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Mildred
17th February 2005, 05:18 AM
It was about a year ago that we first considered going to NZ. Initially 100% for it but now having doubts. How long did it take others to decide to definitely go for it?

clg
17th February 2005, 06:27 AM
I am on about the same timeline and you and also now having major doubts. For me the biggest concerns are financial we would be giving up a lot and while I am OK with that to a point, I can handle a less expensive car, I really worry about things like not being able to travel. I also like the fact that I don't really have to worry about money much. We are savers and I like the security that brings and I worry about being more paycheck to paycheck. The other major concern I have is if we sell our house here and decide we don't like NZ we would not be able to buy it again unless real estate starts falling here, which at least is very possible.

In any case I leave for a one week trip to Wellington on Friday so the plan is to make a hard decision to go or not after that. I really want to get a sense for what our lifestyle would be like. I have one interview lined up and think I will get at least one more. I want to look at housing, see the prices of things in shops, etc.

We shall see!

Chris

Moorf
17th February 2005, 08:38 AM
Someone (can't remember who) said to us before we left that it's a bit like the decision to have kids.. if you think about it for tooooo long you probably wouldn't do it... :?

We made the decision in our heads then moved forward with the plan and didn't look back.. :nice1

Be sure in your heads that it's what you want and then do your research so that your expectations are reaslistic - no point looking at all those dream houses if you don't know what income you will be on, etc etc etc... there's enough financial info and experience on this forum to help you along the way.. ok, it's not all rosy but at least you are prepared :nice1

Diny
17th February 2005, 10:37 AM
How long did it take others to decide to definitely go for it?

About 17 years is the short answer to that question.

Moving to NZ has always been part of our grand plan. Then came good jobs to keep us away, then came family committments to keep us away, then came kids to keep me close to my mum (boy she was/is a massive help), then came bigger and better jobs, then came this, that and the other.

This time last year I made my first trip to NZ without my Kiwi hubby, up to then we've always travelled there together. Last March/April it was just the kids and me who went. We got back home and decided that "NOW IS THE TIME" !!!!!!

The decision to move to NZ was instant - 2nd nature really. It was just the decision 'WHEN TO MOVE' that got us scuppered.

17 years and several trips to NZ down the line ...... don't make the move any less wobbly.

Diny

DrPhred
17th February 2005, 12:01 PM
We are about 4 months in from "What about New Zealand?"

I'm trying to learn as much as I can before we make definite plans.

But I'm the more impulsive one. If it was solely my decision, I'd probably be on a plane by now....

ruthyroo
17th February 2005, 12:08 PM
We first decided to make the move in February 2004 ... and by July 2004 here we were in NZ!! That was largely because we both got the first jobs we applied for (teaching / planning) and becuase we went for 3 yr WP rather than PR. Also, no kids / pets, flat rented out rather than sold - we could have come sooner but had to wait for the end of school term in UK. If we had waited longer in life terms i.e. had children in the UK, I don't think we would have done it at all, so it was the right time for us. Bit of a whirlwind though!

Going2NZ
17th February 2005, 12:23 PM
My husband had a late-night brainstorm, came up with the idea and fell asleep before I got up in the morning. He called me mid day and told me he had an INCREDIBLE idea but wouldn't tell me until I got home. :? We've known for years that we wanted to leave the country but hadn't answered the "where" part yet.

I instantly loved the idea :cool (my actual response was "Cool.") and we've been checking things off the "To Do" list ever since.

Susan

sarahw
17th February 2005, 03:08 PM
That's an interesting question!

We first thought about emigrating 2 years ago (we'd both been thinking about it for some time before we met each other - but when we met a couple of years ago we found we had similar aspirations in life for ourselves & future kids).

We narrowed it down to a few countries and slowly eliminated them all until NZ was the only obvious choice.

