# Moving to Te Aroha, Bay of Plenty region



## Happy Go Lucky Us

Hello Everyone, 

We are making the change also to move over from Sunny North Yorkshire to Te Aroha near Hamilton (approx 2 hours form Auckland) My other half is a farmer and we have had a job offer, which has made things easier. We are using an agent as the visa process looks complicated and from we have heard on many occasions its easier and if you only get the once chance to do it right we don't want to miss our life changing opportunity!!

We are both quite active and into our sports, he plays cricket and takes part in cycling, I do swimming, running and triathlons so hopefully we should fit into the active lifestyle. No children as of yet but once over and everything is settled then what better place to start a family!!

If anyone has any advice then please share!!


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## topcat83

Happy Go Lucky Us said:


> Hello Everyone,
> 
> We are making the change also to move over from Sunny North Yorkshire to Te Aroha near Hamilton (approx 2 hours form Auckland) My other half is a farmer and we have had a job offer, which has made things easier. We are using an agent as the visa process looks complicated and from we have heard on many occasions its easier and if you only get the once chance to do it right we don't want to miss our life changing opportunity!!
> 
> We are both quite active and into our sports, he plays cricket and takes part in cycling, I do swimming, running and triathlons so hopefully we should fit into the active lifestyle. No children as of yet but once over and everything is settled then what better place to start a family!!
> 
> If anyone has any advice then please share!!


Hi there - if you like sport, you should love it here! Te Aroha is a lovely area too (you're very close to Waihi Beach and Tauranga too)


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## Happy Go Lucky Us

topcat83 said:


> Hi there - if you like sport, you should love it here! Te Aroha is a lovely area too (you're very close to Waihi Beach and Tauranga too)


I have been doing some research trying to find local clubs for running, cycling and triathlons in the area!! I bought my New Zealand cycling top from Tauranga and from what I saw there it was a lovely place!!


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## Song_Si

Hi - Te Aroha - nice little provincial town, and ideally suited for so many day-trips in the region, west coast at Raglan (via Hamilton), east and Tauranga/Mt Maunganui and the beautiful Ohope Beach, north Auckland, south you've got Taupo and Rotorua and the central north island mountains, all within easy travel distance.

Found a recent news item
Te Aroha: Old world charms

also the Te Aroha information website

for exercise/sport it's a good location - around Te Aroha mountain lots of off-road running/mountainbiking trails

the Hauraki Rail Trail for cycling 
The trail’s easy gradient and great local climate make it a good ride all-year-round. If you prefer to stay clean and dry, the best months to ride the Hauraki Rail Trail are September to May. Whatever the weather you’ll be able to cool off at nearby Waihi Beach, or warm up at the famous Te Aroha Mineral Spas. The trail is a grade 1 ride, which will cater for all levels of riding ability including families and cyclists of all ages.

Tauranga area has a strong sporting community, have competed there many times in pool, ocean swim and triathlon events, Mt Maunganui one of the 5 locations for NZ's ocean swim series; Tauranga was known as 'the home of Masters swimming' (over 25 yrs) very good socially and a way to meet people away from your home/work environment.

and one day . . . take the boat from Whakatane out to White Island, an active volcano off the coast, great day out.

best wishes for the move


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## Song_Si

a map of the region, enlarge sections with a click . . .


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## jenswaters

Happy Go Lucky Us said:


> Hello Everyone,
> 
> We are making the change also to move over from Sunny North Yorkshire to Te Aroha near Hamilton (approx 2 hours form Auckland) My other half is a farmer and we have had a job offer, which has made things easier. We are using an agent as the visa process looks complicated and from we have heard on many occasions its easier and if you only get the once chance to do it right we don't want to miss our life changing opportunity!!
> 
> We are both quite active and into our sports, he plays cricket and takes part in cycling, I do swimming, running and triathlons so hopefully we should fit into the active lifestyle. No children as of yet but once over and everything is settled then what better place to start a family!!
> 
> If anyone has any advice then please share!!


Hi

We came from sunny South Yorkshire to Tauranga BOP....BEST thing we ever did!!! My husband works for the company that organises all major sports in BOP (both from a school and sport-club perspective), so I will ask him to look into what may be available to you.

Will be in touch


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## kiwigser

Happy Go Lucky Us said:


> Hello Everyone,
> 
> We are making the change also to move over from Sunny North Yorkshire to Te Aroha near Hamilton (approx 2 hours form Auckland) My other half is a farmer and we have had a job offer, which has made things easier. We are using an agent as the visa process looks complicated and from we have heard on many occasions its easier and if you only get the once chance to do it right we don't want to miss our life changing opportunity!!
> 
> We are both quite active and into our sports, he plays cricket and takes part in cycling, I do swimming, running and triathlons so hopefully we should fit into the active lifestyle. No children as of yet but once over and everything is settled then what better place to start a family!!
> 
> If anyone has any advice then please share!!



