[runswick]

Hi, we are very much just thinking about moving to NZ, no commitment to the idea as yet. We have lived in the US (we are from and now live in UK) for a short time but I wonder if the upheaval will really be worth it? Will we gain so much more by moving to NZ? We have children aged 10 and 7. I dont hate it in the UK, although my husband does. He has low tolerance levels of the traffic situation, noise and people in general!

He has a good job, but we still struggle financially so that and better weather would be my main incentive for moving. I realise things are expensive in NZ but I do think we could have a much lower mortgage if we worked it right. We already spend a lot of time doing things together as a family, so I dont think we would gain much in that area.

So, have you REALLY achieved a better quality of life?

[runswick]

67 views and no reply? Did I say something wrong? :)

[Nienke]

Whether it is worth it for you and your family, nobody can answer that question!
Speaking for myself and my family, yes, it defenitely has been worth it. New Zealand is not without it's problems of course, but our quality of life has improved considerably.

[nippa&pippa]

been mentioned several times....do search and you will find lots on this subject.

For me, yes I did achieved a better quality of life in NZ, but it is depend on what are you aims for and work on it...

[britzy]

Sorry cant help as still in Uk but wanted to say Hi:laugh
Helen

[Carey]

67 views and no reply? Did I say something wrong? :)

Lots of views because we're all looking hoping people are going to say YES IT'S LOADS BETTER! Otherwise why are we going?!

[runswick]

Whether it is worth it for you and your family, nobody can answer that question!
Speaking for myself and my family, yes, it defenitely has been worth it. New Zealand is not without it's problems of course, but our quality of life has improved considerably.

I never asked if it would be worth it for me! I realise it's subjective, I was just interested in whether others have achieved a better quality of life than they had in their original country.

[willsken]

I know I have answered this question before but....

I am one of the rah rah brigade in that I love the place and feel so much happier as a person since moving here. I think however, that comes from living in a small town here and having all the small town advantages. My children have a lot more freedom here and basically, for us as a family life is very good. :D

The problem is New Zealand has so many different life styles to offer it will really depend on fitting yourself into what suits you best as a family. My idea of heaven would be a lot of people’s idea of hell!;)

[Alan]

http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=13186&highlight=quality+life

[andrewandjane]

OK..Yes!!!! definately,

we've been here almost a year and its fantastic, no complaints so far, we love it! have bought our first house, got a good job and can walk to the beach. the whole family are a lot happier here than in the UK,

[CityBlue]

I never asked if it would be worth it for me! I realise it's subjective, I was just interested in whether others have achieved a better quality of life than they had in their original country.

The problem with the question is that you will get people who have acheived a better quality of life and then people that havent.

So what will you get out of the replies??

In my opinion that is why there was so many views before any actual responses.

[runswick]

I was just interested in the replies. It could possibly help me guage the questions I have about our own situation. Guess I should just read the old thread on this subject and be happy with that!

[CityBlue]

I was just interested in the replies. It could possibly help me guage the questions I have about our own situation. Guess I should just read the old thread on this subject and be happy with that!

See so Nienke was correct when she said :

Whether it is worth it for you and your family, nobody can answer that question!
.....

Anyway it is a difficult thing to discuss (as it has beeen discussed so many times before and is SO subjective)

I also know that you cant read "tone" in posts so please dont take this post or my previous post as being "funny" or "off" with you I was just trying to give you my opinion as to why so many people had viewed and not posted.

:) :)

[zardell]

Guess I should just read the old thread on this subject and be happy with that!



Sorry, cant agree with that !!.....LOL

I think that you were right in asking your question as it's a question that we all asked ourselves at some point. Also the people that answered the old thread may now have a different view, plus there are other/new people on this forum with views apart from the original posters.

I have to admit that I am not really in a position to answer your question anymore, due to the fact that we left NZ and now live in Oz, but that was to do with OH's job, not NZ.

Your question(s) and worries are valid irrespective of how many time they have been previously asked by others.

Julie

xx

[Tia Maria]

67 views and no reply? Did I say something wrong? :)

Nope you didn't say anything wrong, but according to my time stamp you did ask the question at 6am NZ time, (when I should have been snuggled up in bed, but wasn't as the kids had decided it was time to get up :( ). I imagine most of the views were from those not here yet! So be patient and I'm sure you will get some replies. :)

I have achieved a different quality of life. Having 3 young children I find my day to day life is much more relaxed. Also we do more things because even after 2 years NZ still feels new, so we have lots of places we want to go to and things to do.

My OH says work is pretty much the same (he's in IT) as in the UK, except he's paid a lot less. We definitely struggle more financially. And we miss the support of friends and family.

It wasn't the big lifestyle change we envisaged but its definitely been a positive experience overall. We're happy here at the moment but I'm still not at the stage of being able to say its forever.

Cheers

Tia

[marcia]

For us we have gained what we feel to be a beter lifestyle. Hubby works a lot less hours, we spend more time together asa family, have a nicer home and some land, something we couldn't have afforded in the Uk. My dad commented that we seem to have loads of friends just dropping in here all the time, in the Uk the only time I cooked for over 8 people was on Christmas day, here it seems to be a regular occurance, but then thats the Kiwi way, they don't wait to invited they just call in, and expect you to do the same - something I still can't used to - I still phone first to see if Ok to pop round! we have loads of BBq's, go to the beach or the park etc. The kids are happier at school, I've met some 'cool' people through playcentre.

