# Newbies



## HaydenFamily (Jun 21, 2014)

Hi we are due to move to new Zealand in a few months time! And any advise would be appreciated. We will be moving to Christchurch and we would like to know:

Is it best to pay for removals and bring our furniture with us or buy new. If we are to bring the furniture with us, what companies are recommended.

My son is 10 and in year 6 in September. What residential areas and schools should I look at to move too.

Any other advice that you believe we could use also please.

Yours 

Jo and Martin


----------



## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

HaydenFamily said:


> Hi we are due to move to new Zealand in a few months time! And any advise would be appreciated. We will be moving to Christchurch and we would like to know: Is it best to pay for removals and bring our furniture with us or buy new. If we are to bring the furniture with us, what companies are recommended. My son is 10 and in year 6 in September. What residential areas and schools should I look at to move too. Any other advice that you believe we could use also please. Yours Jo and Martin


Hi,
Welcome to the forum.

Deciding to pay for international removals or buy new here is a common question.
Maybe use the search facility to view previous threads that have discussed the matter.

Virtually everything is more expensive here but you can hunt bargains that will bring down the price of goods more in line with what you are used to in the UK. There are many electrical and homeware stores and the majority of them always seem to have a sale on.
Furniture wise I'd say bring it all. 
If you have major appliances that are relatively new then bring them too, but I wouldn't bother with LCD/plasma tv's as I feel they are really well priced here since NZ is closer to where they are manufactured I guess? Your UK Freeview or UK sky box won't work here.
We brought virtually everything, including tv's. We didn't ship any cars.
We were just over on a 40ft container so offloaded one bedroom full of furniture to make the rest fit. Cost was just over £5000 (plus insurance and maf/customs fees) from Preston to Wellington and a door to door service where they packed/unpacked. They also gave us a free 100kg airfreight package that we could use to send over stuff that we needed more urgently but didn't want to drag along the journey with us personally - eg work clothing, winter coats/boots, babies cot & mattress etc.
If you have a bed frame or a mattress separate that you want to bring with a view to matching it up with a new bed frame or mattress here I'd say don't bother as the bed/mattress sizes are different here.
If you have a matching bed/mattress then fine.
We used PSS International in the UK then NZ Van Lines this end and I'd recommend them. They weren't the cheapest out of the 3 or 4 quotes we had but they seemed to know what they were talking about so we felt more at ease with them. They also indicated a lot of the corner cutting that other removal companies use to make their prices cheaper but gives you as the customer more risk (without you being aware).

Sure others will chip in with their advice and info for schools etc in chch.

Have a safe trip.

Sent from my iPad using ExpatForum


----------



## Kimbella (Jul 4, 2013)

HaydenFamily said:


> Hi we are due to move to new Zealand in a few months time! And any advise would be appreciated. We will be moving to Christchurch and we would like to know:
> 
> Is it best to pay for removals and bring our furniture with us or buy new. If we are to bring the furniture with us, what companies are recommended.
> 
> ...


Hi there, and welcome!

I moved from the USA (California), so can't advise on the costs of moving your things from where you are, but am happy to give other input. My opinion (based on US pricing), was that it cost less, or about the same, to ship everything I already had, than it would have to have replaced just one or two rooms here in NZ... and, quite honestly, the quality of what I already had was much better than as typically found here in NZ (at a reasonable price). I moved here hitting 40, so had basically an entire adult life of nice things accumulated, to have replaced all that here with equivalent quality would have been cost prohibitive--definitely. Also, you'll find that Christchurch has a genuine paucity of places to shop from, there are the usual chain stores that carry basically all the same style (angular, modern furniture, mostly). So, if you currently have nice things, that are well suited to your aesthetic style, you should probably consider bringing them if it is affordable. However, if you are young, and have been living "light" ... it might make more sense to simply replace things once you arrive. 

Where to move will definitely depend on what your budget and current living standards are. As per any medium to large city, neighborhoods go from bad, to not so bad, to decent, good, great, and posh. Some are in the city, some are further out in the suburbs...

