Where's Best to Live in NZ and what do we need to know: PART TWO!!!

[AngryBeaver]

Wow,have just gone to post and it wouldn't except it! So have had to start a new thread. Hope everyone finds it ok.I feel a bit like we've all been out for the night and somehow got seperated and no one has their mobile!!
Anyway,this was the question I've had to cut and paste from the old thread:...

Sorry,have had a quick look but can't see...has anyone used emirates?
I think the sky couch thing looks good,but we'd have to buy a couple and that would be pricey.
Dh reckons Emirates are fine,but I don't think he's anticipating how different it's going to be travelling that disatnce with 3 exhausted infants.
He has limited travel experience as it is and the longest he has been on a plane with them is 3 hours. He keeps saying it will be fine,they'll sleep for loads of it...somehow I'm thinking this will not happen!!

Yes I only know the answer to 3 as well - the school HAVE to give you a place if you are in zone - so its a diff system to UK. But you need the address.

Lots of banks will let you open an account from the UK. But we just walked into ANZ when we arrived and did it the first day. It took about 30 mins till we had our EFPOS cards. I use Hifx but heard they may be charging for smaller transfers these days. You need to make sure you have internet banking and your HiFx account authenticated before you leave the UK though. Our money transfer came through in 2/3 days.

Can't advise on shipping companies other than to suggest you check out which company is handling things in NZ. We shipped two batches of stuff with the same company who used two different agents in NZ. The second damaged some of our stuff through pure carelessness and I am very bitter. The wrapping had come off my beautiful wood table and they had obviously just scrapped it along a concrete floor. Grrr. They were the *oving Company and have a bad reputation.

A bank card in 30 minutes??? That wouldn't happen in the UK. I'm impressed.

Good to know the school have to give you the place. My worry was that you get the address and then rock up to the school to be told they're full. That happens here cos of the restrictions we have on class sizes.

I know. Our bank is amazing. If I need something I email my account manager and she helps me with it.

It's a bit different here though- they want you to have your current account with the bank you have your mortgage with. We stayed with ANZ cos their focus was on helping us pay it off faster.

WTF- an account manager?? Not a call centre in India??? I'm amazed. Do you have a thing called 'customer service' in NZ? It doesn't really happen here anymore.

Yep, customer service. I've spent 2 x 1 hr on the phone to my British bank this month and it makes me want to tear my eyes out.

Customer service can be a bit haphazard but it usually works out. When we arrived I ordered a bed to be delivered to our first rental the day we moved in. I got a call from the delivery company at the wrong time and I wasn't at the house. Cue panic from me imagining no bed for our first night in the empty house. But they just figured it out with me. It's a smaller place and things are just a bit more human rather than rigidly applying rules that make life difficult/impossible.

Lolly, can help you with some of the questions ...

1. Bank account - you can open one on line from the UK. I use Westpac - earlier up this thread I recall loads of others use Westpac too. Just go on their website and look up migrant banking and open an account on line. You then get loads of info e-mailed back from them on how to transfer money over. We just told Westpac when and where we would arrive, had an appointment with our account manager sorted before we left the UK and our first full day in Whangarei, straight to the bank to talk to them and collect EFTPOS cards. Easy peasy.

1. We used Hifx, all good. Transfered a couple of £1,000 straight from our UK bank account to our NZ one though about a month before we left. Check their website for current terms though, as I had heard things had changed a bit.

1. Get house first. All primary schools work very strictly on zones, so you need to know where you will be living first.

1. No idea sorry, my DS is school age

1. We used anglo Pacific, lovely hard working packers in the UK and nothing broken in transit or during unpacking here. Get everyting insured though, it costs a lot, but don't risk it if it's your whole life coming over.

Thanks shelscape -that's really helpful advice.

I've transferred money over to a Westpac account from a UK bank and I think there was a charge (about 20 quid?) at the UK end but no charge here (the no charge may have been because we have our mortgage with Westpac so they waive lots of fees). I think the money was there in less than 24 hours. Never used Hifx or whatever, is the exchange rate better? Because for fees (zero) and time (less than a day) Westpac were great.