The biggest downside which has hit again this week, is the distance between family and friends in the uk, and the having to say goodbye again after a visit is a killer, but I 'think' :o its worth that sacrifice for the life we now have!

[benandclare]

Also the people that answered the old thread may now have a different view, plus there are other/new people on this forum with views apart from the original posters.


Julie

xx

Spot on Julie, as we fall into the latter category :clap

We've only been here for 6 months so have yet to experience a NZ winter but so far YES we have a better lifestyle.

We could have achieved some of this by moving in the UK.

But by moving to Christchurch we have so more of what we want here and then some :D .

We have a larger house with change from UK house, so far better climate and infinitely better work / leisure time .

We are more active than in Uk so has to be benefit to our health altho weight has snuck up do to excess intake of yummy muffins and Hokey Pokey ice cream:laugh

As my new business has yet to kick in we are less well off at the moment but hopefully this will be a short term problem and even if it doesn't we're still not going to be destitute and hankering to fly home, this is home now :raebanana


Ben

[Familyofmonkeys]

For us, we definitely have a better life here. We are not currently living in our long term NZ destination, but are really enjoying our time here in Auckland. There is an element of everything being new and exciting, so we are never short of things to go and see/do. We have also met some wonderful people here, and it has been really easy to make friends. We do miss the support of our friends in UK, not least their wonderful babysitting service :laugh ......we have only had 2 (short)evenings out by ourselves in the last 1 1/2 years. Then again, since having a 3rd baby chances are we wouldn't have asked anyone to look after that many children anyway. Things here in NZ are so much more child friendly than we are used to we can take them to most places....even when they don't behave well. And of course...there are several lovely beaches within 10 minutes drive :) so it doesn't require a daytrip for a hour or two by the sea!

Long term we have bought 2 acres of land and will be getting a house built. We had a pretty large house in UK....and a large morgage to go with it :( . What we will gain here is the land and personal space...something we would never have been able to afford in UK. For us, this means we are able to give our kids more of the sort of childhood we wanted for them.

Moneywise, while we are not neccessarily much better of financially, we are no worse off. The big benefit is that there is so much we can do for free to entertain ourselves....so we spend alot less on daytrips and activities for the family. We can still afford to continue some of our old UK family traditions..... take away once a month, and we also take the kids out for coffee and cake once a month too.

[mish&al]

We are more active than in Uk so has to be benefit to our health altho weight has snuck up do to excess intake of yummy muffins and Hokey Pokey ice cream

Good lord, don't say that, It's taken me 2 years to lose 20 kilos, am I going to put it on again??!!:nice1

[willsken]

The problem with the question is that you will get people who have acheived a better quality of life and then people that havent.

So what will you get out of the replies??


I think when you are thinking of making the move, there's a huge comfort in reading peoples opinions about how they feel the move has been for them. I know they were my favorite kind of thread before I came to live here, :yes :D

[CityBlue]

I think when you are thinking of making the move, there's a huge comfort in reading peoples opinions about how they feel the move has been for them. I know they were my favorite kind of thread before I came to live here, :yes :D

Absolutely I fully understand that because I loved reading all the good posts!!

I just also found it very usefule to read as many negative ones as I could too - ones where for whatever reason the move didnt work out,

Problem is that so far this thread hasnt got any negative posts!

And you wont get one from me - I love it here:raebanana

[Tia Maria]

Absolutely I fully understand that because I loved reading all the good posts!!

I just also found it very usefule to read as many negative ones as I could too - ones where for whatever reason the move didnt work out,

Problem is that so far this thread hasnt got any negative posts!

And you wont get one from me - I love it here:raebanana

You never can tell which way a thread is going to go, there's this one recently where someone felt all they found were negative posts by people in NZ:

www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16166

Perhaps it just all depends on whether the sun is shining that day! :D

Cheers

Tia

[willsken]

Problem is that so far this thread hasnt got any negative posts!



What you mean there are negatives in NZ?.......;) :D :exit

[shakyle2906]

Yes, we love it here too!!

Been here just over 10mths and its like we have always been here.

We do more as a family, try and get out most weekends and if we can get away for a night we do that too!!

Wages are not as good as Uk, but then we knew that before we came. I have to admit i love my job (sad eh) but i work with a great crowd of people and thats what also counts. Hubby the same! He is out once a week with mated from work, something he never did in UK. He hated his job and felt he was getting nowhere and funding was coming to an end with mine in the March so would have been out of a job and not many jobs available where we came from.

We have bought our own house too, in Uk we came 'off the ladder' when we had to move back to Wales from Bristol, and were never able to 'get back on'.

Our son loves it here which is the main thing.

As others have said, its in no respect 'perfect' for everyone, but we love it and thats what matters.............

Good luck

Sharon


PS - Agree with some of the others - you were right to start another thread!! Its a free world......... And its what most of us have done at some stage. I certainly did!!

[CityBlue]

...

PS - Agree with some of the others - you were right to start another thread!! Its a free world......... And its what most of us have done at some stage. I certainly did!!

