Anyone out there live in Nelson, or been to Nelson?

[MrsRose]

I know some of you on this forum have already advised me that as an immigrant from the States, it's probably better for our family to look into the bigger cities like Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch for work...BUT....Nelson looks so perfect in all other ways for our family!

It's warm and sunny. It's not a super crowded big city. It's an "outdoor people" kind of city. On the beach. Near to beautiful national parks. lots of mountain biking trails. Housing is less expensive than Auckland and Chch...

My husband is a sparky, and I've looked on trademe.co.nz and there ARE electrician jobs available in Nelson. So my question is:

Can all of you PLEASE put in your two cents regarding the city of Nelson?

Your overall impressions of the city...the community there...the weather...the housing...traffic...economy...etc.. Oh, and if anyone knows about how much electricians make there that would be great!

thanks.

[G-Mo]

I've been to Nelson. It's quaint, mostly European expats it seemed to me, crafty, a little quiet and a little sleepy. It has all the things you mention above, but, so does much of New Zealand. While I know Nelson and I think Marlborough "compete" for the most sunlight hours in a year, I didn't notice it being radically different than Auckland (which has slightly less).

[dodgerodger]

Nelson is nice BUT unless you know somebody there you will have a hard time getting a job as a sparky.

I was a sparky in New Zealand and will say this about New Zealand sparky's and well tradesmen in general.
Safety is severely lacking on the job; laziness also prevails in NZ tradesmen work ethic; I have seen tradesmen wearing shorts, tennis shoes etc on the job.

If your husband wants a job as a sparky in New Zealand he will need to lower his expectations of quality of materials and tools as tools are VERY expensive in NZ.
I brought as many tools with me to NZ as I could fit in a suitcase but had to replace the occasional one; I like the brand Klein tools but I didn't want to pay $120 for a pair of cutters that would cost $18 in home depot back in the states but even non brand cutters etc will run you up to and beyond $80.

Getting a job as a sparky is also very difficult in New Zealand coming from America because of the voltage difference and training qualification differences most companies will not even look at your resume if they know you are an American.
I had to get a job as a low voltage tech if I wanted to stay in the electrical field earning $15 an hour which is hardly enough to live on when you have a small family.

But yeah Nelson is nice :-)

[Song_Si]

tradesmen wearing shorts

is that a criminal offence in USA ? !

[topcat83]

Originally Posted by dodgerodger

.... tradesmen wearing shorts....

Ooh yes please (but only if they have nice legs ) I'm quite partial to the odd Aussie Rules fashion statement too

[Dani6]

Nelson is very popular with retired people who've made their money, not so great for trades people trying to get enough work to earn a living.

Sorry I can't post the link, this is from the start of this year. If you google the first sentence you should find it.

"The Nelson building sector is at rock bottom, with many firms just hanging on, say industry leaders.

Master Builders Federation president Alistair Middleton said he didn't think the downturn – which was now into its third year – could get any worse, but it had over the past few months as both new house starts and commercial work dried up.

Firms had been forced to reduce staff and margins had been cut to the bone as builders competed for what little work there was, he said. Even those with good business structures and customer service were feeling the pinch.

"It's really tough out there – nobody is making any money, and we are all just hanging in there. If it gets worse, some won't survive."

[MrsRose]

Originally Posted by Song_Si

is that a criminal offence in USA ? !

Typically, wearing pants while working is a requirement for tradesmen here in the States (for safety reasons). For example: My husband is required to wear steel toe boots, pants, and a hard hat on most job sites. And sometimes required to wear flame resistant clothing, or other special attire depending on the hazard level in certain job sites.

[MrsRose]

Originally Posted by dodgerodger

Nelson is nice BUT unless you know somebody there you will have a hard time getting a job as a sparky.

I was a sparky in New Zealand and will say this about New Zealand sparky's and well tradesmen in general.
Safety is severely lacking on the job; laziness also prevails in NZ tradesmen work ethic; I have seen tradesmen wearing shorts, tennis shoes etc on the job.

If your husband wants a job as a sparky in New Zealand he will need to lower his expectations of quality of materials and tools as tools are VERY expensive in NZ.
I brought as many tools with me to NZ as I could fit in a suitcase but had to replace the occasional one; I like the brand Klein tools but I didn't want to pay $120 for a pair of cutters that would cost $18 in home depot back in the states but even non brand cutters etc will run you up to and beyond $80.

Getting a job as a sparky is also very difficult in New Zealand coming from America because of the voltage difference and training qualification differences most companies will not even look at your resume if they know you are an American.
I had to get a job as a low voltage tech if I wanted to stay in the electrical field earning $15 an hour which is hardly enough to live on when you have a small family.

But yeah Nelson is nice :-)

We are planning to have my husband registered with the New Zealand EWRB and getting him whatever certification/training he needs to switch from US voltage to NZ. Do you think this would make a difference in his chances of being hired?

[Dani6]

Originally Posted by MrsRose

Typically, wearing pants while working is a requirement for tradesmen here in the States (for safety reasons). For example: My husband is required to wear steel toe boots, pants, and a hard hat on most job sites. And sometimes required to wear flame resistant clothing, or other special attire depending on the hazard level in certain job sites.

I doubt that it will be that strict in Nelson. There's nothing stopping him from wearing them of course, but most won't be able to afford to kit themselves out in gear like this and only the larger/wealthier employers will give it to their staff gratis.

[topcat83]

Originally Posted by Dani6

I doubt that it will be that strict in Nelson. There's nothing stopping him from wearing them of course, but most won't be able to afford to kit themselves out in gear like this and only the larger/wealthier employers will give it to their staff gratis.

Shorts are very popular with tradespeople over here - especially in the hot summer months. You'll see some guys in them year-round. It certainly isn't seen as unprofessional, and they will be required to wear safety equipment & clothing if they are doing some jobs. You certainly won't see the local fireman pull up to your burning building in shorts (well, not unless he's come straight from milking the cows )