# Tauranga....



## megany

Hi everyone 

Im new here and decided to join after peeking around for a bit  everyone seems quite helpful here and i hope i can benefit too from all of your experiences and advice! Ive already picked up some sensible and useful tips!

Abit of a shock to the system when i seen the 'negative' posts but we want to go in with a 'can do' attitude! ive never been to NZ myself, only Australia and the experience was great, however my boyfriend has been to NZ for a month, traveling to both the North and South islands and he enjoyed it very much.

So...we are both in our late 20s (no kids yet!) thinking of moving to Auckland (jobs, nightlife, access) but Im really liking the idea of settling in Tauranga, in bay of plenty...does anyone know what it is like jobwise here? 

We are obviously after warm weather where the sun to rain ratio is comfortably higher, good housing (as we are looking to buy eventually).

We really want to make something of our lives here and i personally want to work to live, as opposed to live to work. I wonder if anyone feels the same here?

dont get me wrong, we currently live in kent and we love it here but we want, not sure what to say..a change?

Ah...before i forget, i wanted to know if you guys could help with this niggling question - if we are granted residence, and we come over, do we have to get a job in our field of experience (e.g. health) straight away or can we get temporary jobs in a pub/bar or something until we find a suitable role that we have experience/qualifications in? Job market looks tough...

Your help is appreciated!!


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## topcat83

megany said:


> Hi everyone
> 
> Im new here and decided to join after peeking around for a bit  everyone seems quite helpful here and i hope i can benefit too from all of your experiences and advice! Ive already picked up some sensible and useful tips!
> 
> Abit of a shock to the system when i seen the 'negative' posts but we want to go in with a 'can do' attitude! ive never been to NZ myself, only Australia and the experience was great, however my boyfriend has been to NZ for a month, traveling to both the North and South islands and he enjoyed it very much.
> 
> So...we are both in our late 20s (no kids yet!) thinking of moving to Auckland (jobs, nightlife, access) but Im really liking the idea of settling in Tauranga, in bay of plenty...does anyone know what it is like jobwise here?
> 
> We are obviously after warm weather where the sun to rain ratio is comfortably higher, good housing (as we are looking to buy eventually).
> 
> We really want to make something of our lives here and i personally want to work to live, as opposed to live to work. I wonder if anyone feels the same here?
> 
> dont get me wrong, we currently live in kent and we love it here but we want, not sure what to say..a change?
> 
> Ah...before i forget, i wanted to know if you guys could help with this niggling question - if we are granted residence, and we come over, do we have to get a job in our field of experience (e.g. health) straight away or can we get temporary jobs in a pub/bar or something until we find a suitable role that we have experience/qualifications in? Job market looks tough...
> 
> Your help is appreciated!!


Hi Megany - and :welcome:

There will be others more suitable to answer questions on Tauranga (hi Jen!) but I can answer your last question. If your permanent residence visa is not reliant on points for a job you have been offered, then you can come over and do what you want! We didn't work at all for 3 months while we settled in and bought houses. When travelling we came across a couple of nuclear scientists who'd opened a lodge in deepest Coromandel and had no intention of working in the field they were qualified in (probably just as well, as NZ is nuclear free!)

Oh - and as you might have realised, not all of us are so negative


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## megany

Hi Topcat!

Thanks so much, i cant tell you how relieved i am to hear this! i currently work in communications but i dont mind working in a bar or something til i find the right job  thank you for answering!

Yes, ive looked at some posts and recently come across jen's post who sings the praises of tauranga - so looking good! 
At first, we may rent in wellington as my boyfriends aunt lives there, so we hope to familiarise ourselves with our new home (fingers crossed our application is accepted)...

Thanks again for ur help


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## jenswaters

megany said:


> Hi Topcat!
> 
> Thanks so much, i cant tell you how relieved i am to hear this! i currently work in communications but i dont mind working in a bar or something til i find the right job  thank you for answering!
> 
> Yes, ive looked at some posts and recently come across jen's post who sings the praises of tauranga - so looking good!
> At first, we may rent in wellington as my boyfriends aunt lives there, so we hope to familiarise ourselves with our new home (fingers crossed our application is accepted)...
> 
> Thanks again for ur help


Hey 

Jen here. As Topcat says, I can probably help you out a bit!!!

I LOVE Tauranga. To be fair, I haven't lived anywhere else, so have nothing to compare it to. We chose Tauranga for the more temperate climate (we are HUGE sunshine people who need to be near a beach/the water) and for the work opportunities. We were granted permanent residency and came out with no work set up. I ended up starting work as a relief teacher a week after we got here, and my partner secured a permanent job (in his specialist field) 3 months after getting here. In the interim period he did all sorts of odd jobs to make ends meet. So, no, you don't need to get work in your qualified field. My friend overseas is going through the process at the moment, and is getting in through her nurses qualification..she HATES nursing!!!! She actually intends to re-train as an ECE teacher once here!!

