# Possibly migrating to Christchurch but currently having a "wobble"



## clanadam

Hi folks,

I've been reading through the many threads on this (and other) forums and as can often happen with internet research I'm picking up more negativity than positive aspects about moving which is causing a bit of a wobble in terms of thoughts of migrating!

My situation is this:

Married with 2 kids
Age: Me 44, Her 46
Qualifications: Both with BSc Degrees from a Scottish university
Employment: Me - IT Project Manager with 20 yrs experience in IT (last 7 within a large American Bank), Her: Clinical Scientist in Human Fertility field
Kids: 1 Boy (15) 1 Girl (14)
I don't have a job offer yet though have been told I should pick up a good role "no problem"
She has a Skype chat this week about a possible job in Christchurch

I am being made redundant in a few weeks so will need to find another job either in Scotland or in NZ. My wife's role is rather specialised so the plan would be to get her a job sorted first then I'll look in that region - it's looking like this would need to be Christchurch.

We have a house to sell in the UK which should give around £140K after selling and also my father's house to sell (he passed away in Nov) which should generate another £100K so we would have some money to invest in property so I have been looking at properties around the $600K (NZD) mark to see what we could get.

Rolliston looks to have some nice houses for sale but not ideal for the last 2/3 yrs school for the kids as it doesn't have a High School.

These are my initial concerns at the moment:

I'm reading a lot about how bad some of the houses are for heating/insulation in winter. Is this also a problem for these "newer" builds around $600K?
Will I be able to get a good salary for a job for myself? (I know no-one here can answer that - I need to look in detail once I know about my wife's job!)
Will the cost of living (I expect an increase compared to UK) mean we end up struggling each fortnight/month?
Will there be enough prospects for the kids - I assume at this stage they'll be going to university and "may" move away but hopefully not "too" far!
There seems to be a fair amount written about crime in NZ - I thought it seemed reasonably safe at first but not so sure after reading some posts
Is there enough to do in ChristChurch for adults and kids (esp as they grow up e.g. nightlife etc). The outdoors life sounds fab but you can't always be out walking/cycling etc!

I know it's difficult to "answer" many of these but would appreciate people's thoughts (positive or negative) which may help sway us one way or another!

Thanks in advance :fingerscrossed:


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## Kimbella

clanadam said:


> Hi folks,
> 
> I've been reading through the many threads on this (and other) forums and as can often happen with internet research I'm picking up more negativity than positive aspects about moving which is causing a bit of a wobble in terms of thoughts of migrating!
> 
> My situation is this:
> 
> Married with 2 kids
> Age: Me 44, Her 46
> Qualifications: Both with BSc Degrees from a Scottish university
> Employment: Me - IT Project Manager with 20 yrs experience in IT (last 7 within a large American Bank), Her: Clinical Scientist in Human Fertility field
> Kids: 1 Boy (15) 1 Girl (14)
> I don't have a job offer yet though have been told I should pick up a good role "no problem"
> She has a Skype chat this week about a possible job in Christchurch
> 
> I am being made redundant in a few weeks so will need to find another job either in Scotland or in NZ. My wife's role is rather specialised so the plan would be to get her a job sorted first then I'll look in that region - it's looking like this would need to be Christchurch.
> 
> We have a house to sell in the UK which should give around £140K after selling and also my father's house to sell (he passed away in Nov) which should generate another £100K so we would have some money to invest in property so I have been looking at properties around the $600K (NZD) mark to see what we could get.
> 
> Rolliston looks to have some nice houses for sale but not ideal for the last 2/3 yrs school for the kids as it doesn't have a High School.
> 
> These are my initial concerns at the moment:
> 
> I'm reading a lot about how bad some of the houses are for heating/insulation in winter. Is this also a problem for these "newer" builds around $600K?
> Will I be able to get a good salary for a job for myself? (I know no-one here can answer that - I need to look in detail once I know about my wife's job!)
> Will the cost of living (I expect an increase compared to UK) mean we end up struggling each fortnight/month?
> Will there be enough prospects for the kids - I assume at this stage they'll be going to university and "may" move away but hopefully not "too" far!
> There seems to be a fair amount written about crime in NZ - I thought it seemed reasonably safe at first but not so sure after reading some posts
> Is there enough to do in ChristChurch for adults and kids (esp as they grow up e.g. nightlife etc). The outdoors life sounds fab but you can't always be out walking/cycling etc!
> 
> I know it's difficult to "answer" many of these but would appreciate people's thoughts (positive or negative) which may help sway us one way or another!
> 
> Thanks in advance :fingerscrossed:


I'm happy to offer some info up, albeit through the lens of American experience. Hopefully there will be something helpful for you in it.

