Moving to Auckland

[Lovetobebusy]

Hello,

I was born in NZ and my husband has just had his residency application accepted, so we're hoping to leave the UK for Auckland in December. Hoping to get kids into a school for the new school year in Jan. I'm so excited!

We've just a few small tasks to do first such as selling a house, quitting jobs, finding jobs, finding a house...

Is anyone here able to give me any advice on remotely finding good rental property in Auckland (possibly Titirangi?). I've heard that houses often have damp issues and my 7yo has allergies so I really need to find somewhere dry.

Also, people in the UK are being very cautious atm about changing jobs because of the covid disruption, but my husband will need to find a job as a supply chain manager once we get to NZ. Does anyone have any feelings about what the job market is like in Auckland?

I'd love to hear from anyone who has anything to say about moving.
Everything seems to be happening very quickly, which is good, but also completely nerve-wracking!

Thanks

[FenceFuckery]

Exciting!

For houses, your best bet is to check our TradeMe to get an idea of suburbs and prices. There is new legislation for landlords to insulate properties, but I’m not all that across it as we don’t rent. When you search, add key words like HRV (moisture removal system), or heat pump. Modern houses tend to be better, but I mean really modern, not the 90s-2000s and the leaky building issues.

Schools are zoned, so generally where you go is dictated by where you live. Check out the ERO website for a guideline on how schools perform.

The job market is relatively ok I think, unless you are in hospitality or travel. Look at websites like seek.co.nz for job listings. Not sure if there are more specialized ones for your H’s industry.

Public transport is also really quite shit, so I’d recommend living near a train line or getting a car each. Busses are fine, but it’s a bit of a hike from Tits so would take ages to commute to the city.

Throw any more questions at me and I’ll do my best to answer.

[MJMG2015]

I'm (an ex) North Shore girl, so I can't help with Titirangi.

When were you last there?

If it was a while ago, be prepared to walk around the supermarket (quickly - no where near the choice) and going 'how much' 'HOW much' 'HOW MUCH'. Last time I was back I could not believe the cost of food there.

But the BEACHES & the people make up for it.

I've been away far too long to know about jobs, but last time I looked at it, I couldn't get the pay v buying a house/living costs to work for me on my own on paper.

But that's not why I didn't go.

[HamAndTomato]

I live v close to Titirangi 🙂. Beautiful area but lots of the houses are in the bush and don’t get much sun so can be dark/damp. Yes look for ones with DVS or HRV, also heat pump if possible. All the local primaries (Titirangi, Kaurilands, Laingholm, Woodlands Park) are really good and if you’re in zone then you’re in, simple as that.
Job market holding up pretty well as we’ve kept covid out (mostly) , apart from tourism and hospitality.

Yes groceries etc more expensive. But the Waitakeres are amazing, the beaches are beautiful...etc etc. if you do need public transport Titirangi is a short drive to train stations at New Lynn or Fruitvale and there are some express buses too.

[HamAndTomato]

And yes, TradeMe for rentals

TradeMe and Seek for jobs.

Housing is expensive. Don’t know if you’ve done all the sums on cost of living etc. I’m v happy here though

[Lovetobebusy]

Thank you so much for your messages!

We were in NZ last Christmas so I have an idea of the prices of living, and although it's going to be a shock I'm fairly confident that we'll manage it.

We've been looking on Trademe for rental houses but I've never heard of DVS or HRV before, so that's really useful - thanks! Annoyingly I'm immediately drawn to the houses in the beautiful bush, so I might have to rethink what we're looking for.

We've been looking for jobs on seek and also contacting agents. The agents reactions range from 'the market is slightly flat but there are still plenty of jobs' to 'you'd be crazy to come here - there's a recession and no jobs!' Eek. My husband is planning on handing in his notice here tomorrow, so I really hope he finds something!

[Lovetobebusy]

@HamAndTomato, are you a Kiwi or have you moved to NZ? Thank you for the insider knowledge on the Titirangi area

@FenceFuckery, is Titirangi really shortened to Tits? I really hope so!

[Fantail]

I’m in NZ (Wellington not Auckland). Job wise is would probably be best to say that things are unpredictable, just as they are for the rest of the world.

