Moving to NZ

[madeline]

There is a word for what you you've heard it starts with "bull" and ends with "t". My husband daughter and I have been in NZ for 6 months now after coming on holiday and deciding that this is heaven. the people are brilliant the country is stunning. The only gripe is that the goverment are not scared to charge us "newbies" fees have reached about 3000 dollars and not done yet.

[Wayfarer]

This is all interesting stuff.

I'm seriously considering NZ as a future place to relocate too.

But I am getting the impression that it's for married expats than singletons?
But then again areas of NZ are pretty diverse. I would expect Christchurch to be completely different from Wellington.

For me the south island is more appealing as it's got less folk on it and seems more pioneering in mentality.

Anyone know the typical rent on places in ChCh?

Cheers

W

[fabz]

I must say Sara, that 90% of what you have been told is a complete b/s and is a complete charicature of exaggeration.

I lived in New Zealand up until 2003 and have since relocated to Australia.

I lived in Christchurch but haven spent considerable amounts of time in both Wellington and Auckland.

Auckland, like all cities has its nice areas and its dodgy areas. The north shore is generally very nice, if not a little pricey. West Auckland, especially the West Harbour is very nice, the main area to stay away from is South Auckland.

Auckland is a great city because its population makes it a city always on the go, yet it still has a community vibe. It is also extremely multi-cultural ane one of the most racially tolerant cities in the world.

As for the crime, I believe the media exposure alludes to a far bigger crime rate than there actually is. The reason for this is because unlike Australia, where only the most grissly and heinous crimes are televised, EVERY murder in NZ is reported on as they dont happen as frequently as in other countries.

Gang life really does not play a huge part in everyday life either, as in all other cities, you will never encounter gang violence unless you go looking for it. The gangs that are around only have beef with their rival gangs, most civilians dont see any of this.

The main thing to be worried about is P, the drug, Methamphetamine. This is where the majority of the more heinous crimes originate from. However growing up as a teen in chch in the early 2000's i was not subject to any of this, its more what i have seen on TV.

Schooling- I attended a public primary, intermediate and high school and found the schooling to be stellar compared to my Australian public school experience. The government fund the public schools alot more than the aussie govt do. In Christchurch, with the exception of a few notoriously bad- reputationed schools, the public schools really gave many of the private schools a run for their money. This is proven yearly when school bursary results are published.

Recreational activites are very embraced in NZ also. It is a great country to play sport and for kids to participate in extra curricular activities.

I think New Zealand is a wonderful country. I would definitely raise my children there as i think the kiwi attitude and persona is second to none. I think that New Zealanders are very curious natured and open to embracing other parts of the world.