# Moving to New Zealand Questions



## kstaley (Dec 30, 2015)

My husband and I are seriously thinking of taking the plunge to move to New Zealand for a couple of years but we have a lot of questions. Sometimes it's difficult to find the answers via books and internet. Here goes:

I am a certified teacher and my husband is a structural engineer/volunteer firefighter. How are our job prospects? I checked on the NZ immigration website and know teachers and engineers are welcomed, but I'd like some first hand info. We'll be renting out our house in Colorado and will get some money from that, but we still need jobs to eat and pay rent. We're very simple and don't need or want a lavish lifestyle. Comfort is good with us.

We have a dog that we would want to bring with us. How easy is that? Do rentals welcome pets?

We would like to move to a place that is quiet, friendly, on the smaller side but amenities close by, gets a good amount of warmth and sun, is near mountains and trails, and has minimal rainfall. We're not adverse to cold temps but we're tired of freezing in Colorado. We would like to stay away from the big city.

How are rentals?

Are there a lot of Christian churches in New Zealand? Finding a church is important to us.

Thank you so very much!


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

kstaley said:


> My husband and I are seriously thinking of taking the plunge to move to New Zealand for a couple of years but we have a lot of questions. Sometimes it's difficult to find the answers via books and internet. Here goes:
> 
> I am a certified teacher and my husband is a structural engineer/volunteer firefighter. How are our job prospects? I checked on the NZ immigration website and know teachers and engineers are welcomed, but I'd like some first hand info. We'll be renting out our house in Colorado and will get some money from that, but we still need jobs to eat and pay rent. We're very simple and don't need or want a lavish lifestyle. Comfort is good with us.
> 
> ...


Hi and welcome to the forum,

I'm no expert, but reading between the lines your husband will probably find it easier to get a job here. Structural engineers are very much sought after and the occupation is on the Long Term Skill Shortage List. It's kind of a specialised field so he has the possibility of getting a job here whilst still overseas.
As for teachers it's a different ball game I'm led to believe. Although classed as a skilled occupation there is no shortage as such so to find a job you'll most likely have to be here actively trying by approaching schools or wherever you want to teach and providing CV's and a covering letter regardless if there's a job advertised. It may be a little more difficult for you. I've heard a number of teachers state it's who you know, not what you know here ?
The volunteer firefighter thing will probably be more than welcomed anywhere you are likely to be living.
If it's only a couple of years you are considering you may just want to look at temporary work visa's like for example the Essential Skills visa or the Work To Residence Visa, however one of you will need a job offer in order to uplift one of these visa's as they are conditional on the job and responsibilities, the employer and the salary. The partner should then be able to uplift a temporary work visa for the same duration via the Family stream - partnership category assuming you can prove a loving and stable relationship under the same roof for at least 12 months.
If you are thinking maybe you'll stay here then you could just go for the Resident Visa via the skilled migrant route. Check out the pages on www.immigration.gov.nz and have a go at the points indicator. You'll need a combined minimum 140 points if you want to apply without a job offer as this level guarantees the EOI will be selected. Doing it this way may take at least 1 year though. If you go the same route with a job offer it may take 5 - 9 months.
The temporary visa's are usually through within a month if you go the temporary route with a job offer.

Shipping a dog over is very doable. There are a few companies that do it but it isn't cheap. Maybe use the search facility as there have been some recent posts about this subject, however I'm sure there'll be others along to tell you their story.

Rentals wise you will be limiting yourself more with a pet in tow, but since you want to be living more rural instead of in suburbia these types of properties will more than likely expect a tenant to have pets ? There certainly are properties out there that do allow pets.

