# Hello, and a few questions.



## sherlock (Mar 28, 2012)

Hi Guys,

I'm new to this NZ part of forum (been active in Aus forum before). I'm in Australia, and I had a few questions (might be silly and repeated before) for all the NZ guys.

1 - Which are the good cities for IT jobs in NZ? In Aus, they would usually be Sydney and Melbourne. Does NZ have any such city where most of the IT jobs are placed?

2 - I'm an Australian permanent resident, and therefore legally allowed to work and stay in NZ. For those who might have moved from Aus to NZ, are there any particular advantages that you can tell me? Like lower cost of living, better job market in IT?

I'm really sorry if these questions are too silly, but most of the info about NZ that I found online was about the how beautiful it is, and not really about the IT sector 

Sherlock


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

sherlock said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> I'm new to this NZ part of forum (been active in Aus forum before). I'm in Australia, and I had a few questions (might be silly and repeated before) for all the NZ guys.
> 
> ...


Hi,
Welcome!

1. I'd say Wellington or Auckland for mainstream IT, but Id be surprised if there isn't IT work in the other 'cities' so maybe Hamilton, Tauranga, Christchurch also.
Suppose it depends what sort of IT work as it covers a multitude of sins.

2. Haven't experienced living/working in Aus myself, but if I believe what I hear or read it is cheaper to live in NZ, but salaries are lower so overall many people say Aus is better than NZ in that respect, but as I say without first hand experience I've no idea.

I have a mate who lives in Perth and he earns probably 25% more than he would in the UK, which may be 40% more than he would earn in NZ but the cost of living is a lot higher so he doesn't live an exotic life, just a comfortable one especially with better weather.
Not that he would come to NZ due to family issues, but If he came to NZ on a lower wage, I doubt he would be able to maintain his lifestyle here, with the high cost of living and lower salaries and trying to provide for his kids and an ex wife!!!

Unsure about the difference between the IT markets, however I'd say more opportunities in Aus as there's more people, more companies, more demand for the skill ?

Regards,


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## sherlock (Mar 28, 2012)

Thank you so much for your quick and detailed reply. The general job market situation for my kind of profile (java) doesn't seem great at leafy at this point. Most of the roles are on hold or require "Australian experience", which is a silly thing for any migrant. 

I'm contemplating on moving to new Zealand , if I do find the job situation better there. Your answer provides good insights, and I'll be thinking a bit more. I'll explore the market a bit more I guess.

Lifestyle and weather wise, is Auckland better or Wellington? I know that this question is very relative and can have many answers, just wanted to know the general opinions.


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

sherlock said:


> Thank you so much for your quick and detailed reply. The general job market situation for my kind of profile (java) doesn't seem great at leafy at this point. Most of the roles are on hold or require "Australian experience", which is a silly thing for any migrant.
> 
> I'm contemplating on moving to new Zealand , if I do find the job situation better there. Your answer provides good insights, and I'll be thinking a bit more. I'll explore the market a bit more I guess.
> 
> Lifestyle and weather wise, is Auckland better or Wellington? I know that this question is very relative and can have many answers, just wanted to know the general opinions.


Yes difficult to answer especially for me as I haven't got experience of living or even staying in Auckland yet. We are booked to spend a week with friends in Whangaparoa early August.
Our friends visited us in Wellington in Autumn and they weren't happy with the weather difference between what they were used to North of Auckland and what they experienced in Wellington.
Even though the weather was very similar according to the daily forecast they were definitely convinced that it is always at least a few degrees warmer in Auckland and more settled, especially where the water temperature came in. 
They all brought swimming costumes etc and I told them they must be mad to get in the water on the Kapiti Coast north of Wellington, but bless em, they did try.....for all of 10 seconds ha ha!
Water temperature in Auckland defo warmer than around Wellington by at least a few degrees, especially in the Pacific over the Tasman.
They say it's also nowhere near as windy but may be a bit wetter as the area is more sub-tropical and of course more humid.
You can experience decaying typhoons/cyclones in Auckland though that travel down from the tropics! Doesn't happen often but it has happened in the past and is always possible.

All depends what you are used to and what you want.

Personally we are hoping for a move up to the Bay Of Plenty for more sunshine hours and to hopefully remove the extremes of wind and rain that we get in Wellington, plus a few degrees warmer all year round.


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