[jocalla]

After alot of talking, we have decided that nz isn't for us at this stage in our lives :(
I cannot fault NZ as a country, I love it here, the country is amazing but financially, we are struggling. Since living on the dollar we are still dipping into our savings and our position will not be changing in the near future.

So what next. Well we are not going back to the uk. Not that I dislike it there, I love it, we did not come here to get away from the uk, we came here because we wanted an adventure, a kick up the bum to make us feel like we are living again :nice1 .

So love life in the Southern hemisphere and decided that I will sponsor Jon, under the migration for partners, to Australia. Why not give it a go there, it is all life experience ;) . We are going to take our time to apply, as still so much here in New Zealand I want to see and do.

It has DEFINATELY NOT been a mistake coming here. The scenery takes my breath away, the people are great, with all the medical problems my daughter has had since being here, in our experience the health system has been brilliant and really top class service, and there are so many free fun things to do with the kids but I didn't intend to struggle just paying the day to day bills and as I said before this isn't the right time for us.

I plan to live here and enjoy our experience to the full. I would never say don't come ............the opposite, so please all who are still waiting to come here don't read this a negative post, it is sooo positive, nz is beautiful but our finances aren't ;) I will never regret my decision to come here, who could it is an amazing country

Joanne

[kiwidollie]

So sorry to hear that things are not working out for you.

It's such a shame to think that everything apart from finances is good - is there no prospect of an upturn for you in the future?

Not asking out of nosiness but a genuine interest from a prospective immigrant point of view but

How long have you been in N Z?
What line of work are you in?
Did you have employment sorted before you arrived?

Hope you don't mind me asking :(


Tell me to bog off if you do. :cheers

[Jo and Andy]

Sorry it is not for you, but I have not taken you post at all negetively.

I wonder about the finances, stepping back to when i have to check before I pay the bill, (money wise, rather than have I done it in time).

I echo the questions of the Kiwidollie, but understand if you don't want to give info out.

We are intending to come to christchurch, and it is good to here it is good for kids, My daughter will love it. Where in Christchurch are you.

Good luck for you application for Aus, and take your time. Might even get there to meet you.

Regards

Jo

[foolsgold99]

joanne,

Glad you've enjoyed your time in NZ, hope Aus works out for oyu.

Can I ask a personal question, how much was your gross income, and what was your circumstances in terms of mortgage / kids etc ?

I'm trying to work a plan for our move, and I mave a figure in mind of what I need to earn, but I'd love to compare my plan against your reality.

Pm me if you want.

Thanks

[RoadRunner]

Joanne,
Sorry it has not worked out for you. Hope AU is better!


Several people recently have posted that NZ has not worked out and they are leaving. Others have noted that they decided not to go to NZ after all.

I'm wondering if any of those people would be willing to say what has made them decide it wasn't for them? Even general thoughts might be helpful to those of us still considering it. I guess I'm trying to understand if the reasons are all monetary?

RoadRunner

[kiwi]

Jo are you sure really you can afford Oz..?

The houses are very expensive as are the rents, and the wages arent alot more than here (I suppose it depends what you do)

Rego for a car in nsw is $1000 a year (ours is $180) and insurance is $1500 (ours is $300) etc etc

We thought we would be better off a few years back in brisbane (have lived in sydney..way too dear) but really hubby just needed some qualifications rather than chasing a better tyre fitting job.

I hope things work out ok for you....make sure you research everything, like rates and just buying water in sydney (as there is a draught) if you arent on town water...and you have to buy it to drink it as it is yukko!!!
and the costs of everything.

good luck

Nic

[chrissie]

Sorry the financial side of things haven't worked out.

We are heading back to UK, but we will only use it as a stopping off post before ending up in France or Spain eventually. Somewhere warmer than UK but a bit closer to home.

Like you, we LOVE NZ and the people. The scenery is truly breathtaking BUT there is more to life than scenery...
I find the fact that we are just SO far away from loved ones a real problem. My oldest son is due to go to uni in London at the end of this year and although I thought I would be able to deal with it, I find it very hard to face the thought of being so far from him if he needs help in any way. The time difference is a big issue.

The other major consideration is the weather. Although it is absolutely wonderful here at the moment with all the sunshine, it is GRIM in the winter if your house isn't up to coping with the cold (which the majority of them aren't!!).

Like you we are going to enjoy the rest of our time here by visiting all the wonderful places we can and just treat it like a huge adventure and holiday (albeit a very costly one!!). I will be very sorry to leave but, hey, life goes on. One door closes and another opens and all that...

[Moorf]

Brave move/decision Jo, I do hope it all goes well for you having discussed finances with you previously.. it IS tough.