I find banks here really easy to deal with. Pretty good customer service. Definitley less bureaucracy, I think. Dh has lost his EFTPOS card several times on drunken nights out and just goes into any branch with his photo ID the next day and walks out with a new card 5 minutes later.

Not all primary schools are zoned but if you're in central-ish Auckland or the North Shore they probably will be. If you are in the zone they have to take you - no applying for schools here.

Re the 20 free hours I'm not 100% sure but I have a feeling you may have to be a resident simply because I had to provide proof my dd1 was a NZ citizen or resident when she started kindy. Ministry of Education website may have something on it?

Don't know about car loan availability but would recommend a bit of bartering on price - lots of car dealers very keen for sales and probably happy to lower prices a bit.

Yes I'm wondering about loan things like justabout. I have a credit history here but will I have to start from scratch in Nz on this front? So for example to rent the mouse cave I'm currently camping in I needed:

1. a full credit check
2. a bankers draft (cheque unacceptable apparently) for £1750 or cash.
3. a letter from my boss writing down how much I earn (I was so asking him to do that).

Is it that difficult to rent in Nz? I've heard I should get a reference from my current letting agency to state I've been paying the rent on time before I go- would that be advisable?

The 20 hours ECE (free nursery) is for any child aged 3-5, residency status doesn't matter. At my ds's nursery you only get the full 20 hours as a discount on the full time fees i.e. you can't have 20 hours free and not pay for any more if that makes sense - for 2 days a week you'd get maybe 7 hours of that free. But I don't know if that's how it works everywhere.

It wouldn't hurt to have a rental reference but we rented a few days after we got here with no reference, no credit check and no NZ job! They're much more casual about these things here.

I think all the main banks do migrant bank accounts where you can open it before you get here, although I just walked into ASB and set mine up after we got here.

don't expect to get a loan to buy a car. We looked into it and failed utterly as we had only just arrived in the Country. Plus, interest free purchases over 3 or 5 years does not exist here. Think of the the high interest rates you ahd to pay for car loans in the 90's .... that's what it is like here still. Either try for a bank loan once you've had your first pay cheque or buy a decent second hand car with cash.

We went along to harvey Norman's to buy various elctrical stuff in one of their many sales after four weeks here. We had the cash, but applied for interest free credit jsut to see waht happened. We were refused, quite common I am told for new arrivals even with proof of a job and an address. Been here 11 months now and can get this sort of credit.

yes, barter for cars and also for household appliances. it's pretty much expected that you do it.

For renting a house expect to be asked for references, from current land lord and any others you can lay your hand on. We owned our house in the UK, so we came armed with photos from our letting agency to show it was a nice house and a note from the agency to confirm we were the owners. I also got a friend who is a solicitor to do a quick refence to state we were relatively normal and trustworthy. Just worthwhile to bring it all in case the house you want to rent is with an agency which requires all this faff.

AB! Welcome to NZ!! I just found the new thread (takes me a while!!). Hope you are starting to feel a bit more normal now that the jet lag is wearing off. I've been back a year this weekend and it feels like home now but it takes a while. I no longer think about ASDA and TESCOs when I am shopping.
Family life is so much better for us here although money is tighter. Next year should be better in that respect as I have a full time job starting in Jan. We are also moving into our own home in January- 11.8 acres in North Canterbury. Can't wait! Its bloody cold down here today though I was back in boots and jacket today- In December!!!!

We got a car loan when we arrived but that was 3 1/2 years ago just before the credit crunch. And the interest rate was awful. We struggled to get 12 months interest free credit at Target (crap furniture shop) though!

