[fmunoz]

Hi, My name is Frank, and is my first time using this Web. We are expecting to move to NZ in a few weeks (I already have a work offer, and we are just waiting for the approval of our Work to Residence Visa), I'm a IT Expert with wife (Evelyn), and 4 kids (11,8,7,1 all boys). We are moving to Auckland, and if is possible we need some help with some questions:

1) It's $95.000 enough to have a good quality of life with 4 kids?
2) Were is a good place to live at Auckland (School, rent (5 bed), etc)?
3) It's true that new migrants don't need to pay taxes for the first 48 months?
4) I'm a EMT-I , and I was a volunteer with a Rescue Squad at USA, some one know if NZ have volunteer rescue squads??

Best Regards, and thanks to everybody,

Frank.

[IanW99]

Hi, My name is Frank, and is my first time using this Web. We are expecting to move to NZ in a few weeks (I already have a work offer, and we are just waiting for the approval of our Work to Residence Visa), I'm a IT Expert with wife (Evelyn), and 4 kids (11,8,7,1 all boys). We are moving to Auckland, and if is possible we need some help with some questions:

1) It's $95.000 enough to have a good quality of life with 4 kids?
2) Were is a good place to live at Auckland (School, rent (5 bed), etc)?
3) It's true that new migrants don't need to pay taxes for the first 48 months?
4) I'm a EMT-I , and I was a volunteer with a Rescue Squad at USA, some one know if NZ have volunteer rescue squads??

Best Regards, and thanks to everybody,

Frank.

Hi and welcome to the forum.

3) Not exactly...the exact definition is:-

People arriving to live in New Zealand on or after 1 April 2006 may qualify for a temporary tax exemption on their foreign income. All foreign-sourced income will be exempt, except for employment income connected with employment performed while in New Zealand and income from services. The exemption starts on the first day of the month that the person arrives in New Zealand to take up the exemption and lasts a further 48 months (four years). To qualify, an individual cannot have been tax-resident in New Zealand during the previous 10 years.

Sure others will be along shortly with the rest of the answers.

Ian

[jackie m]

Hi Frank & Family

Sorry can't answer your questions. But would like to welcome you to the forum.
Best wishes
Jackie

[granger]

Hi Frank. Welcome to the forum. There are quite a few discussions going on in the Money Forum (http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=11) about how much money you need. If you have no mortgage, you will be well-off on that wage. If you have a mortgage, it depends on the size of the morgtage. With interest rates hovering close to 10% here if you need a $400,000 mortgage a big chunk of your take home pay will disappear into interest payments leaving you feeling a lot poorer.

[holland]

Hi Frank and family,

Just wanted to say welcome...Im sure you'll find the answers to some of your questions on the links above.

J and G x

[IanW99]

Hi Frank. Welcome to the forum. There are quite a few discussions going on in the Money Forum (http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=11) about how much money you need. If you have no mortgage, you will be well-off on that wage. If you have a mortgage, it depends on the size of the morgtage. With interest rates hovering close to 10% here if you need a $400,000 mortgage a big chunk of your take home pay will disappear into interest payments leaving you feeling a lot poorer.

Agree with what granger is saying, but from point 2, I'm assuming the plan is to rent a 5 bedroom property.

You may want to check out Auckland rentals (http://www.realestate.co.nz/rental/all/auckland) for houses to rent and costs per week.

BTW, a salary of NZ$95K should give you a pay of NZ$1282 per week after tax, hopefully this will help you work out how much rent you could afford.

Ian

[fmunoz]

Thank you, for answering some of my questions.
We are so nervous waiting for the pre-approval to the work to residence visa, I need this information to buy the air ticket, and give my notice at my current job. I'm going first, and my family is coming after one month.



Can someone give us some recommendations for interesting Auckland neighborhoods for rent?(Family with 4 boys 11,9,7,1). I read something about Albany, and Howick.



Best Regards, and thanks again,



Frank.

[krdk]

HI Frank! It's nice to see others from the US on here. I'm recently engaged to a Kiwi and starting to figure out how to move to NZ. May I ask what resources you have used to help you organize your move?

Thanks!
Katie

[sunkist]

Don't know much about neighborhoods in Auckland but I suggest you choose a "nice" neighborhood and once you get there you get a home & contents insurance at once because I know lots of new migrants there (and even our friends there) have been robbed not once but twice!!

Q3: New migrants still need to pay taxes. You may get exempted from foreign income. But if you're getting paid by NZ employer then you pay NZ taxes. :)

[fmunoz]

Dear Krdk,

I used www.seek.co.nz to apply to IT jobs, and I did all the rest by myself. Basic I fly to NZ to know a litle bit more about the country, and now I´m looking to found a good company to move all my stuff from US to NZ. Just today I got my passport back with my work visa on it, I´m expecting to arrive in NZ February 19, and my family will arrive propably at middle March after I get a house for rent and everithing ok.