We travelled through Te Aroha on the way to Gisborne, just a few photos:

Christmas 2009 Travels to Gisborne and Hawkes Bay [Art and Tels diary of New Zealand (NZ)][]=te&s[]=aroha#day_1_-_auckland_to_gisborne


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## Donna9159

Happy Go Lucky Us said:


> Hello Everyone,
> 
> We are making the change also to move over from Sunny North Yorkshire to Te Aroha near Hamilton (approx 2 hours form Auckland) My other half is a farmer and we have had a job offer, which has made things easier. We are using an agent as the visa process looks complicated and from we have heard on many occasions its easier and if you only get the once chance to do it right we don't want to miss our life changing opportunity!!
> 
> We are both quite active and into our sports, he plays cricket and takes part in cycling, I do swimming, running and triathlons so hopefully we should fit into the active lifestyle. No children as of yet but once over and everything is settled then what better place to start a family!!
> 
> If anyone has any advice then please share!!


Hi....sunny Yorkshire eh? I am originally from sunny Nottingham and then I went to really, rarely sunny Canada! Finally I have got it right here in the Bay of Plenty.

You are correct about the visas, I read that a very high proportion of them fail not because of a weakness in the applicant but an error in the application.

There are certainly advisors and advisors. I recommend you work with someone here in NZ as they will continue to be a support to you afterwards (if they are good). Here is a contact for the people we used. I can not recommend them enough...they were friendly, reasonably priced and very supportive,

Marion at Aotearoa Abroad. Here is her email Marion Chase-Seymour ([email protected])

Let me know if you have any other questions. It is fabulous here.

Donna


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## Happy Go Lucky Us

*Thanks*

HUGE thank you for all your replies, wow!! Seems like moving to Te Aroha is the right place to go!! We drove through when we was visiting and we fell in love especially with the view of Mt Maunganui!! Looking forward to getting my running shoes on once over, thanks Song_Si for all of that info 

Look forward to hearing more of you jenswater, so how long have you been in Tauranga and how you finding it compared to home?? Missing Yorkshire Tea 

Thanks Donna for recommendation-keep them in mind!! We are already using an agent, but its worth keeping an eye on other people for advice!! You settled in well in Bay of Plenty?? I can't for our move over, exciting and scary all at once!! 

Kiwigser, will look at your pics and no doubt I will fall in love all over again!!


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## IGM

Happy Go Lucky Us said:


> Hello Everyone,
> 
> We are making the change also to move over from Sunny North Yorkshire to Te Aroha near Hamilton (approx 2 hours form Auckland) My other half is a farmer and we have had a job offer, which has made things easier. We are using an agent as the visa process looks complicated and from we have heard on many occasions its easier and if you only get the once chance to do it right we don't want to miss our life changing opportunity!!
> 
> We are both quite active and into our sports, he plays cricket and takes part in cycling, I do swimming, running and triathlons so hopefully we should fit into the active lifestyle. No children as of yet but once over and everything is settled then what better place to start a family!!
> 
> If anyone has any advice then please share!!


hi did you make the move over there?
I have a interview for a job in Te Aroha any info would be greatly appreciated


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## escapedtonz

IGM said:


> hi did you make the move over there?
> I have a interview for a job in Te Aroha any info would be greatly appreciated


Hi,

Unfortunately "Happy Go Lucky Us" hasn't been online since 11 November 2011 so I doubt you'll receive any reply.

We aren't far from Te Aroha, especially as the crow flies. We are North of Tauranga on SH2 heading towards Katikati.

So, what info are you looking for ?


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## IGM

escapedtonz said:


> Hi,
> 
> Unfortunately "Happy Go Lucky Us" hasn't been online since 11 November 2011 so I doubt you'll receive any reply.
> 
> We aren't far from Te Aroha, especially as the crow flies. We are North of Tauranga on SH2 heading towards Katikati.
> 
> So, what info are you looking for ?