Tauranga is one of the fastest growing "cities" (forget your usual definition of city...Tauranga certainly isn't it)! This means that house prices and the cost of living is going up, and in some areas is comparable with Auckland prices. But it is possible to live a cheaper lifestyle. People work as a means to live their lives, NOT as the be-all and end-all. Family is the most important value out here, and people at work are VERY sympathetic to that issue (well, they have been for both of our experiences). It is more laid-back than the UK, and non-work time is filled with activity around friends, neighbours, exercise (walking around or up the Mount is a favourite with most people), beach time, surfing..... the list goes on and on!!! It is a great outdoor lifestyle here, as everywhere is surrounded by water and beaches. 

Weather - I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!! Apparently, we have had a great winter here, so maybe it gets a bit worse, but let me explain something. In Tauranga, you either have bright blue skies and sunshine, OR you have grey skies with rain. NOT the UK thing of grey and overcast, but no rain or anything. If it is grey here, it is raining!! And you just don't mind. The temperatures can get low at night (I actually scraped frost off my car this morning...I was gobsmacked!!!), but can raise up to 17oC during the day...sucha variance!! And this is winter!!! :eyebrows:

What is your line of work?? If you can get here, it is easier to settle and start where you think you want to be, as it is hard to relocate again (for me, anyway).

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask more Tauranga questions!!!

Jen


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## megany

jenswaters said:


> Hey
> 
> Jen here. As Topcat says, I can probably help you out a bit!!!
> 
> I LOVE Tauranga. To be fair, I haven't lived anywhere else, so have nothing to compare it to. We chose Tauranga for the more temperate climate (we are HUGE sunshine people who need to be near a beach/the water) and for the work opportunities. We were granted permanent residency and came out with no work set up. I ended up starting work as a relief teacher a week after we got here, and my partner secured a permanent job (in his specialist field) 3 months after getting here. In the interim period he did all sorts of odd jobs to make ends meet. So, no, you don't need to get work in your qualified field. My friend overseas is going through the process at the moment, and is getting in through her nurses qualification..she HATES nursing!!!! She actually intends to re-train as an ECE teacher once here!!
> 
> Tauranga is one of the fastest growing "cities" (forget your usual definition of city...Tauranga certainly isn't it)! This means that house prices and the cost of living is going up, and in some areas is comparable with Auckland prices. But it is possible to live a cheaper lifestyle. People work as a means to live their lives, NOT as the be-all and end-all. Family is the most important value out here, and people at work are VERY sympathetic to that issue (well, they have been for both of our experiences). It is more laid-back than the UK, and non-work time is filled with activity around friends, neighbours, exercise (walking around or up the Mount is a favourite with most people), beach time, surfing..... the list goes on and on!!! It is a great outdoor lifestyle here, as everywhere is surrounded by water and beaches.
> 
> Weather - I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!! Apparently, we have had a great winter here, so maybe it gets a bit worse, but let me explain something. In Tauranga, you either have bright blue skies and sunshine, OR you have grey skies with rain. NOT the UK thing of grey and overcast, but no rain or anything. If it is grey here, it is raining!! And you just don't mind. The temperatures can get low at night (I actually scraped frost off my car this morning...I was gobsmacked!!!), but can raise up to 17oC during the day...sucha variance!! And this is winter!!! :eyebrows:
> 
> What is your line of work?? If you can get here, it is easier to settle and start where you think you want to be, as it is hard to relocate again (for me, anyway).
> 
> Hope this helps. Feel free to ask more Tauranga questions!!!
> 
> Jen



Hi Jen 

Thanks so much for this! Sounds like just what we are after - we like sun and beaches too, and the scenery is just amazing. My boyfriend works in mental health and I work in technical support and we are looking at launching our application in september once we have gathered all the info. 

Compared to Auckland, Tauranga seems much more relaxed - we thought about Wellington as its very cosmopolitan, but i hear it can be very windy etc. 

Whats the rental situation like in Tauranga? Could we pay for a property in advance for a few weeks ready for when we arrive?


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## spiderpig

*tauranga*

Hi Megany, 
did you guys ever make it over to tauranga?




megany said:


> Hi everyone
> 
> Im new here and decided to join after peeking around for a bit  everyone seems quite helpful here and i hope i can benefit too from all of your experiences and advice! Ive already picked up some sensible and useful tips!
> 
> Abit of a shock to the system when i seen the 'negative' posts but we want to go in with a 'can do' attitude! ive never been to NZ myself, only Australia and the experience was great, however my boyfriend has been to NZ for a month, traveling to both the North and South islands and he enjoyed it very much.
> 
> So...we are both in our late 20s (no kids yet!) thinking of moving to Auckland (jobs, nightlife, access) but Im really liking the idea of settling in Tauranga, in bay of plenty...does anyone know what it is like jobwise here?
> 
> We are obviously after warm weather where the sun to rain ratio is comfortably higher, good housing (as we are looking to buy eventually).
> 
> We really want to make something of our lives here and i personally want to work to live, as opposed to live to work. I wonder if anyone feels the same here?
> 
> dont get me wrong, we currently live in kent and we love it here but we want, not sure what to say..a change?
> 
> Ah...before i forget, i wanted to know if you guys could help with this niggling question - if we are granted residence, and we come over, do we have to get a job in our field of experience (e.g. health) straight away or can we get temporary jobs in a pub/bar or something until we find a suitable role that we have experience/qualifications in? Job market looks tough...
> 
> Your help is appreciated!!


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