# Fed up with the UK and thinking about moving to New Zealand,Auckland area.



## vanboy

Hi,as the title mentions we're thinking about NZ.We're both in out early/mid 40's and have 3 children aged 3,10 and 12 and really want out of Britain.I know several people that have made the move to NZ in the last year or so and general consensus of opinion is that NZ is great with opportunity to make a good life (obviously with hard work!),any opinions please from experienced ex-pats.Cheers,Mick.


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## MichelleAlison

Just want to say welcome to the forum, but unfortunately can't help you with NZ. 

Good luck with your future plans. I am sure your kids will love it. My three teenagers don't even want to think about going back to the UK. They love their new found freedom here too much.

Regards

Michelle


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## loopylinda

hi there our kids are 10 and 7 and we preferred to move down to the kapiti coast which is one hour on the train from wellington. nice beaches, nice parks, nice people, nice mountains to walk up, shops are not what they are like in uk but we find we are spending less and living more of an outdoor life. i am even losing weight!!!! on a downer, the t.v. is crap but hey i never really watched t.v. anyway and the internet can sometimes run a bit slow but people are so laid back here they are positively horizontal .... ! anybody want any advice about the kapiti coast, (that's paraparaumu/raumati/waikanae/otaki) just ask! be aware you will get the horrible nobby no mates feeling walking into the playground on the first day but once the kids are settled you are halfway there!


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## joanne

Hi there,I stay in Scotland with my husband and 2 kids(girl 9, boy 2) and we were thinking of making the move to new zealand. Did you use an agency or apply to emigrate yourself? Also how have you settled in? have you met many people? Have Kids settled in ok too? do you have any regrets? Sorry for all the ???? but would loke to know the answers and yousound like a good person to ask. Hope to hear from you soon. Ejoy your day!

Joanne x


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## loopylinda

Hi Joanne, 
We did not use an Agency as I refuse to pay somebody the best part of anywhere between four grand upwards to fill in forms that I am capable of doing myself. 
We did it in this order! 
Firstly my Husband got his job. He works on the railways fixing trains. He had a telephone interview with the Agency who were advertising the job, then he had an informal chat with the train company boss and then a telephone interview was set up with his boss and his bosses boss! The Agency had by this point arranged for a video of Andy to be taken in London before his first interview on phone with boss so that the train company in NZ could see him in animated form. What does your Husband do? 
Then we came out for a visit for two week which although isn't long, it was all we could get off work and School. We put our house up for sale before our holiday and as luck would have it, when we came back it was sold. If we had hated what we saw in NZ, we would have pulled out of selling. 
Then we just had to wait 11 weeks for the house move to go through and during this time, we applied for 'work to residence' visas as it takes up to 2-3 months rather than longer 5-6 months for residency visas. After two years, we can apply for residency here but Immigration advise we start doing it after Andy has been in his job for 21 months. We can stay here till May 2010 at the moment but it will all go though. 
We liked what we saw. I did feel lonely for about a month because kids were out for Summer holidays here from Dec 18 - Feb 4 and Andy was with me for first month but when he went to work, I felt at a bit of a loose end.
Our kids love their new School. Our Son has Aspergers Syndrome (high functioning autism) and has made himself a couple of friends even though he has only been there less than a month and our Daughter is popular and I would say happier than when she was in the UK with her friends (but her old best friend was a cow anyway). I would say the education is more is more similar to when I was a kid and I was surprised to see that yesterday the School kids all had ear and eye tests!!!! That does not happen in UK when they are 10 and 7.
Going back to living here, I would say that there is work for people if they want it. I have got a job in the day working from home doing telesales (it pays more than the minimum wage!) and all the things I thought I would do like join the women's centre, the local art centre etc. when i came here on 
holiday, well I didn't do them in the end. 
I have made two good friends I see here socially already but never feel lonely now as there is always stuff to keep me busy in the day doing telesales and housework and I even go shopping once a week with two of my new friends (separately, so two shopping trips for me - yay!).
Cost of living, a weekly shop costs us $130-$150 a week but the cost of living is cheaper compared to UK but this is reflected in lower wages.
You do have to get a job that pays $50,000 to be considered residency and I personally think 'work to residence' suits us because it gets you here quicker so you can see if you like it.
If you have any particular queries on house prices, just ask! Rental prices, just ask! If I can help point you in direction of Agencies for your Hubs getting a job, just ask!
The only thing I don't like is having to 'slip slap slop and wrap' as the commercial on tv. here says. Which means, putting on the suncream! 
I would recommend Kapiti Coast to live in NZ because it has beach, shops and although there are a lot of pommies here, the Kiwis are friendly.
And I have not had any prejudice from the Maoris or come across bad spiders yet! I heard this rumour before I came. In fact, all the Maoris I have met are very nice. 
Hope this helps!