Hi thanks for the reply. I just wanted to know what sort of place Te Aroha is. I've looked it up on the internet and it looks a beautiful place but there doesn't seem to be much property to rent. I've looked at other areas and they seem quite expensive.
If i took this job my wage would be approx. 850-900 NZD pw after tax. Would that be enough to live on for a family of 4 given near enough half would be taken up in rent?
I have two daughters 10 and 14 is Te Aroha a good place for kids they're age? Are the schools good? So many questions lol


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## escapedtonz

IGM said:


> Hi thanks for the reply. I just wanted to know what sort of place Te Aroha is. I've looked it up on the internet and it looks a beautiful place but there doesn't seem to be much property to rent. I've looked at other areas and they seem quite expensive.
> If i took this job my wage would be approx. 850-900 NZD pw after tax. Would that be enough to live on for a family of 4 given near enough half would be taken up in rent?
> I have two daughters 10 and 14 is Te Aroha a good place for kids they're age? Are the schools good? So many questions lol


Hi,
I apologise up front. Not trying to be negative. I speak as I see it and call a spade a spade.

Te Aroha is a nice little rural town in the Waikato and pretty close to the Kaimai mountain range. Mt. Te Aroha is actually the highest point of the Kaimai range. It is pretty much (like many rural towns and villages) an old farming community that has grown and continues to do so. Te Aroha is being touted as THE place to move to in the Waikato region for people getting out of the Auckland rat race although unsure if any are acting on the hype. It has pretty good access in that you can easily get to Hamilton, Tauranga or head North for Auckland and the seaside at Waihi beach is only a half hour drive.
Personally didn't consider Te Aroha or any of the other rural or inland towns/villages in the Waikato as we wanted to live close to the beach and not be inland.
It'll all depend how comfortable you would be living in such a small town/community ?
There are other options as you don't necessarily have to live in the place you work. There are other similar rural towns nearby that are bigger and offer better facilities and amenities - Cambridge is a very popular place to live in the area and has a proper town centre with many shops, bars, cafe's, restaurants plus decent supermarkets and bigger stores. 
No surprise that you are struggling to find a decent rental in Te Aroha or even the surrounds and the ones you can find are expensive. Small rural town with little demand for rentals. Work wise there isn't much pull for people to live in Te Aroha.

Your talking about an annual salary of approx $58-$60k ?
I have no doubt that a family of 4 can survive on such a salary. It all depends how you live and what you are happy to be without. We are a family of 4 and considering renting instead of owning, in all honesty we couldn't live on that salary. There is no doubt in my opinion that it will be a tough existence here for a family on that wage. You may be able to keep the bank balance in the black (just) but you won't have any funds for enjoyment or savings or as a contingency. You'd be living pay to pay and would have to be bringing over a decent pot to set yourselves up and keep for essentials.
Like you say, you'll be losing at least half of that each week in rent. What about all of your other costs - Mobile phones, contents insurance, utilities, refuse collection, digital tv, broadband, running a vehicle, car insurance, activities for the kids, school fees, groceries, visiting the GP and dentist etc. Rent only covers rent - nothing else. So many other things need to be paid for.
Don't underestimate how much it actually costs to live in NZ. Great place to live, great place to bring up kids, but it all comes at a price unfortunately.
Happy to share specific fees if you need, either on the open forum or via PM which becomes available after you have posted 5 times.

Whether or not Te Aroha will work for your kids is all subject to the kind of people they are. If they are in to rural life or happy with small village life they'll be fine. If they are always surrounded by friends and have an active social life - e.g. cinema, bowling etc etc then there won't be much going on or much to do - especially after dark and Hamilton will be too far away to make going out a regular thing. It is possible they'd be bored to tears, but as I say they could love that lifestyle or hate it.

In general you won't find any problems with schooling in NZ. In my experience they are pretty good, however the style of teaching is different here.....in a good way in my opinion. It allows kids to be kids which is always a great thing to behold. Majority of schools are zoned unless you are talking rural schools then they are generally accepting of enrollment from people living anywhere and are not zoned. All schools in NZ attract fees, but that depends on the school. In general, a state run school will cost maybe $300 per year. That will generally cover enrollment and stationary. On top of this you'll have to pay for uniforms (if they have a uniform) and any school trip fees, regular clubs they want to attend etc.
The higher the decile rating of the school the less money the school receives in funding per student from the government which may mean, as a parent you have to be involved more, fund raise more and may have extra (voluntary) fees to pay if the school is of a high decile rating. This decile rating has no resemblance to how good the school or its teachers perform. That info comes from the ERO report that is done every 5 years. 

I've always said (in my 6 or so years as a regular on this forum and through experience) that a standard family with 2.5 kids need to be making at least $100k per year to have a decent quality life living in NZ (not Auckland) and at least $120-$125k in Auckland.