Yeah I agree actually and I hope it didnt come across that I didnt think you should have started the thread

[Pip]

we love it here to! (just a few days off our 1 yr anniversary)

we have less disposable income, but thats weighed up against shorter commutes, a bigger house and some land of our own, easy access to beaches/mountains, outdoors and better weather!

its not perfect and we'd by lying if we said otherwise, but for us, right now at this point in our lives, it feels like the right choice. We are also looking forward to raising a family (first baby due in 3 months) in what we have found to be a safer, healthier, and less materialistic environment that I think he would have had back in the UK.

[pieeater]

We enjoyed our life in the U.K. and came here for a different way of living for a while whilst the kids were growing up.Our adventure here will be coming to an end in the next year or so.Is it any better here for us? no just different.

[Sam B]

We had a good quality of life in Cornwall, and now we have a better quality of life in NZ. My work is much more relaxed, although I am on half my old wages. There is so much to see and do. And less crowds, less traffic, less litter, less all the things that bugged me. Plus I have been able to switch off from all the bad news in the world a bit, which used to worry me all the time. I feel remote from it, which is what I was hoping would happen.

House sale in UK means no mortgage here at the moment, which is also very nice.

[whiskythedog]

My quality of life is definitely not better as having to work much longer hours than I ever used to in the UK. Also financially we are worse off but had we sold our house in the UK we would have been fine.
Having said that I am still enjoying NZ because there is so much to see and experience at the moment.

[runswick]

Thanks everyone for your views, sorry if I was grumpy - it felt like an unfriendly start to the thread and I hadnt thought that the people I was asking would be in bed etc.

No mortgage would be heaven, that and no debts would make us £1000 better off a month if DH's wages were the same or more than he is on now.

Is there a version of council tax?

[holland]

We pay rates over here that are a lot less, can't give exact figures as I rent at the minute, but I am sure someone will be along soon to talk figures!!

[zardell]

it felt like an unfriendly start to the thread and I hadnt thought that the people I was asking would be in bed etc.




Us lot unfriendly?

Never..........:D

Julie

xx

[IanW99]

...
Is there a version of council tax?

Currently they still favour the rates system but are discussing other approaches such as poll tax etc as the levels are getting quite high now. Not sure if this is country wide or on a per council basis?

Being rates, it is based on the valuation of the property which is done every 3 years. So if you have a nice big expensive house expect to pay more in rates than your smaller, cheaper neighbours.

Ian

[jubjub]

I have achieved a different quality of life.


Sums it up for me! i am sure I have said all this before, but having gone from a working non parent in UK to a sahm mum in NZ in the one fell swoop has been a heck of change, and as such I cant possibly compare the two! I have no idea what life would be like in UK as a SAHM any more than I know what it would be like to work in NZ.

I am contented enough for now with my and AJ's little weekday lives, and we try and do stuff all together at weekends and like Tia also said you do tend to try and do something new as everything here is new to start with! We have been here nearly 3 yrs and there is sooooo much we havent yet seen and thats just in Auckland!

[incredible hulse]

Different, not particularly better. Only been here 2 years so still in honeymoon period with lots to see (That said there's a hell of a lot more I want to see in the UK and never have).

Can't see myself getting old here personally

[pieeater]

Our rates up here in Rural Nortland are $786 per annum.One of the best perks about our setup is the School Bus picking the kids up at the gate and dropping them off in the afternoon we found the school run so disruptive in the U.K.It's just so liberating.

[LesleyS]

No not yet..... only been here for 5 months and struggling to adjust to the changes.
The 'grass is not always greener' - and for me I'm even finding it hard to see past the beautiful scenery and friendly people. Ask me in 12 months - If I'm still here that is........ :wah

[Lupin]

Most definitely a better quality of life for us. We live in paradise, but it's *my* version of paradise and I had to research hard to find it here and it came at quite a price (and I'm not talking financial). I still say the dream is here to be had in NZ, but you'll need a lot of cash these days to live it in the cities.

[Carol]

Been here nearly 12 years.....

If I'm honest....yes probably. Better food, climate, less crime, cleaner towns, learning new cultures.

Ask me if I am happier though - and the answer would probably be no.
I am far too much of a family girl - and I still think about them (mum and dad) and miss them all every single day.
It is a big problem for me - no-one else though.

Lifestyle is what you make it though.
I have some lovely friends in the UK - one of whom will be my friend to the end.
But.....
I have also MADE some wonderful friends here - and again a few of them - I would now miss as much as my best mate in the UK - in fact - in one or two cases ... more! (And one from this very forum! mwah)

"Lifestyle" for me - is having good health, good friends, good times, being safe and being content.
That's it.

I know now - I probably could have had that in the UK if I had been content - but I wasnt.

Although I still "desire" a bigger house.... who wouldn't with 3 kids and 1 bathroom and toilet - the fact I am prepared to wait until the right time now is different for me.
We don't have a big flash car or a big flash telly and I don't care.
My girl gets loads of hand-me-down clothes from my mates and its all fine. (Me too actually!!) Have learnt to love Op shops.

I've changed careers - moved on from something I did for 20 years and am now challenging myself to learn new skills at 46. I doubt I would have done that if I had stayed put.
Also - hubby and me have HAD to work harder at sorting things out ourselves - instead of us whinging to friends about each other. Because new friends really dont want to hear it!
We are closer to our kids - we still do things with them - even though they are now "adults". Again - doubt we would have done that in Newcastle.