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## joanne

*hello from cold scotland*

Hi, Thanks for getting back to me. It was good to hear from you. We were thinking on going on a residency permit. My husband is a joiner, although he is not Qualified(dont know if this makes any difference) he has been doing the job for 20 years. We were going to rent for that duration then look at property to buy. we will make some profit from the sale of our house so will put that towards a house.We were looking at the bay of plenty, thought that looked quite nice. think its just an hour or so down from you. have you heard anything about it? Do you need to be in the country a certain amount of time before you can get a mortgage? Are house prices reasonable? weve had a look on the net(trade me)but it would be good to hear from you as you're there! Did you ship anything over(house stuff,car) or is it cheap enough to start again? can you give me the names of shops like comet etc to see if i can check prices on the net? Hope to hear from you soon. Joanne. x


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## loopylinda

hi again joanne,
some shops for you to look up are as follows:
big discount warehouse, briscoes, liam neeson (electrical shop), the warehouse, farmers (deparment store)
Estate agents : Harcourts
bay of plenty, yes have heard of it but know somebody from our village who moved there and she didn't like it but don't let that put you off. we used to call her lemon face in our village behind her back because she looked like she sucked them. she weren't a friend. just another mum in the school who if she liked you she would give you a nice smile but if she didn't like you so much, you got the lemon face smile! lol. 
don't think mortgages are restricted to time limit nor is life insurance. just got life insurance but we are personally waiting for dollar to be worth more for the pound as our money is still in barclays bank, uk although if you do want to open up an account with the bank, westpac, you can opt to keep your money in pounds sterling here in the nz bank but we have andy's mum taking care of it as a third party to our bank account so when the time if right, she can transfer it. 
what are you looking for and what made you choose the bay of plenty? we can get a four bedroom house, two lounges, one dining room, 2 bathrooms on 1000sq metres of land for approximately $300,000-$400,000 although you are better off buying one off an estate agents that has been recalled because people have failed to pay the mortgage. twas a beauty in the local paper this week but we missed the deadline date this week. we shipped our furniture with pickfords but don't bring you car as we got a 1996 nissan sunny from kapiti cars for $5995 and it has good bodywork and runs like a dre (hope I ain't tempted fate for it to pack up next week ha ha!) and it has only done 67,000kms and i had it checked by AA and had odometer tested myself for $120 to make sure odo had not been put back but it is genuine! Cost of furniture was (pounds)3,500 plus (pounds)950 insurance and it took 10 weeks to arrive. 
i would advise use pickfords because they have an office of pickfords in wellington whereas if you use another removal firm and they don't have an office here, then they use an agents and it can cause all sorts of problems but with pickfords, you only deal with them.
to be honest, if you can find an unfurnished rental, do what we did for 10 weeks. buy a nice patio table and chairs to eat off, buy beanbags and tv for the lounge with some rimu wicker chairs, sleep on blow up beds and just pack your duvet covers and because we came in summer, well we didn't need duvets/buy your pillows in the warehouse, $9 each or thereabouts and make do with salvation army plates/saucepans etc. just to get you by. 
my friend who lives here, they paid $525 per week for a small two bedroom furnished rental property compared to us paying $290 per week for unfurnished three bedroom rental and although we have a current small garden like they had, well we do not want to do anybody elses garden personally hence why a small garden is ok for us for the time being.
i would not have wanted to have "started again" as some things are important to us like certain bits of furniture etc. and our dinner set and stuff and CD's and my Freddie Mercury oil painting (sad I know but I was/am a huge Queen fan!) and he is now back on my wall ha ha!
you just got to decide whether you prefer spending money for the sake of 10 weeks without your sofa and bed etc. or whether you prefer to save the money! 
with regard to your husband being a joiner and not being qualified, i will look into this in the week and get back to you. depends if there is a professional body for it, like a trade. i will look up and find out and get back to you.
anyway, got to go for now!
linda. x


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## CanadianGal

Hi, a good and very active group from all over who have made the move or in the process of applying/ moving-and some just pondering the dream. I totally recommend it for any questions at all. Friendly gang. You can email each other as well. Very helpful, pertinent info about New Zealand. They talk about everything....
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Expats-in-New-Zealand/join?


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## joanne

*hi*

Thanks For the List. I will look those up on the net.been looking on Trade me and prices seem to be quite reasonable. We had a look on the net at different towns and places in New Zealand and found Bay of Plenty. thought that looked a nice place and house prices seemed reasonable.We want a better quality of life and a better chance for the kids, Dont like the culture in Britain for kids, all we seem to hear about is drunken teenagers killing folk for trying to protect whats theirs. want an outdoors life, where we can at least go for a walk without getting drenched!!! We had origanally been looking at Australia but it just seems impossible. Think NZ looks a bit nicer to be honest. Been looking into applying ourselfs but seems like your in a catch 22 situation. need a job to get the visa, but cant get the visa till you get the job. My husband had a telephone interview on sun night which went ok, but the employer said he would want him there soon to start work. we said we hoped to be there in 3-6 months and he said to look contact him as he had a big contract starting in august. are you still renting or have you bought a house? and if so did you pay a reasonable price for it? better go now. enjoy your day. Joanne x