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## IGM

escapedtonz said:


> IGM said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hi thanks for the reply. I just wanted to know what sort of place Te Aroha is. I've looked it up on the internet and it looks a beautiful place but there doesn't seem to be much property to rent. I've looked at other areas and they seem quite expensive.
> If i took this job my wage would be approx. 850-900 NZD pw after tax. Would that be enough to live on for a family of 4 given near enough half would be taken up in rent?
> I have two daughters 10 and 14 is Te Aroha a good place for kids they're age? Are the schools good? So many questions lol
> 
> 
> 
> Hi,
> I apologise up front. Not trying to be negative. I speak as I see it and call a spade a spade.
> 
> Te Aroha is a nice little rural town in the Waikato and pretty close to the Kaimai mountain range. Mt. Te Aroha is actually the highest point of the Kaimai range. It is pretty much (like many rural towns and villages) an old farming community that has grown and continues to do so. Te Aroha is being touted as THE place to move to in the Waikato region for people getting out of the Auckland rat race although unsure if any are acting on the hype. It has pretty good access in that you can easily get to Hamilton, Tauranga or head North for Auckland and the seaside at Waihi beach is only a half hour drive.
> Personally didn't consider Te Aroha or any of the other rural or inland towns/villages in the Waikato as we wanted to live close to the beach and not be inland.
> It'll all depend how comfortable you would be living in such a small town/community ?
> There are other options as you don't necessarily have to live in the place you work. There are other similar rural towns nearby that are bigger and offer better facilities and amenities - Cambridge is a very popular place to live in the area and has a proper town centre with many shops, bars, cafe's, restaurants plus decent supermarkets and bigger stores.
> No surprise that you are struggling to find a decent rental in Te Aroha or even the surrounds and the ones you can find are expensive. Small rural town with little demand for rentals. Work wise there isn't much pull for people to live in Te Aroha.
> 
> Your talking about an annual salary of approx $58-$60k ?
> I have no doubt that a family of 4 can survive on such a salary. It all depends how you live and what you are happy to be without. We are a family of 4 and considering renting instead of owning, in all honesty we couldn't live on that salary. There is no doubt in my opinion that it will be a tough existence here for a family on that wage. You may be able to keep the bank balance in the black (just) but you won't have any funds for enjoyment or savings or as a contingency. You'd be living pay to pay and would have to be bringing over a decent pot to set yourselves up and keep for essentials.
> Like you say, you'll be losing at least half of that each week in rent. What about all of your other costs - Mobile phones, contents insurance, utilities, refuse collection, digital tv, broadband, running a vehicle, car insurance, activities for the kids, school fees, groceries, visiting the GP and dentist etc. Rent only covers rent - nothing else. So many other things need to be paid for.
> Don't underestimate how much it actually costs to live in NZ. Great place to live, great place to bring up kids, but it all comes at a price unfortunately.
> Happy to share specific fees if you need, either on the open forum or via PM which becomes available after you have posted 5 times.
> 
> Whether or not Te Aroha will work for your kids is all subject to the kind of people they are. If they are in to rural life or happy with small village life they'll be fine. If they are always surrounded by friends and have an active social life - e.g. cinema, bowling etc etc then there won't be much going on or much to do - especially after dark and Hamilton will be too far away to make going out a regular thing. It is possible they'd be bored to tears, but as I say they could love that lifestyle or hate it.
> 
> In general you won't find any problems with schooling in NZ. In my experience they are pretty good, however the style of teaching is different here.....in a good way in my opinion. It allows kids to be kids which is always a great thing to behold. Majority of schools are zoned unless you are talking rural schools then they are generally accepting of enrollment from people living anywhere and are not zoned. All schools in NZ attract fees, but that depends on the school. In general, a state run school will cost maybe $300 per year. That will generally cover enrollment and stationary. On top of this you'll have to pay for uniforms (if they have a uniform) and any school trip fees, regular clubs they want to attend etc.
> The higher the decile rating of the school the less money the school receives in funding per student from the government which may mean, as a parent you have to be involved more, fund raise more and may have extra (voluntary) fees to pay if the school is of a high decile rating. This decile rating has no resemblance to how good the school or its teachers perform. That info comes from the ERO report that is done every 5 years.
> 
> I've always said (in my 6 or so years as a regular on this forum and through experience) that a standard family with 2.5 kids need to be making at least $100k per year to have a decent quality life living in NZ (not Auckland) and at least $120-$125k in Auckland.
Click to expand...


