To start planning to move to New Zealand with my partner and toddler?

[FlyingwithBaby]

Please share your experiences of moving from the UK to NZ.

Not a personal experience but two families that I know have; one my best friend 13years ago, they sold their house here and moved over. Her mum was a teacher and her dad works in transport, used a huge shipping container for the majority of their furniture and paid extra for more luggage on the flights. Their lives are amazing, they've built their own house now and my friends big sister is also a teacher. The schools seem fabulous there.

The second family were from down the road and went to the same school as my children, still have the mum on FB again their lives seem so much better so much outdoor time and family activities alot that are free due to good landscape and weather, the parks look amazing and the beaches are gorgeous. The houses all seem really good sizes too, this particular family rent but have a lovely house. Hope that helps :)

What's your reason for wanting to move to NZ?

You need to provide more information if you want to know if you're being unreasonable.

I'm in NZ. One thing that I think people fail to take into consideration is the cost of returning to the UK. Flights are very expensive compared to the average New Zealanders earning power. So once you are here trips back to the UK will be very infrequent. I know a lot of my expat friends have very much struggled with this.

It depends what you enjoy and want out of life. Are you outdoorsy, like to do a lot of sport and are you generally outgoing and open? The NZ could be great for you. If you like to have access to international products, rely on Amazon and like to be quite private then you could find NZ tricky. NZers kind of insist on talking to you and asking you all about what you are doing. All the time. In shops, cafes, anywhere. If you don't want to open up completely all the time, they think you are cold and stuck up. It's tricky if you are an introvert.

Schools are like in the UK. Some are great, some are rubbish. Less violent though. Lots of petty crime in NZ. Muggings, burglary etc. And domestic violence is very high. Having such a small population it feels safer though.

It is very very far away from the rest of the world both geographically and metaphorically.

We will have been here 10 years in February. It’s brilliant and I would never return to the UK. But as others have said it’s a long way from the UK and it is not a cheap place to live particularly if you are in Auckland and increasingly Wellington. But it is great - the lifestyle can’t be compared.

Hi op, I have moved back and forth a few times but never with kids. It is very doable but as others have said it is isolated from the rest of the world. Are you and your partner NZers? Are you planning to apply for citizenship or permanent residency? Both are time consuming and expensive. Lifestyle is great if you like relaxed, outdoors, no crowds. But if the city and shopping is your thing NZ just won’t compare to the uk. Most brits I know here would never go back to the uk. But every now and then I meet someone who can’t get out of here fast enough, finds it dull and limited, as it can take you that way too.

Kia ora! As a Kiwi who's lived around the world (and currently abroad) I don't know about people being intrusive - I'm fairly introverted and have never really found this! If you're in a small town people might be more like it, as in any small town, but if you're in a city I don't think so.

Given you have a young child, I think it's a good move - NZ is great for kids. I was bored to tears as a teenager though and have had to leave to make decent progress in my career.

Be aware that it might be harder for you to buy a house/get a visa than in the past. The current government has recently tightened the restrictions on foreigners buying houses - on a work visa you won't be able to, but if you stay and get residency you'll be fine. www.newzealandnow.govt.nz/living-in-nz/housing/buying-building for more info.

We moved when our children were 18 months & 3 - was a great time to move as the boys were very easy to settle into a new area and lifestyle.

Advantages - I already had a permanent job with good salary; we moved to a great area (not Wellington or Auckland!), weather (maybe not this year but in general), fresh seasonal fruit and veg, excellent health and education, biking / tramping / kayaking, commute went from 3h to 8mins by bike so I see a lot more of my family than when I was working, we can afford to live on my part time salary so I get more time with the boys and DH can be a sahp.

Disadvantages: it’s a very very long way away from anywhere else and the distance is very real when someone in the UK is ill or as parents age. You need a decent job, house prices are rising especially in the cities, there is more and more traffic on the roads (and more serious crashes for the amount of drivers than there should be), drugs are a problem (mostly cannabis and P, not so much opiates), there can be gang violence depending on where you live. Books are expensive, food seems about the same, fuel is getting more expensive (it used to be noticeably cheaper, it’s well over $2/L now).

YANBU to plan to move here but do your research, choose your area wisely and get a job offer. Ideally, come over for a 6-8week trip to travel around and see which areas suit you. Whether it’ll work for you or not really depends on your reasons for wanting to.