In terms of newer build standards, I think you will find the homes warm, dry, and comfortable; but, of course, do your due diligence and ask about mould and dampness, check for signs of it, and ask to see energy bills for winter, if possible, which will give you an idea of how energy efficient the place might be.

Compared to the cost of living in California, for me, it is about 25% more expensive overall. However, there are far fewer "nickel and dime" taxes and fees taken by the government, so the overall household take-home income is actually MORE than in the US, so in some sense, it winds up balancing out. 

Regarding your children.... this is a tough one. My husband and I (he is Christchurch born and bred), do not feel as though there is much on offer for the future here for our daughter, and are already gearing her up to expand her world outside of Chch for university and beyond. Our reasoning lies in the burden of debt that is being laid at the feet of future generations, in order to pay for the rebuild. It is a fine place to raise a child, (mostly) decent weather (for someone from California), relatively low crime rate (for an American from a large California city), ample outdoors activities, etc. BUT, the average home price is nearly $500k, rates are due to increase almost 30% over the next 3 years, and up to 50% or more in the next ten. At the same time as rates are going up, civic projects are being shuttered or cut-back in order to prioritize rebuild projects, and there is an ongoing fight w/the central government over "big ticket" items the national government wants, and what the local govt board can actually pay for. Additionally, the road infrastructure rebuild is estimated to take 30 YEARS to be completed. 

But, it's not all doom and gloom here if you find yourself a niche to settle into. If you can suss out what industries have longevity, and success here, for sure if you steer your children in the right direction, I'm sure they'll be happy and successful. What I see happening is that the city is moving in a very divided direction, where it is/will continue to be hard going for those who make less than $100k, but if you're in an industry where you make very good money, life can and will be very good here. 
You just need to be able to afford it.

I haven't had any worries about the crime here, it is inevitable anywhere there is more than a few hundred thousand people, and compared to the US, remains very low in terms of violent crime. My biggest grief is with the amount of tagging the city suffers from, which leads to your last question about things to do. Unfortunately, there is NOT a lot of family friendly indoors stuff to do here. It's the one constant source of frustration for me...that when the weather is poor, outside a movie, or going out to eat, there just isn't much going on anywhere. Maybe that will change once more rebuild projects are done ... Now, in terms of pubs and such, there is plenty of that sort of night-life, plenty of pubs, plenty of restaurants. My daughter does Scouts, which provides her with more sporty type indoors activities: shooting range, wall-climbing, indoor scuba diving, etc.

Not sure how helpful this is, but best of luck in your journey!

PS: There are always drawbacks and benefits of moving--anywhere you go. I'd start with asking yourself what your motivation for moving is, and start with examining that!

Cheers


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## clanadam

Thank you for the detailed reply Kimbella - some good info there.

If we are to move it seems like we definitely need to go for as new a house as possible as heat during the winter months is very important to us. If we want cold we can stay where we are in Scotland!!! One of the main reasons to move is to experience a better climate (compared to Scotland) and whilst I'm sure summer would be fine the thought of cold winter *inside *a house isn't that attractive.

From what I've seen there are good options for Universities in Christchurch or Dunedin but of course the kids may end up wanting to move to the North Island or even to Oz. 

Your point about the debt of rebuild being passed to future generations is a good one - I do wonder if prices/taxes would just continue to rise and rise which could then have the opposite effect on house prices etc if fewer people want to move there in future. 30 Years of road infrastructure isn't good - I'm a biker and need good roads for the motorbike(s)!

We will see how the skype call goes and what sort of job my wife may be offered - if it's not high enough that may be enough to end the thought of moving on it's own - however if it is decent it may swing us the other way - decisions decisions!

Thanks for the help.


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## Kimbella

clanadam said:


> Thank you for the detailed reply Kimbella - some good info there.
> 
> If we are to move it seems like we definitely need to go for as new a house as possible as heat during the winter months is very important to us. If we want cold we can stay where we are in Scotland!!! One of the main reasons to move is to experience a better climate (compared to Scotland) and whilst I'm sure summer would be fine the thought of cold winter *inside *a house isn't that attractive.
> 
> From what I've seen there are good options for Universities in Christchurch or Dunedin but of course the kids may end up wanting to move to the North Island or even to Oz.
> 
> Your point about the debt of rebuild being passed to future generations is a good one - I do wonder if prices/taxes would just continue to rise and rise which could then have the opposite effect on house prices etc if fewer people want to move there in future. 30 Years of road infrastructure isn't good - I'm a biker and need good roads for the motorbike(s)!
> 
> We will see how the skype call goes and what sort of job my wife may be offered - if it's not high enough that may be enough to end the thought of moving on it's own - however if it is decent it may swing us the other way - decisions decisions!
> 
> Thanks for the help.


