[wayne]

Well what a lot has happened in a month we have bought a house(cash), got jobs , a car and a puppy dog.
Things in NZ are much the same as UK although I do have to work alot harder for the same money , but that is cool, since being here I have found a few things that I would have done different
1 I now realise that alot of advice that we took as good on this forum was not necessarily written by people who know what they are on about, but you get that in life , our container arrives on tuesday and that is one of the annoying things, we read on this forum to take as much as possible so we bought loads of stuff to fill the container only to find it is all readily avaliable here and in many cases cheaper for the same brands , so tuesday we will have half a garage full of junk , Oh well could always do a garage sale.
On reflection we would have saved ourself some money and had a smaller /shared container.
2 I spent quite a bit having all my qualifications copied and bound up into laminated folders complete with references cv's etc and lugged the weight across the globe as luggage, both of us found work without ever being asked about our work history, the employmers here value reliability and command of the English language above qualies . And the pay is not as poor as we were lead to make out on this site I started on $20 per hour and after 3 weeks I'm on $25 ( thats a tenner ish) and I have promise of another pay rise to come.

3 Homesickness as far as we have found dosent exist I have rang my parents twice in the last month once to say we arrived and another time to organise a magazine subscription , and all those friends that say they will write well none have yet,I did get an email from my ex employer though that was nice as he payed me an extra months money and wished me well.
Apart from those gripes the move is the best thing I have done in a long while the people are very freindly although I havent met many kiwi's most are from the UK even my boss used to work in Whitstable where I lived
gotta go as I have loads to do

[pleccy2000]

Superb post Wayne. Dont listen to others - just go on your own experiances like you said.

[Singel]

Great post Wayne, that is a candid one :nice1

Good luck with your new job and new house :cheers

[foolsgold99]

1 I now realise that alot of advice that we took as good on this forum was not necessarily written by people who know what they are on about, but you get that in life ,

I think that is a harsh tbh, each of us has different needs and experience in life. Just because you don't agree with something, it doesn't make the other person wrong. What works out for one person isn't the same for everyone, posts like the above discourage people from sharing their experience, and lessens the value this forum.

[dave k]

I spent quite a bit having all my qualifications copied and bound up into laminated folders complete with references cv's etc and lugged the weight across the globe as luggage, both of us found work without ever being asked about our work history, the employmers here value reliability and command of the English language above qualies . And the pay is not as poor as we were lead to make out on this site I started on $20 per hour and after 3 weeks I'm on $25 ( thats a tenner ish) and I have promise of another pay rise to come.

3 Homesickness as far as we have found dosent exist I have rang my parents twice in the last month once to say we arrived and another time to organise a magazine subscription , and all those friends that say they will write well none have yet...

Not sure about the laminated folders, but I'd say copies of your qualifications were pretty essential for most people. Just because you didn't happen to need yours, doesn't make it bad advice to say "bring em!"

Good for you on the pay front..but, again, it all depends what you do doesn't it? Pay is generally pretty low in NZ. I think it's fair to tell the folks back home that.

And homesickness? Christ, you've only been here a month!!

[Carl and Liz]

Hi Wayne,

Thanks for your post - I appreciate your honesty and the information. Sounds like you're settling in well. Congratulations on the job situation.

Regard,
Liz

[Diny]

Bet you're happy you brought your Harley with you. We were told by apparant good authority that NZ is one of the cheapest places to buy an HD ..... what a load of rubbish that is.

Great post Wayne, good to see that you've done so much in the space of a month. Have to admit though, just because some of the info you got off this forum didn't perfectly match YOUR circumstances it doesn't mean it's wrong. Horses for courses and all that.

Continue having a good time - and keep us posted.

Diny

[Carol]

Just for the record....I am REALLY glad we brought every last possession, Yes I DID need my records verified, no I didnt start on a good salary and home sickness has plagued me for the last 8 out of 9 years.

Guess we couldn't be more opposite if we tried.

Of course when I came - I didn't have the availablity of a forum to ask questions.