Hi 

Thanks for the info I can’t thank you enough. Very informative.
I had my Skype interview last night and it seemed to go quite well (time will tell) I’m now being told that I could be making 80000-90000nzd per year and if my wife gets a job it might well work out. I might have a second interview to come all going well.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
Once again thanks for the help


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## escapedtonz

IGM said:


> Hi
> 
> Thanks for the info I can’t thank you enough. Very informative.
> I had my Skype interview last night and it seemed to go quite well (time will tell) I’m now being told that I could be making 80000-90000nzd per year and if my wife gets a job it might well work out. I might have a second interview to come all going well.
> I’ll let you know how it goes.
> Once again thanks for the help


No worries.
Don't be reluctant to spell out affordability and costs to a potential employer. They may have little knowledge of what is involved for a family migrating from the other side of the world but it needs serious consideration by them.
I would seriously push for as much salary as is possible as it is way more expensive to live in NZ than in the UK - at least 15% more across the board as you must pay GST on virtually everything here as opposed to the UK. Consider also that the majority of items, groceries, services etc are more expensive here anyway so the true cost of living increase over the UK is more likely 25%. There is much less choice here with everything and all at a premium......all that said though it's way nicer living here than in the UK, in my opinion.
Whatever you manage to negotiate, also don't forget to ask for a relocation package as it could be likely the company will pay or arrange things like shipping, flights, temp accommodation. They may also pay for an immigration consultant and the visa fees. If you don't ask you don't get.
I understand it is not something you would normally ask but you have to be bold. I did and it was worthwhile. On top of my then negotiated $95k salary I also negotiated $10k for shipping, $5k for temp accommodation, internal flights in NZ (from Auckland), a rental SUV for 2 weeks and a few other bits and services of a moving professional. Since we already had the visas and had already booked international flights we didn't get those included but hey ho we did pretty well and take it from me the less you have to pay out for the better.
Good luck with the potential job.


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## Happy Go Lucky Us

Hi All...

Sorry I have just received and email about this thread... I am sorry, I forgot I was a part of this group. 

Yes I am here living in Te Aroha and have been since June 2012!!

How are you all?


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## Happy Go Lucky Us

IGM said:


> hi did you make the move over there?
> I have a interview for a job in Te Aroha any info would be greatly appreciated


Hi IGM,

What would you like to know, I will help you as much as I can - We have been here since June 2012 so that must say something if we are still here right 

Look forward to hearing from you with any questions you may have!


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## inhamilton

Matamata and Morrinsville are other towns in the immediate area, within maybe a 20 minute drive, you could look at. Matamata is the epicentre of NZ thoroughbred horse racing, so plenty of money about. Morrinsville is a dairy farming town, and both have pretty decent schools.


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## iamrb

escapedtonz said:


> No worries.
> Don't be reluctant to spell out affordability and costs to a potential employer. They may have little knowledge of what is involved for a family migrating from the other side of the world but it needs serious consideration by them....


Thank you Mod @escapedtonz for sharing these great insights. Is this a more detailed version on the salary, life in NZ or any other advice from you? It would be a great read!


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## escapedtonz

iamrb said:


> Thank you Mod @escapedtonz for sharing these great insights. Is this a more detailed version on the salary, life in NZ or any other advice from you? It would be a great read!


What do you wish to know specifically ?
Happy to answer your questions as best I can given my experience of working and living in NZ for the past 6yrs 8 months.


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## iamrb

escapedtonz said:


> What do you wish to know specifically ?
> Happy to answer your questions as best I can given my experience of working and living in NZ for the past 6yrs 8 months.


Thank you. That would be great. Here's what i'll do - will go through your previous responses (to get answers to my existing qs) and after i'm done with the visa process - I'll then post my pending queries in a fresh thread and tag you.
I'll also share my exp with visa processing and moving to NZ in there to help others.
Thank you for spending time and sharing your exp in a detailed way for the rest of us!


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## klimbo

Happy Go Lucky Us said:


> Hello Everyone,
> 
> We are making the change also to move over from Sunny North Yorkshire to Te Aroha near Hamilton (approx 2 hours form Auckland) My other half is a farmer and we have had a job offer, which has made things easier. We are using an agent as the visa process looks complicated and from we have heard on many occasions its easier and if you only get the once chance to do it right we don't want to miss our life changing opportunity!!
> 
> We are both quite active and into our sports, he plays cricket and takes part in cycling, I do swimming, running and triathlons Lucky Patcher 9Apps VidMate so hopefully we should fit into the active lifestyle. No children as of yet but once over and everything is settled then what better place to start a family!!
> 
> If anyone has any advice then please share!!


in the event that you like game, you should love it here! Te Aroha is an exquisite territory as well (you're exceptionally near Waihi Beach and Tauranga as well)


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