Thank you everybody,

Frank.

[xanctus]

HI Frank,
welcome to the forum. In regards of where to live...where are you going to work in Auckland? I mean, Howick and Albany is like two totally different areas and quite far in a normal business hour drive.
Just so you know, traffic in Auckland is so bad compare to US...(that;s just my own opinion). I used to live Milwaukee, WI.
As for wage... I am no expert on that matters so I will let someone give u feedback on that one.

Where in states are you from?
Good luck with the whole moving plan.

[fmunoz]

Dear Xanctus,

Thanks for your advice, we are from Charlotte,NC.

Best Regards,

Frank.

[Tia Maria]

You will find it harder to find a 5 bed house to rent, so just be prepared for this. For instance, into one of the property websites I put 5 bed, 2 bath up to $600 per week and got 18 results for the whole of Auckland. (4 beds gave you 209 results). It is however, still school holidays and the rental market may be a bit slow.

Check out current rentals:

www.realestate.co.nz

www.nz.open2view.com

There are people on this forum from both Albany and Howick, if you use the search facility (it is your friend! :) ), they have already posted quite a bit of info about both. (Gil has done quite a bit about schools in Howick). Alternatively start a new thread to get their attention, as not everyone reads every thread.

I know you've got all ages but I'll let you know about the secondary schools in the area as its probably more important to get the right fit for your oldest son. Most of the primary schools are good on both the North Shore (East side) and Howick.

Albany - North Shore, Inland (short drive to beach), Secondary School - Rangitoto College. www.rangitoto.school.nz

Howick - East, ferry from Half Moon Bay or drive to CBD, probably a longer commute than Albany but might depend where in the CBD you work, Secondary School: www.macleans.school.nz

Further details on schools:

www.ero.govt.nz/ero/publishing.nsf/Content/Home+Page

I live at the bottom end of the North Shore, so let me know if you need any info on those bits.

$95,000 is about right for an IT job and your standard of living will vary depending on how much your rental/mortgage is and if you are bringing over any funds.

The Coastguard uses volunteers, would that interest you?

www.coastguard.org.nz

Cheers

Tia

[fmunoz]

Dear Tia,

Thank you....after look for prices, I'll probably rent a 4 bed between 400 and top 550 a week. do you think I will be ok with this kind of rent with 95.000 a year???

Best Regards,

Frank

[Tia Maria]

Dear Tia,

Thank you....after look for prices, I'll probably rent a 4 bed between 400 and top 550 a week. do you think I will be ok with this kind of rent with 95.000 a year???

Best Regards,

Frank


Its always hard to know as people's spending habits vary so greatly. But do a pretend shop here:

www.foodtown.co.nz

and check out this thread:

www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=13682&page=2

Its from the UK but obviously the arrival costs will be the same wherever you come from!

There will be quite a few cost of living threads maybe search for something like 'electricity' or 'rates' and you might be able to bring a few up to put together your own monthly costs.

A very simple way to work out if you will experience a decrease/increase in your standard of living, (financially, obviously its harder to put a price on education, environment for children, working life etc), is to work out what percentage of your monthly wage you currently spend on outgoings and then do the calculations with your NZ wage and your 'guesstimate' NZ outgoings.

Don't forget to factor in any unusual expenses such as trips back to visit family members, check here to work out the cost of flying everyone back and work out how many months wages it will be:

www.airnz.co.nz

If your current monthly outgoings are about 50% of your monthly wage, but in NZ they will be nearer 75% then you will need to decide whether the whole experience is worth all the extra budgeting you will have to do.

If however, they are the same or less you will probaby find life feels pretty much the same or better! :)

Its a pain putting all the figures down on paper but it can save a lot of heartache in the future, so well worth it.

Cheers

Tia

[Familyofmonkeys]

Dear Tia,

Thank you....after look for prices, I'll probably rent a 4 bed between 400 and top 550 a week. do you think I will be ok with this kind of rent with 95.000 a year???

Best Regards,

Frank

We rent a NICE house in Albany in the range above...it is 4 bed, 2 bath, etc with good primary school round the corner. You will find no problem on salary of $95k either. Plus it takes OH about 25 minutes on bus into CBD from park&ride, costs $135 per month. It should be a bit quicker once the expressway on motorway fully opens later this year!

[fmunoz]

Dear Familyofmonkeys,

How much do you pay for rent?, also Do you know if my kids will have any problems to enroll at school at midle March?

Best regards,

Frank