2 year relocation to New Zealand

[bumbez]

My Dh has recently returned from a conference in Australia. He was offered a job in Christchurch whilst there. We discussed it initially and said no, but are we missing out on the chance of a life time?

I just wondered if there was any one out there who had done this and what it was like?

We are both in our forties, have 2 girls aged 7 and 9 and a dog. I think we could rent our house out easily enough . I work for the NHS and am top increment in my pay band which I think would revert back to bottom increment if employment were to be severed.

I suppose my greatest fear is upsetting the children's schooling because they would have to move schools twice iyswim.

[quoteunquote]

Your children will gain so much from the experience,

My parents did this a lot, it given us(siblings and I) such great life experiences,and a greater sense of the world,

find a friend to dog sit for two years, and go for it.

[HerRoyalNotness]

It's a wonderful place for children, a slower, simpler kind of life. Embrace it and take the dog with you!

Idlove to go back for a couple of years with my DC but sadly there isn't enough work in our industry, I keep hoping though.

[IwanttoflyonA380]

Hi Bumbez, my girls are 6 and 10 and my dh has been offered a job in Christchurch. We have submitted our EOI and it has been drawn out so we should get our ITA very soon. We are looking at going late Jan 2013 for the girls to start school at the start of the school year (NZ school year start jan/feb time). If you keep your house in the uk you would still be able to apply for secondary school. There seams to be lots of opportunities for kids in NZ. Mine our looking forward to learning Rugby, skying and going to the beach lots.

[bumbez]

Thank you every one I guess we need to think about it some more. :)

[Sibble]

Hi, saw your post a while back and was wondering what to post. We have been here 10 years (came for 2 and stayed) but are in Auckland so cannot comment personally on Christchurch.

I guess the question is why do you want to come. What are you hoping to get from the experience. We are also in our 40s.

Pluses:
NZ is a beautiful place that runs at a very slower and less materialistic pace than the UK.
In Christchurch you will have:

Drivable access to the ski fields
Very beautiful
Summer hot
Schooling I don't think will be any issue, depending on your girls and only you know their ability to cope with change. NZ schooling seems much more laid back and they may benefit from the experience.

Minuses:
Christchurch - very cold in the winter (I think of the South Island rightly or wrongly like Switzerland - hot in summer and snow bound in summer)
I personally wouldn't live in Christchurch - it is still suffering aftershocks and I don't think I could live with the stress of shaking
Property - rentals and purchasing has gone through the roof due to limited supply since the quake damaged so many houses
I would want to live outside the quake zone with dh commuting which would mean he would have to travel.

There are some mumsnetters in Christchurch so I am in part bumping this for you. You might also get other locals on other forums.

In summary, I love NZ and would say definitely come for 2 years, but dh has been offered a few jobs in Christchurch and I have said no. Location would be an issue for me.

HTH

[bumbez]

Thank you sibble that's really helpful.

I hadn't even thought about Earthquakes duh. I'm not sure I would cope with the stress either.

I have always wanted to visit New Zealand as has my Dh, it's very beautiful and has a laid back pace of life, I suppose going for 2 years we would see it as an adventure, but I do love England and I can't imagine that we would stay longer.

My children are doing ok at school, dd1 is getting way above average grades for her age, dd2 struggles a bit and has been tested for dyslexia - but isnt. I'm not sure uprooting dc twice would be in their best interests as they might find it hard to catch up with the national curriculum and get good gcse grades.

I think we probably won't move not for the next couple of years anyway ( we're in the process of moving house which is stressfull enough) its just friends and relatives think we are bonkers not to just do it, So I just wanted to explore the idea a bit more.

[juniperinNZ]

Hi, we live in Christchurch, been here since beginning of January. We've got 3 dc, 4, 2 and 4 months, and are in our early 30s. We love it here, and have no intentions of going back to the UK. I know quite a few expats out here who also love it out here and wouldn't even consider going back to the UK after experiencing it out here. Lots of things to do, beach, wildlife parks, Port Hills for walking, Alps, Ski fields only an hour away, very, very child friendly, good schools etc. Winter here is warmer than the UK, we have a lot of clear blue skies and the sun is still really warm, the other day it was 18 degrees in the sun and it's the middle of winter! We did get snow the other week, but apparently that's quite unusual for Christchurch. If you went to the south of the South Island it does get colder, but Christchurch is quite sheltered.
Yes, we do have earthquakes (that's the reason we came out here as dh is a geologist) but they are not huge, and although it might look like we get lots of aftershocks, unless it is about a 4.5 or more you don't feel them. And even then, if you are walking about, outside etc you don't feel them either. In the last 3 weeks I've only felt two shakes, and one of those was an earthquake in the north island that we felt here. You'd struggle to live outside the earthquake zone as you can feel them anywhere, but there are parts of town that haven't suffered much damage at all and you don't feel them as much. To be honest, anywhere in NZ could have an earthquake, but in Christchurch we've had big ones so any buildings that wouldn't be safe in another earthquake have been pulled down/are being pulled down or are closed off at the moment for strengthening work. Buildings have to be up to the building code for earthquakes so if there is another big earthquake (which there may be) this is probably the safest city in NZ to be in!
There are a lot of roadworks in Christchurch which can be really annoying, the east of the city had a lot of damage (but you probably wouldn't have much call to go there), and the central city is cordoned off, and is a sad site to see. THe cordon is moving back, but will be a few years till everything functions again there. There is a mall there made of shipping containers which is interesting and things are starting to move back there though. There are loads of shopping malls about, so you can still get everything you need, our local swimming pool is closed, but I take my eldest to swimming lessons at a pool 10 mins away instead.
We love it here and for our kids it is fantastic. It might not be for everyone, but it is pretty awesome (and it hardly ever rains!!!). Just realised what a long post this is! Feel free to ask if you've got anymore questions feel free to ask or pm.

[Arana]

I'm not in NZ, but we got an opportunity like yours to come to Australia for two years, but with an option to extend it to four years, or stay permanently. We've been here a year now, and although it's been hard work at times, its an experience of a lifetime, and I would make the same decision again.

We're going to apply for permanent residency as soon as we can. I think if we couldn't stay in Australia, we'd consider moving elsewhere (NZ or Canada) before considering returning to the UK.

[juniperinNZ]

Exactly what we said Arana (although Australia or Canada obviously!)