where's best to live in nz,and what do we need to know?

[AngryBeaver]

My dh has been on at me for a year to move from the uk.He wanted Quebec,which looked gorgeous and romantic,but i wasn't sold on the winters and coudn't leave my mum.
He recentley said he wanted to move to NZ and i thought ,yeah if it's warm and a better life than here,let's do it.
So we've got fuck all money and 3 kids under 4.5 ...but we want to do it.
I don't know what's changed in me for me to agree ,but I hear th schools and hospitals are fab,and just want the best life for my lovely children.
I'm worrying though because I've read the houses are crap and cold.
We want sun,space and not too expensive (don't we all!)
We thought Tauranga,but that seems quite busy and we've read about boy racers.
We don't want Wellington as we've heard it's windy and weather not great.
Does anyone know about Nelson?Heard it's nice weather,but what's the reality?
We are going to put the house on the market this week,I am shitting myself,but I feel it's now or never.
Any help or advice,gratefully recieved

We have little money to live on here and find its easier to live cheaper here than it was in London. Mostly because easy to buy veg from markets, cook from scratch, entertain kids with beach etc.
There is less competitive materialism, I think, so clothes, gadgets fancy cars culture does exist, but not so prevalently.
Weather is Wellington is terrible. Really. Nelson is great - and not tiny. Blenheim is nice too. And housing cheaper there. You need to get on Trademe.co.nz and look at some housing prices. Good luck!

thankyou whatshesaid..phew,a bit of positivity restored.wherabouts are you if you dont mind me asking?
i think i quite fancy the north of the south island but i think we'll have to go to Aukland-ish areas first.
yes,journalism is on the skills list and there's loads of jobs mainly in aukland,taurangs,wellington and christchurch apparantly

AngryBeaver - we are heading to Auckland.

Do look at trademe.

Especially for houses to buy and rent as well as all sorts of other stuff. There is an interesting forum there too where local New Zealanders discuss stuff. I dont post but just lurk to see what people are worried/talking about. Its an insight into what real New Zealanders are thinking.

Food looks expensive compared to UK because of the excange rate. The average rate NZD/GBP rate for the last 20 years is 2.85 but currently is 2.05. Things would look at lot better at a rate of 2.85.

Here is a summary of journalism/production jobs available on NZ this week: here.
Most will be in Wellington, Auckland or Christchurch. The salaries in the top positions might be enough to support a family if only one person is working. The salaries if the more junior ones will not.'
The Kapiti Coast or the Waiarapa are both within commuting distance of Wellington but have better weather.
I second not doing this lightly. It's hard to comprehend the isolation of NZ until you're here and then possibly struggling financially, especially if you didn't bring much to help you with the first year set up costs.
It can be a great life here. Personally I would want job certainty before I got here and money to tide you through the first phase. That said, I don't think it's that expensive, housing costs aside, once you adjust your life to match the NZ lifestyle. And overseas holidays are a very rare occurrence.

AngryBeaver let us know of you do decide to go ahead. We are moving out there in the next few months (to New Plymouth on the North Island). If you decide to go for it we could hold hands.

AngryBeaver I'm in a suburb of west Auckland - some of west auckland is not so nice but the bit I'm in is fine. We are kind of near the outskirts of the city, near lots of parks and beaches (but not big golden-sand type beaches, small mostly rocky/shelly beaches), 10 mins drive from a huge regional park (hills and beaches and lots of walking tracks) but still 20 mins drive (off peak) to Auckland city centre.

Traffic in Auckland can be very heavy espec at peak travelling times, much worse than Welington and Christchurch.

Sorry I didn't mean to be overly negative AngryBeaver. I am on a popular expat site and it really shocked me how many people REALLY complain about NZ....most of them want to sue Tourism New Zealand for misrepresentation Lots of people think it is very backwards, it isn't, there are a lot of areas that are very progressive in terms of technology. But do be prepared for culture shock, we are quite unique in how we do some things

I could easily sell you NZ, but there are plenty of bad points about it.

I think you just need to be reassured that the figures add up. I will head back eventually but the one thing I worry about most is financial security. Not many people go to NZ to make their fortunes, you go there for a better quality of life and a change hopefully for the better, but you do need a liveable wage to do this.

