Emigrating to NZ - where to start

[KentuckyFreudChicken]

Well, after having a pipe dream for a while DH and I have decided to seriously think about the above. Have no idea where to start so hoping some kind mumsnetters could point me in the right direction.

Reason for move is to really get a better quality of life and to avoid saddling ourselves with an even more humungous mortgage than the one we already have. DH has a professional qualification which he can use to work in NZ. We have 3 children. Oh and this probably sounds ridiculous but we have 2 dogs....can we emigrate with them?? Not sure could do it if we had to leave them behind.

dh is a kiwi, so I'm not sure if our experience will be the same as yours. He got a job interview/job offer before we left the UK. Found agency details on the internet. I got a work visa then applied for residency when the visa was nearly running out, but I think my application was probably easy because of DH and the 2 boys having dual nationality. I have had no problem getting a job since being here. There is heaps of work for hard working, well qualified, experienced people. DH now employs nearly all new staff from oversees, purely because of lack of people here. What does your DH do?

There is another mumsnetter coming out at Easter to have a look and try to get job interviews. I'll try to do a link but don't hold your breath I'm not very good .

Have to have a go at the link later. DS2 is trashing the office and DH is nursing a hangover on the sofa so no use.

we moved to NZ in September, but again our experience would be different as I have Kiwi citizenship. There's quite a few threads on here with advice already if you can find them. Basically I expect you would nned to come over on the points scheme, where you need to 'score' enough points for entry. You get points for various things like having a job offer, age, qualifications etc. Some professions score extra points because there is a shortage of people in NZ in those jobs. You can find out about all this on \link{http://www.emigratenz.org/here} and there is also loads on there - the forums etc - with answers to lots of questions. All the government detail is here . There's a bit of a delay until they even look at your application, let alone process it, so it may take a while - and I think they put the approved apps on the points system in a sort of pool and then pick at random every few months, something like that.
Re the dogs - we didn't bring our cats in the end, but it is perfectly possible to bring pets. Have a look here for an idea of what you need to do (this is the company that helped us when we were inquiring about the cats). It won't be cheap, but then it's probably worth it! You can do it not through a company too but there are lots of regulations to handle.

link that didn't work should now work here

Hi
We are thinking of moving to NZ for pretty much the same reasons as you. We have booked a holiday to 'have a look' for Easter. I suggest just reading through the NZ immigration website information and depending where you are in the country attending one of the expo's throughout the year that give you additional informaiton such as dog's etc.
Good luck and keep me posted with your plans.

thanks everyone....been browsing the links - there's alot to take in but feeling really excited now.

It seems that DHs profession is on the shortage list so I guess thats a good starting point.