We have been here 18months and are still not sure its the place for us ,we are renting in Governors bay ,just outside of christchurch,NZ is not as good as it makes itself out to be ,the cost of living has doubled in the last 18 months we have been here ,dairy products have gone up by 75%in the last 8 months ,wages are a joke ,if you rent it will cost you on average $450 per week ,electricity is very dear average $200 a month ,the houses are freezing in winter,they burn wood hence christchurch is covered in smog ,so if you have breathing problems you are in trouble, to see a docter will cost you on average $25 plus any medicine you might need ,and if you need a dentist well if you thought england was expensive think again,if you dont have a trade that can get you $70,000 a year you will find it hard to make ends meet ,unless you have savings ,the plus point being you can get 8.5% interest on savings ,the down side being morgatge rate is average 9.5%.The head of NZbank as just been on NZ tv stating that houses are over priced by 30% and predicts that house prices will be stati for the next 5-10 years hence the house market is in decline ,so think carefully about buying now or you could be trapped if you decide that NZ is not for you. On the plus side NZ is great place for holidays the west coast of the south island is great ,but when you have to settle im still not sure