There is always a price to pay. For me its missing my family. For hubby it is his beloved Newcastle United. For my kids - its not having their grandparents around. But actually - I miss that for them.
I don't have that many kiwi mates - but I do have one or two. But I gave up worrying about that AGES ago.
:nice1

[dharder]

Early days yet for us, but so far, no improvement here for me. I work more hours for less money, have fewer holidays and significantly less paid sick leave and other leave days. Currently, my commute is only marginally shorter than in London even though I live a lot closer to work (stuck on the bus).

I got paid better for working four days in London than five days here, and doing a full week instead of my 'normal' Monday off has decreased my personal quality of life considerably.

I can see some improvement to my children's quality of life, but funnily enough, they don't see that the same way. I read a book recently on the History of Childhood and the author pointed out that throughout history, whatever adults instigated to 'improve' the conditions of children was often not seen as such by the children themselves.

My kids go to a better school, but right now, a 'bad' school and a 'good' school doesn't mean much for them, and they are mad we left London with our flat and their friends.

However, I just bought a car that should help reduce my commute, and I almost posted more on the 'positive experiences in NZ' thread, so it can't be all bad...

I should also in fairness point out that I didn't want to move here, so have not come with a positive 'we'll make this work' attitude.

Daniela

[Lupin]

No not yet..... only been here for 5 months and struggling to adjust to the changes.
The 'grass is not always greener' - and for me I'm even finding it hard to see past the beautiful scenery and friendly people. Ask me in 12 months - If I'm still here that is........ :wah


Lesley- the first year is tough. everyone told me that and they were right. Stick with it, keep your spirit up (((())))

[Carol]

the first year is tough.


Absolutely true.
It DOES get better...... promise!
:cheers

[shut018]

Hi

I immigrated from the UK to New Zealand in 2001. The 1st year had good and bad points, however not having friends and family around is a huge issue. I bought a house in Auckland but never really felt settled. I finally rented out the house and moved back to the UK in September 2007 where my 'Quality of Life' not my lifestyle has greatly improved. I have disposable income. My salary is double. The tax is lower in the UK. New Zealand has so many indirect taxes such as doctors fees, horrendously expensive dentists fees, bank fees on bank fees. On the outset it doesn't seem too bad but try living in Auckland on the salaries they pay you and it is a struggle. I am now a New Zealand Citizen, my house in Auckland has a pool in the garden and I have a boat in the garage, but that would still not convince me to rush back to work there.

Everyone is different and has different needs and expectation, but don't by any means think New Zealand is an easy country or a paradise in any way because you will be very disappointed.

[Lupin]

Hi

I immigrated from the UK to New Zealand in 2001. The 1st year had good and bad points, however not having friends and family around is a huge issue. I bought a house in Auckland but never really felt settled. I finally rented out the house and moved back to the UK in September 2007 where my 'Quality of Life' not my lifestyle has greatly improved. I have disposable income. My salary is double. The tax is lower in the UK. New Zealand has so many indirect taxes such as doctors fees, horrendously expensive dentists fees, bank fees on bank fees. On the outset it doesn't seem too bad but try living in Auckland on the salaries they pay you and it is a struggle. I am now a New Zealand Citizen, my house in Auckland has a pool in the garden and I have a boat in the garage, but that would still not convince me to rush back to work there.

Everyone is different and has different needs and expectation, but don't by any means think New Zealand is an easy country or a paradise in any way because you will be very disappointed.

Glad you've found happiness in the UK :)

But I wonder if this further proves my point about the big cities compared with living in cheaper towns and rural areas?

[incredible hulse]

Glad you've found happiness in the UK :)

But I wonder if this further proves my point about the big cities compared with living in cheaper towns and rural areas?

Could be true there Lupin but with the lack of regional work in NZ for a lot of 'business' related sectors most people have no option but to live in and around 2, possibly 3 cities (Auck, Welly and to some very sparse extent Christchurch in my field). I'm trying to convince my boss to relocate to the Southern Lakes region but I don't fancy my chances ;)

[Alan]

Surely for a lot of people the climate is a huge factor? For us we are hoping it is not like Britain but with better weather, we want to immerse ourselves wherever we are, however we have two very outdoor boys who don't care too much about the rain or the cold here but it does prevent them and us from doing as we would like.

For us there is nowhere in the UK where we could improve the climate be able to afford to live, want to bring up two young lads, with some of the things that an urban area gives. We want to explore and have our adventure, and to be honest if it doesn't work out who knows, but I doubt it will be back to Britain. I should add we are lucky as we do not have extended or close family so NZ does not pose the same barriers emotionally as though we did.

[willsken]

Glad you've found happiness in the UK :)

But I wonder if this further proves my point about the big cities compared with living in cheaper towns and rural areas?

I think this is a good point. We are lucky in that I’m a teacher earning top of the pay scale, with management points. I certainly don't earn much less than I did in the UK. OH is a builder and is doing fine. We live in Central Hawke's Bay in a small town and because of this don't have a large mortgage. Financially we are better off in NZ than we were in the UK. Not by much mind you, but we can afford all the things we had in the UK. We just seemed to have gained a much more peaceful and less stressed lifestyle and that is something we could never have afforded on our salaries in the UK.

