# Seriously thinking about it.



## mnicklin (Mar 17, 2012)

I currently live in Southern Illinois with my wife and two kids. Currently we are living on my income, but my wife and I will soon graduate with a Bachelors Degree in Information Systems. I have been a network administrator and copier tech for the last twelve years. Health Insurance for my family costs more than our 15yr. mortgage. No we don't have any medical conditions. We have decided that we are going to have to move to improve our life. Where is the question. We are not looking to live extravegant and actually prefer a place were the pressure to "keep up with the Jones'" will be relieved. 

New Zealand is on our horizon. We researched several of the areas and decided on Wellington. Porirua looks really nice, though I have yet to visit. 

How is it in New Zealand? Are we headed in the wrong direction? It has gotten too hard to make it here in the US. 

Has anyone went to one of the seminars put on by Working In New Zealand? If so, is it worth it? The nearest one for me would be Calgary Canada.

Thanks!


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## carosapien (Oct 16, 2011)

Funny, a lot of Americans get attracted to New Zealand because of the cheaper healthcare. 

Porirua may look nice but it doesn't have a great reputation, there are nicer areas. Why Wellington though? I'd go for somewhere that isn't so much at risk from earthquakes. Even the mayor of Christchurch doesn't like visiting.


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## mnicklin (Mar 17, 2012)

carosapien said:


> Funny, a lot of Americans get attracted to New Zealand because of the cheaper healthcare.
> 
> Porirua may look nice but it doesn't have a great reputation, there are nicer areas. Why Wellington though? I'd go for somewhere that isn't so much at risk from earthquakes. Even the mayor of Christchurch doesn't like visiting.


Healthcare is essentially unavailable here for many middle class Americans due to extreme cost.

I would have to say that I didn't discover New Zealand until after doing some research on living abroad. After I did discover it, I fell in love with it. We are very outdoors oriented people. Keep in mind that I have only visited through Google Street View. 

To be honest, I simply looked at where the most jobs seem to be. We looked at Auckland, but it seemed to be a bit too big and pricey. I talked to someone from the Auckland area that is now living in the US (it was love that took them away) and they said that the only reservation they had was that Wellington was too windy. 

What would you recommend? I am attracted to the milder weather. Here in the midwest of the US the climate goes from one extreme to the next.


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## carosapien (Oct 16, 2011)

What sort of things do you enjoy doing outdoors?


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## relocatella (Nov 27, 2011)

mnicklin said:


> Has anyone went to one of the seminars put on by Working In New Zealand? If so, is it worth it? The nearest one for me would be Calgary Canada.


Thank you!
Opportunities New Zealand Expo
I had no idea such a thing existed. I can see there is one in London next week-end. I'd love to hear feedbacks from other posters and figure out if it's worth jumping on a Eurostar!


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## mnicklin (Mar 17, 2012)

carosapien said:


> What sort of things do you enjoy doing outdoors?


We enjoy hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting the most. We do a little off-roading with our Jeep and ATV's and we were happy to see that there are off-roading and ATV parks in New Zealand. I am also an active Scout Leader and of course my two children are active in Scouts as well.


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## carosapien (Oct 16, 2011)

You can definitely do all of those activities, hunting in NZ tends to be mostly deer and pigs (with dogs) and you have to have a licence and keep off DOC land, campsites etc (there have been a few fatalities where members of the public have been killed) 

Scouting does exist in New Zealand but can be very variable depending on where you are. I think you'll find a lot less cotton wool around the way things are done in New Zealand.


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