Who shall I go to now for a sneaky fag :uhoh

Make sure we meet up before you go... :cheers

All the best to you and yours
Helen
x

[leslie]

am with kiwi -

we orig planned for oz but decided costs waaaaaaaay outnumbered benefits. but then we are tied to big cities which doesn't help.

recommend you do serious homework on this one.

[lindajax]

Joanne,
Like you say you wanted to feel like you were living again and You really have done that but it is not nice to struggle when your not used to it.
Maybe Australia will hold better opportunities for you and yours who knows just go for it and see what happens .... its nothing you've not done before is it?


GOOD LUCK !
Love
Linda xx

[jocalla]

Thanks for all your replies :nice1
I was going to pm foolsgold99 regarding personal info about our income but have decided to post on here to give you all an idea of where we are coming from. So I will be extremely honest with you :nice1

Our financial position here is not promising. With us having 2 school aged kids a choice we have made is for me to be at home. I have always had 'pocket money' jobs in the UK. But in the UK we could afford 2 cars to enable me to do this, here we can't so I have no transport. I am a bargain queen, manage to cut our bills dramatically since being here, which is a novalty so start out with.
Jon works for a large company here in NZ, been in his line of work for MANY years and VERY qualified, but, his hourly rate is $12.52!! Now with time and a half after eight hours (if it is available)and doing a Saturday, do your sums, we are stuggling. One of my friends in Brisbane is on more that that as a check out girl :? work that one out.
We have spoke to his boss who has told us that there will be no drastic wage change in the near future, so flogging a dead horse at the moment. We only have $50 000 savings, which we are starting to eat into, and that is something I am not willing to do.
Regarding not being better off in OZ, I beg to differ. I was brought up in Oz and have many, many contacts, which is a good start. The 'start off' hourly rate for Jon's line of work is $25 p/hr and thats just what one company is offering, big difference, locations where we are looking at for house prices are well within our means!! More so than here for the position we are in. We researched oz and nz when we knew we wanted a change,and oz was always top of the list finance wise, we knew we would be finacially better off there. But NZ appealed to me more as a country, so followed my heart and not my head, and thought we will give it a go, but as soon as we started living on the dollar, tried kidding ourselves for a bit, but deep down we knew we wouldn't get the lifestyle we wanted, and there are some sacrifices we are not willing to make. Again this was our own needs, everybody is different. And if I didn't try, I know I would have regretted it.
So when it comes down to it, reality hit home and we made a choice with our head this time. ;)
But I have no plans to go anywhere fast, my parents are helping us with the money problems till the end of our tenancy which is the 5th dec :nice1 What would I do without them :clap
Going to just chill out as much as possible as some of you know the medical problems my daughter is having at the moment, makes it very hard to chill but I want to enjoy nz to the full.
Would actually like to spend another xmas here then make ANOTHER fresh start in the new year, so don't worry Helen plenty of time for sneaky fags sssshhhhhhh.

Joanne :cheers

[Moorf]

One of my friends in Brisbane is on more that that as a check out girl work that one out.

:eek

I get $11.50/hr at the surf shop !! :eek

Glad we'll be able to meet up more before you depart :nice1

Take Care
Helen

[veronica]

My daughter in Auckland is getting $17.50 temping in an office, unskilled. In the UK she used to be paid about £6ish as a ward clerk for the NHS. So there are better paid positions out there if you choose to go and look for/or do them.

[Moorf]

Oh I wasn't complaining... I am more than happy with my pay... cushy number!! I was more shocked at how someone with years of experience with a much much more demanding job could be paid almost the same :?

[veronica]

Didn't think you were, it was just for general info.

Jocalla the more I think about that wage the more annoyed I get. The going rate for young, casual, unskilled / labouring work amoungst backpackers is $10 to $11 in Chch. Surely there are other opportunities for your man that pay more. Is he tied to that one job.

[markkellaway]

Jo,

Thanks for your post. I'm so sorry that things haven't worked out for you, is there no chance that your husband could find a better paid position somewhere else? The wage he is on seems incredibly low for a skilled worker, what does he do?

It was rereshing though to read a subjective post that didn't slate NZ completely because things haven't worked out for the poster, you've obviously got a good head on your shoulders and I'm sure things will work out for you whatever you decide. :nice1

Wishing you all the best,

Mark. :P

[Babette & Andy]

Joanne,
Wow that is tough, we can all probably survive on a 'little' less income but this sounds very tough.
Thanks for sharing your honest thoughts and opinions with us all. It can't have been easy to come to the Oz decision. But then again, as you mention you'll be in NZ till the end of the year so maybe a better job opportunity & pay will come your hubby's way in the meantime?
Hope we'll get to ChCh before you go, so that we get to meet.

