[jim]

Hi everyone, just thought i would introduce us. My husband is Jim and I am Frances, we live in Scotland and are hoping to move to NZ verrry soon. Jim has a job offer and i have also applied for a work visa, although I will probalby get the family settled before I start to work.

We have found the forum very interesting and have gleaned so much info from it. I just wonder is there anyone out there in a similar situation to ourselves. We have 2 kids -one will be going to primary school and we are hoping the older one will be able to do her last year in NZ. It is all abit nerve wracking - taking a child out of school at such a crucial point but we felt she would settle better in NZ this way.

Our visa applications are in the post and Visa confirms they have taken the processing fee's! As soon as we get the goahead it will be bedlam - house to sell etc. also need to buy tickets and then find temporary accomodation and schools when we get there!!

I have also read with envy about lucky people who get relocation expenses - not so for us.

Any comments at all are most welcome.

Cheers

[Beach Kiwi]

Hmm, I didn't do one of these threads - mind you, I never do! :mrgreen:

Welcome aboard, from one newbie to another! :nice1

Can't help you with your questions though, as I'm a long-time Kiwi.

[Milliemoo]

Hi there,

Sounds exciting.... where abouts are you settling in NZ?

I don't know whether you know, but I organised a 'Scottish Meet' a couple of months ago. There's not many of us north of the border, but I'll be organising another get together very soon (in Edinburgh). There's quite a few of us who have just got our ITAs and a few people due to set off on their adventure very soon :P

Milliemoo :nice1

[jim]

Hi Milliemoo and Beach Kiwi

Thanks for the prompt reply. This question is for you Milliemoo - Why are you waiting til 2006? (If that isn't too personal). We would love to come to the Scottish meeting, it would be great to meet other hopefuls.

It is really hard not to talk about our NZ move to everyone we meet.

Cheers

Jim and Frances

[Milliemoo]

Hi,

We wanted to make sure we had plenty of savings and then Frodo (aka Duncan) proposed so we have a wedding to pay for later this year. We are thinking of delaying it till summer 06 so we have as much as possible.

We'll be going to NZ for our honeymoon in Nov/Dec this year ....can't wait!

I'll have a wee think about dates for the next get together, so keep an eye out for the post. :P

Milliemoo :nice1 (aka Cath)

[Diny]

Jim & Frances

Welcome to the forum - I think I'm safe in saying that there hasn't been a question invented that can't be answered by this forum. The collection of knowledge is amazing. Even if you're not after any specific information, it's nice to have a chat and pass comment with other folks who are going through the same process as yourselves.

We are going to NZ (as soon as house sells) and obviously our boys will be joining new schools. We have found that including them 100% in the discussions has been a really good idea. When I've looked up school websites, they've been sitting here with me, reading the news, looking at the pictures and really getting quite excited about the whole idea.

Our boys are fairly seasoned travellers for their ages (7 and 9) - in fact they've seen more of the world in their short lives than some folks ever get to see in 70 years. I'm sure your children will be just fine. My advice is to include them, talk through any worries they may have about NZ schooling and show them as much 'black and white' info as you can get your hands on. I've read one or two comments over the months about kids who found it hard to settle when they arrived in NZ, how they wanted to go home and how they hated their parents for 'ruining their lives'. I think without acception it took a very short space of time for those attitudes to take a 180 degree turn.

If there's anything I can help you with please feel free to PM me at any time. All the best and good luck with the house sale.

Diny

[kiwidebs]

Welcome to the forum Jim and Frances. I can't really help with your questions at this stage as my two are 3 years and 19 months so not old enough to worry about schools. In fact, our time frame for getting settled in NZ is before Gemma starts school (it will be on her fifth birthday as kids start at their fifth birthday in NZ - so November 2006) - but I'm hoping we will be there before her fourth birthday!! We are at the start of the paperwork trail - hubby is applying for PR under Family(partner) catagory as I am a Kiwi and the kids need to be declared 'NZ citizens by descent'. So lots of £££ to pay out but hopefully it will be worth it in the end!!

Debs

[jim]

Hi everyone, thanks for all the reply's. Our situation has changed - our work visa's arrived yesterday!!! So all hell has broke loose- so many things to do. We are hoping to leave UK 14th February.
I have a couple of questions that some of you folks may have knowledge of.

1. I have read a bit about taking TV's, video's, video player and computer monitors to NZ. The general consensus seems to be not to take them- but I do remember reading somewhere (on this forum, I think) that UK TV's etc are Ok. they just need some minor adjustment. The kids are really attached to their stuff so we would like to bring them with us if it is worth it. - Any opinions or experience would be really welcome. ( particulary as the first lot of Movers are coming to calculate the cost of moving our stuff TOMORROW!!)

2. NZ Bank Accounts - can we arrange one from the UK to be set up for us to use in NZ as soon as we arrive?? I spoke to our bank today and they said we had to be in NZ to open an NZ account. How do people cope when they first arrive if they havn't got a bank or permanent address???

I am sure I will be asking a million questions now the Visa's are here, so thanks in advance for any help!!

Jim and Frances

[Jules]

Hi Jim & Frances

With regards to the NZ bank accounts, when we first arrived we stayed in a Motel for 3 weeks. We walked into the ASB Bank with our passports and ten minutes later walked out with an account opened :clap :clap .

We gave them the address of the Motel we were staying at, they just asked us to let them no when we had a permanent address, they also sorted out our car insurance and our house content insurance. They were and still are very helpfull. We are on the move again next week, so I will just pop into the bank and let them no our new address and they will change the house content insurance over on the day we move in :P .

Hope this helps
Jules

[jim]

Hi Jules

thanks for that information. It is great to be able to get first hand experience from people who have ' been there and done that',

Cheers

Frances

[jo b]

Jim and Frances

welcome to the forum

with so much to do please ensure you don't become strangers to us.

We know a family who emigrated last April with a 14 year old and 12 year old.

When we got the postcard it said.
"The kids jump out of bed in a morning for school and are always ready for the bus.....never heard of back home"

The eldest girl was really worried about going so it shows how her fears were unfounded. Children are very adaptable and are still learning to form relationships with people from all walks of life. I am sure your 2 will be just fine.

I think as parents we probably worry too much. My eldest who is 9 is fully involved with all our plans but catagorically states that we are ruining her life because she wants to go to senior school with her friend across the road. I remember when I was 9 and none of my friends from back are my friends now so I am not worried. She will soon make friends and settle.

Good Luck

Joanne

[heimatseeker]

NZ Bank Accounts - can we arrange one from the UK to be set up for us to use in NZ as soon as we arrive?? I spoke to our bank today and they said we had to be in NZ to open an NZ account. How do people cope when they first arrive if they havn't got a bank or permanent address???

Hey Jim - National Bank of NZ lets you set up an account from overseas when you intend to move here - check out their "Moving to New Zealand" page: http://www.nationalbank.co.nz/personal/life/index/residents.htm.

We set up an account with them and transferred a bunch of money into it while we were still in the US, and everything went very smoothly. They sent our ATM cards to the branch in Tauranga (where we arrived) and we simply walked in an picked them up when we got here.

Good luck!

[jim]

Hi Heimatseeker,

Thanks for the link, it will be very useful. I will contact them tomorrow.

Cheers

Jim