Good luck with the research, and hopefully someone else will log on eventually and offer up more helpful info!

My experience coming from California was that the weather *sucked* by comparison--BUT, I came from a place that had 11 months of sun, warmth, and cloudless skies... so, even moving to another state in the US with dissimilar weather would have elicited the very same reaction (for instance, I love Seattle, Washington, but it rains there, all. the. time. Couldn't live there, nope). 
But, I've now been here over 3 years, and am much better adjusted than I was before, and appreciate the more mild weather. I can honestly say that, other than when doing my exercising, I've probably only spontaneously broke a sweat a handful of times living in Chch... when it gets about 30+c, I can get a glow going. But, generally everyone else is dying of heatstroke, and I'm totally in my element.. haha..my poor kiwi family!

I think if you can find a decent house with some insulation, and a good heat pump, you'll wind up adjusting fine, and even if there is some occasional chilliness, you might wind up finding that some occasional bone chills in winter, are worth the price of having mostly pretty awesome spring, summer, falls... that's how I look at it, anyway.

The issue with the road infrastructure is mostly related (I think) to more peripherally located roads... although, you know how it is with the government... not always super clear or specific when they make pronouncements--vague, contradictory, etc. 

My husband and I expect that we'll be moving out of Chch within the next 10 years, depending on how things unfold with the rebuild, and make-up of the city. It is currently the city with the highest "over 65" population, so it's kind of an odd feeling for me, in my early/mid 40's, because it can feel very "old" and "stilted" in an English kind of way, BUT, the optimist in me thinks about the changes all the new immigrant faces and families will bring, so change and progression will be inevitable. And *that* gets me excited about living here... 

Best of luck however things turn out!


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## inhamilton

clanadam said:


> These are my initial concerns at the moment:
> 
> I'm reading a lot about how bad some of the houses are for heating/insulation in winter. Is this also a problem for these "newer" builds around $600K?





Nope. Any house built since the 80's has had to have insulation by law. I think it was the late 90's that underfloor insulation was also included in the rules. Some immigrants complain about the standard of heating, but I can't comment on that. The temp in Chch will be considerably warmer than Scotland though.



clanadam said:


> [*]Will I be able to get a good salary for a job for myself? (I know no-one here can answer that - I need to look in detail once I know about my wife's job!)
> [*]Will the cost of living (I expect an increase compared to UK) mean we end up struggling each fortnight/month?


Depends on your salary of course. But in my opinion, the cost of living isn't that much different. You can do a test shop yourself online. Just halve the NZ prices to get an equivalent UK price. Groceries : Countdown 



clanadam said:


> [*]Will there be enough prospects for the kids - I assume at this stage they'll be going to university and "may" move away but hopefully not "too" far!


I'd say it depends on what they're interested in doing for a job. The prospects in teaching, nursing, medicine, pharmacy, drain digging ... etc would be roughly the same, but perhaps not aeroplane engineering (or whatever they are called).



clanadam said:


> [*]There seems to be a fair amount written about crime in NZ - I thought it seemed reasonably safe at first but not so sure after reading some posts


Statistically, NZ has a relatively low rate of crime. For example, NZ has roughly 40-50 murders per year (41 in 2014) out of a population of 4.5 million, which compares favourably with other countries. But because little of major importance happens here newswise, it seems worse, because every murder case is covered in minute detail on TV. On the internet, you also see warnings about 'gang culture', but in all honesty, here in Hamilton, I find it difficult to recall the last time I saw a gang member. They're there, of course, but if you decide to come, I don't think you'll even notice. Not sure about Christchurch specifically though. 



clanadam said:


> [*]Is there enough to do in ChristChurch for adults and kids (esp as they grow up e.g. nightlife etc). The outdoors life sounds fab but you can't always be out walking/cycling etc!


Yea, there are nightclubs. They just might not be open all night.

All the best in your decision. If you can, come and have a look for yourself first.


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## Engineer 1

Hi - Good luck with your deliberations

I am from Fife, but living in Asia - I went down to NZ and Christchurch a couple of weeks ago at the invitation of a company looking to employ me.

