Considering moving to New Zealand

[madasabeach]

I wonder if anyone out there has emigrated to New Zealand or lived there for a long period and could help me weigh up the pros and cons of moving from the UK to NZ.
In terms of jobs, we have been told that it should be straightforward to find jobs for both of us (healthcare). We have two children, both of who are in school. We would like to live in a city of large town where this plenty going on and good schools for the children. We love the beach and none of us are keen on cold, wet weather.

Can anyone talk me through the pros and cons of life in NZ vs the UK and help me weigh up the different cities/ large towns?

Have you been there before?

I visited for a few months in their autumn and winter and found the weather to be very similar to the UK - dark, damp and miserable. I thought I would love the country but I didn't.

I found winter in Australia much nicer and I instantly fell in love with it, if that's an option for you.

Napier/Hastings might be your best bet for not being miserable in Winter. Auckland is probably warmer, but it's very damp. South Island is right out, even though its the best island.

Housing is expensive, but if you're both in healthcare you'll probably be OK.

Yeah - sounds like Perth/ Brisbane is more suited if you like beaches and dislike the cold.

Also, to generalise, housing in NZ is poor value compared to the UK. I was shocked to see what friends were living in in Auckland for the price

To be fair, Auckland prices are utterly atrocious, so yeah, there you get very little house for the money. It's better elsewhere but still expensive.

It's best to remember that Auckland is not at all representative of New Zealand.

Several of my medic friends worked in NZ when we'd just graduated. They were fine to work for a year but beyond that they had to take lots of exams . Might be different now though.

But mainly OP, you need to go there are see if you like it. I visited for a month, and had a fantastic time, but it's a very different culture from here.

The other thing to remember is that if you go there when your kids are young, NZ will be where they call home. So if you decide you want to return to good old Blighty in your old age, your kids will almost certainly not join you.

Yes, I have visited. I lived and worked in Christchurch years back although not for a long period. My memory is that the weather was overall better than the UK but that could be rose tinted glasses.
I should probably qualify what I said about weather. I don't mean that we want Gold Coast heat and beaches, necessarily but that warmer weather and being near the sea would be a preference if possible. If Christchurch, for example, was better in other ways, we would compromise.
The cost and quality of housing does concern us but our salaries would be well above average.

@Sarahcoggles -thanks. You have to do further exams in both the UK and NZ but we're both specialists now so no more exams now.
I had an amazing time when I lived there years ago, very fond memories but it was a long time ago, pre kids and was only temporary so that makes a big difference.
The international family aspect family aspect is definitely something we are thinking through very carefully.

NZ weather is definitely better than the UK. You can, for example, have a very strong frost (-10C wasn't unusual where I lived) but you'd make it to say 8C by the middle of the day. Where I live now (central-belt Scotland) if you start with a frost you're lucky to make it above freezing.

I don't think housing is worse than the UK, it's just a different style of building. I'd check where Christchurch is at with its rebuilding programme after the big earthquake if you'd like to move there. There are nice coastal suburbs like New Brighton that might suit you.

I'd also look at some of the North Island cities like Gisborne and Tauranga.

Do you want to be near the sea, or do you want actual swimming beaches? And do you need a hospital for work - if so how close would you want to live to it?

I lived there for over 20 years, went to school/uni etc.

the weather is similar to here. It’s wet. It’s REALLY wet. (Napier has had a really bad summer so far and it’s been very wet there)

houses aren’t well built, are expensive and are often damp.

It’s expensive and I mean really expensive. Housing, food, travel… you’re living on a big island with a small population. It’s a long way from anywhere.

utility bills are quite cheap though!

i gather according to friends over there now that kiwis have turned into a nation of moaners so a lot like England then!

i would happily move back, but I have family and friends there and I am just comfortable there. They didn’t used to be very accommodating to migrants but it might have changed.

The work/life balance always seems much better than the UK when you watch Wanted Down Under (especially for medics)

Thanks a lot for the comments.

You guys are not really selling it!

@shimmerbubbles -yes, definitely need to be near a hospital, ideally not more than 20-30 minutes commute. Near the sea more important than swimming although great if we can do that too.