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## Superwoman x 5

Hi Vanboy i am new to this today, but we are also thinking about moving to Auckland for over 1 year been looking into it and looks like my hubby may have a job offer he has to get a working visa and go for a face to face interview as they very rarely take on full time workers with out an interview unless you are skilled etc, so we are thinking which suburbs are the best the companys located in Mt Wellington ,Auckland so any advised of any one living in areas not to far from there or give ne ideas what getting to works like etc also schools and leasure activitys ?, the thing putting me off is we are from scotland and live in a small town, and to move to a busy city it makes me worry what it would be like? i would love a quiet area where i could drive to buy shops etc, i have 5 kids!! my eldest is coming up for 19 yrs and is in Gb Army so he will not be coming over with us next i have son 11yrs,then girl 9 yrs, then twins who will be 3yrs on 17th of march who were a double surprize....lol all we want is a safe,relaxed, healthy life to bring our family up in. and it is New Zeland we have chosen to do all this in every thing i read or see tickes all the right boxes and more and more people from uk are getting out so i think its time for us to move on as well, good luck with what ever you decide i am getting set for the rollarcoster ride of emotions.

so i am thinking about you all who have yet to take the move of your life....


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## CanadianGal

Hi, Please check out that yahoo group I mentioned in my other post-they are a group you will want to talk to. Willing to share and help with their experiences and suggestions. They are very active and you will find more help there. 
Some love NZ, some don't find its all that its cracked up to be(except for beauty). So one other site that is worth checking out is Expat Exposed at Expat Exposed: Behind the Hype in New Zealand. It is the flip side experiences of immigrants to NZ. It is worth checking out as many feel if they knew ahead what they know now living there, they would not have moved to NZ. There can be an edge with some posters but others strive to be fair even if unhappy. I found it vey interesting reading-all the stuff that people find difficult that nowhere else talks about. For many it can be a real let down or disaster. They say know as much as you can before making the big move. So I thought you should have a look. I always wanted to move to NZ, but after reading more about the realities I was not so sure. Some love it, some hate it, and some think its somewhere inbetween. Its the stuff you wouldn't think much of that is the most thought provoking once you get there-it seems. Be informed before you go.
If you do go, I wish you best of luck! Hope you and yours love it.


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## Superwoman x 5

thanks for that i will take it on board..... i think no matter where you go you will always have problems etc i think its about getting the right place for you and your family everyone wants different things in life will wait to see what life throws at me.... thanks again and good luck to all


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## familyof5

*Auckland?*

Hi, NZ is a fantastic country to live in. I think if you are looking at moving to Auckland then research the area you are to live in well. I think it depends on what you are used to, as to whether or not you will like Auckland. It is a big city with all the problems associated with city life. It is also beautiful in many parts and much better than many UK cities, but still not the place for me. Auckland is very much self contained and not a representation of the rest of NZ. If you want the laid back life etc, my advice would be to look at other regions. I believe you also get extra points if you settle outside of Auckland!!!!


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## Fugitive

Auckland cannot reallly be considered a big city at a population of 1.4 million, I guess it's relative of what you're used to. The factors to consider living in Auckland are : 

Housing - overall central suburbs are very expensive and older houses are not insulated for the climate. Insulation is an essential requirement, as Auckland gets a lot of rain for 8 months of the year. You have to travel long distances to live in affordable, more modern structures. 

Traffic - the North/South development of the city causes a lot of traffic congestion. Parking in the city areas is very expensive, forcing more commuters to use public transport. There are Bus facilities in the North, and both Bus and Train facilities in the South.

Auckland is the number one destination for immigrants because of job opportunities.


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## bootshanson

*Think long and hard*

We have been here 18months and are still not sure its the place for us ,we are renting in Governors bay ,just outside of christchurch,NZ is not as good as it makes itself out to be ,the cost of living has doubled in the last 18 months we have been here ,dairy products have gone up by 75%in the last 8 months ,wages are a joke ,if you rent it will cost you on average $450 per week ,electricity is very dear average $200 a month ,the houses are freezing in winter,they burn wood hence christchurch is covered in smog ,so if you have breathing problems you are in trouble, to see a docter will cost you on average $25 plus any medicine you might need ,and if you need a dentist well if you thought england was expensive think again,if you dont have a trade that can get you $70,000 a year you will find it hard to make ends meet ,unless you have savings ,the plus point being you can get 8.5% interest on savings ,the down side being morgatge rate is average 9.5%.The head of NZbank as just been on NZ tv stating that houses are over priced by 30% and predicts that house prices will be stati for the next 5-10 years hence the house market is in decline ,so think carefully about buying now or you could be trapped if you decide that NZ is not for you. On the plus side NZ is great place for holidays the west coast of the south island is great ,but when you have to settle im still not sure


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## loopylinda

Hi there!
We moved out here in December 2008 and our kids were then 10 and 7. I would say if kids are getting older, say aged 12 or upwards, they are going to find it harder to settle than kids who are younger and will miss their old mates etc.
I would recommend that everybody comes out to see NZ for themselves .... I hear horror stories of people who come out without seeing it (I mean, would you move town in UK without seeing it??). 
Van Boy, ask away any questions you have and I will gladly answer them for you.
What job are you hoping to get?
You have any idea where you would like to settle in NZ, North or South Island?
We live in Paraparaumu (known as Pom-a-pom-a-umu - ha ha!) and the weather is very mild here!
I would not recommend Wellington myself .... too flipping windy!
Cheers, Linda.


