[neilpash]

Hi. Please help me I need to get a reality check....

My wife and I have been dreaming about making the move to NZ.
But the more I look into the more worried I get.
I've outlined our situation and expectations bellow please can you comment
give me a reality check or are my Dreams unachievable. (sorry if this bores you)

Current Situation
Married Couple Both Working (31 & 33) with 2 Daughters (7 & 14) & Dog
Living In South Wales.

Home Owners With House (4 Bed Terrace) Worth £95K with £45K Mortgage.
2 Cars

Me : 31 - IT System Analyst/ Project Manager (£36K pa)
Working for large Electronics Co. in role as assistant IT manager
Skills In : Network Design & Management.
Software Development Oracle/VB/PowerBuilder
ERP: Oracle Manufacturing, Oracle Financials

Working Hours : 7:00 ~ 20:00 5 Days A Week.
+ Every Other Weekend
Travel: 45 Mins each way

Wife: 32 - Cook / Restaurant Manageress 10,000
Working Hours : 8:00 ~ 17:30 5 Days A Week
Travel : 30 Mins each way

Lifestyle : Relatively comfortable can go on hols every other year
and make some small savings.

Hard Working Average Joe & Mary, Not Getting Very Far, Neither Caring Much About Politics or Religion.

My Dream
A Home In The SUN !!

More Time With Family.
To be able to sit in garden or work down street without hearing F**** every five mins.
To be able to get out and do something.

4-5 Bedroom House, 3 Bathrooms, Land, Pool (if possible), boat (possibly)
2 Cars

Me Work In IT As Business Analyst / Project Manager / IT Manager
Wife Run Our Own Business.
Retire When 50.

Kids to grow up happy & to be able to run an independent life
For Kids to become good well educated adults with prospects & be able to afford own homes
without needing to rely on anyone.

Plan
Wait 2 Years For Eldest Daughter To Finish GCSE's
Move To Auckland Possibly Whangarei Island

Me Work In Auckland & Catch Ferry Every Day.Retire When Hit 50......
Wife Run Cafe... Retire ASAP

Enjoy as much time with family as possible.

Eldest Daughter Attend Collage Then Uni....
Youngest Daughter Follow Same Path as sister....

Visit UK every other year...Parents / Family Visit us every other year.
Be able to afford other holidays. (Explore NZ, OZ, maybe even Disney) occasionally.
Live happily ever after.....

BUT Can the dream become a reality........
I have major worries....
1 ) Financials, I've read about the poor salary's in NZ and the high cost of living.
There seems to be a lot of nightmare scenarios out there.

Is My dream possible based on the finances alone or do I need a reality check...


2) Family
Our Parents/kids grandparents are all retired and live for our daughters.
Can I break their harts by moving to the other end of the planet.
3) Life Style
Not being a particularly 'Out Doors' person will I fit in with NZ.

4) Kids Future
Is the education as good as UK ?
Following their education will there qualifications be recognised world wide.
e.g. if they decide to move someone else...e.g. back to UK.

[jesselyn]

hello... welcome to the forum. :D

i wish i could help. the thing is, im single and will be going to NZ with my officemates. i plan to sponsor my parents tho when i'm already settled. ;)

with your question "is it possible?" - the answer is yes :yes . however, with all the other things you mentioned umm i dunno. im not looking that far ahead. :roll:

im not going there with my eyes closed but i keep telling myself i will never know if i wont try... and right now, all im thinking is how to be able to get there ASAP. :oops:

i hope when you finally made a decision, you wont regret it. :nice1

jes :angel

[blue]

You are doing the right thing in getting as much info as possible from the forum. Only thing I would say is that Auckland is more expensive to live and you will need every penny. Also when I was starting off all my enquiries etc my daughter was very keen to come with me and go to university there etc then she met a boy at college and out of the blue so to speak moved to the south coast with him and is now not going which put me in another dilemma as I am now on my own. I decided to go for it and she if she wants can join me or visit. My mother does not want to go with me as she is happy here and at the end of the day you have to do what is right for you as well as the rest of your family. as you have your own lifes to lead. So be aware that things can change also within families and nothing ever runs accordingly to plan. I think people are generally saying that your ok if you dont have a mortgage and other debts to pay as things are not as cheap as you think also I think but may be wrong that you have to pay for higher education which is very expensive.

[Diny]

Wow - that's quite a life plan you have there.

First thing is ..... YES - I feel you would be in with a good chance of getting there.

Secondly .... (talking from experience) - take each day/week/month/year as it comes. Good to have a general idea of what you want, but making too many detailed plans will only cause frustration and disappointment if they don't come to fruition. However, I know you need to get a million things sorted out in your head before making the move - let's face it .... it's a bloody big move !!!!!!!