[Paul & Rach]

The answer is simple.

No.

[LesleyS]

The answer is simple.

No.

Is it a catalogue of reasons? Or one specific thing? :(

[katiejay]

We've only been here 3 months, so am I qualified to comment? Well, I will anyway, and maybe I'll post again in 12 months to see if I've changed my mind!! So far, an unreserved 5-1 to New Zealand:


I feel safe here
The air is cleaner here (no sign of asthma)
People are nice - they talk to you in the street and don't look at you as if you are mad because you said 'hello'
There is more space, fewer people, wider streets, big playgrounds, well-stocked play areas - the kids love it!
Things are just easier to do - kiwis don't make a big hoo har about things - if you need to do something, do it - that goes for applying for things, visiting places, trying something new....


On the downside, the cost of living is higher, I'd say, than in the UK - but we are living within our means on a single income, so it's do-able (and I may simply have formed this opinion because I've gone from a highly-paid full-time career in the UK, to an upaid, full-time mum in NZ!).

I have no money, but the quality of my life now is 100% better than it was in the UK. Does that answer the question? :nice1

[Pip]

This is probably a bit of a generalisation, but I've noticed that there seems to be a bit of pattern in that many people who are not really finding what they were hoping re: achieving a better quality of life are based in Auckland versus Wellington & CHC.

Now before lots of people post to tell me how great Auckland is, and I know there are lots of happy forumites there - I just thought I'd test that out and see what people thought.

I know for us, we ruled out Auckland because we didn't want to trade one big city for another and had fallen in love with South Island and our move was based around access to beaches/mountains and scenery and shorter commutes and for us AKL didn't fit the bill. We are in our 30's and had done the city/coffee/restaurant/chic apartment thing, but were looking for something different at this stage in our lives.

We were warned that we might struggle to find IT jobs etc in CHC, but we decided to try it here and if we couldn't make it work , then relocate to wellington or AKL. In fact, there's quite a lot of IT jobs here - probably more than people realise.

I'm just wondering what our NZ experience would be like if we'd moved to Auckland ? - I guess very different. Maybe at a simple level, some of us were lucky enough to end with a match with what we we were looking for and some of us weren't.

right.. I'll stop waffling now!

[willsken]

Maybe at a simple level, some of us were lucky enough to end with a match with what we we were looking for and some of us weren't.


That's what it really comes down to in the end, isn't it? Have we found what we wished for and can we afford to live it. :yes

[zardell]

Maybe at a simple level, some of us were lucky enough to end with a match with what we we were looking for and some of us weren't.




Good point.

Julie

xx

[willsken]

Good point.

Julie

xx

Ha - beat you to it!!!! :p :p :p

[zardell]

Ha - beat you to it!!!!


You always were a bettter, quikker tipyst than me...


:laugh :laugh :laugh

Julie

xx

[JandM]

I'm saying this for the sake of anybody reading these comments who's never been, and may be imagining Auckland (with the 'largest city' label attached) as something like London.

The Auckland area is where we'll be heading, in full knowledge of what is there. Yes, there are patches of dense housing, but you don't have to choose those to live in if you don't want to. Yes, it's a big city, but one not like any other I've seen. Access to beaches/mountains - yes. Okay, they're not mountain skiers' kind of mountains, but they're there. Scenery, greenery - yes. Native bush within 30 minutes' drive. I'll have access to the city amenities (more easily than currently in rural Dorset, UK) I have a use for, and yet be able to live in a natural setting to lift my spirits. Wonderful sunrises and sunsets. Glimpses of the sea, everywhere - I'll live nearer the sea than I could ever afford here, and be able to take part in fishing and boating whenever I want.

Of course not everybody will be wanting the same things we do - and I realize we're a different generation from many of you.

But just, in fairness, if your job offer comes from somewhere in Auckland, don't despair and think of nothing but grubby northern hemisphere close-built cities, because it's not like that.

[willsken]

You always were a bettter, quikker tipyst than me...


:laugh

Julie

xx

:D :D

[Familyofmonkeys]

But just, in fairness, if your job offer comes from somewhere in Auckland, don't despair and think of nothing but grubby northern hemisphere close-built cities, because it's not like that.

Very true......as far as cities go...Auckland has far more going for it that many other world cities. There are beautiful views all over the place, miles of clean & half-empty beaches, plenty of green spaces and many areas that although part of the city, really have the feeling of being in a village/small town community. And even in the areas with higher densing housing, they just don't compare to the equivalent in built up areas of London for example. And on top of that (if you are a city person) there are plenty of areas with cafe/restaurant/night life going on.

Although these things are not what we came to NZ for or want long-term, we nevertheless appreciate these things while we are living here.

[irishliz]

I have hesitated to post but here goes.

We have been in Wellington for 4 months now. Should point out that as we are both Civil Servants Wellington is our only proper option in terms of our career.
We had lived in London for 12 years, then Liverpool to be near OHs family for 5 years. I am originally from a very rural part of Ireland and hankered after better access to countryside. Ireland wasn't an option for many reasons, and the UK is very crowded so we thought we would try NZ while the children were young. We didn't visit beforehand because we felt a reccy would be too holiday-like and very expensive for 6 of us. This forum has been a fantastic source of information as well as a great friend in Auckland. We were very realistic in our expectations.