Ian kept nagging me about it but him moving from London out to West Byfleet was the biggest move he'd ever made & he found that hard - I didn't want to do it until it was right - in the end we came here for a week & I made my decision as we came in to land at Welly - he took until we landed back at Heathrow - could see it in his eyes!

Best decision we ever made - I understand the aprehension of those who aren't out here yet. But for us, we absolutely made the right decision. We've gone from 2 very high salaries to 1 good salary, 2 brand new BMW's to 1 Japanese imported old car & a small run around car - we have been living off our savings the last 3 months whilst we make the transition & I can no longer spend obscene amounts of money on clothes/going out - but BOY - what we have gained!! I've also had to transition from a high powered job travelling a lot to being at home and being a 'student' which has been the hardest thing I've ever done (Although, I don't miss getting up at 3am to get to Heathrow! :cool ) - since I was 13 I've never not worked (OK part-time from the age of 13 until 18) - but!!! You can keep your money any day - I'd much rather have the happiness I have now than the stressy life that I used to have so that I could have all that money and security :nice1

If anyone who has the collywobbles wants to PM me feel free.

Moorf
17th February 2005, 03:17 PM
Well said Sarah - seems we trod a similar path.. and have come out with similar views :nice1

Jodie
17th February 2005, 03:23 PM
We came to NZ on holiday in 2001 and always said we'd love to go back - either to live or holiday again. But we both had to finish our uni courses so put it out of our minds, finished our courses, bought a flat in Poole, Daz got a job, I started a web business...

Then in January 2004 Daz's Dad phoned and said he was going to NZ for a holiday and would we like to go with them. We thought about it for a while, decided we couldn't afford it right now but maybe look again in a few months. Well, March came round and we thought, sod it, we'll come over here for a year and see what happens! So we sold everything we owned, packed up 2 suitcases :eek and landed in Auckland in July 2004 for our new life!

So we made the decision to come out here in March and we landed in July. Once we think of something, we do it! No hanging around with us 2!! :laugh

Although I think we were 100% from the start which helped, and I can honestly say neither of us had any doubts at any stage. No regrets now either! :nice1

Diny
17th February 2005, 06:45 PM
You can keep your money any day - I'd much rather have the happiness I have now than the stressy life that I used to have so that I could have all that money and security



That's good to hear Sarah.

Diny

wilson182
17th February 2005, 07:27 PM
We first though of coming to NZ about two years ago, we were both totally fed up with life in the UK. We kinda said "where shall we go, oh I know we have friends in NZ lets go there" We went through the process of trying for PR (which at the time was very different to how it is now) and thought we had it. We were virtually packed up and on the plane. The only research we did was to talk to our friends in Auckland. Both our parents were devastated. Then we hit a glich, and found out we didnt have enough points. We looked into other options (Spain.....mainly Spain actually, hubby didnt fancy Canada, he thought it would be too cold for me, cant imagine where he got that idea.) but nothing appealled at much as NZ. Gutted was the word, our world virtually collapsed. We still had all the reasons why we wanted to go, but nowhere too go. So we forgot about it for a while, and got on with life. Then in xmas of 2004 we found out that the selection process had changed and we were in with a chance. We worked out how to get some money together and decided to go for it.

So in May last year the four of us jumped on a plane and headed off into the moonlight (it was a late flight) Hubby has been here ever since. It has never felt like the wrong move, in fact it feels so right its scary. We are probably slightly better off than in the UK, but only cause I work full time as well as hubby. But money was not the reason we came, we were well aware of that before we left.

markkellaway
17th February 2005, 08:28 PM
Hi All,

We first thought of the possibility of emigrating in 2001 when we visited our friends in the States. They had a great lifestyle and everything seemed so great. It soon became apparent though that the US is a GREAT holiday destination, but as somewhere to live...... (don't want to hijack this thread!!!)

Next we thought of Oz, but it is just so big, and we couldn't find any area's that we really liked the look of, so we really forgot about the idea completely, NZ had never crossed our minds and we weren't that "hungry" to leave anyway.