Be a regular on this forum, believe me, whatever question you have there'll be somebody here who has the answer - it's amazing (and free too).

To answer just a couple of your questions:

You will need to be an quite a considerable wage if you want the big house, boat and 2 cars AND live in the Auckland area. However - elsewhere these things would be within your budget.

I'm leaving family behind too - and taking grand kids away from grand parents. Remember, the world is getting smaller, cheap flights, internet, webcams and cheap phone calls means keeping in touch is a doddle.

NZ education? Skating on thin ice here - if I upset anybody with these comments please accept my apologies in advance. From what I can fathom, the NZ education system is good, but in 'my opinion' they should spend less time on sport and more time in the classroom. Obviously it is very different from the UK system, all depends on the type of school your kids attend in UK, but I feel it's not as good as what my kids are use to. A tricky subject which will present a different view to all parents I guess.

Retire by 50 - well that's our plan - so here's hoping for both of us.

Good luck, and keep checking the forum - all your questionswill be answered.

Diny

[lindajax]

Hello Neilpash,

ME my hubby and 4 year old are planning to emigrate this year DEC to Auckland.
We have 4 bed detatched which we'll make a tidy profit on - as yet its not sold but we have offers - gonna come anyway and leave house in hands of relatives.
Therefore wont ahve a great deal of ready cash when we get ther but we don't care.!!!!!! :eek

Hubby in CAD Electrical Design - no job as yet
ME Paediatric nurse - got job waiting
We know no-one there - we'll make friends!! :P

We are almost there now but unlike you have never had any doubts - its our dream and we are chasing it big time :nice1

IT IS NOT UNREALISTIC - IT skills is a big business and I'm sure work won't be a problem.

It is hard not to think about what ifs - its a big move and a massive adventure but if you want it bad enough you'll go for it.

best of luck making your decision :hopeso - we'll be there then so any help we'll be able to give will be offered.

On the forum at the moment are about 4 couples and families who have recently gone across just check out topics and postings to catch up with what they're doing. Everyone is fab an will try to help if they can.

LOL
linda

[Carol]

From what I can fathom, the NZ education system is good, but in 'my opinion' they should spend less time on sport and more time in the classroom. Obviously it is very different from the UK system, all depends on the type of school your kids attend in UK, but I feel it's not as good as what my kids are use to.
Diny



unles you can get them into a school with an English teacher....
:nice1 :nice1 :nice1 :nice1 ;) ;) ;) ;) :mrgreen:

[Diny]

Now that goes without saying !!!!!

:nice1

Diny

[Yorkie]

Hello Neilpash,

ME my hubby and 4 year old are planning to emigrate this year DEC to Auckland.
We have 4 bed detatched which we'll make a tidy profit on - as yet its not sold but we have offers - gonna come anyway and leave house in hands of relatives.
Therefore wont ahve a great deal of ready cash when we get ther but we don't care.!!!!!! :eek

Hubby in CAD Electrical Design - no job as yet
ME Paediatric nurse - got job waiting
We know no-one there - we'll make friends!! :P

We are almost there now but unlike you have never had any doubts - its our dream and we are chasing it big time :nice1

IT IS NOT UNREALISTIC - IT skills is a big business and I'm sure work won't be a problem.

It is hard not to think about what ifs - its a big move and a massive adventure but if you want it bad enough you'll go for it.

best of luck making your decision :hopeso - we'll be there then so any help we'll be able to give will be offered.

On the forum at the moment are about 4 couples and families who have recently gone across just check out topics and postings to catch up with what they're doing. Everyone is fab an will try to help if they can.

LOL
linda

Hi Linda
I have sent you a private message to do with hubbys work.

Paul

[Rimbo]

Neilpash,
Welocme to the forum.
You have asked for a reality check.

I can give my opinions. Don’t take them as Gospel as I have never been to NZ but I do hold the same dreams as you, and don’t take them as criticisms or negatives. :angel

Essentially I believe your dreams are achievable to some degree but not to all. When I first started looking at NZ it was because a new friend I met through the Gym lived in NZ for 8 months each year. He only rented but reckoned property was only £20k or so. This may have been true several years ago but not now.

Start your dreams at a lower level. Look into some of the real estate pages and find a house in your budget bearing in mind that you have a good deposit minus relocation costs and few months not earning a penny while settling down. From what I have read on other threads on this forum, I believe houses don’t even have proper Central Heating not to mention Insulation or UPVC double glazing, so I wouldn’t bank on a heated pool! Please correct me if I’m wrong, but NZ does not really get the weather to substantiate a pool. Check other websites for NZ climate. They have a much rainfall as we do but the North and South Islands differ very much, I gather their summers are not really that much better than here but they don’t have the really sh***y winters like we do.