So we are here and what do we think? Overall we love Wellington. It is a great cosmopolitan city with plenty to do and very family orientated. We have been to lots of free events that we would never have contemplated in the UK. We live in a fairly central suburb by choice as it means Oh can be home within 20 minutes of leaving work and we now meet up once a week for lunch which we never did in the UK. The views are spectacular, the local parks, etc very well maintained, and our children attend a fantastic local school. We are on less money and the cost of living is not as cheap as we expected but we have adjusted.

We have not had as much access to the countryside as we would like but that is because our children are very young and not into trekking yet, but there is lots we can do. Just knowing it is there is reassuring.

We came here on 2 year visas, and are submitting our EOI for PR in the next few days. So that will tell you how we feel now.

But, we are anxious about the bad weather everybody talks about in Wellington, and the horrible winters and once we have experienced this we will be in a better place to comment fully. The summer has been pretty good although locals keep saying it isn't normally as good! We also haven't had a proper chance to miss family and friends. Some births later this year will be a test.

Overall we are delighted we came. But it is not paradise. As a family we want to make it work so we will always look at the positives, and I feel if you are content then it is easy to focus on the positives. I know two women, one Irish and one English, who hate it here and it is interesting what they complain about - the same things people complain about in the UK and Ireland - weather, lack of money, schools, health service, etc.

So I hope that makes sense - our life is pretty much the same pre and post NZ but without a garden (which I miss desperately) and the crowds (a huge positive and our main motivation).

Good luck.

[Tia Maria]

IrishLiz wrote:

As a family we want to make it work so we will always look at the positives,

Nice point -we feel the same.

Cheers

Tia

[bielby]

Miss public transport, and I miss trains and hate the way everything revolves around petrol. I find this funny especially as we live under the hole in the ozone layer. To live in New Zealand without a car means you may as well be living in the outer hebrides.
'No worries' equates to being socially conditioned to accept poverty.

We came here with realistic expectations, having lived and worked here before and reading a lot of the negative points on this forum. Got a good job, a high but normal mortgage (for the privilege of living in a glorified static caravan), and not coming from a consumeristic lifestyle - we didn't have the big tv, foreign hols, flash car, meals out - holidays were camping and visiting relatives on the whole.

Finding it difficult to correlate the cost of living here with earnings, not just for us but for kiwis in general, especially in Auckland where there isn't so much of the free stuff you can get or do out in the sticks. The quality of food at the supermarket is rubbish, and anything that is better quality is generally too expensive. And that's with only buying the specials, bakers discounts and in season fruit and veg.

Lots more hidden costs - tax as high as the uk but with much less apparent return. Doctors fees,childrens doctors fees (where we live at least) getting harassed for school 'donations', school stationary, fees for every school activity, expensive dentists, highest interest rates in the western world, bank fees, lack of interest free deals, generally paying a lot for poor quality items.

On the plus side, people are on the whole pretty friendly, the weather's not bad, the house is warm for the couple of hours when's it not too hot and not too cold. Most people pick up their dog poo and we can walk to the beach. Playgrounds are fab, er..

[CJ22]

I'm rapidly going off the whole idea :(

[Silverwing86]

I'm rapidly going off the whole idea :(

Please don't let that happen CJ22. Remember that all these posts, be they positive or negative, are purely personal experiences. As you have seen, they can be on completely opposing sides, even from people living in the same general area and perhaps, on the surface at least, in relatively similar circumstances.

We live in the greater Auckland area as well, but my post would be completely opposite to Bielby's as, after one year, we are extremely happy here, have no doubts whatsoever that NZ is absolutely the right choice for us and can unequivocally say that we have achieved a far better quality of life in NZ.

That's not to say Bielby's story is not valid or true (it most certainly is !), but it's their personal perspective, just as my (completely opposite) post would be my personal perspective.

Each person has his or her own 'reality' based on their own personal circumstances, experiences and who they are; the details of which are not usually something one can glean from a forum posting.

To illustrate:

We are (among other things) a highly optimistic, flexible, well traveled, 40+, childless couple from Holland who, after doing much research, came here expecting the worst (but still wanting to give it a go ;)), but have been pleasantly surprised by many things. For example:

the quality of our house is much better than we expected and thus we were not as cold inside during winter as we thought we would be;
costs are not as high as we had calculated and budgeted for (purposely liberally after doing the research and reading about the high cost of living), since a lot of stuff turned out to be considerably cheaper than where we came from, and we have been successful in adjusting our spending in many ways to make savings;
We were pleasantly surprised by the large choice of goods available in the shops and in many cases, the pricing (clothes and shoes for example);
there are a lot more free activities to do than we anticipated;
making contact/building friendships with people was far easier than we expected;and so forth...

More relevant circumstances: hubby is in IT and was not at the top end of IT wages in Holland, meaning he was able to earn more here than back there. We do have a sizable mortgage (450K+), and didn't bring a huge amount of money with us, but after making the aforementioned adjustments to our shopping habits, find that we are coping quite well on our budget. We settled in very quickly, do not suffer from homesickness at all and are coping very well with missing family/friends.

These are some of the circumstances that dictate that we are perfectly happy here, but there are, of course, many more.