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## TGM

Whilst I agree that the UK really isn't the best place to be at the moment unfortunately that doesn't mean NZ is a good choice, you need to be very careful you don't get into a frying pan to fire situation.

NZ is in the grip of a deepening recession and things are steadily going to get worse, its isolation isn't going to insulate it from the problems the rest of the world suffers from. 

Do all the research you can, read read and then read some more and when you've done that book a return flight and visit for a holiday so at least you can see what you're letting yourself in for.


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## loopylinda

*World recession hits again!*



TGM said:


> Whilst I agree that the UK really isn't the best place to be at the moment unfortunately that doesn't mean NZ is a good choice, you need to be very careful you don't get into a frying pan to fire situation.
> 
> NZ is in the grip of a deepening recession and things are steadily going to get worse, its isolation isn't going to insulate it from the problems the rest of the world suffers from.
> 
> Do all the research you can, read read and then read some more and when you've done that book a return flight and visit for a holiday so at least you can see what you're letting yourself in for.


Dear TGM,
Yes good advice to anybody considering NZ, book a return flight and come out and have a look .... things that have opened my eyes is the price of food, the price of petrol (they are both higher than we imagined) and also the houses .... blooming freezing! No double brick houses here, just wood and fake brick outer and also the plots around here where we live are all quite smallish and built together although we are just waiting for the house prices to come down and the dollar to go down so we get more dollars for our pounds in the UK (cause our money is still there at present, us having moved here December 2007).
I think the worst thing that is a killer here is the fact that I miss my mates in the UK, some of them I had for 20 years and although we stay in touch as best we can, well it ain't the same chatting on the phone or the PC and as always happens, people do tend to lose touch etc. although we all have good intention that we won't but I see changes already after 8 months of being here.
People here on the Kapiti Coast area of North Island are far more friendlier than anybody ever was in the UK .... you do get your crime here .... you do get gangs here .... but it's nothing like it was in the UK.
Seriously, would you move to a place 100 miles away in UK without going to look it over first .... I think not .... it amazes me that so many brits consider moving to NZ to save money without coming out for a look over first.
You have to ask yourself what reasons you are leaving the UK for .... and remember them when you are here!
Cheers!


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## lucybo

*Moving to New Zealand - Auckland*

I'm a kiwi living and working in London. I have lived here for just over 18 months. In my experience, I would not bring up children in London. Just remember there is more to New Zealand than Auckland and if you want to see the 'real' New Zealand and meet the real people you need to look further afield than Auckland. There is this Auckland and the rest of the country attitude. Auckland also has a high population of Maori, Pacific Islander and Asians in comparison to the south island.

Crime is a problem in New Zealand not just in Auckland but throughout the country. We also have a drug problem. There are limited resources so small crimes like burgulary etc are ignored. There appears to be a bigger gap emerging between the haves and the have nots and this is feeding the crime issue. We lived in a provincial town in the north island in a 'secure' apartment and were burgled twice and every other week had issues with law and order in the town. There is also a boy racer attitude throughout the country.

Have read the various comments re cost of living etc. Listening to family members and friends still residing in New Zealand, it is true the cost of living has risen dramatically. Basics like butter and milk are out of the realms of the average kiwi family. The economic crisis has also started to hit the housing market and nows the time to bag a bargin (if you're prepared to take the risk). Modern homes are fitted with heating however alot of kiwis still like log fires - the reason being, the price of power. 

My advice is get out of Auckland where you may earn less but your cost of living is less and you have a better quality of life.

All in all it depends what you are looking for. If it's the great outdoors experience and a decent quality of life I would say get out of Auckland and research what the rest of NZ has to offer. If you want access to all the entertainment things like sports events and concerts, easy travel etc - Auckland's the place.

Good luck


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## tharris

My husband, two children (6 & 3) and I have been making plans for sometime to come out to NZ and are finding the posted comments really interesting. Iam new to the site so appologise for asking questions in this thread, but does anyone know anything of how the education system works over there? Our eldest boy has an_ Autistic spectrum dissorder _and currently has 1 to 1 support at a specialist unit. e are so confused at the moment as to whether this move is right for him. Does anyone know what exists over there? I have been in touch with the education department who have been helpful but unable to answer all the questions we have.
Loopylinda do you have any suggestions, as I envisage you may have had similar issues with your son?


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## midnightcelt

My 6 yr. old son has high functioning autism, and we have moved to Raumati Beach on the Kapiti Coast. Can anyone recommend a school here that might be good (Raumati South or Raumati Beach, etc.?). We are also open to home schooling. I am interested in a good school for my son, but also concerned about bullying. Cheers!


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## loopylinda

*Schools in Raumati Beach area!*



midnightcelt said:


> My 6 yr. old son has high functioning autism, and we have moved to Raumati Beach on the Kapiti Coast. Can anyone recommend a school here that might be good (Raumati South or Raumati Beach, etc.?). We are also open to home schooling.* I am interested in a good school for my son, but also concerned about bullying.* Cheers!