Auckland is the most expensive place to live. From parking charges to food and especially housing. May I ask why Auckland? For me NZ is a lifestyle thing, there are many other places with great lifestyle opportunities on offer other than Auckland. You may be able to achieve your version of greater lifestyle by looking further a field.

Start to save HARD now. Far be it for me to be presumptuous, but I’m guessing you have very expensive taste. From what I can gather this needs re-adjusting for life in NZ, they’re laid back people that do not keep up with the Jones’s.

We’re on similar wages to you but luckily for us, our house has made a substantial increase in the last five years. We hope to be mortgage free should we make it out to NZ. This will mean though that we have to keep our dream house to a suburban 3/4 bed, 2 bathroom type. But retiring at 50 is also on the agenda.

Your right about salaries too. Cost of living is less but wages are way lower.
You may have to begin you NZ career a little lower down the ladder; this for me is an attractive prospect as I’m sick of the hassle of middle management. Like you I work in IT (Support/administration team leader), If I could I would look to become a Taxi driver and get away from it all.

Cars in NZ seem to be relatively similar in price as here, which I find peculiar as this is rip off Britain. :?

Your worries;
Financials, remember your assets are worth several times more in NZ than here, so yes you can realise some of you dreams.

Family, everyone has the same worries/dreads. In 20 years time you’ll do more than kick yourself if you stay here for that reason. :uhoh

Lifestyle, You’ll become the outdoors type I’m sure. Who in their right mind with all that scenery not want to explore it? (You can always ship across your Plasma and PS2, I’ll even come round and play on it with you.) :nice1

Kids future, can’t comment, but we have always strived for the best for our son in terms of education and we wouldn’t squander that.

Good luck.
Keep plugging away at these pages, you’ll learn a lot from this lot, they’re a good bunch. :clap

John.

[Diny]

That's a very good posting Rimbo, you're very accurate in what you say (especially seeing as you've never been to NZ).

You make the comment about Kiwi's not 'keeping up with the Jones's" this is so true.

Over here you often hear people say "come as you are, it doesn't matter what you wear or mayb "it doesn't matter what car you drive as long as it gets you there". Well in NZ when they say it doesn't matter - what they mean is ... IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER !!!!!!!!!

Diny

[Rimbo]

Very good point,
Why last week a close friend said exactly that when inviting me and the family to a bbq.
i was very annoyed when i tunred up to find most of the guests in smart casual. I looked a right prat turning up in my BMW (should have brought the Porsche), Wearing only Ray Bans, DKNY shirt, Peter Werth Shorts and Calvin Klien flip flops. Materialistic people are sad, but last weeks show really made me sick!

:laugh :laugh :laugh

Joking aside, I recently just slob about bare foot and combats! This september weather requires the heating on though, brrrrr! :wah

John

[Diny]

John

The only designer labels I have are the ones that say 'M&S' and they stick out the back of my knickers !!

Diny

[veronica]

can't answer first hand about the weather down here in chch as haven't spent a summer here yet, but a lot of houses here seem to have pools, can't think why they would build them if it doesn't get warm enough. We are assured that it is often in the late 20's and early 30s (C) temp wise here and even for me thats warm enough to get in cold water.

[Stu]

G'day Mate.
1stly, you're from Sth Wales, which means you MUST be into rugby, so you are a shoe in to fit in here! :-)

You will not be able to live in whangarei / commute to Auckland, as it is about 2hrs drive away, perhaps you are thinking of the North Shore of Auckland, say the Whangaparaoa Peninsula? That is a little more do-able!

Houses in the greater Akld region are expensive. But a house as you desrcibe is pretty standard.

Jobs? No idea, sorry.

Pools? Certainly, in the summers here we have weather sufficient to make pools pleasant enough... but with beaches being so empty everywhere, and the water in summer so warm with surf, surfing, etc etc, hell, most folks just hang out at the beach.

Pools in Christchurch? Certainly, in summer Chch is hot and dry, protected by the Southern Alps, with the normal wind being the Nor'wester, a hot dry wind, chch is ideal pool territory.

Plenty of unis etc here in NZ.

Cheapest housing is in the Sth Island, areas like Invercargill at the very bottom of the Sth Island are booming right now too, so maybe that may be a good area to look at ... although the winters are same as yours now...snow, cold, wet etc etc.