So you see, although on the surface our situation may be similar to Bielby's, our experiences are totally different, and yet they are both valid. Underneath the surface people may have a completely different set of circumstances and experiences that we don't know about, which may dictate that they feel completely different than we do, even if our situations may seem similar.

My point with all this is, please don't make such a momentous and important decision based purely on what you read here. There are a lot of other resources to turn to, not least of which is your own instinct. We 'knew' (perhaps without reason ?) in our heart of hearts, that this was the right move for us and that kept us going when times got tough during the emigration process. That feeling was at least as (if not more !) important to us as the positive or negative experiences of others that we read on this (and other), wonderful forum(s).

Again, this is a highly personal thing and I'd just be very sad to see you be put off from a possible move to New Zealand based purely on the experiences of others on a forum. You can never know what your 'reality' will be till you try, but it is good to see both sides of the story so that your expectations are at least realistic, rather than overly optimistic (or pessimistic).

Good luck !
Silver

PS Sorry all, for the loooooong post :o !

[ourquest]

I would certainly wholeheartedly agree with Silverwing86's post. I am not sure CJ22 was being entirely serious, but either way CJ22 is not the only person reading these posts and using them as part of a momentous decision-making process.

It seems so relevant to know which country posters are comparing NZ to. We have many contributors from the UK and and there will always be aspects of any country that don't compare favourably with those of another, and in the case of the UK it does seem to be salaries that dominate the discussion. Having said that, Silverwing86 has taken it to the next level and pointed out that there are just as many differences between people living in the same street as there are living on opposite sides of the world.

In a world of predominantly left-brained analytical people there is always a tendency to want to measure something in numbers. It is remarkably more difficult to measure the difference in a landscape, a culture or a way of life than it is in how much you earn and spend. And it is possible that those people who are better at measuring these aspects tend to focus on them. Just a thought, not necessarily a correct one and certainly not a criticism of the importance of this measurement, only that there must be balance if we are to give an objective impression to people who do not yet have the experience of the other country, in this case of course NZ.

Coming from Africa, we lie at the "other end" of the spectrum. For us there can be no assumption that anyone will necessarily (or should be entitled to) make a living, as we are surrounded by a full range of success stories from complete poverty to huge wealth. Even being in a moderate position in between the two, we have this deep seated knowledge that it is up to us what success we make in NZ, and this will be a "push and pull" exercise balancing income and expenditure, particularly for the first couple of years while we recover. Recovery is perhaps a good term, as most people go backwards financially with an emigration and having both the acceptance of this as well as the patience to get through it are useful character traits to have.

And where we are coming from, even in this country of extremes, our costs are high, and our salaries are low in international terms. But we have not experienced anything different and so we are accustomed to it. If we moved to the UK we probably would notice it, but whether having new-found disposable income compensates for not being able to go shopping barefoot (which I admit we do in a rich hippy sort of way;) ) is debatable and can only be answered internally. Our current circumstances should, theoretically anyway, ease the magnitude of our adjustment. But like Silverwing86, we are also positive thinkers, adaptable, well-travelled, 40ish but with three young boys, which actually provides us with three additional reasons to settle in a country that feels remarkably like ours did when I was growing up, and I would like this immeasurable feeling again for both myself and my family. And this will be the first time that we have actually chosen a country and our commitment which follows from this is to integrate, search out the special details and accept the irritations. Assuming we stay mentally balanced, life will be what we make it.

[willsken]

Well, after those two long posts, I can't follow except to say...What they said! :D

[zardell]

Well, after those two long posts, I can't follow except to say...What they said! :D




Yes, 2 excellent posts!

:nice1

Just goes to show that this forum will always have new contributors, but the essence of old.

http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=12588&highlight=back+shires

I just want to say that NZ is a stunningly beautiful place to live, but financially for some it can be a difficult place too.

Good luck to all those who have not yet made the move - I hope all your dreams and aspirations are soon realised for you.

Julie

xx

[dilanium]

I'm rapidly going off the whole idea :(

Please don't! You won't know how it will be for you until you try, and if you don't like it, there is always a plane that goes back to where ever you're coming from!

[CJ22]

Thanks for the comments folks. Just a bad day is all. Had our medicals yesterday, and it was a bit of a trial and got me down. No specific problems, just something about the process rubbed me up the wrong way (paying for it, probably hahah).

At the end of the day, I know that we're heading to Auckland with two well-paid, secure jobs, and it'll be fine. The economy in the UK shows every sign of being on a verge of a bit of a crash, and it's probably a good time to be getting out (from that perspective, at least). And as you say Liz, there's always a plane ride back home.

I downloaded a whole bunch of Auckland-oriented videos from YouTube last night. I'll watch them through and post links to any that are generally worth watching, for any would-be JAFAs.

[emotony]

We arrived from the UK a little over 3 months ago. Coming to NZ was an adventure and we had a good quality of life in the UK and enjoyed living there. Your question, 'have you really achieved a better quality of life' is not easy to answer in terms of a simple yes or no.

For one thing earnings compared to the UK are most definitely lower. It's hard to say that the ratio is say 2x lower, because some things are cheaper. Food for example (although many people may disagree here, we are spending LESS than we did in the UK.) Our budget for two is $250 per week and over the past 15 weeks we have achieved an underspend of $400, and our eating habits have not changed significantly. Eating out is much cheaper - a meal for 2 at an Indian restaurant recently cost us $70 about 25GBP.