Hi there!We moved to New Zealand in December 2007 and in February 2008 our Son, aged 10, joined Raumati South School.* He was removed by us August 2008.* He was sexually harrassed, bored out of his mind cause he is highly intelligent and yet he was the only child in his class to know what a decimal point is used for!* Basically I have been home educating him.* We were told by the Principal that to receive any help from the education system here, a child with Aspergers has to be either having learning difficulties or behavioural problems.* Unless if your Son has ADHD or is incredibly naughty, well you won't get anywhere here (sorry if that offends).I wrote a letter via the Board of Trustees and received a reply that stated "we are aware of the problems with bullyilng in our School and are in emergency meetings with our staff".* Do not put your child in Raumati South School .... I implore you!You might be best off putting your Son in the Beach School.* Another thing I have worked out here in the locality is that with regard to our year 3 child, in Beach School they are doing multiplication, division as well as addition and subtraction yet at the South School my Daughter was expected to do dot to dot for maths.* Notice I said "was" cause I have taken her out of there two days before end of this term ended, 25th September!* You will have to get your Son rediagnosed at your own cost in New Zealand (cost $140) as your UK diagnosis will not be recognised.* We had an appointment on a private basis on 3rd September and it was cancelled by the Consultant's Secretary and I was advised that there are many kids "waiting for a diagnosis" and our Son already has one!* Therefore it was being put off until April next year from September this year!Now I am not saying your lad will not cope cause I have not met him but 6 year old Aspergers are different to when they reach teenage puberty years.* Our lad has hit puberty already and on a scale of 1 to 10, I would say he is probably an 8 for having Aspergers seriously!* We are returning to the UK in January 2009 (may as well enjoy another Summer here lol) and we have been promised a place at an Aspergers Unit attached to a mainstream School.I would say that from our experience of Raumati South School, they have very little understanding of the condition.* In fact, when our Son was recently taken on by the Kapiti Mental Health Team children's department, I had to explain to them what samantic pragmatic disorder was cause they hadn't heard of it before!I do not regret coming to New Zealand.* If the education system was as good as the rest of the country, I would say that it would be great but for us, I cannot be bothered to waste any more time and we are putting our Son back a year when we return to the UK in School.* Our Daughter should be fine even though she has not learnt anything new and has managed to forget most of her multiplication times tables since last Christmas.I now home educate both kids myself although to do this you have to get an exemption certificate for your child not to attend School as he is now 6.* For your information, on the first Wednesday of every month at the Beach School in the West Wing, there is a support group from 7.30-9.30pm.* A nice bunch of people although I have only been once.** Take along a plate of food to put towards the buffet if you go.Anything else I can help you with in this regard, just ask! (although don't feel I have helped you much at all saying all of this). 
Take care!


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## matt carlin

vanboy said:


> Hi,as the title mentions we're thinking about NZ.We're both in out early/mid 40's and have 3 children aged 3,10 and 12 and really want out of Britain.I know several people that have made the move to NZ in the last year or so and general consensus of opinion is that NZ is great with opportunity to make a good life (obviously with hard work!),any opinions please from experienced ex-pats.Cheers,Mick.


Been in NZ for the last 2yrs, and still not sure it's the place for me my wife and oldest daughter love it here 5yr old twins dont know better.
Im not sure NZ is a good move for all WAGES ARE POOR in relation to cost of living/house prices seem cheap when you think in pounds but in reality they are very expensive in relation to wage rates and intrest rates +- 8% (and historiclly high) If your looking for a change of life then go to the South Island, we live 40mis from Wellington the drive is easy ( BEWARE KIWI DRIVERS ARE USLESS AT IT) but it's no differant than living in Lancashire. We lived in the SOUTH ISLAND for 12mths before transfer up here and are looking to get back asap, this is not what i signed up for (Wellington) but the south is is much more of what we all hoped for when we 1st thought about NZ 
We'd had enough of the UK too Best country in the world just RUN WRONG


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## midnightcelt

loopylinda said:


> Hi there!We moved to New Zealand in December 2007 and in February 2008 our Son, aged 10, joined Raumati South School.* He was removed by us August 2008.* He was sexually harrassed, bored out of his mind cause he is highly intelligent and yet he was the only child in his class to know what a decimal point is used for!* Basically I have been home educating him.* We were told by the Principal that to receive any help from the education system here, a child with Aspergers has to be either having learning difficulties or behavioural problems.* Unless if your Son has ADHD or is incredibly naughty, well you won't get anywhere here (sorry if that offends).I wrote a letter via the Board of Trustees and received a reply that stated "we are aware of the problems with bullyilng in our School and are in emergency meetings with our staff".* Do not put your child in Raumati South School .... I implore you!You might be best off putting your Son in the Beach School.* Another thing I have worked out here in the locality is that with regard to our year 3 child, in Beach School they are doing multiplication, division as well as addition and subtraction yet at the South School my Daughter was expected to do dot to dot for maths.* Notice I said "was" cause I have taken her out of there two days before end of this term ended, 25th September!* You will have to get your Son rediagnosed at your own cost in New Zealand (cost $140) as your UK diagnosis will not be recognised.* We had an appointment on a private basis on 3rd September and it was cancelled by the Consultant's Secretary and I was advised that there are many kids "waiting for a diagnosis" and our Son already has one!* Therefore it was being put off until April next year from September this year!Now I am not saying your lad will not cope cause I have not met him but 6 year old Aspergers are different to when they reach teenage puberty years.* Our lad has hit puberty already and on a scale of 1 to 10, I would say he is probably an 8 for having Aspergers seriously!* We are returning to the UK in January 2009 (may as well enjoy another Summer here lol) and we have been promised a place at an Aspergers Unit attached to a mainstream School.I would say that from our experience of Raumati South School, they have very little understanding of the condition.* In fact, when our Son was recently taken on by the Kapiti Mental Health Team children's department, I had to explain to them what samantic pragmatic disorder was cause they hadn't heard of it before!I do not regret coming to New Zealand.* If the education system was as good as the rest of the country, I would say that it would be great but for us, I cannot be bothered to waste any more time and we are putting our Son back a year when we return to the UK in School.* Our Daughter should be fine even though she has not learnt anything new and has managed to forget most of her multiplication times tables since last Christmas.I now home educate both kids myself although to do this you have to get an exemption certificate for your child not to attend School as he is now 6.* For your information, on the first Wednesday of every month at the Beach School in the West Wing, there is a support group from 7.30-9.30pm.* A nice bunch of people although I have only been once.** Take along a plate of food to put towards the buffet if you go.Anything else I can help you with in this regard, just ask! (although don't feel I have helped you much at all saying all of this).
> Take care!



Oh my! Well, that pretty much backs up my experiences of touring both of these schools (Raumati South in particular). With regard to Raumati South, something just held me back when they handed me the enrollment papers. I just had a 'feeling' that I shouldn't. Now I know why! Thank you for helping me in my decision to home school while we remain in NZ. Because we cannot get what we need for our son here, we will be going to live permanently in the U.S. in May of 2009 (when our rent is up here). I don't regret coming here... this is an amazing place to spend a year, etc. If only the knowledge and support of autism here were better!!! Many many thanks for sharing your experience with me.


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## matt carlin

*Bay of Plenty*



joanne said:


> Hi, Thanks for getting back to me. It was good to hear from you. We were thinking on going on a residency permit. My husband is a joiner, although he is not Qualified(dont know if this makes any difference) he has been doing the job for 20 years. We were going to rent for that duration then look at property to buy. we will make some profit from the sale of our house so will put that towards a house.We were looking at the bay of plenty, thought that looked quite nice. think its just an hour or so down from you. have you heard anything about it? Do you need to be in the country a certain amount of time before you can get a mortgage? Are house prices reasonable? weve had a look on the net(trade me)but it would be good to hear from you as you're there! Did you ship anything over(house stuff,car) or is it cheap enough to start again? can you give me the names of shops like comet etc to see if i can check prices on the net? Hope to hear from you soon. Joanne. x


I f your husband is not qualified he'd be better going to the south island (it's better there) we spent our first year in the westcoast TRADESMEN are like rocking horse S$%^.but there few and far between everywhere. Be careful when dealing with estate agent's the minute they hear your Brits the price go up, my advise to you is take $20,000 of the asking price.
Bring EVERYTHING you can here, we where told not to bother bringing our stuff but it's cost us about $40,000 to replace the things we had in the uk, (you can always get rid of it here.
Wages are very poor in relation to costs of house's and other stuff try NOT to convert back to POUNDS or you'll find youself skint very soon, ( if your earning $$$$ you need to be thinkling in $$$$$$) We live in the Kapiti coast 40 mins from Wellington 4bed house Brick and tile $400,000+depending on area.
Hope this helps matt
Shops like comet
Harvey norman ,Noal leeming,the warehouse( only buy from here if you intend to throw it away sooooooooon CRAP) 
Ps If you do come stay for at least 2yrs before you decide ( i wanted to go home after the first month and up to about a year later but here i am 2and a half years on 
Good luck
Matt


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## Soonout

vanboy said:


> Hi,as the title mentions we're thinking about NZ.We're both in out early/mid 40's and have 3 children aged 3,10 and 12 and really want out of Britain.I know several people that have made the move to NZ in the last year or so and general consensus of opinion is that NZ is great with opportunity to make a good life (obviously with hard work!),any opinions please from experienced ex-pats.Cheers,Mick.