Then in 2003 some good friends of ours decided they were emigrating, at first to Oz. They hadn't been anywhere further than Spain but Peter decided that he'd had enough of working non stop in the UK juust to exist. They got some way down the process when it got to Peter's birthday and BANG, his points dropped below the threshold, Oz was no longer a reality. At that point NZ was the next best thing for them so they visited a jobs fair in London, Peter got offered 2 jobs in NZ as a welder and they moved to Blenheim in Feb 2004. They love it there as much now as they did in the first few "hliday" weeks. We thought, "Janet & Peter can do it, could we?" so started down the long road. I would say we really decided that this was for us in May last year. We planned a visit to NZ, the day before we left my Dad died at 63. We still made the trip against my better judgement and absolutely loved the place, it was like going home. The fact that my Dad left us at such an early age made us think "we've got to at least try this, life is too short", so we committed to the process on our return.

Long post but I got there in the end!

Mark. :P

Mildred
17th February 2005, 08:41 PM
Thank you for everyone who has posted so far. I'm sure there are still plenty more to come.

I am finding the replies really inspiring and fascinating reading. Too many to send pm's too, so again, thank you

Bubbles
17th February 2005, 11:59 PM
In our case the move has been on the cards for the last 21 yrs :eek

Yes, that's right. Before we were married we had decided to emigrate. Everything was in place for this to happen and all we had to do was get the wedding done and dusted, tie a few loose ends up afterwards and GO. The wedding was in August and we planned to be in NZ just after that xmas, or so we thought.

2 1/2 months after the wedding the wife fell pregnant. What's that saying " You can't keep a good man down " !!!! This ultimately scuppered us as, and I can't blame the wife for her reasons decided she didn't want to leave the parents in her present condition. Nesting instinct / security of having family around, that sort of thing. Anyhoo, the plans went on hold until such times as the children are now old enough to make their own mind up on the big decision and thankfully they are behind us 100% and are raring to go.

We're getting pretty close to a decision from NZIS right now. Let's hope the long wait has been worth it. :hopeso

Good Luck to all

John

acisman
18th February 2005, 01:04 AM
We first thought about living in New Zealand following our 2nd visit 1998.
We were lucky to be able to go to NZ under the obscure Family Quota Scheme and following out 3rd visit in 2003, we were selected.

It was really the wow factor of New Zealand on our 3 visits that clinched it for us. If we thought about it from a materialistic point of view, we would not be going. We know we won't be so well off in NZ (in fact we intend to retire), but we have done our sums and we will be able to survive.

What we lose financially we will make up in a wealth of enjoyment of a far better life style than in this politically corrupt country, where no one has the time or courtesy for others. The New Zealand people are far more friendly and easy going and the country is more concerned about it'self and it's people, than worrying about the rest of Europe and the World.

Sorry to get a bit political there, but we have had enough and if it wasn't that we loved everything about New Zealand, we would still be leaving the UK. If you haven't visited NZ before, then I guess it could be a worry. However if you have visited then there should be few doubts.

7 days to early retirement, 9 weeks until we arrive in Auckland !!


Dave

Nicola
18th February 2005, 03:12 AM
We had been talking about it on and off for a couple of years.

Then somebody put us in touch with an agent and we relised that we did have enough points.

So last August one day I said to Peter should we go ahead and make the move and he said yes. So the actual decision to move took about 2 minutes to make, the research has taken for ever.

Our ITA arrived at NZIS today. We hope to make the move by October. Or tomorrow if I had my way. I have already started to pack.

Nic

A & M
18th February 2005, 07:32 AM
We started talking about taking some time out about 2 years ago, a kind of middle aged gap year. First it was going to be a round the world trip, then realised maybe the kids would like a bit more stability. New Zealand was always on the itinerary, then a chance conversation at a holiday expo told us about teacher shortage here (husband is a teacher). Next my employer introduced a career break scheme (I'm in IT).