I only know New Zealand in photos, but, ever the pessimist here, bear in mind that if you split up while living abroad you could be tied into living in that country until your child turns eighteen.

Have you been to New Zealand already?

Hey,
Not quite the same situation but will try and be helpful.
I moved here 4 years ago on a working holiday visa and now have PR.
There are lots of things to think about, i think the biggest thing would be where to live. Depending what jobs you do you may struggle in some places on the country. My profession for example is flooded in Auckland and you would not get a job there in it. The further south I go the better job opportunities are. We live in Wellington and love it. It is small enough that we can get everywhere easily and there is still plenty to do, lots of beaches etc. But I find a lot of the shows I want to see only go to Auckland and its just not cost effective to bother going.
Location also dramatically affects the weather you have.
I work in healthcare and can not recommend private health insurance enough even if only for diagnosis. The health care here, whilst great compared to many other countries is severely lacking compared to the NHS. For example a fantastic drug for Alzheimers available in the UK is still not available here 7 years after the UK got it. Cancer medication etc. Is also very limited.
Although a pro is that we can always get same day GP appointments.
House prices are ridiculous. We paid half a million for our house. It would have cost about $300,000 in my home town in the UK, probably less.
NZ is a long way from anywhere. We use most of our annual leave on seeing my friends and family from the UK.
I haven't been able to talk to my parents for 2 weeks due to my workload and the time difference.
There is less available in terms of variety and availability. E.g. Food, furniture etc. They also cost far more.
The work culture for me is far better. Less targets, less stress, more money. The weather is better here as well, it has been a fantastic couple of weeks of sunshine!
I am thinking of moving back to the UK, but only to be near my parents as I am an only child and would also like them to spend more time with their grandchildren. If they could move here (we have looked into it, its not possible) then we would have done it that way instead.
Overall we are very happy here at the moment :-)

Can’t believe no one has mentioned - we’re apparently getting an IKEA in NZ!

I think it’s like anywhere, there are some good places and some bad. You can have two people living identical lives, one loving it and one hating it.

NZer in the UK.
In agree with PP, in addition other negative points I've had from returning Brits.
*There isn't central heating in the houses and they arent' generally insulated enough to do so. People wear warm clothes, use electric blankets on the bed and an electric fan heater in the bathroom. ( I agree with Brits and think CH is lovely)
*People wear casual clothes all the time.
*Produce is seasonal (no mangetout airfreighted from Africa in Dec)
*NZ culture is direct, so people will tell you what they think, which British people think is them being rude.
*All outdoorsy activities, no national trust houses or ruined castles.

You might need to check the visa situation as New Zealand are apparently no longer issuing permanent visas. I know two friends who have left New Zealand because of this. I think it started this year. So unless your partner is from New Zealand, or you are a citizen, you might need to find somewhere else to move.

Hey, I moved 7 years ago to Auckland. Partner is a Kiwi so no problems with visa. We have one DC born in Auckland a few months after we arrived. My partner gave birth (not me) as you couldn't get a visa if you were pregnant (not sure if the laws have changed)

Pros:
Houses are spacious and beautifully unique
Beaches everywhere!
Great outdoors/ nature/ sporting culture
Proud nation who expect everyone to be 'Kiwis' regardless of where you are from
Great schools in good areas
You can get ahead pretty quickly if you takes chances and work hard. In 7 years I have completely forged ahead in my career which was not going anywhere in UK. So has my partner and we earn 7x what we did in the UK.
Better work/ life balance
Safe if you live in the right area
IKEA is coming!
H&M is here
You feel like you live in a bubble.
Despite the huge distances there are great holiday options like Australia, Fiji, Raro, Hawaii although most Kiwis spend their holidays in NZ.
Amazing summers

So many others and will post more if I can list them!

Cons

Soooo far away from anywhere - even Australia is hours away!
Massive equality differences. There are a lot of poor people here who really really struggle to afford the basics.
You need lots of disposable income to have a good life here more than the UK
Poor public transport - everyone drives and life without a car would be pretty impossible
It's really expensive - house prices aren't rising much now so if you bought a house don't expect much equity unless you're buying in Dunedin maybe
Food is expensive although vegetables and fruit are 99% NZ grown and seasonal which is good
Huge family violence problem - not nice to read the stories and see nothing done about it
Soft justice system
Time difference is awful. Trying to get hold of older relatives in the UK is hard!
Lack of history - buildings built in 1930 are considered historic. There are no castles etc.
No central heating but if you can make your home warmer

My advice would be to do your research - its not all peaches and cream. Parts of Auckland I wouldn't want to live in. If you don't choose an area that you will fit into then you will struggle. We had friends here already so was easier and have made new friends through the school. It's tough but I wouldn't move back. For children, its about the most perfect place to bring them up.