Hello Mick, I moved here from the UK over 2 years ago and live in Auckland. Between me and the wife we earn about 120,000 a year and god we need it. I have read most of the replies to your posting and I guess everyone has a different opinion but I'll give you mine anyway.
Firstly, if you own your own home in the UK please do not sell up and come here. Rent it out if you can but do not make the mistake we made. The truth is we are returning asap and our biggest error was selling our home over there. The houses here are damp, cold and inferior to what you may have over there. You will get sucked in by estate agents trying to sell you something which may look pretty and cute but wait till you actually have to live in it.
Fuel prices in the UK are incredibly high but the electricity here is astronomical, Me and the wife work full time and we are on our own and our bill is approx 160- 200 dollars a month, work it out for yourself.
There is little or no consumer rights here, if you buy a TV and it breaks, under warranty, expect to wait 6 weeks without one while they TRY and fix it. No trading standards here mate.
Don't even consider trying to find a TRADESMAN who will do a good job when you need some work done, I ain't found one yet.
If you do buy a house and want to make some alterations you will be asking the lovely councils here if it is okay, at a price, and then pay them to come and check it's good enough.
Be prepared to be blamed for everything wrong in NZ, you are British after all. No point arguing, just ignore it safe in the knowledge that envy is everywhere.
I may sound negative, I guess I am, but my god I know how you feel trying to get out of that place but what does it tell you that I'm so desperate to get back.
I wish you well, have a long holiday here first, it's the only advice I can give apart from the obvious, don't do it, try OZ instead.
Good luck


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## YoungsSpecialLondon

I moved here seven years ago and now live in Hamilton. My experience of living in NZ has been generally positive, and I now have two children born here. Just to pick up on preceding comments:-

Houses: 
- Auckland is very expensive comparative to the rest of the country; Wellington is also pricey. Prices generally have dropped, but disproportionately at the top end. Houses that were selling for about 300K last year still seem to be selling for that amount.

- Houses generally are quite cold, and damp can be a problem

- Don't buy anything built after 1990. The Building Act was rewritten that year and standards were relaxed. The result has been a spate of jerry-built houses, many of which leak like sieves. Older houses are better.

- Beware when buying. House sales tend to go through fast - and buyers often cut corners by not requiring a building inspection or land information. You will be encouraged to do the same. Don't be tempted.

- On the upside, land is cheaper. It's easy to find a house with a big garden, especially if one avoids Auckland.

Consumer rights and tradesmen:-
- Disagree with Soonout re trading standards: the law is substantially no different from the UK in my experience, and the Consumer Guarantees Act gives very substantial rights. 
- Agree with Soonout in that tradesmen are often not great: they can cut corners.

Cost of living:- 
- Power: in Auckland I paid between $80 and $120 per month, and that's for a family or four. We didn't use much heating, and that can push it up because of the lack of insulation in the houses.
- Food: much better quality than in Britain: in Auckland I could buy rump steak from Westmere Butchery (run by an North Londoner) for $8 per kilo, magnificent quality, same with fruit and veg, and especially fish, however, Food prices have rocketed in the last two years.
- Rent: I paid $320 per week for a 3-bedroom house with a big garden in inner west Auckland. Not a great street, but not awful either.

Economics
- NZ was, I believe, in recession before Britain. The economy is actually worse here, but people tend to be quite relaxed about it. This is the country whose government out-Thatchered Thatcher in the 1980s; people don't get too worked up about it. 
- The currency tends to bounce around a bit. Pick your moment to exchange. Find a decent forex trader. I use HiFX.
- Government benefits are pretty low, so don't lose your job, and make sure you have savings.
- Banks' customer service is very good, and they ofter very good rates on deposit. There's less choice regarding other investment packages (e.g. unit trusts and so on) and they tend not to produce such good rates. 


Household goods, utensils etc
- bring them if you can. The quality in the shops here is worse than in Britain and prices are higher. 
- The quality of men's clothing here is pants and prices are horrible. Women will be fine though.

Driving
- is awful, lots of tailgating and a big boy-racer culture. The road accident rate is higher than France.
- Insurance is not compulsory, so expect a long wait in the small claims court if you don't have fully comp insurance.
- Cars were cheaper than the UK when I bought mine, but that was seven years ago.

Crime
- Burglary is a problem; so are drugs-related offences, but I think violent crime is considerably lower.

Auckland generally
- Every part of town has its good streets and bad streets, but in general avoid South Auckland and treat West Auckland with caution. North Shore is nice, and east and central Auckland quite flash. 
- I have had big problems with neighbours. Kiwis are more likely than Brits to have late outdoor parties with music turned up to the max. I have had two lots of neighbours who frequently partied late, drinking and fighting; getting them kicked out was a major pest. 
- Auckland is the best place for a decent curry.
- Auckland has the best British pubs (and Galbraiths makes particularly good bitter)

New Zealanders
- They're generally a very friendly bunch but no better or worse disposed towards people than British people are. So if you're confused because the New Zealander you've known for a week seems to be treating you like a lifelong friend - don't be, because you aren't a lifelong friend. It's just the etiquette.
- They tend to be uninterested in world news, or anything intellectual. 
- They are very conformist: group dynamics are very important in NZ.
- I've experienced no prejudice. I will say that NZers are very sensitive to criticism of NZ and genuinely appreciate praise of it. Be polite! British people are not really considered foreign: my wife (who is not British or NZ) has had much greater problems, but NZers HATE complaining.


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## YoungsSpecialLondon

Would like to add that when I was contemplating moving here the Government was doing quite a hard sell on the country. Beware. It is easy to be led to believe that your skills will be in demand, when in fact there is a surplus. Getting the first job can also be hard as lots of employment is made on personal recommendation. Unless you are VERY confident (or foolhardy, or have no responsibilities) line up a job first.


