Fed up with the UK and thinking about moving to New Zealand,Auckland area.

[CanadianGal]

Hi, Please check out that yahoo group I mentioned in my other post-they are a group you will want to talk to. Willing to share and help with their experiences and suggestions. They are very active and you will find more help there.
Some love NZ, some don't find its all that its cracked up to be(except for beauty). So one other site that is worth checking out is Expat Exposed at Expat Exposed: Behind the Hype in New Zealand. It is the flip side experiences of immigrants to NZ. It is worth checking out as many feel if they knew ahead what they know now living there, they would not have moved to NZ. There can be an edge with some posters but others strive to be fair even if unhappy. I found it vey interesting reading-all the stuff that people find difficult that nowhere else talks about. For many it can be a real let down or disaster. They say know as much as you can before making the big move. So I thought you should have a look. I always wanted to move to NZ, but after reading more about the realities I was not so sure. Some love it, some hate it, and some think its somewhere inbetween. Its the stuff you wouldn't think much of that is the most thought provoking once you get there-it seems. Be informed before you go.
If you do go, I wish you best of luck! Hope you and yours love it.

[Superwoman x 5]

thanks for that i will take it on board..... i think no matter where you go you will always have problems etc i think its about getting the right place for you and your family everyone wants different things in life will wait to see what life throws at me.... thanks again and good luck to all :-)

[familyof5]

Hi, NZ is a fantastic country to live in. I think if you are looking at moving to Auckland then research the area you are to live in well. I think it depends on what you are used to, as to whether or not you will like Auckland. It is a big city with all the problems associated with city life. It is also beautiful in many parts and much better than many UK cities, but still not the place for me. Auckland is very much self contained and not a representation of the rest of NZ. If you want the laid back life etc, my advice would be to look at other regions. I believe you also get extra points if you settle outside of Auckland!!!!

[Fugitive]

Auckland cannot reallly be considered a big city at a population of 1.4 million, I guess it's relative of what you're used to. The factors to consider living in Auckland are :

Housing - overall central suburbs are very expensive and older houses are not insulated for the climate. Insulation is an essential requirement, as Auckland gets a lot of rain for 8 months of the year. You have to travel long distances to live in affordable, more modern structures.

Traffic - the North/South development of the city causes a lot of traffic congestion. Parking in the city areas is very expensive, forcing more commuters to use public transport. There are Bus facilities in the North, and both Bus and Train facilities in the South.

Auckland is the number one destination for immigrants because of job opportunities.

[bootshanson]

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

[loopylinda]

Hi there!
We moved out here in December 2008 and our kids were then 10 and 7. I would say if kids are getting older, say aged 12 or upwards, they are going to find it harder to settle than kids who are younger and will miss their old mates etc.
I would recommend that everybody comes out to see NZ for themselves .... I hear horror stories of people who come out without seeing it (I mean, would you move town in UK without seeing it??).
Van Boy, ask away any questions you have and I will gladly answer them for you.
What job are you hoping to get?
You have any idea where you would like to settle in NZ, North or South Island?
We live in Paraparaumu (known as Pom-a-pom-a-umu - ha ha!) and the weather is very mild here!
I would not recommend Wellington myself .... too flipping windy!
Cheers, Linda.

[TGM]

Whilst I agree that the UK really isn't the best place to be at the moment unfortunately that doesn't mean NZ is a good choice, you need to be very careful you don't get into a frying pan to fire situation.

NZ is in the grip of a deepening recession and things are steadily going to get worse, its isolation isn't going to insulate it from the problems the rest of the world suffers from.

Do all the research you can, read read and then read some more and when you've done that book a return flight and visit for a holiday so at least you can see what you're letting yourself in for.

[loopylinda]

Originally Posted by TGM

Whilst I agree that the UK really isn't the best place to be at the moment unfortunately that doesn't mean NZ is a good choice, you need to be very careful you don't get into a frying pan to fire situation.

NZ is in the grip of a deepening recession and things are steadily going to get worse, its isolation isn't going to insulate it from the problems the rest of the world suffers from.

Do all the research you can, read read and then read some more and when you've done that book a return flight and visit for a holiday so at least you can see what you're letting yourself in for.

Dear TGM,
Yes good advice to anybody considering NZ, book a return flight and come out and have a look .... things that have opened my eyes is the price of food, the price of petrol (they are both higher than we imagined) and also the houses .... blooming freezing! No double brick houses here, just wood and fake brick outer and also the plots around here where we live are all quite smallish and built together although we are just waiting for the house prices to come down and the dollar to go down so we get more dollars for our pounds in the UK (cause our money is still there at present, us having moved here December 2007).
I think the worst thing that is a killer here is the fact that I miss my mates in the UK, some of them I had for 20 years and although we stay in touch as best we can, well it ain't the same chatting on the phone or the PC and as always happens, people do tend to lose touch etc. although we all have good intention that we won't but I see changes already after 8 months of being here.
People here on the Kapiti Coast area of North Island are far more friendlier than anybody ever was in the UK .... you do get your crime here .... you do get gangs here .... but it's nothing like it was in the UK.
Seriously, would you move to a place 100 miles away in UK without going to look it over first .... I think not .... it amazes me that so many brits consider moving to NZ to save money without coming out for a look over first.
You have to ask yourself what reasons you are leaving the UK for .... and remember them when you are here!
Cheers!

[lucybo]

I'm a kiwi living and working in London. I have lived here for just over 18 months. In my experience, I would not bring up children in London. Just remember there is more to New Zealand than Auckland and if you want to see the 'real' New Zealand and meet the real people you need to look further afield than Auckland. There is this Auckland and the rest of the country attitude. Auckland also has a high population of Maori, Pacific Islander and Asians in comparison to the south island.

Crime is a problem in New Zealand not just in Auckland but throughout the country. We also have a drug problem. There are limited resources so small crimes like burgulary etc are ignored. There appears to be a bigger gap emerging between the haves and the have nots and this is feeding the crime issue. We lived in a provincial town in the north island in a 'secure' apartment and were burgled twice and every other week had issues with law and order in the town. There is also a boy racer attitude throughout the country.

Have read the various comments re cost of living etc. Listening to family members and friends still residing in New Zealand, it is true the cost of living has risen dramatically. Basics like butter and milk are out of the realms of the average kiwi family. The economic crisis has also started to hit the housing market and nows the time to bag a bargin (if you're prepared to take the risk). Modern homes are fitted with heating however alot of kiwis still like log fires - the reason being, the price of power.

My advice is get out of Auckland where you may earn less but your cost of living is less and you have a better quality of life.

All in all it depends what you are looking for. If it's the great outdoors experience and a decent quality of life I would say get out of Auckland and research what the rest of NZ has to offer. If you want access to all the entertainment things like sports events and concerts, easy travel etc - Auckland's the place.

Good luck

[tharris]

My husband, two children (6 & 3) and I have been making plans for sometime to come out to NZ and are finding the posted comments really interesting. Iam new to the site so appologise for asking questions in this thread, but does anyone know anything of how the education system works over there? Our eldest boy has an Autistic spectrum dissorder and currently has 1 to 1 support at a specialist unit. e are so confused at the moment as to whether this move is right for him. Does anyone know what exists over there? I have been in touch with the education department who have been helpful but unable to answer all the questions we have.
Loopylinda do you have any suggestions, as I envisage you may have had similar issues with your son?