Probably just as well eh?

:mad:

[gil]

Anyone ever come across the concept of "paradigms"? All it means is "the way we see the world around us". Note: NOT "the way the world IS". Through a wide range of factors including your own experiences, culture, age, era when you live, socio-economic bracket, geography, peers, media, religion etc etc etc, you filter all the events, situations and people you then come across. That means that things can feel, sound and look very different for people according to the filters they have.
The great thing is, paradigms are very valuable to the person who holds them but cannot always work for other people in the same way. A good analogy would be paradigms=spectacles, glasses. If I can't/don't see things the same way you can/do, there's no point in you lending me your glasses and saying "See it through these, these glasses work really well." If you've ever tried someone else's glasses on, you'll know exactly what I mean!
It's great to get other people's take on things, even if it doesn't always unfold in the same way for us. Sometimes, finding out from people who've done what you want to do is the best or only way without each of us having to reinvent the wheel completely each time.
So, I personally welcome everyone's experiences/advice and will always take responsibility for my own choices. A few of my favourite adages are "I make the best choices available to me at the time", "Not wrong, just different" and"Never regret ". Of course, these work well for me.........!
Good to hear things are working out well for you Wayne,
Gil

[Cardiff Irons]

I now realise that alot of advice that we took as good on this forum was not necessarily written by people who know what they are on aboutWell, I think this makes the forum even more valuable than ever. Simply see what advice is given on the forum and then do the exact opposite. You can't go wrong!;)

Seriously though, people are sharing their own genuine experiences and offering others the benefit of that experience. On this basis we reckoned to have saved about £600 on our medicals alone (without the forum, we'd have just booked up with the local GP in Cardiff but ended up travelling to Manchester and saving a bundle).

When looking at other people's experiences you have to make sure their circumstances fit your own. For example, someone living in London might relate the route they took to get to Birmingham. It would be pretty silly me trying to use that information when I'm setting off from Cardiff!

Anyway, good luck Wayne. Hope you settle well and live a happy life.


Steve

be giving

[jan]

I could have been one of those spoken few , who said `Bring everything with you`.... not sure??

But if I did, I say it again BRING EVERYTHING WITH YOU.

A massive chunk of our money has been spent on rent, car, school uniform, school fees, school equipment and a lot of very expensive weekly shops which I am trying to re-stock my larder with, spices, sauces etc etc. So I'm glad I didnt have the added expense of having to go and re-stock things that i had already got and chose not to bring ! :confused:

I personally.... dont have the money to re-buy here. We have come on a very low budget so take things really slowly. I did have the money in the Uk to pay for the conatiner to bring my stuff over though.

Everybody is in different situations and so hope that if someone can relate to my post, then they may take my good advice.

If you dont, you dont. Simple.

[Diny]

Actually - just to add another comment. As far as the homesickness goes - I've been here 2 months now and have phoned my folks almost every other day and homesickness is still foremost in my everyday thoughts - guess it always will be, I'll just have to learn to live with it. As for hearing from folks at home who promised to write ....... my e-mail in box is always bountiful.

Diny

[StevieD]

I wouldn't say that Waynes comments discourage people from sharing their experiences, after all it is peoples opinions that are expressed on here and not facts.
People can tell you the price of a loaf in the local Pak 'n' Save, but that could differ from area to area. The whole point of this forum is it gives people information from people on the ground. I find it invaluable for information.
But Wayne is different from you and I. What he sees in his own personal experience clashes with information that he took on here and elsewhere. I can sympathise with him in some respects because you can think that the forum is the "fount of all knowledge". People are trying to help in the best way they can, that is this forum's strength. But we all have to take things as they come, life is like that. I don't walk in his shoes and vice versa.
I don't think Wayne was trying to be detrimental, he was just expressing his opinion.
It's good to see that he hasn't suffered from homesickness, maybe during the coming months that will change? I know there will be homesickness in my family, not so much from me but from Jan, my wife. I think the kids will suffer too.
I wouldn't travel anywhere without my qualifications and CV's, work history etc. In my line of work that is essential. You wouldn't want somebody playing with 25000 volts who didn't know what they were doing would you?