Have to say I wasn't impressed, dour place and dour people - standard of building is poor and everything is expensive. Also a lot of social issues

Auckland was better in everyway, not just the climate

Saying all that - NZ is a long past the end of the world, its feels really isolated down there, still its a good quality of life it you earn big money

Good luck


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## fourseasons

Hi there, I don't envy your decision, it's very difficult. We moved from the UK to Auckland 3 years ago with 2 young children. Here is my two pennies' worth:

Housing - I live in Auckland, the climate is warmer than ChCh, the housing is shocking. When you read about 'sheds' it's true. Many of houses are like sheds, they are cold and very damp, they are built of wood with no insulation. At my previous rental beneath the wooden floor was nothing - we had mould growing on the walls, damp clothes etc. You would have to have a dehumidifier going 24/7 and heating on to make it liveable. I used to dread going home as it would be colder in my $900 a week rental than outside. Finding a decent rental is virtually impossible and you pay $$$$ anyway. Obviously not sure what ChCh is like but can't imagine it is any better, in-fact given it's colder down there it's probably worse.

Cost of Living - can't believe someone has said it's ok. My estimation is that food on an overall shop is 30% dearer. Again it may be different in Chch but it certainly is in Auckland. To give you an example - sliced bread (not high quality either) normal price is $4.99 a loaf - that's £2.50! I have been here 3 years and still when I go to the supermarket I want to weep - the poor selection, poor quality and ridiculous prices. It is expensive living here and there is so little choice. The quality of goods, especially clothes and shoes is shocking. I find the attitude of retailers depressing.

Education - I have been disappointed with the standard of education here, I know many disagree with this, however in my estimation schools are approximately 1-2 years behind. Please look at the qualifications your children will be working towards. Some schools do Cambridge and IB but many stick to the NCEA. Personally I would have to be in a very difficult situation to move my children at such a crucial age. In my opinion you will be limiting their university options dramatically.

Getting here - we didn't pay anything to get here, it was all covered for us. I am so relieved as I would be spitting feathers if we had paid thousands of £ to get here and then have to pay the same to get back. 

Obviously my post is very one sided however aside from the above I miss having a beautiful garden, proper seasons, the british sense of humour, being able to buy things I need easily at a sensible price, being able to go shopping and enjoy it. I worry about my children's education and I don't like the insular kiwi attitude.


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## inhamilton

fourseasons said:


> Cost of Living - can't believe someone has said it's ok. My estimation is that food on an overall shop is 30% dearer. Again it may be different in Chch but it certainly is in Auckland. To give you an example - sliced bread (not high quality either) normal price is $4.99 a loaf - that's £2.50! I have been here 3 years and still when I go to the supermarket I want to weep - the poor selection, poor quality and ridiculous prices. It is expensive living here and there is so little choice. The quality of goods, especially clothes and shoes is shocking. I find the attitude of retailers depressing.


Firstly, where I shop, you can get bread for $1 per loaf. Couplands bakery do it for that price, and I think the supermarkets do now too. Countdown certainly does. Are you sure you are in Auckland, because bread has been $1 per loaf for some time. It was a big news item here when they reduced it.

And, here's an interesting article by an international outfit called gmresearch which maps the worlds prices in 2015. Basically they get worldwide brands and see what they cost in different countries after converting to $US.

Read in detail here : Document Pull

Here's what they found :

McDonalds Big Mac : Aus $4.32, NZ $4.49, US $4.79

Daily Car Rentals : Aus $87.20, NZ $118.70, UK $143.80, US $116.00

Five Star Hotel Rooms : Sydney $880.40, Auckland $198.70, London $608.70, Chicago $309.00

2 Litres Coca Cola : Aus $3.36, NZ $2.39, UK $2.61, US $1.79

1 pint beer : Aus $5.38, NZ $6.02, UK $5.73, US $5.57

Adidas Super Star Sports shoes : Aus $92.30, NZ $105.40, UK $96.40, US $80.00

Levis 501's jeans : Aus $79.20, NZ $86.60, UK $80.00, US $54.00

i-phone 6 : Aus $768, NZ $812, UK $799, US $650

Public Transport (minimum fare) : Aus $2.89, NZ $1.51, UK $2.23, US $2.75

New Volkswagen Golf car : Aus $26.413, NZ $25,712, UK $22,307, US $19,307

1 Litre Petrol : Aus $1.11, NZ $1.57, UK $1.84, US $0.75

Ticket to movies : Aus $13.84, NZ $12.42, UK $13.35, US $11.50

In summary, on these items, there is very little difference between UK and NZ prices. Some items are cheaper in NZ, some cheaper in UK. Overall, the US is by far the cheapest.

