthly income will give you a better idea. (Don´t forget to consider educational expenses for later on). Look around first before deciding on buying a property. Keep in mind the schools you want your child to attend as you might be restricted to the area you are living in. 

As for worrying about negative treatment, there are always people around who are close minded, just ignore them and find other friends. It is known that kiwis have tall poppy syndrome in the workplace which you either cope with or find other opportunities, don´t let yourself get into a rut. The biggest mistake you can make is to stay stuck within your own group of countrymen, it´s better to mix with the locals. Most kiwis can teach a lot of other nationalities about respecting each other cultures. Having recently lived in Holland again, I was surprised and saddened at the strong sense of discrimination between cultures, especially in such a mixed environment.

I hope that this has made your decision easier. Good luck.


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## Kiwijock

*Worth the risk?*

Good question you've asked yourself

Have lived in NZ for 40 years.
Born Scotland left age 26
Arrived here via Vancouver (2 years) Durban South Africa (4 years)

I still ask myself the same question -Good idea worth the risk?

Yes to a lifestyle place although have to add that Auckland is a soulless place
Unless you sail. 
Wellington is the place for the arts and a bit of culture

No as a place to further my career.

In regards to job I'd recommend that you have the offer of a job
before making the final decision.
There's evidence to suggest there's lots of very well qualified people who've 
come from overseas and have to drive taxis to make a living.

The usual excuse for not getting a job is that they're "Not familiar with New 
Zealand conditions" - whatever that means.

Most countries welcome well qualified immigrants.
Don't think the same can be said about NZ

Good luck


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## jawnbc

In our circle of Auckland friends it's about 70/30 migrant/kiwi, percentage-wise.

We're all university educated and professionals: none of us found it difficult to get a job here. Some (me) got theirs whilst still overseas, the rest once they arrived. But we are all pakeha (European).




Kiwijock said:


> No as a place to further my career.
> 
> In regards to job I'd recommend that you have the offer of a job
> before making the final decision.
> There's evidence to suggest there's lots of very well qualified people who've
> come from overseas and have to drive taxis to make a living.
> 
> The usual excuse for not getting a job is that they're "Not familiar with New
> Zealand conditions" - whatever that means.
> 
> Most countries welcome well qualified immigrants.
> Don't think the same can be said about NZ
> 
> Good luck


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## nzbargainhunter

*We love it in NZ*

My wife and I are both from the UK. Background in the healthcare industry. We love it in NZ as the weather is consistently great without being too hot and the people are friendly too. We live in Hawke's Bay so can't comment on what living in Auckland is like. However we have been to Auckland lots recently and over the past year or so we've been really impressed by how much development has been completed on the waterfront. If you can find a nice place and your job is well paid, I'd say it's worth a shot. The surrounding national parks, beaches and islands are well rated by Aucklanders. And you're always a short hop on a plane to many fantastic destinations in NZ, especially Hawke's Bay! Good luck


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## sharbuck

Kiwijock said:


> Good question you've asked yourself
> 
> Have lived in NZ for 40 years.
> Born Scotland left age 26
> Arrived here via Vancouver (2 years) Durban South Africa (4 years)
> 
> I still ask myself the same question -Good idea worth the risk?
> 
> Yes to a lifestyle place although have to add that Auckland is a soulless place
> Unless you sail.
> Wellington is the place for the arts and a bit of culture
> 
> No as a place to further my career.
> 
> In regards to job I'd recommend that you have the offer of a job
> before making the final decision.
> There's evidence to suggest there's lots of very well qualified people who've
> come from overseas and have to drive taxis to make a living.
> 
> The usual excuse for not getting a job is that they're "Not familiar with New
> Zealand conditions" - whatever that means.
> 
> Most countries welcome well qualified immigrants.
> Don't think the same can be said about NZ
> 
> Good luck


We moved about 3 years ago on a work visa. Went through a recruiter and couldn't have been easier since we were on the skill shortage list. we live in a rural area but central to 4 big cities. Would not even consider Auckland.

We have felt most welcomed here by New Zealand


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## Southern_Cross

As someone who has lived in Auckland most of my life, it is probably one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world, and I read a statistic somewhere (sorry that I can't quote exactly or verify the source) that about 40% of the Auckland population were not born there. From my wide circle of friends and acquaintances I can only think of one who was born in Auckland, so I would certainly never worry about 'fitting in' with the locals as there are probably fewer actual 'locals' than new arrivals in this huge, sprawling city of immigrants which just keeps on growing and changing


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## Zen7

We have been happy in whichever country we had moved in the past, so I'd say its subjective. Most of our friends that took the leap with us returned back to UK especially since the cost of living has sharply increased (big chunk of our earnings go towards rent) - but there are other significant lot with enough money in their bank & properties on their name - so I say it depends.


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## MarcW

Engineer 1 said:


> reading various web site I really get mixed reviews on the quality of life in Auckland and negativity relating to incomers.


The cost of living in Auckland is bad. Housing is expensive. Buying without a large down payment isn't easy. There is no negativity toward incomers. There is racism, but that's different. As an American, I don't see much negativity, and most of it I've seen is from other newcomers, not Kiwis. 

Rent, or buy on the outskirts near the train (like Swanson, or Papakura) and you can get a reasonable house and still not a deadly commute.


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## jawnbc

If you're coming from middle-America, or America in general (which has the largest inexpensive retail economy in the world), you can say this. 

But not compared to Australia, the UK, or Vancouver or Toronto in Canada, in terms of housing. Nor the SE of the UK. But give it about 3 hours and it will be, based on how prices are ratcheting up and new house building in Auckland (exclusive of custom builds) is pretty much still nil. 