So take Waynes post with a pinch of salt. It is pertinent information from his perspective. There are points to take on board from it. Good post Wayne!

Steve

[Carol]

That's all very well but comments like this:

"I now realise that alot of advice that we took as good on this forum was not necessarily written by people who know what they are on about, but you get that in life"


really irritate me! What a y rude thing to say!

Of COURSE folks know what they are "on about".
They are talking about their own lives here.
Why would they write stuff that isn't true to them?

[Timbo]

Wayne. Hindsight is a wonderfull thing to have, I`m sure you will agree.
The people who post here are all just trying to help each other along the way, and I am 100% positive that you wont find any deliberate mis-information. We all make mistakes.
I do seem to recall that you have relis in NZ and have in deed lived there for a bit at some time in the past. Would it be fair to say that, if this is the case, then maybe you were in a slightly better position than most of us with regard to gaining a good insight?
Dont get me wrong. This is not a personal dig, and I trust your post was not meant to come accross quite the way it did.
Glad to hear you are getting sorted.

[adamsat]

A good post Wayne, I can have some sympathy with it, there have been some posts on the forum that could be interpreted as saying this is the way things are. When in truth they are that persons interpretation of reality, which hasn't always matched with my experiences.

[Cardiff Irons]

A good post Wayne, I can have some sympathy with it, there have been some posts on the forum that could be interpreted as saying this is the way things are. When in truth they are that persons interpretation of reality, which hasn't always matched with my experiences.Maybe we should all put disclaimers when we post ;).

The information in this post is the personal opinion of Mr. Irons and, consequently, you should treat this information with caution. Mr. Irons, his wife, his family, children and friends will not be held liable for any loss or damage caused in consequence of you relying on this information in your own personal circumstances. It is recommended that you seek legal advice before acting upon any information, actual or implied, contained in this post.

[louron]

Love the disclaimer Mr Irons and I think that pretty well sums it all up, for me it comes down to common sense, I find many of the posts on here useful in different ways but at the end of the day its the same as any other advice, you hear it/ read it sift through it and ultimately choose that which suits your particualr circumstances. We are all individuals, all starting from a different point and all hoping to finish at a different point (ie what we want from the move to NZ is probably slightly different for all of us). I respect the fact that people take the time and trouble to share their views and find them all valuable.

[wayne]

OOps !!! sorry it did sound a it rude of me, but today all our stuff arrived and hats off to Jordan &Jarrett/Doree bonner not one thing was broken even our galileo thermometer which we said not to worry packing , but the guy said he would got here in tact , we are going to a second hand /house clearance place to get them to come round to take some of our stuff as when we unwrapped the cartons we couldnt believe some of the junk we have carted across the globe!!
I collect my Harley on saturday as I have to sign some paperwork didnt have to pay any tax or duty I just have to sign a declaration stating that I will not sell it for 3 years RESULT!!!!!!
The one thing I will admit to being unrealistically pricey is wallpaper and paint?????
Bye for now Wayne

[Ria]

What a 'spot-on' point of view from Gil :clap (IMO :D ). Life may be black and white for some, but invariably it is shades of grey (or any other colour of the rainbow). As the scouts say (I think) 'Be prepared'. It's far better to be equipped for any eventuality than hear the refrain 'if only...'

Glad that things have been better than expected for you Wayne - that should mean your glass is half full rather than half empty - which is far better in my book.

Good luck with the next pay rise.

Ria

[gil]

Thank you Ria :D
Nice post Wayne :yes
Gil

[Soon2baKiwi]

Well, if it hadn't been for members of this and other fora (?) we wouldn't have brought as much stuff with us. And we'd have been gutted now. I was also told it would rain the whole time in Auckland - the fact that it hasn't this year doesn't mean that people were lying to me - it's just been a remarkably dry winter for Auckland. Hope it all keeps going well for you Wayne, as other people have said, different horses for different courses.