And on big items like TV's, computers, whiteware etc, the NZ prices are very competitive as well. So, I go along with the person that said the cost of living isn't much different.


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## inhamilton

inhamilton said:


> Firstly, where I shop, you can get bread for $1 per loaf. Couplands bakery do it for that price, and I think the supermarkets do now too. Countdown certainly does. Are you sure you are in Auckland, because bread has been $1 per loaf for some time. It was a big news item here when they reduced it.


Although to be fair, that is a budget brand.


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## fourseasons

Yep some things are a similar price as per your list. However it isn't always about price its about value. Personally I wouldn't touch the $1 bread - it's awful. I know that in the UK I can walk into any of the major supermarkets and get value for money. I can buy a loaf of bread at a good price and it will be at least of a reasonable quality. Over here you have a choice of 3 supermarkets, 2 of which are owned by 1 company. Like many things it's virtually a monopoly and the quality and prices of goods over here reflect that. 

I stand by what I said, the cost of living here is much higher than the UK, you don't get value for money and the quality of produce is poor. Much of the food still has colours, preservatives etc that have long since been banned in Europe.


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## inhamilton

fourseasons said:


> you don't get value for money and the quality of produce is poor.


Well, there you go, I thought the same thing when I was in England. Perhaps it's just whatever you are used to. And let's be honest, at $4.99, you did pick out the most expensive bread on sale here.



fourseasons said:


> Much of the food still has colours, preservatives etc that have long since been banned in Europe.


Much of the food? Really? Name some examples. Bearing in mind that NZ pretty much takes its lead from Australia, which shares rules on what is permitted and not.


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## fourseasons

This is going to be my last reply on food prices as this thread is in danger of becoming a back on forth on what is more expensive. I stand by what I have said and people can check by comparing what they pay in the UK supermarket against the New World, Pak n Save and Countdown websites. Although obviously what people won't be used to is the massive fluctuation in seasonal prices (e.g. cucumbers being less than $1 in the summer to $5 in the winter). 

Actually $4.99 isn't the most expensive but it is an example of the cost of very ordinary sliced packaged bread. Clearly sometimes things are on offer however. 

For my comments on colours and preservatives and the like, google permeate in mild, look at this site Safe Food that is Additive free | Organic New Zealand. OK to say 'a lot of it' is a bit of an exaggeration however more of this stuff is allowed here than Europe and incidentally I don't really care what Oz do, I live in NZ. 

Good luck to you OP if you decide to make the jump over here, I hope it works out. I am glad that I have seen and experienced things for myself as I know my decision to return home is absolutely the right one.


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## mikesurf

inhamilton said:


> Firstly, where I shop, you can get bread for $1 per loaf. Couplands bakery do it for that price, and I think the supermarkets do now too. Countdown certainly does. Are you sure you are in Auckland, because bread has been $1 per loaf for some time. It was a big news item here when they reduced it.
> 
> And, here's an interesting article by an international outfit called gmresearch which maps the worlds prices in 2015. Basically they get worldwide brands and see what they cost in different countries after converting to $US.
> 
> Read in detail here : Document Pull
> 
> Here's what they found :
> 
> McDonalds Big Mac : Aus $4.32, NZ $4.49, US $4.79
> 
> Daily Car Rentals : Aus $87.20, NZ $118.70, UK $143.80, US $116.00
> 
> Five Star Hotel Rooms : Sydney $880.40, Auckland $198.70, London $608.70, Chicago $309.00
> 
> 2 Litres Coca Cola : Aus $3.36, NZ $2.39, UK $2.61, US $1.79
> 
> 1 pint beer : Aus $5.38, NZ $6.02, UK $5.73, US $5.57
> 
> Adidas Super Star Sports shoes : Aus $92.30, NZ $105.40, UK $96.40, US $80.00
> 
> Levis 501's jeans : Aus $79.20, NZ $86.60, UK $80.00, US $54.00
> 
> i-phone 6 : Aus $768, NZ $812, UK $799, US $650
> 
> Public Transport (minimum fare) : Aus $2.89, NZ $1.51, UK $2.23, US $2.75
> 
> New Volkswagen Golf car : Aus $26.413, NZ $25,712, UK $22,307, US $19,307
> 
> 1 Litre Petrol : Aus $1.11, NZ $1.57, UK $1.84, US $0.75
> 
> Ticket to movies : Aus $13.84, NZ $12.42, UK $13.35, US $11.50
> 
> In summary, on these items, there is very little difference between UK and NZ prices. Some items are cheaper in NZ, some cheaper in UK. Overall, the US is by far the cheapest.
> 
> And on big items like TV's, computers, whiteware etc, the NZ prices are very competitive as well. So, I go along with the person that said the cost of living isn't much different.


