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Living overseas

Whether you're considering emigrating or an expat abroad, you'll find likeminds on this forum.

Moving to New Zealand

6 replies

GreekOddess · 28/08/2019 16:03

With the Brexit debacle which is about to get a whole lot worse we have been thinking of moving abroad and are considering a move to New Zealand. We haven't done any research yet we are very much at the 'idea' stage. Not even sure if it's even possible at our age (late 40s). We would not be looking at going for another 3 years as we would want our eldest child to complete 'A' levels first.

We spent some time in New Zealand and Australia a while back and are drawn to Wellington as it seemed to offer the lifestyle that we like. I've read that it's expensive but had a quick google and properties are still a lot cheaper than where we currently are. However I've no idea on salaries and general cost of living.

Does anyone live in Wellington? What is it like to live there? Any tips on the immigration process?

Thanks Smile

OP posts:
augustagain · 28/08/2019 16:23

www.visabureau.com/newzealand/emigrate-to-new-zealand.aspx

You would need to get 100 points in the points system to register an expression of interest. I think it's difficult after 50 and you would need to be in a skilled role that they are looking for.

Check out above link for more info.

Snowoctopus · 29/08/2019 00:21

Go for it!! We are moving to New Zealand at the end of this year.
Look at Immigration New Zealand and find out if you’re on the list of professions with skill shortages, if so you should be able to apply for visas. Apply in loads of time as it’s a complicated process.
Also consider having your eldest finish school in New Zealand as that may make university a lot cheaper due to their immigration status at the time of application (domestic v international student fees)
All the very best for your move, if you make it.

GreekOddess · 29/08/2019 08:46

Thanks both. I will check out those sites.

OP posts:
ThirdAidKit · 29/08/2019 08:49

Having similar thoughts thanks PPs for useful links!

ThisIsNotMyRealName1 · 29/08/2019 20:58

This link will take you to the skills shortage list checker skillshortages.immigration.govt.nz/ You've got to be 55 or under to apply under the skilled migrant category as well as meet other criteria which you would hopefully fly through - English language, health, and good character.

NZ is expensive to live in. They are saying house prices are set to tumble and yesterday reported that 5% of the population would lose money if they sold today; the flip side of that is 95% wouldn't... Where I live, a for sale sign goes up and then two weeks later the sold sticker is up on the sign.

It sounds like our buying and selling process may be a bit different to that of the UK. Here we:

  • view property
  • make an offer
  • if/when offer is accepted it is usually conditional on due diligence checks - LIM (land information memorandum from the Council) and other reports like builder's report and water tightness - this is a biggie in NZ, we have a Leaky Home thing so be very very careful with this one!
  • once those conditions have been satisfied and finance is confirmed it goes unconditional at which time you pay deposit;
  • settlement date, usually around 6-8 weeks later, is the day you pay the rest of the $$ and move in.
Ski4130 · 13/09/2019 10:28

Think it through very carefully - every country has it's issues, and NZ is no different. Whilst Brexit rears it's ugly head here, NZ deals with it's own issues - very high suicide rates amongst teens, drink driving, casual racism and many, many children living below the poverty line. It's an amazing place, but you won't be escaping polictical and social economic issues, they occur everywhere.

We lived in hawkes Bay (equidistant from Auckland and Wellington, on the East Coast) for nearly 5 years, but spent quite a bit of time in Wellington and yes, it is a beautiful, amazing place to live BUT it's not the land of milk and honey, and whilst some things may be cheaper in NZ, lots of everyday things (insurance, electricity, groceries, school fees, clothes etc) are far more expensive. That being said, we just learnt to eat seasonally, which brings your food bills down a lot, and there was far less of a ready meal culture there in supermarkets, so we ate better I think. I also made use of M & S and Next shipping to NZ, and got as much of the children's school uniform sent over to us that way - there is no real equivalent to mid priced shopping in NZ that I found, it's KMart (cheap as chips) Cotton On (more expensive but equally hit and miss quality) or Farmers (department store) and not much in between.

Housing is cheaper, and you'll get more land for your money generally speaking, but many houses are not built as you're used to here in the UK - we lived in a big, open plan house with a huge geraden and a pool, which we loved, but it had zero insulation, no double glazing and no heating other than a fire, and a heat pump, so winters (and they do have them there, despite the idea that NZ is warm all year round!) were woefully cold. Double glazing and central heating can be found, but not in older houses, and you'll pay more for it. We joke that our kiwi house was the nicest shed we've ever lived in, but it has a ring of truth to it - wooden house, tin roof, single glazed windows, gorgeous in summer, a condensation riddled health hazard in winter.

We were incredibly lucky and made some amazing friends there who helped us through patches of homesickness, helped out with our children if they were sick/I needed to work (all reciprocal by the way, I wasn't just a CF :-) ) but never underestimate just how far NZ is from the UK, and go into it with your eyes wide open. It's very easy to say 'we'll go back every year', or assume that people you love will trek over to see you, but it's a long, expensive trip to make (it cost us in the region of £6k to fly back and forth with our three children) So be very realistic about living so far from friends and loved ones. We see our kiwi friends every two years now, and that just about keeps my NZ homesickness in check.

Check out the enz forum ( www.enz.org/forum/ ) there are a lot of poeple on there, and lots of good advice. I wrote a blog about emigrating when we went, if you'd like to read it travelsofmrandmrstandthelittlets.blogspot.com/2011/09/so-mr-t-shall-we-emigrate.html

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