I would suggest you look at getting a Job in the waikato/Hamilton area. That is in the North Island, just an hour or so sth of akld, handy to everywhere, good schools/unis etc and a lot cheaper to buy than in Akld.... if you want a place with say a 5 acre block or something, the area around Hmltn/Cambridge is very nice and your best choice I'd think.
cheers, Stu.

[Annierobrigado]

hello everybody

thanks again for all the inputs you wrote about this topic. thanks also neil for asking about it.

emotionally, physically, intellectually, we are so ready to do this!

that leaves the financially, the actual planning and buying and selling, and the getting on the airplane thing.

eek, did i forget to mention the selection?

anyway, good luck to you and hope to see you in nz!

annie

[Diny]

Annie

We will definately see you there - you strike me as haveing a very positive and determined attitude - don't give up the faith.

Diny

[neilpash]

Thanks everybody for the advice....Some very useful points were made...

I'm glad there are so many others out there with the same ambitions.

It's certainly a huge learning experience.
I guess it's in my nature to analyze everything to the N'th degree before taking on such a mammoth project.

I would not class myself as materialistic.. as I said the pool etc... is a dream.But if we don't aim for a better lifestyle than what we currently have what is the point in moving.
The idea of a bigger house than current is based on the need for family to come to visit from the UK.

The reason for looking Auckland was because of the climate and also the prospect of better jobs in IT.

My impression of the South Island is one of lesser job prospects and poor weather, whilst Wellington has the job prospect but has been described as the windy city by quite a few people.

Or once again am I wrong...

I think our main criteria for the move are Lifestyle, Jobs, Climate, Finances.Appart from that we're fairly open to location.

[Carol]

It's interesting that Wellington is still referred to as windy - but no mention is made of the rain in Auckland.

Every single time I have been -without fail - it has rained.

Too many people too for me!
NAh - give me Wellington anyday.

I used to dream about a pool - but well out of our reach just now.
We are saving up at the moment for a trip back home sometime.......with the two of the kids over the "adult" threshold of 12 (I think) it makes for an expensive holiday - 4 fares and a child.
:uhoh

[Stu]

If you can find a decent job in Chch, then that is a very nice place to be...and this is from a North Islander! Chch pay rates tend to be lower than those in Akld, but then again houses are barely 2/3rds the price of Akld ones, and the summers are longhot and dry. Winters...colder, sure, but because of the rainshadow of the Sthn Alps, they tend to have a lot of clear weather then too. It is so calm in chch that they are really the only city in NZ to have a smog problem until they nailed the use of coal fires in the winter.

Akld indeed is warmer year-round, pay and probably jobs are more, but land prices...wow! And rain, brother, it does rain. So does the Waikato (Hamilton)...indeed right now it is steadily raining, has been all morning (sighhhhh...). Wellington is indeed the "windy City" but those that live there love it, it does have very nice weather and certainly has a very active social/nightlife scene. Depending on where you buy, it can be very nice.

Of course, I tend to rate the "liveability" of a place by it's access to decent fishing, so I would never consider anywhere south of the Waikato, so the I have acces to the fishing off the NE coastline of NZ, and the trout fishing in hte Rotorua and Taupo lakes. If you are not such a lunatic fisho as me however, there are indeed many places nicer than Akld to live!

Dunedin is a little too far south. Invercargill is far to far south(getting colder all the time!).
Whangarei in the north is nice, warmer, very moist, great fishing but economically marginal really, with all those educational problems discussed elsewhere here.
Rotorua is similarly afflicted with poorer schooling I think, however is a thriving little tourism town, but if you have family silver, the sulphur in the air will make it go black overnight!.
Taupo is a beautiful place, very close to skiiing in the winter, great trout fishing year round, high altitude, so it tends to be cooler, but hey, beautiful views, really nice town.
Tauranga on the Bay of Plenty is a very nice place too. Brilliant for lifestyle, seaside resort/major port/retirement centre, great beaches, a very nice mix of rural/urban facilities (if you want to live in the country, and have the benefits of small rural schools which tend to be better than larger ones) and lifestyes, Tauranga would be good. Great climate too.
Gisborne/Napier/Palmerston Nth/New Plymouth/Wanganui...All nice enough I guess but a lot less opportunities for jobs etc, and moving away from the fishing! :-)
cheers,
Stu.

[jesselyn]

neil,

if you want to request info packs:

hamilton http://www.b2h.co.nz/
christchurch http://www.ccc.govt.nz/publications/factpack/
dunedin http://www.workotagonz.co.nz/workotagonz/?pageid=wo_lifestylepack

jes :angel