Medics are as bit pissed off in NZ as they are here and want out. Rubbish pay and working conditions. I have relatives in that area so hear all about it. Same for teachers I think.

That's the main thing for us. NHS is in a terrible state and it is not particularly enjoyable working here. UK has many problems generally too and seems to have gone downhill. I realise that nowhere will be perfect.

Their education system was brilliant when I went through it. No grammar schools, you could go to any uni you wanted etc. They have brought in tuition fees so it isn’t cheap anymore.

That's funny. Do you mean Kiwi medics or medics from the UK originally?

Pay and t&c are definitely better than in the UK overall!

Last time I was home in winter we spent the time at Tauranga and the kids swam in the sea. I was expecting to bundle up but sadly didn’t break out my woolies. Nice place to live, by the sea. Probably expensive housing right in Tauranga but there are smaller towns around it that wouldn’t be

Kiwi medics, not ones who’ve emigrated. Nurses are definitely not well paid.

@whirlyhead from what I understand, the kiwis compare their pay, etc to Australia where the pay is much better.

However, compared to the UK, generally speaking, the pay is better, t&c better and you are treated better. That's why so many UK docs there!

I'm not sure about nurses as we a doctors and so is everyone I know who has worked there.

NZ is great to live but very expensive. Even on above average salaries it can be expensive and hard to buy a house, I believe you need 20% deposit. It was 10% when I lived there. Houses are cheaper outside Auckland.

Auckland is big and spread out but has good schools. It is definitely the most expensive for houses. Where ever you live your not far away from beaches. The weather better than the southern cities. The North Shore is very nice especially for the beach lifestyle. Lots of nice beaches out west too. I used to live in mission bay which is very busy and popular, lovely beaches.

Wellington is very popular but cold and windy. The cold can cut right through you when you get a southernly. It’s a very bohemian little city. No real beaches though. Personally I didn’t enjoy living there. My DH has asthma, he’d not had an attack for years, within the first week we were rushing to A&E because of his asthma. Certain parts of wellington are very bad for asthma and allergens.

Kapiti Coast is lovely, good commute to wellington, nice beaches and a lovely little warm microclimate.

New Plymouth I’ve only visited but know a few people from there who loved growing up there.

Other places to look at Napies, Tauranga, Taupo - I’ve only every visited so can’t really tell you much about living there.

In my experience, housing is expensive, especially for the crap you can get sometimes, food, travel etc are also very expensive. Utilities, not so bad.
Theres a better work life balance, in that it doesn’t seem to be the same badge of honour to overwork yourself there as here.
Drug use, of all levels, and alcohol abuse seemed rife. Drug use amongst teens seemed worse than my experience here.
Male mental health problems seem to be much more prevalent there than here, and young male suicides relatively common.
Career and educational prospects are quite limited due to geography.
The weather is really similar to here, just with more extremes in each direction. They get a lot of cold, wet weather too…
You run the risk if you decide to come home for whatever reason, of your children choosing not to go ‘home’ with you.
It’s an incredibly beautiful country and if you’re outdoorsy, it’s great.

I’m in nz right now. Have been here since early dec we leave next week.

the last two weeks have been atrocious weather. Rain rain and more rain. They’ve had one of the wettest summers apparently.

currently in bay of plenty area.

Tauranga might be a good option for you though. City but near the water.

I moved there when I was primary school aged and we came back when I was a teenager. It was quite a culture shock returning. Secondary school
here is quite different. Anyway, yes it’s very wet but the weather is definitely better. Never needed a proper winter coat. We were in the north island. Nice place to grow up.

Employees are definitely treated far better in NZ than the UK, far more employment rights.

be careful in comparing salaries as the day to day living is ridiculously high compared to the UK. Example 7years ago it would cost me over $200 to do a weekly shop in park n save (cheap cheap supermarket) for 2 adults and 2 children, baby and toddler, no meat or alcohol. The same shop my first week back in the UK cost me £49 including meat.

We paid $5 for a cucumber last time we were across. Granted, it was winter, but $5 is still mad.