Chat for those living in New Zealand

[Shells]

Hi everyone. Thought I might start up a new chat topic as our other ones seem to have fizzled out, especially with Christmas/holidays etc. And I think maybe there are some new faces around too.

I've got lots I'd like to chat about.
Isn't it great that school is going back .
Are you worried about how the recession will affect NZ?
Why did I go camping with a one year old? and other stories from the holidays.
And it would be good to hear everyone's news really.

So, just to get the ball rolling. I'm Shells, I am a Kiwi but lived in London for 18! years. Came back 2 years ago with English DH and 2 DSs (7 and 4), and now have DD who is 13 months.

Books are expensive - libraries are fabulous and you won't want to have loads of books around to pack up and take home will you?

Ds is always getting me to contact the library to order in a book he wants - and if they don't have them they buy them.

I am British and I have had run ins with a couple of other Brits who have gone on and on about how they left Britain because they "were letting anyone in." I said it was good that Maori don't have the same attitude, and avoided at the school gate.

Kiwi's have wider job roles, which can shock the more jobsworth - shouldn't I have an assistant to do that - person. We also get a morning tea break and employers provide tea, coffee, milo and biscuits. It's not worse - it's just different.

Some of the school apparently have changed character completely as they become 20%-30% British (as word gets out a school is good, and an area has a desirable lifestyle ie by the beach the Poms move into the school zone). It does seem a shame to move somewhere for the kiwi lifestyle and then group in such numbers that you actually change the thing you wanted to experience.

Highlander (and others can correct me) I think people sometimes come here thinking that it will be a 'little England' i.e. exactly the same as at home and it most definately is not. It's hard to pinpoint what is different: people, the language to some extent, culture, humour, attitudes are all slightly different because at the end of the day it's not the UK (or even the town people came from). A big thing for me is that socialising predominantly takes place at somebody's home with the children. I was used to going out with friends, dinner, town, cinema, theatre etc child free but that's not worth losing sleep over. As you say and imo people need to get on with it. Having said that it did take me a long time to get used to the differences.

I've never been on other sites (apart from when I thought we were off to Dubai!) but I have heard people are often quite negative (or realistic depending on your point of view) . I think if anybody comes with an open mind and is willing to make a go of it they will have a great time.

I've never experienced any attitude or problem with conflict from anybody. I've found getting work easy (too easy, I came here not to work ). I have heard from others though that until they have 'kiwi experience' they have found it difficult to get promotion and have been limited in what they have been allowed to do at work. Dh is a kiwi and found it much easier when people knew he was a kiwi rather than English or Aussie due to his weird diluted accent when we first came back. I would be very surprised if your dh found that, the hospitals are full of people from the UK at all levels.

hmmm I've read my last sentence at it doesn't read right. What I meant was that most people at the hospital have traveled, worked abroad etc and the international experience is recognised as a plus rather than a job where kiwi experience is a bonus. Dh recently came across somebody who couldn't get a job, there is plenty of work here despite the 'recession'. Dh told him that there was not a direct like for like job and he would need to be prepared to look at his skills and suggested an alternative. The person wasn't prepared to budge as felt the alternative was beneath him and is as far as I know still looking and contemplating going back to the UK.

Hi Highlander,
Sibble is bang on I think. I've had lots of hospital contact in the last year (babies/sick children etc.) and they are FULL of Brits!
I think most Brits get some good natured ribbing - 'bet you're not used to this weather', 'see you lost the cricket again' kind of thing. Most real antagonism is saved for Asians and pacific islanders as far as I can see.

Yes, books are very expensive as they have GST on them (VAT). Lots of second hand shops though and the libraries are excellent.

Highlander - I'm in Auckland too, as Sibble mentioned. I will just second everything she said about Auckland and the expat thing - I have been here 8 years. Yes, books are expensive but as everyone has said, libraries are great and TradeMe (equivalent of Ebay) has lots of second hand books for sale too.

No conflict I've ever experienced being British - most Kiwis v friendly. I wouldn't take too much notice of the negative expat websites. I'm quite amazed some of the people on there are still in NZ! Of course it's not a perfect society - nowhere is - there is crime etc everywhere. But I have just spent a week up north with dh, dd and my in-laws in a little coastal town with a wonderful white sand beach, I went walking and kayaking in some stunning scenery. There is much that is great here. Since moving to NZ I have done the following things for the first time - waterskiing, snowboarding, surfing, fishing, oh probably lots of other stuff I can't remember now...

One of the NZers on this thread (can't remember which) said once that people wouldn't expect Spain or Chile or wherever to be just like the UK, so why expect NZ to be? Of course some people don't like it and get homesick. I have been very homesick myself on occasions, but overall we have a great life. It helps to get out of the Auckland city bit to beaches, national parks, etc.

The houses are a bit nippy in the winter and there's not as much retail competition so some things aren't as cheap as in the UK, but other than that there are no real downsides I can think of. Oh and there are tons of Brits working at the hospital - when I was having dd virtually every staff member I encountered was British. At one point I even asked dh were they really all British or was it just the drug I was on making me hear things (ah, pethidine...).

SOrry, bit of an essay, been offline for a week, hope everyone else is well

Who here knows about education?

DS2 is an April born. He will be 5 in April. If I keep him at Kindy for another term or two, will he still have to go into year 2 at beginning of next year because of his birthday?
Or if he's only just started school will he be able to repeat year 1?