One thing to consider would be your arrival date in December. You will need to do 14 days in a managed isolation facility - that may include Christmas based on your arrival date.

[HamAndTomato]

@Lovetobebusy I’m from the UK but have lived here for about 18 years.

Meant to say, look out for sunny/north facing houses but I’m sure as a Kiwi you’ll be aware of that

And I think you’ll have to pay for managed isolation too, have you factored that in?

[Lovetobebusy]

@hamandtomato & @fantail
Paying to spend Christmas in quarantine would suck, but not as much as spending the entire winter in a brexit/lockdown nightmare in the UK!

I was born in NZ but left when I was two, so I don't have a clue about life down under. Your comments are great - there's so much to learn.

[HamAndTomato]

@Lovetobebusy oh right, I’d assumed you were a Kiwi who had just lived overseas as an adult. Right, well any questions you have fire away. The amount of sun a house gets can make a massive difference to the dampness/coldness and north facing gets the most sun here. Central heating very rare and older houses often have little or no insulation. I’ve never been as cold in a UK house as I have in a Kiwi one, despite the milder climate. I remember one morning it being 8 degrees in our kitchen - we have insulated the house now so much better and in Auckland it’s only 2-3 months that are cold-ish.

[FenceFuckery]

Titirangi has heaps of nicknames. There was a great thread on the Auckland sub board on Reddit a couple of weeks ago. I don’t know how you link, but it comes up if you google search ‘reddit Auckland suburb nickname’
It’s mentioned a fair bit in there!

For jobs, I’d recommend doing research on companies in your industry, and firing CVs out all over the place. One thing that a lot of expats I know struggle with, is the insular nature of many companies. If you don’t have local experience, and have contacts here, then it can be really really hard to break into the market.

For houses, definitely consider the amount of light and which direction the yard faces. Makes a huge difference.

You might want to even consider getting a 6 month lease on a furnished apartment somewhere central just to start with. Get your bearings of the city whilst living here (very different to a quick visit), and then decide where you want to settle.

[DianaTremaine]

hi Lovetobebusy, another Auckland mumsnetter here.

FenceFuckery's suggestion about a furnished apartment is a good one. You can probably get a good deal at the moment, try emailing Quest apartments or similar and ask for longer term rates.

Titirangi is lovely but it can be a pain to get anywhere from there as it has poor public transport access and is not near any motorways. If possible I would wait to find out where you will be working before committing to an area.

There isn't much point looking at specific properties before you arrive as properties will only be advertised a couple of weeks before they are available. However trademe is a good way to see the bang for your buck in different suburbs. School zone is probably the most important consideration (if you are in the zone then you must be accepted). It's worth considering intermediate/high school as well, it comes around quickly if your eldest is already 7. This website is a bit clunky but you can see school zones on here: //nzschools.tki.org.nz

Have a look at the ERO website to see how different schools are rated but also ask around, Aucklanders love talking about schools and most people have an opinion about them. My kids are in the Catholic system if you need any advice about that.

[HamAndTomato]

Also, regarding where to stay when you get here, there are some good deals to be had on renting an Air BnB property for a few weeks/months. There are no international tourists to rent them so a lot sitting empty and owners pretty keen to get any income they can from them, you can get good deals for longer stays. Don’t be afraid to negotiate

[ReefTeeth]

We moved from London to Melbourne 2 years ago.

Our house went up for sale early April and the first viewers came before it was even on Rightmove, made an offer, we accepted immediately and it still took until mid July to complete.

And there was no chain.

So your timings are probably a bit off, I think you're looking like end of Jan at the earliest getting there (unless you have an offer accepted already?).

I can't offer any advice re NZ, but do you have any family or friends there? I just mention this as with borders closed, you are going to maybe feel more isolated then the usual immigrant.

We used a large move cube from sevenseas which held an unbelievable amount of stuff! But we didn't ship any furniture, it was just everything else, all toys etc.

I have friends in NZ and like Aus, the cost of living is really high. And they lived in London so they were shocked at this. They said it was (more than) London prices without the London salary.

Goodluck with your move, it's exciting!