Chin up, and keep posting your updates with useful information :nice1
Hugs
Babette

[jocalla]

Sorry for bringing my old post up, but found my fighting spirit again

Our problem is still finances
We cannot afford to stay here near christchurch. Jon can get a transfer very easy within nz, so here goes PLAN B

It will cost us quite a few grand to make the move to OZ, a lot less to relocate in NZ.........so either way gonna lose money. So what the hell, we are young and me being australian, it is a very easy process for us to go to oz, so can do that anytime.
We have gone back to what we wanted to achieve while we were here. Simple really......A nice little house, very quiet area (both country bumpkins), and enjoy our family life together. So we are on a mission this weekend :nice1
All the places we discounted when we first arrived, like timaru, geraldine, waimate, some we have been to, some we haven't yet, well gonna have a
good scout about. I love it out in Oxford, just a little bit too far for Jon to go to work, but thats the sort of area we want. And with the houses being so much cheaper 'down south' maybe, just maybe we will be ok :hopeso
Still following my heart at the minute. When we made the decision to come to nz, it felt so right, but oz just isn't doing it for me at the moment. Even though I know that we will be better off financially there, I am just not getting the right feeling about it.
It is really strange, all the major decisions I have made in my life have been because I got that 'gut' feeling that it was right, but this time my head is saying 'yes' oz is the right move, but my 'gut' feeling is saying not yet :?
Thank god we are in a lucky enough position to beable to go to oz at a later date, but for now we are not giving up on nz :yes . So any suggestions on locations to check out will be greatly appreciated :cheers
Joanne

[kiwi]

what about Blenheim..is that expensive? sunny I hear.

what about the west coast...I guess nice if you have webbed feet.
We are off to franz josef in the april hols staying in Wanaka...too dear and too cold, but would like to see what geraldine is like for myself cos got the creepies re Timaru!!!

go with the gut, if it feels right...it is. OZ might be right too, but later.

Nic

[jocalla]

Got the creepies too in Timaru :P :P :P but gonna give it another look
We have been to Geraldine twice and liked it both times
Only read about Waimate, so gonna have a scout about there too

Joanne

[Moorf]

What about Rangiora Jo? My initial thoughts on the place weren't great but the place has really grown on me.. and you can get some lovely places there for alot less than in Chch AND it's not a long commute... AND it's got all the facilities you need for you and your family. Tara and Dan have a fab place there and love the place :nice1 might be worth talking to them. :P

PS - we must meet up again for a ciggy.. err coffee... soon ;)

[Nicola]

Joanne

Glad to here you are going to give things another try.

We must have the same taste in places to live.

From the other side of the world over here, we picked out Geraldine and Oxford as two of the places we would like to move to. The kids have other ideas!

Let us know how you get on looking at places I would love to here your views.

What is wrong with Timaru, I have not heard a good word about the place yet.

[jocalla]

Didn't get 'that feeling' in rangiora moorf :?

Re timaru, well I don't know really just creeped me out a bit when we went there. Even Jon didn't like it there, and he had his heart set on timaru when we were in the uk.

I have been to Oxford loads of times and love it out that way. But I can see how it isn't for everybody. I thinks its the country bumpkin coming out in me :mrgreen:

Joanne

[Moorf]

Same feeling here re Timaru.. can't put my finger on it.. just didn't like the place at all.

Oxford looked nice when I drove through.. lovely rural place and nice properties on the market at the time.. not sure on the commute time though. Kiwi has friends there, she'll know.

[jocalla]

We timed it :roll:
It took 45 minutes to get from where jon works in hornby to get to oxford
Sad aren't we :roll:
Joanne

[kiwi]

took me 40 mins to get out there today (morning tea..you know how it is!) it would be a good hour in peak time cos of papanui road/ marshland rd TRAFFIC! (only traffic jam you see going north)

It is 60 ish kms to chch city.

I found timaru's houses to be a bit similar (some of them) to uk homes, maybe that was it, it wasnt the UK but was trying to be it (and it is hilly unlike canterbury) and it is ugly and it wasnt very big and just felt weird.

Just you wait Nicola....you will know soon enough.

Oxford use to be the cheapest place to live..last year $99k , 10 acres...now all you lot have pushed the prices up to city prices...grrr!

(wouldnt live there anyway, although it is great for a drive in the country...too far when you have kids)

[kiwi]

Hornby you go the ring road so not too bad at all

[Moorf]

Ohh that's not bad at all! :nice1 Lovely drive too ... time to chill out and watch the mountains get closer on the way home.. luvverly :P

[Diny]

So good to hear you being abit more upbeat about the situation - you must have been feeling pretty darn low. I think you're doing the right thing, I hope you find a place that suits you and feels 'just right'.

