[Andy B]

I am currently going through the process of relocating from Nottingham UK to Whangerai with my family. We have 2 children Shannon who will be 13 years when we arrive and Daniel who will be 10 years old.

My wife has been offered a position as a Probation Officer in Whangerai and we would like a bit of inside knowledge of living and working in the area if anyone can help us, such as the best schools?, best areas?? and general things that we would likely need to know for when we arrive out there.

Cheers Andy B

[andreamatt]

Hi Andy

Sorry, no personal knowledge of Whangerai at all (friends of ours enjoyed living there for many years).

Just wanted to say welcome,

Andrea Matt William Martha (9 weeks to go)

[Jenny & Mark]

Jenny's family currently resides in Whangarei and it is our intention to move there in a few months/weeks. If you have any particular questions, feel free to PM us.

Cheers, Mark.

[nicola in nz]

hi,
We are in Whangarei, its a nice place to be the place of life is alot slower than the bigger citys, they is not as much to choose from shopping wize but i haven't found it any problem. as for good and bad areas are you wanting to live rural or live in town. what age are you kids and i can give you a bit of info regarding schools.
nicola

[joules1000]

Hi have you moved? I am a probation officer hoping to move to new zealand and would love to know how your wife is getting on and about how she applied for the job???:o

[Nick88]

I am on the outskirts of Whangarei, and have been happy here for 6 years so far. It is a solid, unpretentious town with everything we need to get by.

Generally the schools are good, especially Whg Boys' & Whg Girls' Schools (yes, they are separate and single sex), but here are several others to choose from that are also well regarded.

Andy B, you have a PM.

[Andy B]

Hi Joules, The packers are here today and tomorrow we arrive in NZ on the 26th August, my wife starts work 3rd September. If you PM me you're phone number or email address I'm sure Michelle will quite happly tell you anything you want to know. Cheers Andy

Hi have you moved? I am a probation officer hoping to move to new zealand and would love to know how your wife is getting on and about how she applied for the job???:o

[kamo]

Hi

My husband is from Whangarei, and we lived there for 10 years (having 2 children along the way) before deciding we would have a long working holiday back in the UK.

We have been back in the UK for 4 years, but leave on 1 Sept to go back to Whangarei!

It is a great town - a lot quieter than what you will be used to, but my husband and I feel that especially with the children, it is very much a "lifestyle" choice to be there.

My daughter is 14 and will be going to Whangarei Girls High. It was easy to get her enrolled from the UK. My son is 12 and will be joining Whangarei Intermediate for the final term before moving to Whangarei Boys High. Both schools have good reputations and a good mix of sports & leisure activities as well. Both schools are in the Kensington/Regent area of the city which is a good spot to be. If you live further out, there are school buses available.

My husband & I have not arranged jobs, we are planning to arrive and start looking. I am from the UK, and when I first moved to Whangarei found no problem in securing work.

Anything else you want help with, let me know. This is my second posting as only joined up yesterday for help with a tax rebate question!

[flowerlady]

hello andy b
my oh would like to try for a job as probation officer, i think he has the quals and experience to do the job, and we recently saw that nz are trying to fill 200 spaces. could you please tell me was your oh a probation officer in uk and what quals needed to be offered a job in nz.we found an ad in one of the magazines from the expo for probation officers and it basically said all the quals you needed was a full driving licence,and relevent experience.

[Andy&Carol]

Hello Flowerlady, I'm sure Andy won't mind me stepping on his toes, check out the Department of Corrections website, everything you need to know is on there. They are actively seeking Probation Officers at present.

All the best, Carol

[Andy B]

As Carol said they are recruiting Probation Offices, they set 5 on in Whangarei at the same time as my OH and they seem to be looking for more. Some of the people set on where from outside the probation service. Cheers Andy..

[kevin&lorna]

Hi, I'm really curious to know how you guys are doing over there. We are looking at whangarei to settle as theres job offers for me(dental hygienist). We are from Lowdham, Nottingham and have 3 kids (5,9 and 15), and Whangarei looks like the same sort of place. Is it? How did you do with schools and getting a home etc? PS. Its very very cold here at the moment, Lorna and Kev