Moving to work in New Zealand - Where's the nicest most affordable place to live

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Moving to work in New Zealand - Where's the nicest most affordable place to live in New Zealand (north island)?

Naive question as it all depends on so many factors. But I don't even know where to start.

It needs to be in or near a city with schools and hospitals.

Have you been to New Zealand ?

It is expensive

Have you secured a job ?

Suggest posting the same question under travel/holidays

Nowhere is affordable in the north island to be honest, apart from little 'blink and you miss' it rural towns.

Hawkes Bay would be my top pick for 'nice'.

I live in the South Island but have lived in the North Island at times. Nowhere is inexpensive apart from middle of nowhere places. The Hawkes Bay is lovely, but is on its knees after a big weather event. Napier is very lovely. Wanganui is supposed to be very nice. Old river town, artsy. I like the far north, Kerikeri especially. North of Auckland is lovely - Puhoi, Matakana. I've heard good things about New Plymouth. You either love or hate Wellington. It's looking quite rundown at the moment, but still has an artsy little city vibe with amazing views, although shocking weather. The Kapiti Coat just up from Wells is nice. Lovely climate and beaches, easy trip into the city. I like Paekakariki, Pukarua Bay, Waikanae.

Kiwi here. Hosing is expensive here, although property prices are slowly easing at the moment. There aren't any cities I would say are cheap to live in, your best bet is probably to live on the outskirts and commute in. I live and work in central Auckland but some of my colleagues live much further out and commute. We are a hybrid office which makes it easier as most people only come into the office twice a week.

*Housing - not hosing! Typo...

I'm in NZ - not N Island though. I know quite a few people who've moved to New Plymouth & love it. As others have said, Hawke's Bay is really lovely but the recent cyclone really hammered it and will take years to sort out (no exaggeration - I'm near Christchurch & still lots of quake-related issues still after 12 years).

It very much depends on your work and how mobile it is!
Then what floats your boat in terms of how you want to spend your time, what weather you're looking for, how much of a commute you're comfortable with etc.

Be aware that the cost of living is high, the cost of housing, supermarket shop and utilities in particular. But some things are surprisingly cheaper than the UK, public transport, childcare, cafes.

Try the Living Overseas board on here too.

Brit living in NZ here. Been here for 8 years.
Where are you moving from?
What job are you looking for?
TBH you start with Auckland and then start looking further afield.
Have you got a job offer?
Rentals are difficult to come by and are expensive and poor quality
Buying is limited to residents only and is much more expensive than the UK
Having said that everywhere is desperate for staff.
Expect to pay more the closer you are to job opportunities.