The not so bad to decent areas (huge generalization here) are: some areas in the eastern suburbs -- South New Brighton, some areas of New Brighton, pockets of North New Brighton... most of the east side of town is generally in a lower socioeconomic demographic. People are poorer, the schools are lower decile--this side of town was also one of the hardest hit during the earthquakes, so not only is it tired looking because of the lack of money flowing into that side of town, it is also quite damaged in areas. I lived there my first 2 years in Chch, and don't know that I would recommend it as the first place to permanently move to... it's pretty sad. BUT, if you cannot find anywhere else, it is (basically) safe. 

Generally speaking, the housing quality and standards go up as you move from east to west--although areas to exercise caution when house hunting would be: aranui, wainoni, parts of linwood, and avonside, parts of Woolston... 

Nicer areas ("good") are: parts of Mairehau, St. Albans/Edgeware, Belfast, St. Martins, Cashmere, Opawa, Riccarton, Upper Riccarton, Spreydon

"Posh" areas: Merivale, Fendation, Sumner, parts of Avonhead, parts of Cashmere/Huntsbury

Hope that helps get your search started.

Best of luck!

PS: I would suggest topping up on shoes and clothes, as those things, in particular, are extremely expensive here, as is make-up. Every time I return to the US I bring back clothes, shoes, and make-up!


----------



## HaydenFamily (Jun 21, 2014)

*Thanks*

Hi guys thank you for the advice, very much appreciated it looks like we will be bringing our furniture with us.

Jo and Martin


----------



## Mark D (Dec 9, 2012)

Stay away from new Brighton and linwood area these are the red zones for the earthquake. Redwood is good, I stay in Rangioura just outside of Christchurch, takes me 30min to travel to the city in the morning tho I leave at 6am, plenty of us Brits have done the same. Have you got temp accommodation for your arrival sorted?? I stayed at the meadows in turners ave when we arrived lovely place very piece full when you 1st come to start work before finding your feet. 

No point on adding anything else the others above have gave a perfect summery.


----------



## Rosieprimrose (May 9, 2014)

Hi there, moved internationally several times, bring all you can afford. However, think about what you will need while you wait for your things to arrive, beds for example, some things you just can't wait for, so its sensible to make a list and not send those things out.
Things like furniture, linen, are expensive in NZ, so are tools, lawn mowers etc. However and I have posted this before I have a huge warning about moving wooden furniture. When we moved from NZ to Sydney we had a HUGE climate change, about 8 weeks after our goods arrived, almost all our wooden tables and things split open, the change in temps was too great for the wood to handle. Our dinning table had a crack I could put my hand into!!!!! You will probable not have that problem in moving to ChCh but its something to consider. 
Christchurch is a great area, very pretty, even after the quake, remember "Life is an adventure" enjoy NZ its a beautiful country!


----------



## Arslan230 (Jun 19, 2014)

HaydenFamily said:


> Hi guys thank you for the advice, very much appreciated it looks like we will be bringing our furniture with us.
> 
> Jo and Martin


Welcome and you can ask any problem from here.


----------



## HaydenFamily (Jun 21, 2014)

*Various*

Hi guys, all of your replies have been very much appreciated. We have a couple of more questions. 

We are looking at Rangiora to set up home and Ashgrove School for my 10 year old son.

Does anyone have any experience with the school and area. My work is in Christchurch but I do not mind commuting and we would like to move into a good area both for the school and the area.

Any ideas or suggestions yet again would be greatly appreciated.

Martin and Jo


----------



## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

HaydenFamily said:


> Hi guys, all of your replies have been very much appreciated. We have a couple of more questions. We are looking at Rangiora to set up home and Ashgrove School for my 10 year old son. Does anyone have any experience with the school and area. My work is in Christchurch but I do not mind commuting and we would like to move into a good area both for the school and the area. Any ideas or suggestions yet again would be greatly appreciated. Martin and Jo


Hi,
Can't really help that much other than with the commute. Friends used to live there and they say the commute into the city at the wrong time can be a nightmare. They loved the place but didn't like the travel time into the city so they moved elsewhere after their rental contract expired.