Re Timaru ...... I know what everybody means about that place. We had abit of a funny experience there ........

Years ago (before kids) PB and I were on holiday down the S.I. We were passing near Timaru so decided to call in for coffee at the parents of one of our closest friends. We had the address but it wasn't that clear (just said RD something).

It was abit wierd driving around only half knowing what & who we were looking for. We decided the place was real 'banjo country' (i.e Deliverance). Just then we saw a 'late middle aged' couple trimming the hedge outside their house. So we stopped and asked for directions.

They were abit strange with us .... obviously didn't want two unwashed hippy types talking to them. Anyway, we told them we were looking for this particular address and they said they had no idea where it was. Then they asked for the name of the folks we were looking for. When we told them, they kind of went all 'touchy' and simply said .... "oh, they're not members of our church" ....... then turned away and carried on clipping the hedge.

Kind of reminded us abit of that film "Children Of The Corn". Pretty freaky !!!!!

Good luck :nice1

Diny

[Nicola]

Are there a lot of places like that in NZ Diny.

Or is it just Timaru that is freaky!

Nicola

[Diny]

Timaru was the only place that we found freaky. Mind you - the actual town is OK but if you want odd folks then go to Bluff !!!!!!!!

http://tcwozere.co.uk/smileys/cwm44.gif

Diny

[Glenda]

We rather liked Timaru - a perfect town size, good shopping area, good recreation area near the beach. If Timaru is freakish ... what does it make us? :eek :eek :eek

Could not warm to Blenheim, which was bit of a disappointment. Mind you, all we saw was motels, industrial units and rather a lot of very poor weatherboard houses. It seemed like all night boy racers drove up and down the streets. Guess opinions depend on one's experiences.

[jocalla]

Soooooo tired, got back from our weekend tour, no one can say we are not trying :wah

Went to, Timaru, temuka, geraldine, fairlie,pleasant point,paraoa, and spent the night in Waimate :clap

Still no changes on Timaru I am afraid :( , same with Temuka :( . Love Geraldine anyway, found it a bit too touristy (if thats a word) today.

Pleasant point was just that, very pleasant,
I actually really liked failie, but negative on there is it is VERY isolated and with Caitlin still going into hospital alot it would be quite difficult. Paraoa was ok too, nothing really there though.
And then there is Waimate ;) . Well the house prices I LOVED, got chatting to loads of locals who were REALLY nice and helpful. Bigger than what I expected too. BUT............it had that 'children of the corn feeling ' :laugh :laugh :laugh (must say this is just our own opinion, don't want to offend)
The town looks like an 'old' western sort of down, very run down, and they have a big clock which rings every hour.......well picture this, me and Jon popped outside the motel room in the dark for a quick ciggie and this clock went off, and we just started the imagine all the township walking towards this clock in the centre of town for some kind of ritual :laugh :laugh . We were freaking each other out, it was really funny. Jon ran back into the room in a hurry, and trust me he is a 'big' fella!!
But honestly, the people we met were great, we just got that weird sort of feeling there :?

So it is plan C we go to, as I cannot see myself living in any of these areas, beautiful places just not for us :yes

JOB CHANGE, but don't know if we can, just not up on all this permit stuff like others so maybe someone can help ;)
Jon has got a work permit, in it, it says his job title and the company he is allowed to work for. Can this be changed?????? We didn't think we could, but really don't know to be honest, just wanna try anything at the moment. Jon is planning to ring immigration this week, if know one else knows.

My neighbour came round the other day, I had told her about our situation, and she got back to us with some info on a company her son inlaw works for, who are looking for people, she had mentioned Jon to her son inlaw who was really positive about lining up an interview. They pay more, which is the main thing :nice1
More money means we can pay a higher mortgage :clap , and as Oxford is my Fav place :hopeso we will beable to afford to buy there :yes
NOT GIVING UP YET, getting desperate though. Grateful for any advice
Joanne :cheers

[Diny]

.......well picture this, me and Jon popped outside the motel room in the dark for a quick ciggie and this clock went off, and we just started the imagine all the township walking towards this clock in the centre of town for some kind of ritual . We were freaking each other out, it was really funny. Jon ran back into the room in a hurry, and trust me he is a 'big' fella!!
But honestly, the people we met were great, we just got that weird sort of feeling there



This made me laugh !!!!! I know exactly what you mean. One day I'll tell you about ur experience in Bluff ......... now that was freaky !!!!!!

You sure are giving it your best shot, and I really am keeping my fingers crossed for you. Good luck andbe happy.

Diny