Hi
I wondered where the kiwi thread had gone!

I am a kiwi, lived in london for 6 years and have recently returned to wellington with English DH and 2 boys, 2.3yrs and almost 10months.
Having been away for so long and had the DC over in the UK i am still settling in and figuring out how things work here. Poor DH hasn't been able to find work yet thanks to the recession, so we couldn't have chosen a worse time to come back! Anyway, hoping things pick up soon and he finds something.

Nice to meet you today buzzybee

Hi Kaybee - sounds stressful. Have you got somewhere to live? Are your family in Wellington?

Hi Kaybee, nice to meet you too! Hope you didn't find it too strange today - they are a nice bunch I've sent your contact details to Sandy.
Shells, I'm happy to ask at DD1's school if you like? I would think he'd go into Y1 not Y2 but that's really supposition.

Phone the school and ask - they have different cut offs and one school would put him in year one and another he would be a new entrant for the first year and then year 1 and then year 2, at a third school he would have the flexibility to do what is right for him.

Will kindy let him stay when they don't get any funding for 5 year olds?

Hi shells, we are renting a house in khandallah at the moment, and yes I have family nearby. Just feels so horrible to be using up all our savings on rent, bills and food!

oh and thanks buzzybee, I have of course forgotten everyone's names from today except yours and the hosts!!!

Thanks twentypence. I have asked and both schools have said April is the cut off and implied that there is no flexibility. I need to know where we stand legally if we insist he is held back.

Yes, kindy have funding for him to stay 2 more terms. He has some special needs.

If he has special needs there should be flexibility. It's not in anyone's interest for him to be the youngest in the class with special needs. You need to make an appointment with the head teachers.

Having said that - a lot of schools now are not getting so hung up on the "you are in year x" thing. I recently asked some children in a school what year they were in and they said "room 5", they had no idea at all.

I have known an autistic boy who went to school at 6 and went into year 1. I have seen a girl with special needs spend a whole year with the new entrants and then go into the next room (this is the school where nobody seems to know which year they are in) being almost a year older than everyone else.

In ds's class one boy instead of starting school in term 2 in year 1 started term 3 in rreception. He is almost a year older than ds - and managing to be comfortably middle of the class when working a year below his chronological age.

Each school should meet your son's needs regardless of which "year" they put him in. Because of this, I don't think that you have a "legal" argument as such - just an opportunity to have a full and frank discussion - possibly supported by the Kindy. Schools and Kindys can work well together in transition to school for special needs children. But I guess what you are wanting is that he goes to High School 9 months later than his birthday would suggest?

Wow, massive ramble...

I found this, I can't do the maths - but I think that with an April birthday he could still finish High School at 19 if he did some year 0 and then a whole year 1.

Under the Education Act 1989, all children from 5 years old have the right to go to their local school until the end of the school year in which they turn 19. Students with a Section 9 Agreement or who are in the Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Schemes (ORRS) may stay in school to the age of 21.

I haven't even thought about high school - just the thought of primary school is panicking me! But thank you for your calm words. This is really helpful.
Our kindy is very supportive so I will get them onside.
Sorry to hijack the thread everyone.

The kindy will be taken seriously by the school.

million, million thanks to everyone who's passed on advice. I was really worried that NZ was going to be full of moaning Brits everywhere we turned!

FIL's dementia is getting worse so DH is having cold feet (again)

shells - hope you can get the schooling sorted. Can't help, it's still a mystery to me. ds's school has combined year classes because it's a small school as well as the confusing cut off and as twenty pence says they refer to being in a class rather than a year. This year he's a year 5 mixed with year 4 and 6's. He's rejoined some children he started in reception/year 1 with and is now separated from others he's been in the same class with throughout .

ds2 will start in August, I expect him to stay in the same class next year but who knows???

This combining classes seems to be the current experiment fashion. I think it's a way of coping with having a very small class of new entrants (no more than 18 at any one time). By combining children they can have full classes throughout the school, move children apart that make each other's lives hell, have interchanges for numeracy and literacy, have more than one teacher interacting with each child during the week.

BTW from tomorrow I will be thirtypence - as anyone who knows ds's name and understands old money will get.

oh you need to explain twenty/thirty pence! I don't get the name thing at all! Well, only if you want to.

And thanks everyone for help. I guess my question is answered in that there doesn't seem to be a legal cut off point, so that means I can put pressure on the school to do what is the best thing for DS.

TP - our school is very mixed up like that too, which made it seemed odd that they were being rigid about cut off dates.

happy birthday to a 6 year old I guess, is it tomorrow?

You are very clever Sibble. Yes, I have to make a cake now.

Hi all more rain!! My garden has never had it so good - I think I've watered about 5 times all summer.

Nice to see you today Shells - you must try and organise more child-free shopping jaunts! I'm always up to join you.

OK I have a question for you gals: my 40th is coming up at the end of the year and I'd like to take a break somewhere different to "celebrate". Trouble is I can't realistically leave DD2 with my Mum for more than 1 week (in fact have never left her at all to date but hoping I can work up to that!!). I'm not made keen on beaches. Prefer something a bit more people-focused / cultural. Any ideas? I'll probably be going alone altho there's a chance a girlfriend who lives in London might be interested in joining me somewhere as she's a travel-holic