I think one of the biggest differences in NZ is that you can live in a small city, village, town in the UK but you will usually have a big city within driving distance....this is not necessarily so in NZ. Nelson is a prime example of this, your nearest big city is Wellington which is rather a big swim away. I'm sure you can get all you need in Nelson, but I think some Brits miss the big shopping experience.

Good luck!!!

Don't be deflated about it- its a big decision but one I have never regretted. No country is going to be perfect, but if you are looking for a change in lifestyle, New Zealand will give you that.

I think it's good to be realistic and let people know negatives as well as positives, Kiwifarfromhome. I agree with a lot of the points you made espec about remoteness, cost of travelling overseas, less shopping choice, etc. Like you say, there are lots of positives too. I think it's good for someone to get the full picture before they move across to the other side of the world (well, as full a picture as you can get from messages on a screen!)

Can second everything Kiwifarfromhome said - have been in UK for 15yrs myself. Last year when I was back I was at the general cost of living esp the cost of food, and I shop at Waitrose!

I think the exchange rate has been mentioned - the lowest its been ever (unless you are moving money the other way) which obv doesn't help with any cost of living comparasions...

Just don't underestimate the value of having family close - NZ really is at the ar*s end of the world, a long way away and expensive to get to/from...

Oh, and the car is King and NZers drive way to faast...courteous doesn't even come into the picture where driving is concerned.

That's probably enough NZ bashing for now...

On a positive note - Tauranga is a lovely city - beaches, cafes, shopping and close enough to Auckland, def worth looking at if it's an option.

Thank you all for discussing it with me.I never thought I would make the decision to leave the uk...but i really really want it to work for us.
You are right of course that i need to know the negatives as well as the positives to be able to get a picture of how things may be.
The price of food is steep.. nearly $4 for a lettuce? fuck me!that had better be one tasty lettuce!
thwop..i would very much like to hold your hand .i think we'll probably be moving to the north island too,I originally wanteed the south island but Christchurch seems a bit chilly,and that's where the work was!
we have to sell our house first though!

kiwi don't worry,i'm just feeling a bit emotional at the moment i think,and a bit nervy..have butterflies in my tummy all the time!Like I say,I do need to know the reality of life out in nz,so thanks for telling it straight
...sorry for the delay in replying,dh is using the laptop looking for work,he's found a journo forum and all the expat journo's are emailing him and being really lovely and helpful,and going out of their way to provide contacts and info.it's looking good

angrybeaver, re price of lettuce remember those fruit and veg prices (on supermarket site) are more expensive than smaller fruit and veg shops. My local one has lettuces for about $1.50 at the moment. And I grow lettuces at home pretty much all year round (maybe a couple of months in winter when they don't do so well)

Seek.co.nz is a good source of job ads. they also have a salary guide. Tax rates are higher in NZ and there is no tax free allowance. There is a calculator on the IRD website which will give you an idea.

We were lucky and moved over on a UK salary. But I am quite shocked at how poor a lot of salaries here are and we still struggled with the set up costs for the first 12/18 months. It was surprisingly stressful and we couldn't get any credit. Our credit card limit when we arrived was $2000! But actually it has been really good for us. Instead of buying what we fancy/need, we had to wait until we could afford it. We're not embarrassed to say we can't afford anything any more.

But food is expensive. We spend about $240 a week for two adults, one 20 month old and a cat. But as salaries are lower that would represent a higher proportion of an average families income. We eat well but that is cooking everything from scratch- no pizza's, ready made curry's etc. Most people don't spend quite this much though.

There is a good budget calculator on the forum section of emigratenz.org.nz

You might find this website useful too www2.careers.govt.nz/home_page.html it's a government website about careers, job demand, salaries for different jobs etc.

Think about whether you could cope without your mum to help with the kids.
Housing is nowhere near as good as the UK but you will be in a house similar to your neighbours, so all a bit crappy together...what I mean is, people here are less materialistic and less "keeping up with the Jones'".