Sadly. 




MarcW said:


> The cost of living in Auckland is bad. Housing is expensive. Buying without a large down payment isn't easy. .


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## MarcW

jawnbc said:


> If you're coming from middle-America, or America in general (which has the largest inexpensive retail economy in the world), you can say this.
> 
> But not compared to Australia,
> 
> Sadly.


If you think Australian property prices are insane, try New Zealand | Business Insider

If you are coming from Sydney, you'll find Auckland housing more expensive.

When you pop in to try to correct someone, step 1 is to make sure you are correct.


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## inhamilton

MarcW said:


> If you think Australian property prices are insane, try New Zealand | Business Insider
> 
> If you are coming from Sydney, you'll find Auckland housing more expensive.
> 
> When you pop in to try to correct someone, step 1 is to make sure you are correct.


Not sure that article is correct. Whenever I google Sydney Median House Price it always comes up over $800,000, whereas Auckland is about $720,000, remembering that the exchange rate is almost 1 for 1 at the moment?

And besides, I think the title is misleading because Auckland is not New Zealand and Sydney is not Australia. I heard on the news today that the median price in Dunedin is $290,000. I'm guessing the NZ median price would be lower than the Aus one??


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## MarcW

inhamilton said:


> And besides, I think the title is misleading because Auckland is not New Zealand and Sydney is not Australia. I heard on the news today that the median price in Dunedin is $290,000. I'm guessing the NZ median price would be lower than the Aus one??


Ah yes, any fact-based article is wrong if it disagrees with your opinion.

Oh, and if you were reading the forums for any reason other than trolling, you'd have noticed that the person who asked the question asked specifically about Auckland.


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## inhamilton

MarcW said:


> Ah yes, any fact-based article is wrong if it disagrees with your opinion.


Well, I wasn't disagreeing with you, I was disagreeing with the article. I can link you to many articles that say the median house price in Sydney is over $800,000 not $680,000 that this particular article says.


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## mikesurf

You have to remember that's it's not only about house prices but also about income to house price ratio and New Zealand comes only second to Norway for unaffordable housing.


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## abbott09

sharbuck said:


> We moved about 3 years ago on a work visa. Went through a recruiter and couldn't have been easier since we were on the skill shortage list. we live in a rural area but central to 4 big cities. Would not even consider Auckland.
> 
> We have felt most welcomed here by New Zealand


Where did you move from? And how did you find a Recruiter? Is that the same thing as an immigration advisor? We are looking on moving to NZ as quickly as possible an to pay an advisor seems pricey, but if it will get us there and help get gainful employment it may be worth it.


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## Berryam17

Great to hear that I'm not the only one thinking about this. I'm currently looking to land a job offer first before making the jump but as most engineer positions it looks like I need to have a visa first and to get a visa it looks like i need a job offer first. I'm still trying to sort it out but any advice is welcomed.


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## sharbuck

abbott09 said:


> Where did you move from? And how did you find a Recruiter? Is that the same thing as an immigration advisor? We are looking on moving to NZ as quickly as possible an to pay an advisor seems pricey, but if it will get us there and help get gainful employment it may be worth it.


Moved from Philly. Found the job on Indeed.com using search for positions instead of looking for recruiters. Look on the NZ site, i think its NZIndeed.com ?. An immigration advisor is different. They help guide you through the visa application process. Recruiters as a whole will market you a few days and then file you away. ( I worked as one ). 

By concentrating on a position that we had qualifications for we increased our chances. We came over on a 30 month work visa because it was the quickest and then filed for Residency immediately.

Best of luck


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## shimkwan

I wouldn't bother.

- Shops always run out of stock
- Lack of variety in the shops
- Everything is expensive !! so most people import things from overseas...now they are thinking of taxing all overseas imports !!
- Its far from any other country (except AU)
- Private & Public medical insurance is dreadful
- Then there is the weather...

After 2 years here, we are leaving, as are a few of our friends.


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## Kiwijock

*NZ not so good?*

You have to be ready to live in New Zealand
Especially true for Asians
It's a world apart and very different.

Friends in Vancouver tell me that many Asians living in Vancouver have
decided to return home and surprisingly enough quite a few South Africans.
The Kiwis say, "New Zealand is a great place to bring up kids," 
and so it is but...

Spending some time in New Zealand before thinking about moving here is a must.

Many happy returns home


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## Paksenarrion

shimkwan said:


> I wouldn't bother.
> 
> - Shops always run out of stock
> - Lack of variety in the shops
> - Everything is expensive !! so most people import things from overseas...now they are thinking of taxing all overseas imports !!
> - Its far from any other country (except AU)
> - Private & Public medical insurance is dreadful
> - Then there is the weather...
> 
> After 2 years here, we are leaving, as are a few of our friends.


NZ isn´t for everyone but these occurrences happen just about everywhere. Having also lived in France, the UK, Holland, Tenerife and now Spain, I´ve come across the same problems, except that other countries are a little closer (lol). But driving in NZ for two hours, to cover the same distance takes here atleast half a day. The traffic is a lot more demanding and takes constant concentration. I loved driving in NZ, hardly any traffic and no bicycles to watch for every second. I found it relaxing and enjoyed the calm, peaceful, and beautiful countryside.:car:

As for the medical insurance, it is worse in Holland. It takes up half your salary, the other half goes to your rent, it is compulsory, and it still doesn´t cover all your medical bills. And when you don´t get to see the sun for weeks on end then it becomes pretty depressing.

Every country has its good points and its bad ones. It all depends on what each person considers important. The lifestyle is vastly different and would take getting some use to, but that is just the fun of it otherwise why consider moving to another country.:confused2:


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