----------



## HaydenFamily (Jun 21, 2014)

*Rental accommodation*

Hi guys another question. I have read while googling that the price of rent also included the cost of what is over here council tax, is this true?


----------



## Kimbella (Jul 4, 2013)

HaydenFamily said:


> Hi guys another question. I have read while googling that the price of rent also included the cost of what is over here council tax, is this true?


My answer relates to renting in Christchurch only, but I assume the practice is probably standard across the nation:

Yes, rental prices are calculated to provide the landlord with rental income, and additional monies to cover "rates" (local taxes), and insurance coverage. It's not a bargain, imo, considering many rental houses are below typical Western standards (depending on your price range); however, given the cost of purchasing a home (in the 3 major cities where most decent paying jobs are), you'll likely get more for your money from a rental, than you would from buying (again, depending on your wages). In other words, after we sold our home in Chch, the housing market was so inflated that what we could comfortably afford (a mortgage payment that would let us sleep at night), would have gotten us less house than the earthquake damaged one we had sold. However, we found a very nice house, in a very nice neighborhood, for a price we were comfortable with--a mortgage for the same type of house in the same neighborhood would have been easily twice the rent we were charged. Our price advantage came from the fact the house has been in the owner's family for 50 years, and the owner is independently wealthy. The house is not being used for needed extra income, so the rent was fair. I'd suggest finding that sort of info out when you start looking (if you can), as you want to make sure you live in a place that isn't a primary or sole source of income for the owner--here in Chch lots of owners are making money off the rents by hiking prices in a housing shortage... especially those who seem to not have any financial buffer....
it seems the owners who have either long ago paid off the house, or who have substantial equity and thus low principle amount left on the mortgage, often prefer a fair rental price in exchange for having long term tenants who actually care for the place properly.


----------



## Kimbella (Jul 4, 2013)

HaydenFamily said:


> Hi guys, all of your replies have been very much appreciated. We have a couple of more questions.
> 
> We are looking at Rangiora to set up home and Ashgrove School for my 10 year old son.
> 
> ...


The commute from North Canterbury (Rangiora and outlying) can be very bad, according to media reports... like, an hour+ drive some mornings for a 30km commute... you might consider a short term rental in Rangiora for a few weeks or so, to make sure the commute is something you're prepared for... just a suggestion of course, but at least definitely do some good research before you commit yourself completely to the drive. You can find plenty of info in the local newsmedia "The Press" as well as on NewstalkZB. There is a website reachable from the Christchurch City Council website, called transportforchristchurch which has a lot of valuable information, including a map of all the roadworks going on in the city, including stretching into outlying areas. 

Anyway, certainly not wanting to put you off Rangiora, just want to make sure you understand that the commute from Rangiora is much more difficult than it used to be. Many people have fled Chch city into the outlying suburbs after the earthquakes, so along with the ongoing roadworks in the city, the outlying paths into Chch have had a rapid increase in road users, but no equivalent increase in capacity.... so, you have bottleneck from the suburbs into Chch, then bottleneck in the city from road closures and detours... just make sure you do your due diligence! Rangiora is nice, more rural than urban Chch, farther afield, obviously! Don't know about the schools, sorry. Best of luck no matter what!

Cheers,

Kim


----------



## Rosieprimrose (May 9, 2014)

Called rates in NZ and yes its included in the rent and paid by the landlord. You pay power, phone/internet. In some areas of NZ there are water charges that are separate to the council rates charge and in most cases thats also covered by the land lord, but not always. In most areas of NZ the council rates include a weekly rubbish collection either in large bags or large bins, make sure your landlord gives you those, sometimes the previous tenant 'Pockets' them. The landlord also pays in house insurance but NOT the contents insurance. You may wish not to get contents insurance for your things, be aware however in NZ the contents insurance also covers things like the carpets and drapes and some landlords insist you have it.


----------