People really must stop comparing Auckland with major cities in the world. 
Many of the prices that have been quoted are way off the mark. I only hired a car a few weeks ago for 6 days from Heathrow Airport for the equivalent of $180. Many of the items on the list and especially whiteware are much more expensive in New Zealand. Again you have to go with earning potential, if you are earning 3 times in London what you can earn in Auckland then prices should be much lower in Auckland. 
This is a ridiculous argument saying that New Zealand is not expensive, rather like arguing the the earth is flat.


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## inhamilton

mikesurf said:


> People really must stop comparing Auckland with major cities in the world.
> Many of the prices that have been quoted are way off the mark. I only hired a car a few weeks ago for 6 days from Heathrow Airport for the equivalent of $180. Many of the items on the list and especially whiteware are much more expensive in New Zealand. Again you have to go with earning potential, if you are earning 3 times in London what you can earn in Auckland then prices should be much lower in Auckland.
> This is a ridiculous argument saying that New Zealand is not expensive, rather like arguing the the earth is flat.


Tell me, which items on the list are not accurate specifically? I don't believe whiteware is terribly expensive here by comparison. 
And you're doing it again. You're making a point about Auckland and then calling it New Zealand. Auckland is not New Zealand.


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## inhamilton

fourseasons said:


> Good luck to you OP if you decide to make the jump over here, I hope it works out. I am glad that I have seen and experienced things for myself as I know my decision to return home is absolutely the right one.


All the best for your return home.


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## mikesurf

There is no point in arguing about this, people will have to make up their own minds. I just hope people don't get the wrong impression from certain posts into thinking that New Zealand is not expensive and that people are not struggling, because believe me they are.


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## inhamilton

mikesurf said:


> There is no point in arguing about this, people will have to make up their own minds. I just hope people don't get the wrong impression from certain posts into thinking that New Zealand is not expensive and that people are not struggling, because believe me they are.


There is a proportion of the population that struggle to varying degrees in every country on earth. New Zealand is no different. There are people who find it difficult to rub two shillings together and struggle to feed their family from day to day, and there are others who are rich and do very nicely. But I'm not sure you should be the world authority, having not lived in NZ for over 5 years. Lol.


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## mikesurf

inhamilton said:


> There is a proportion of the population that struggle to varying degrees in every country on earth. New Zealand is no different. There are people who find it difficult to rub two shillings together and struggle to feed their family from day to day, and there are others who are rich and do very nicely. But I'm not sure you should be the world authority, having not lived in NZ for over 5 years. Lol.



I can only gather from this that you are in the rich bracket. Explains a lot.


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## clanadam

Thank you to all who replied - this has been very interesting (and informative) to read all the responses. 

Our situation has now been confirmed - we will NOT be migrating. This is mainly due to my wife's potential new job in NZ now being confirmed as being a lower grade and definitely lower salary which we cannot afford to move for - especially with cost of living being "similar to UK" at best.

I am a little dumped as we really did fancy the outdoor life and better climate but she is in a niche industry and it was this job or nothing so that's been the nail in the coffin.

I do also feel as if we may be dodging a bullet though. I'm sure the move works out fantastically for many people but not necessarily for all.

Thanks again for all the info folks - very much appreciated.


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## mikesurf

clanadam said:


> Thank you to all who replied - this has been very interesting (and informative) to read all the responses.
> 
> Our situation has now been confirmed - we will NOT be migrating. This is mainly due to my wife's potential new job in NZ now being confirmed as being a lower grade and definitely lower salary which we cannot afford to move for - especially with cost of living being "similar to UK" at best.
> 
> I am a little dumped as we really did fancy the outdoor life and better climate but she is in a niche industry and it was this job or nothing so that's been the nail in the coffin.
> 
> I do also feel as if we may be dodging a bullet though. I'm sure the move works out fantastically for many people but not necessarily for all.
> 
> Thanks again for all the info folks - very much appreciated.


Sorry to hear that, although there really is nothing that you can't do in the UK that you can do in New Zealand, you just have to pick the right day weather wise.


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