# Any South Africans recently immigrated to NZ ?



## MrsRod

HI,

My husband and I are thinking of immigrating to NZ (Ashburton area). I would love to get in contact with any South African that has made the big move and hear how you have adjusted to living in a new country, costs, advice etc.


----------



## Canada2Australia

I'm confused by your status. You say you are from South Africa, your expat location says you are in Canada (where?) but then your location says you are in South Africa. Where exactly are you living now???


----------



## MrsRod

Canada2Austrailia.....totally get your confusion. We are currently still in South Africa and looking at both Canada and New Zealand. At the time of registering Canada was our only choice but now we are looking at the pros and cons of both . Both countries seem to be ideal choices and I know a lot of South Africans chose to go to New Zealand / Australia hence my post. Reading up on things like winter temps, electricity bills etc has lead to my question / thread. Was wondering if the transition had some bumps in the road that I should be aware of as after all this is a huge step for us.


----------



## Canada2Australia

Ah got it. I had that same issue at first myself. But you can change your Canadian flag to a SA one if you'd like  

I work with a South African originally from the Johannesburg region, now living in Halifax with her husband and family. She came to Winnipeg for a meeting and told me about life in SA. I was surprised by how much violence and hostility still exist in the country these days. She basically said that if you are white and don't have any locals to tour with you while in the country, to not go to SA as it is too dangerous. Which is too bad because I was hoping to travel there one day.


----------



## MrsRod

Yeah....things are getting a bit scary in SA but we still have some great spots to see as a tourist which is as safe as I guess any place is - besides petty theft etc.. I would stay away from the cities and concentrate on the smaller places like the Garden Route, Eastern Cape and Midlands Meander, KwaZulu Natal. Our biggest concern is the future of the country and where we want to be going into retirement age (luckily a few decades away)  and with the South Africa Rand getting weaker and weaker we know we need to make our choice ASAP so at least we have something to start our new lives with. One thing that scares me about Canada is reading how cold it gets there. In South Africa snow is something we chase after to see....not an everyday occurance. Don't know how I would deal with weeks/months of seemily very cold weather !


----------



## Canada2Australia

Well, we are a northern country, and winter is a factor everywhere. The lower mainland and Vancouver Island are really the only places that recieve little snow in winter, and are by far the warmest. Northern Canada is the coldest area of the country but also the least populated, and the Prairies, Northern Ontario and Northern Quebec are the coldest populated areas in winter. Summers in Canada are gorgeous which help make up for cold winters. Despite the cold, immigrants from all over the world still flock to Canada, and most even enjoy the winters; especially those from warmer climates since many of them have never seen snow before. They enjoy the change. All you have to do is dress for the conditions. If it's cold, dress in layers. Just like in summer, you dress for the warmth; tshirts and shorts. I would not dismiss an entire country just because of the weather. Do a bit of research, see which areas have a climate that would suit you, and go from there.


----------



## SAtoNZ79

MrsRod said:


> HI,
> 
> My husband and I are thinking of immigrating to NZ (Ashburton area). I would love to get in contact with any South African that has made the big move and hear how you have adjusted to living in a new country, costs, advice etc.


Hi there. I've been here about 2.5 years and don't regret the move. About 1.5 years into residency. Earning wise I do a lot better than in SA (I'm in the medical field) although this is offset somewhat by the higher cost of living. The latter applies particularly to renting accommodation although Ashb should be reasonable, maybe $400 a week for a 2 bed house. Most things are significantly more expensive here such as eating out (dinner for 2 with drinks perhaps $100). Settling in was not that hard for me, the culture is very English in Christchurch, people are not nosey and generally quite PC. Work environment very professional and collegial. Very impressed with the kiwi work ethic, people tend to pull finger and get the job done. A little bit harder to meet people but this is largely a function of how outgoing you are. Ashb is a medium sized town, there are a lot of farmer types living there. I have driven through a few times and seems nice enough a bit dull though (my opinion). 

Weather wise I'd say +/- 5 deg C cooler year round than Cape Town. ChCh drier than rest of the country. Winters are miserable but the upside is you're not that far from some awesome ski fields! eg Mount Hutt is pretty close.

Feel free to get in touch if you have more specific questions.


----------



## SANZ2016

MrsRod said:


> HI,
> 
> My husband and I are thinking of immigrating to NZ (Ashburton area). I would love to get in contact with any South African that has made the big move and hear how you have adjusted to living in a new country, costs, advice etc.


Hi MrsRod

My wife and I are in Durban and have just started the process. How far along are you?


----------



## Joel Mark

Good day Mrs Rod,

My wife and I are also considering moving to New Zealand. We are from Cape Town, South Africa.

How is your process going and is it an easy one? I know if it was easy then everybody would have done it. 

Can you suggest any tips we could persue please.

Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Regards
Joel


----------



## StoffelNZ

Go for it. My parents made the decision to move our family to NZ from Johannesburg back in 1999. Best decision ever. Not the easiest to up sticks and move to a foreign country but give it a few years and you'll really enjoy it. NZ has a lot to offer.


----------



## Snap

SAtoNZ79 said:


> Hi there. I've been here about 2.5 years and don't regret the move. About 1.5 years into residency. Earning wise I do a lot better than in SA (I'm in the medical field) although this is offset somewhat by the higher cost of living.
> Feel free to get in touch if you have more specific questions.


Hi SAtoNZ79, we are thinking about moving over to NZ and we are busy doing all the homework surrounding this. I saw in your post you are in the medical field and we would like to ask you some questions. My wife is also medical and I am a Engineer. 

I cant send any PM's until I have 5 posts. Any other way I can make contact?


----------