Spring 2004, applied for career break and bullied manager into signing the form, bought round the world tickets before he could change his mind. Meanwhile Andy did all the paperwork for getting registered as a teacher. Spent all summer getting house sorted to let, sorted 20 years worth of stuff and put it in store.

November 2004, left UK, visited Canada and Fiji, arrived NZ 20th Nov, still no teaching job sorted. December, got job, January moved here to Rangiora. We are on work permits, and waiting to see how this year goes before deciding long term plans. We still have a house and one job in the UK.

It was such hard work getting ready, and has cost a fortune, but really glad we have done it. Whatever we do after this year it has been worth it. Even if we just go back to the old life (which wasn't at all bad, we just needed a break), we will have had so many amazing experiences.

Good luck Frances, what ever you decide.

Mandy

lindajax
18th February 2005, 05:27 PM
Hi All,
We were pretty immediate with a "yes" to doing it and started our process then lost momentum for a bit ( Summer and we were socialising and having such a good time we just didn't get round to keeping up our momentum)
then when we realised it was months down the line and we were no further on we got motivated and got everything sorted in just a few weeks.
Linda x

leslie
18th February 2005, 06:22 PM
orig went to nz 12 years ago for a 6 month maybe/ who knows. much to my surprise found i really loved it there and wanted to stay. domestic/ personal situ didn't work though and after a year came back to uk to get visa/pr to return on own. the week we returned nz changed the point system - i was one short and utterly devastated.

it took 11 years/ 3 moves to realise its still the place and there is no time like the present.

Kim39
19th February 2005, 11:16 PM
Had our first thoughts about 10 yrs ago. I was in the Ambulance Service at the time. We went along to a seminar, but was told it was a no go as the role of Ambulanceman was not a recognised occupation,just as it is nowadays,having read a post on that other site yesterday from a Para who was offered a position, but NZIS weren't playing the game.

We now find ourselves 10 yrs on and since taking myhttp://tcwozere.co.uk/smileys/a4.gif HGV licence(been out of the service for 4.5 yrs) the whole world has opened up for me due to the driver shortage worldwide. We restarted the process 12 months ago and since have got a job waiting for me in Auckland, as well as another offer, should this one not fall right for me. Everything in place, have passport stamped(work visa) just waiting for this place to sell then we are away. We will be following the residency route at a later date as we had the visa before they changed the skills list.

Canada was a destination we looked at, but were put off by a: cold winters b: job was taking me away for 4 weeks(into USA) then home for 2 days. Not exactly good for my family life. So really it was a none starter. Also was told licence would be valid for 90 days and then we would have to resit all licences we had, at some expense.

Oh yeh, taking a big gamble as are quite a few on this forum i think. Am always being asked "have you been" answer is no, but lifes all about gambling, so why not gamble on this. At least if it doesn't work out, we can at least say, we tried.

Kim

kiwidollie
20th February 2005, 06:08 AM
We first started to think about it seriously in 2003. Talked about it often but didn't do much about it other than visit the NZIS website now and again.

Then in July/August last year we went for a holiday for 3 weeks and absolutely loved it! No kidding - we really did not want to come back home.

We looked at the emigration process again when we got home but it didn't look good for us as neither of us had any particular skills NZ was looking for. Hubby is HGV Driver and when I saw that they were listed on the Immediate Skills Shortage List it was all systems go! New Zealand here we come.

We have spent all this week painting and decorating making sure the house is ship shape ready to put it on the market. I've got a guy coming round in the morning who might be interested in buying the caravan and we've told friends and family of our plans.

Thanks to Kim39 hubby has been in touch with a contact in NZ who may have possible job in the pipeline - we're awaiting a phone call and will let you know if anything comes of it.

We are sure that it will be the best thing we have ever done, for us and our kids and we just can't wait to get there. :nice1

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