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## joanne

hey Matt thanks for that. we did look into the south island too. Property seems a bit cheaper there. What about DIY shops? What are those like? (hubby wants to know) 
Cheers. Joanne


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## matt carlin

joanne said:


> hey Matt thanks for that. we did look into the south island too. Property seems a bit cheaper there. What about DIY shops? What are those like? (hubby wants to know)
> Cheers. Joanne


Hi Joanne
DIYshops not to bad have a look at 
Mitre 10 .co.nz
Placemakeres.co.nz
Hammer hardware.co.nz
Be warned paint cost a fortune, tools are about the same but seem to be cheaper for Dewalt, Makita, and the better brands. When comparing try to remmember you'll be earning $$$$$$$$ and not Pounds.
If you end up in the north try and stay away from the bigger city's, outlying areas are usually cheaper to buy house's in and you'll get more land for your money.
Estate agent's 
Harcourts.co.nz Tommy's realestate.co.nz winkelrealestate.co.nz
When you look on the web at houses look at the square meterage of the land and house.hope this helps Matt


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## digitalepiphany

I live in Dallas, Texas, USA and am currently attending law school and have been considering moving to NZ after graduation. I have a few questions:

Does anyone know if I'd be able to practice law in NZ without going back to school? If so, would I have to earn another degree, or just take some sort of certification course?

Violent crime and burglary, I'm assuming, is more common where I'm from than it is in UK or NZ. With that being said, what are the laws regarding guns in NZ? I own a few. Will I be able to bring them with me?

What are the laws regarding importation of vehicles? I'm pretty sure Kiwis drive on the "wrong" side of the road as do Brits. Would importing a LH drive vehicle be a problem?

I'm more interested in an area that's conducive to hiking, camping, skiing, etc. I'm leaning more towards the Christchurch or Dunedin areas. Basically, I need an area conducive to the aforementioned interests as well as being able to find a job practicing law.

Any info you guys can provide would be greatly appreciated.

By the way, energy prices in Texas are insane. My average bill in the summer is well over $200USD in a 2BR apartment.

Also, what are the going rates for apartments?


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## timleelucas

*Hi Joanne*



joanne said:


> Hi, Thanks for getting back to me. It was good to hear from you. We were thinking on going on a residency permit. My husband is a joiner, although he is not Qualified(dont know if this makes any difference) he has been doing the job for 20 years. We were going to rent for that duration then look at property to buy. we will make some profit from the sale of our house so will put that towards a house.We were looking at the bay of plenty, thought that looked quite nice. think its just an hour or so down from you. have you heard anything about it? Do you need to be in the country a certain amount of time before you can get a mortgage? Are house prices reasonable? weve had a look on the net(trade me)but it would be good to hear from you as you're there! Did you ship anything over(house stuff,car) or is it cheap enough to start again? can you give me the names of shops like comet etc to see if i can check prices on the net? Hope to hear from you soon. Joanne. x


Hi Joanne, I am new to this website so not sure when you posted this. I am a NZer and wanting to move back to NZ with my english husband and son. My husband is also a carpenter/joiner in uk, but in nz a carpenter is a builder (building houses out of wood) and a joiner is like the 2nd fit I think. One website suggested joiners do cabinet making in nz. I had a look at the pay, and looks like $45 an hour for a joiner/cabinet maker. Has your husband looked into work and if so what is he looking at and what is the pay like. I am nervous moving home as have been here 11 yrs. I really want to go because the lifestyle is amazing but I also want to be able to afford a decent life. We will be going to Whangaparaoa which is around auckland, on the beach. regards Leanne


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## Scoojez

Hi Leanne, my husband has been a cabinetmaker for 18 years though he works in management for the past 10 years. We are looking at returning to NZ, to the South Island as that's where we're from. I'm interested in the website you mentioned. I've been checking Seek and Trademe for cabinetmaking/joinery positions but not much is advertised...and usually at a much lower rate than what he's paid here in Aussie. Can you share the website you refer to? Cheers


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## timleelucas

sorry, just saw this post, so not even sure you going to get this. I can't remember the website I looked at but I am going to be doing some more research as we are arriving in Jan 2014 so if you are interested let me know and I can send you whatever I find. Or have you moved to NZ already. cheers


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## toadsurfer

digitalepiphany said:


> I live in Dallas, Texas, USA and am currently attending law school and have been considering moving to NZ after graduation. I have a few questions:
> 
> Does anyone know if I'd be able to practice law in NZ without going back to school? If so, would I have to earn another degree, or just take some sort of certification course?


I was a UK qualified lawyer when I moved here. I got a job working as a foreign qualified lawyer but I work in a specialised area so was lucky. I was still required to requalify which at the minimum requires you to study for and pass exams in six of the main areas of law. It's hard work. As a recent law grad from overseas it's very unlikely you will find work in law without being re qualified here unless you have niche expertise in corporate or commercial law. Google the new Zealand law and practice exams (nzlpe) to see what you have to do. You also have to have your overseas qualifications assessed first to confirm you can even sit the nzlpe. Often they require you to go back to university and study proper uni law courses instead of the nzlpe. It's a difficult and drawn out process designed to discourage foreign lawyers in my view.


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