You have to think why you are coming. Lifestyle - what do you mean, do you really love the outdoors so much that you don't mind going out the rain to get wood for the fire?
I am a high school teacher and don't think the system is as good as the UK but others like that primaries are small. Depends whether you live in a small town or big city I guess.
The health system is very variable indeed - where we live on the Wild West Coast (of the South Island) it sucks. 6 weeks to see my registered doctor and the nearest dentist is an hour and a half away - but it only costs me $16 to see a doctor.
Nelson is very aspirational and doctors and schools there reputedly very good - which is why jobs are hard to come by, everyone wants to live there.
Don't come without a big stash of cash and a residence visa. The visa process is a bitch and you want to do it at home with access to documents etc.

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but sometimes ex-pats can think NZ houses are very flimsy, since they're mostly made of wood, or box frames. This is actually because of earthquakes and will protect you. I would avoid a brick house in NZ personally.

I hope you make up your mind, and enjoy your choice.

6 weeks to see your dr Althrawes

It must vary hugely. I get to see my dr either the same day or the next day and they also have 2 hour-long clinics each day when you can just go for a quick consultation without an appointment, if you sit and wait in turn with the others there.

Just out of interest, Althrawes, what do you not like about the education system? Would be good to hear your opinion.

will post more later tonight I have a date wiht some papier mache

Hi. We moved almost two years ago to Wellington. DH had a job confirmed over here before we left. We have two dds now aged 6 and 3.
I love it over here and we have achieved our aim of a much better lifestyle and work/life balance. It is very expensive here and you need a good wage to make it worthwhile. Schools are excellent and the kindergartons are fab and free for a certain number of hours. The only downside is the cost of flights for visits back home. We haven't managed to afford that yet and probably won't for another year.
Please don't dismiss Wellington. It is windy but not every day and the city itself is stunningly beautiful. I couldn't live in Auckland, its far to crowded and busy. Nice to visit but not to raise a family in.
People over here are very friendly and willing to help out in any way they can. They are what has made this move worthwhile for me. I now have a network of friends and nieghbours that really make me feel at home. Something I was never able to achieve in the UK.

We have been here in wellington since last September and have noticed the following. The wind we have been told is worse in Oct/Nov and we found that it was only really windy in Wellington Central. Food can be expensive but our bills so far have been comparable to what we were paying in the UK but the food does taste a whole lot better. Clothes can be expensive but there are a number of shops which have clothes which are cheaper than the UK the quality we have been told is poorer but we have not encounter this yet. One of the main minuses we have not really budgeted for is the cost of schools. Uniforms have to be very specific to the school including socks which makes them very epxensive. Thought primary schools do not have school uniform or change at all for PE. Everything they use at school has to be bought and paid for including yearly donations which depending on the school can be very good value or very expensive. We move into a brand new house this week it is a 4 bedroom with a double garage. In the UK we could never havea afford it at all so lifestyle we will be much better off. All in all we are very glad we made the decision. My DH is the wage earner presently but hopefully i will start work in this coming year which will make so of the cost of living a little easier!

I really don't think Wellington weather is "terrible". It depends what you are comparing it too!

Nelson to my mind IS small (but not by NZ standards) and Blenheim is tiny but that doesn't mean they should be written off it all depends on whether you can get work there or not. FOr me (a lawyer) London is a much better job market but for one of my brothers (blue collar industry) London was horrible and class ridden and hard to get ahead and it is in NZ he has been able to do really really well - if you do well there at work nobody cares whether you are white collar, blue collar etc. He actually knows lots of ENglish guys who have moved to NZ and love it and says that the area they like to move to are very different to the areas popular with the locals - he says English mates always like living in the slightly more remote areas (eg, Silverstream outside of Wellington as one example) where they can get a decent bit of land.

I agree with lack of competitve materialism although I think that has been less so in the big cities over the last decade or so. I think NZ has changed a lot over that period personally. But it is still la great place to live and bring up kids. My sis and her UK hubby just relocated to Wellington 1.5 years ago and love it they don't live in Wellington Central but off the statehighway in a nice bit of Porirua they have a huge house with a sea view now and are VERY happy. But of course as I am from there its not isolating for us, quite the opposite. My DH however wouldn't like to live there it would drive him mad in lots of ways.

NZ is land of the small business so great for people with a good business idea.

"People over here are very friendly and willing to help out in any way they can. They are what has made this move worthwhile for me. I now have a network of friends and nieghbours that really make me feel at home. Something I was never able to achieve in the UK."

Thats nice Lavender I totally agree - Its what I miss the most... all the easy friendships.