Ok so on the temperature front you gotta decide exactly what you don't want ?
If cold is definitely out for you then that rules out the majority of the South Island bar Blenheim and Nelson. Christchurch and down to Southland gets really cold in Winter with lots of snow.
Yes Christchurch is beautiful in Spring to Autumn with very hot temperatures in summer well in to the 30's, but it can be bitterly cold in winter and there is usually a high temperature gradient between the temperature in darkness to when the sun comes up throughout the year.
Ironic as Christchurch is possibly the best place for employment for hubby in his occupation as the whole city is on rebuild after the 2011 earthquakes.
Other than this the lower North Island will possibly be too cold for you in Winter with temps often falling below freezing, so you'd need to be looking at Hawkes Bay (Napier/Hastings/Havelock North) as this is the sunniest and driest place in the country. The Waikato may not be good for you as it gets cold frosts often since it is so flat. The Bay Of Plenty where I live is an option which has a similar climate to Hawkes Bay and then Auckland which is similar but wetter...I think. 
Don't get me wrong though, you'll still suffer a few cold days during Winter in all thses places but it isn't very often the temperature in these places drops much below 2 degrees in winter - the average will be around +8 degrees ish and in the 3 months of winter you'll be able to count the cold mornings on one hand. The only issue out of these is on the job front for hubby.

There are quite a few Christian churches dotted around so don't think you need to worry about that. The further out you are from a city of community the further you'll have to travel to a church but I'd say you'd be fine no matter where you go. I drive through a number of small villages on my travels and they all seem to have a church even if it's just a small chapel.

Good luck whatever you decide.


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## lyndle (Jan 10, 2016)

Re weather - there are few places in NZ that get as cold as Colorado. Christchurch has snow only 2-3 times per winter. Days can be chilly but seldom below freezing all day. Nelson is very popular for the weather but jobs and housing are harder to come by. In terms of rain, the east coast is drier than the west. 
Teaching jobs can take a while to get. Teachers can be in demand in Auckland, especially in the lower socio-economic areas, but while warm it has quite a wet climate and is a reasonably large and traffic-bound city. I certainly wouldn't write the South Island and the lower North Island off due to weather. Best bet I would say is to look for jobs then do your research on the place and see if you can imagine living there. You might find somewhere that you love even if it doesn't tick every single box.
Quarantine requirements are strict and can be costly due to the quarantine period.
Churches are pretty much everywhere, depending on what type you're after. In most places you will have a choice of major denominations (Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian or Methodist, Baptist, perhaps Assemblies of God) plus some newer or non-denominational churches.


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## Karine S (Jan 17, 2016)

Dear Kstaley,

We are also planning to move to NZ this year. We will look for a house in Nelson because 
of the climate and the small city atmosphere which we like. We have been there 5 times already and are sure about our choice! But we are retired and if you need a job this is apparently not the best place to live. This post will be not very helpfull for you but because I am new on this site, I first need 5 posts before I can ask some questions myself! Good luck with your move!


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## Aus_NZ_Expat (Jan 9, 2016)

kstaley said:


> My husband and I are seriously thinking of taking the plunge to move to New Zealand for a couple of years but we have a lot of questions. Sometimes it's difficult to find the answers via books and internet. Here goes:
> 
> I am a certified teacher and my husband is a structural engineer/volunteer firefighter. How are our job prospects? I checked on the NZ immigration website and know teachers and engineers are welcomed, but I'd like some first hand info. We'll be renting out our house in Colorado and will get some money from that, but we still need jobs to eat and pay rent. We're very simple and don't need or want a lavish lifestyle. Comfort is good with us.
> 
> ...


if you look at the EOI statistics for the skilled migrant visa program for New Zealand, it clearly indicates that it's hard for your EOI to get picked up with only 100 points. Since the last few years only candidates with a job offer or those with 140 points or more have been picked from the pool. 

However, 140 points can be achieved through combining points of the couple as you both are qualified. The person with maximum points applies as the primary applicant and the partner supplements the extra points needed. This is subject to various criteria such as age, years of experience, qualifications etc. 


Usually there's an invitation round every two weeks, and if you are invited you submit the visa application which can take 8 months to process. Once you have lived in NZ for two years, you can apply for a permanent residency visa.


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