On the other hand mortgages are expensive and not only because of the high interest rates. As a proportion of one's salary you're worse off, even with a good deposit - unless you're able to buy mortgage free.

World class entertainment is hard to come by, and let's face it in Europe (certainly in London) it is on your doorstep, but how does that compare to spending a wonderful evening in the park listening to opera and watching a fantastic light/firework display - free! Yes I know that you can do similar at Hyde Park but somehow it is not the same.

Visiting beaches within an hour of the city is great and the scenery in many cases is absolutely breathtaking.

People generally are much friendlier here and they make time to talk to you - that's something that doesn't happen much in good old Blighty!

NZ is not a rich country - people work hard for not a huge financial return. Their lives aren't helped by more well off migrants coming in and buying up houses resulting in property becoming out of reach for many locals. NZ does not have the sophistication of Europe, and sometimes the news items are laughable. And yet despite all this, it is a delightful country to be in with a wonderful and colourful cultural mix.

To sum up, our experience so far is that of an improved quality of life, in spite of being financially worse off, and yes I think we are happier and spend more quality time together.

[theSingsons]

I guess that I have to agree with one of the posters here that it would really depend on which country you come from. In our experience, we come from the Philippines... things are much worse than ever. Our main concern is our very young family, (2 year old boy and a 1 month old baby girl) In our time, we both had the privilege of getting a good education, I finished middle school in one of the best schools in the country. My wife went to International school in Jakarta where she was born. Nowadays, sad to say the quality of education here in my country has dwindled so low, and the cost to send your kids to school here, and get at least the same quality of education we got is a far dream(imagine paying for Univerisity Fees for a whole year). Wages paid here are blown totally out of proportion, its too low for whatever sector you may work in and oh... I can go on and on... about everything under the sun. The reason for us to make the big leap is that we want to do it for our kids and ourselves. We don't mind not earning much as long as we get to spend time raising the kids. Money is easy to make anywhere in the world, and once you spend it you can easily earn it again. But time spent is time lost forever, so we want to make our time worthwhile at least by seeing our kids grow up and putting them in a safer and a better environment to live in. Among all the countries we wanted to migrate to NZ topped the list. I just hope all goes well and we get to make that big leap pretty soon. :nice1

[Silverwing86]

My wife went to International school in Jakarta where she was born...

How interesting theSingsongs, by any chance did that happen to be the Jakarta International School (formerly Joint Embassy School) ?? If so, just out of curiosity, when would that have been ? I attended that school between '77 and '81, perhaps we know (of) each other ? Wouldn't that be interesting ?!

Cheers,
Silver

[johnrt]

What a great thread everyone. Thanks also to ourquest and Singsons for helping me see things from a different perspective.

[bielby]

Just re-read my earlier post, and it's a bit dramatic..
To answer the question, is our quality of life better in NZ than the UK, the answer would be no but it's not that bad - we walked down to the beach for a lovely morning together and then rode my bike along the coast in the afternoon. It's very hard having no money to buy childrens clothes, shoes, dental bills and half decent food. Bought a big bags of rice but then it get filled with moth maggots before we eat even a quarter of it (guess that's just part of the learning experience tho, and why kiwis invented clip tupperware)
In Auckland we could've bought a cheaper house and had more money left over, but then you start losing more of the good things we came here looking for. Budgeted for the mortgage but it's a killer.
It's just very difficult to make ends meet at the moment, and it does drag you down. You look around and there seems to be quite alot of people in the same boat, but on the flip side loads of people with genuinely no worries at all.
You underestimate the value of your existing support networks, visiting your parnets for a weekend away, shoes and clothes for childrens birthdays, friends round for dinner, free spuds from your uncle and all that. Seems thats'how a lot of the kiwis make ends meet, but as a new comer do don't have an uncle with a nice bach in the coromandel.
The naff quality of the goods for sale versus the price asked, especially furniture, makes us not want to buy what would be previously be considered essential items. Holding off getting into further debt to buy a car buy the price people are asking. I know it's a bad idea to compare prices like for like, but a yr 2000 small car in UK would be half the price of one here. Petrols pretty cheap though in comparison. I'd recommend spending some time on trade me, the woolworths home shopping website, a mortage calculator and as much sources as you can to try and work out how much money you'll need to stay afloat.. there's lots of extra hidden costs to living here which we still surprise us six months in - if you're looking flush after most of you're mandatory outgoings you'll be sweet. I think it's like anywhere here, if you're skint you're quality won't be that good..

[CJ22]

I was given to understand that used cars were cheap in NZ, due to a flooded market, cheap Japanese imports etc. Is that not the case?

[Lara Croft]

When we were still in the UK, looking at car prices on TradeMe, they always seemed cheap. But now we are here, and spending the Kiwi dollar, they are not so good.... plenty of Jap imports, but hardly anone seems to service their car here - Service History usually comprises of a single invoice from a few years ago. Most cars have knocks and bangs, although the bodywork doesn't seem to rust as quickly, and they almost all have towbars. Air Con frequently doesn't work, and mileage is often ridiculously high.

I was looking for a cheap runaround, spending up to $2k, and struggled to find anything that was decent. My OH is looking at spending around $8k and is still struggling to find one he likes!

J