Visas and jobs would be the first thing I'd recommend researching. Once you know you can reside and work, the other stuff is easier to find out.

Kiwi here (with British partner). We moved back to NZ with 4 month old about 8 years ago (after 8 years in UK).

Pros
Outdoor activities - lots of accessible walks, beaches, skiing, sailing etc.
Awesome school (although now zoning applies and our zoned school is shite with less than 50% of students achieving basic standards in english and maths).
Really easy for both DH and I to get work in our fields (both were told we'd struggle but employers here seem to value uk experience).

Cons
Very isolated - we are regional south island so have to fly to Auckland before getting on international flight and for a family its expensive (no discount for kids on domestic flights).
Racism - Significantly worse than UK against both Maori and anyone who isn't white.
Houses are cold (no central heating or double glazing).
Food is extortionate out of season - when we were last back in UK blueberries were less than 2 pound versus $10+ here for same weight. Some things just aren't available at all.
Lack of arts/cultural activities - presumably not an issue in bigger cities but here it can be frustrating. We do have a decent gallery, library and small museum but compared to time in UK feels very parochial.

If I didn't have family here I'd probably return to the UK. I was never homesick for NZ (although was surprised at how excited I was to see piwakawaka and hear circadas again) but do really miss the UK city we were in. Although would be different with kids...

Out of the cities it can take much longer to get anywhere, especially in the mountainous/hilly parts of the south island.

Also lots of issues regarding inequality - some good articles on Spinoff and Stuff which explain this:

interactives.stuff.co.nz/2018/05/a-tale-of-two-cities/

www.radionz.co.nz/news/the-wireless/373065/the-pencilsword-on-a-plate

I’m from NZ originally and now raising a toddler in London. You couldn’t pay me to move back, whenever I visit it feels so provincial and unsophisticated. As pp have said food, books etc are very expensive, there’s little cultural stuff going on compared to here. In my opinion the weather isn’t much better than the UK south and we have access to beaches and lovely outdoor spaces too, here and very close by in France & rest of Europe. I was absolutely bored off my tits in NZ, even as a child.

We did it when our children were 18 months, 4 and 6. We lived in Hawkes Bay for 4 years, but came home to the UK 3 years ago as my Mum was diagnosed with (thankfully now in remission) cancer. It was an amazing experience, and our children are adaptable, resilient and embrace change now, which I credit the move with. We threw ourselves fully into life there, our friends were mostly New Zealander’s, our children joined sports teams, and we were as settled as we could be for 4 years. Accept every invite given, push yourself to talk to people, join clubs etc and fully immerse yourself in life wherever you settle. Don’t expect NZ to be a sunnier UK, there are many language, cultural and social differences. It’s as foreign a country as any other, just because they speak English, it’s still a very country to England. We moved back at the right time I think, our eldest is now nearly 14, and though he’s an accomplished sportsman and would have thrived where we were from the respect, we lived quite an isolated existence, and there’s an awful lot of hndeags drinking/drug taking in rural NZ. There’s also some elements of casual racism, sexism and homophobia running through some old school New Zealander’s, that made me quite uncomfortable by moments. That aside, it’s an amazing place to raise kids and show them some truly beautiful places. Every country has its pros and cons, NZ is no different, I’d just say don’t go there expecting the land of milk and honey, it has its own issues the sane way the UK or anywhere else does.

Hello again OP. I think it might be useful for us here in NZ to help you if you can tell us why you think you want to live here?

Also where would you want to live?

Huge difference living in Auckland as opposed to Invercargill.

Thank you all so much for your replies, they are really helpful.

In reply to some of the questions, my partner is a Kiwi and we would plan to move to the south of the north island. Our reasons for moving would be to be close to his family and to live a more active, outdoor lifestyle.

I've visited NZ on holiday. I found it expensive (compared to travelling in Asia). The landscapes and wildlife are amazing. You can do out door sports and activities in your home country if you make the effort. Flights very long and expensive. Do you have the correct visas to move ?