I can answer a few

lots of schools operate on zones if you are in they have to take you if yo are out then they usually will not (occasionally they make a few places available accross the school once a year) however that also means that if you then move out they do not have to take siblings, there is also a rumour here (and a lot of unclarity TBH) that they are planning to make people move their kids if they move out of zone!!!!

we were told the 20 hours free was only for residents or citizens others were still entitled to a place but would have to pay

will find out who moved us worth getting few quotes though we flound them keen to match prices

we have never manaed to get anything significant off whitewear (but always ot in the sale)

lolly can you just bring the car apparently it's not hard

lolly I'm hoping that might be true,but realisticly...probably not. Anyway, I won't get maudlin!
We have managed to,rent a car,rent a house, enrole at school and kindy(20 free hours) join and see dr. All with hardly any fuss or paperwork!
We rented a house pretty easily and quickly. Although we don't move int until Mon. We didn't have anything from previous landlord (because we've never rented) but just a letter from our neighbours,saying we were nice people etc!(they were paid well )

re bringing the car...It depends how much the car is worth! In our case,the cost of having it steam cleaned and sterilized(as is necessary to get through immigration) would have been about the same as my Picasso's estimated value!

I got my new car today,tis lovely but I went for a drive and now Im terrified! It didn't help that dh was shouting at me!
All the cars are automatics,which I've never driven before. Also,learning the new roud layouts etc I was kangarooing all over the place desperately looking for the handbrake (there isnt one) and trying to change gears(dont need to) me going "aaargh,oh god oh god!" and dh shouting"whatareyoudoing!? just drive properly for gods sake!!"

I can't get over how nice everyone is here. I saw the loveliest dr yesterday for ds 1s ears inf. It was like going back in time. Was in a house,rather than a custom built surgery. The dr herslf came out to greet us and take us in and then chatted like she had plenty of time.

You'll never guess who knocked on the door of our motel at lunchtime? The doctor...with two boxes of books for the kids,and offers of toaster/kitchen stuff/things to sleep on!HOW NICE is that? That'd never happen in the UK!

GP's have much more time here- I think it is 15 mins per appointment rather than 7 in the UK. Mine rang us 3 times over a weekend about my daughter who had a suspected UTI.

We got a GPS when we arrived- although driving in Auckland is a bit harder than Cambridge we found it made life easier ti know what lane to be in etc. You will get there.

I'm attending a conference this week and some sort if weird culture shock. There are a few people there I know by sight from the UK and I'm getting annoyed by some of the Europeans and N Americans. They keep whinging about slow internet and small rooms. I must have adapted cos today I rejected the free coffee as shite and paid for a flat white from the cafe next door.

P.S You do know about the right hand turn rule?

The car's not ours to bring- company car. Anyway it's next to useless as we can't all get in it now cos it's a 5 seater. We now have comedy weekends where Dh gets on bus with 2 and I drive 2 and we meet at the same destination an hour later. The tv broke last weekend so we spent 2 hours trying to get to a totally mental retail park to get one in the Xmas mayhem.

I've always refused to drive in Nz before simply because of the automatic issue - then DH got an automatic car with work. After 2 days I was totally hooked and can see why folk don't go back. They we got a manual again . There's some rule about not waiting for oncoming traffic to turn right though which I'm going to need to figure out.

Chest xrays booked for this Fridays and medicals in a week and a bit too. It's not cheap for all of us and I'm worried I really could fail which would put it all to bed.

Got my book on where to live in Auckland though which is exciting.DH saying he really fancies North Shore. Would be nice but I'm worried with me probably working in CBD and double morning drop off and pick up for kids would it be possible? Do breakfast and afterschool clubs happen? Are nursery hours limited to 8-6pm like uk? Does anyone know anything about the commute from the shore?

Crossed posts littlestkiwi- what actually happen with the turning right rule?

I'm getting an Aupair. It might be a better option for you too. For 45 hours I will pay $266 per week as I have one DC who gets the 20hours ECE grant and when DS turns 3 in may I'll pay $170ish. They could do drop offs and pick ups for you or take them to play groups etc. As you have more dcs it might be a good choice. I went through Au Pair Link who seem really nice.

Not all the cars are automatics! You could have got a manual. I love my automatic though. I still remember the first time I drove one though (just after I got here), bunnyhopping down the road.

Oh the turning right rule. If you're turning left and someone is turning right into the same road as you, you have to give way to them. It's nuts. They're changing it soon though.

That's prob not a very good explanation of it but I can't think how else to put it.

Sounds like a lovely dr AB :)