Moving to New Zealand

shazniko · Jan 21, 2008

Hi

Thanks very much for that. I appreciate it.

Sharron

mark_ricafrente · Feb 24, 2008

waaaa im a newly registered nurse here the Philippines, hope i could go there soon ^_^

shazniko · Mar 24, 2008

Hi Sue

Well, that's us back from New Zealand. It's the first time that I've actually not wanted to get back on the plane to come home! We loved it! We collected so many phone numbers from people wanting to help us. We made so many friends.

The kids loved it too - they could just run around with bare feet all day long. Everything is so laid back. Kids are allowed to be kids out there.

We visited different areas in the North Island. 3 weeks really wasn't long enough though. We had originally thought of settling in Whangarei but when we visited it, we really didn't get a great feel about the place. We found out that there is a lot of unemployment there too. By talking to a lot of different people all over the North Island they all came to the same consensus - there are better places to live than Whangarei. It was a bit disappointing because we had kind of set our hearts on northland. However, we went to visit Tauranga on the east coast and we loved it there! The views are just amazing. Housing can be quite costly though depending on where you go.

Since being back we have started the visa process by lodging our expression of interest and I am in the middle of completing the application form for my midwifery registration - it's a major process!!

I have no doubt you will enjoy your visit too. You really need to visit the areas you fancy living in because its the only way you are going to get the feel of the place.

Hopefully hear from you soon.

Sharron

babyminder · Mar 24, 2008

Hi there

I have lived in Hamilton for nearly 6 years. My 2 children have now turned into teenagers and are not happy with the fact that we live in the country and there is NO public transport in our area. You will be hard pushed to find much of a public transport system anywhere except the big towns/cities. Bear this in mind when you are looking for a place to live. Also the thing that I have found, being a loather of cold, is that NZ houses are not very well heated in the winter. Many houses have a fire (gas or woodburner) in the main living area which suffices to heat the whole house! Bathrooms can be pretty frosty at 6am on a cold morning. We have a fire in the family room and last year had a heat pump installed in the lounge which was the best thing we could have done. The bathroom is still cold tho'. Heating bills can be quite expensive and I don't know any houses with central heating. Underfloor heating is lovely but costs the earth to run. Having said all that, Tauranga is warmer than Hamilton so winter may not be such a problem. Just be aware that the roads are dangerous, NZ has a very high road death toll, and there is quite a big drug problem throughout the country.

I don't want to sound negative but it is best to come with your eyes open. I must also say that the people I work with in Hamilton are probably the best group I have ever worked with. The coffee is lovely, the beaches wonderful and I hardly ever sit in a traffic jam:)

dizzydean · Apr 3, 2008

Hi there
I have lived in Hamilton for nearly 6 years. My 2 children have now turned into teenagers and are not happy with the fact that we live in the country and there is NO public transport in our area. You will be hard pushed to find much of a public transport system anywhere except the big towns/cities. Bear this in mind when you are looking for a place to live. Also the thing that I have found, being a loather of cold, is that NZ houses are not very well heated in the winter. Many houses have a fire (gas or woodburner) in the main living area which suffices to heat the whole house! Bathrooms can be pretty frosty at 6am on a cold morning. We have a fire in the family room and last year had a heat pump installed in the lounge which was the best thing we could have done. The bathroom is still cold tho'. Heating bills can be quite expensive and I don't know any houses with central heating. Underfloor heating is lovely but costs the earth to run. Having said all that, Tauranga is warmer than Hamilton so winter may not be such a problem. Just be aware that the roads are dangerous, NZ has a very high road death toll, and there is quite a big drug problem throughout the country.
I don't want to sound negative but it is best to come with your eyes open. I must also say that the people I work with in Hamilton are probably the best group I have ever worked with. The coffee is lovely, the beaches wonderful and I hardly ever sit in a traffic jam:)

It doesn't sound negative at all, it actually sounds like a bed of roses if you think of the situation here in the Philippines.

noweena · Apr 10, 2008

Hey

I have lived in Hamilton for the majority of my life, but am currently living in Melbourne. Although there is much publication of drug problems within the media, the number of patients which I had to nurse who are IV drug users or on P (ICE/ Methamphetamine) are few and far between. The situation may be different in Auckland or Wellington however, and in the hospital I work in in Melbourne we get people with Drug problems very frequently. Waikato is an excellent place to work, the staff are friendly and new staff members get a lot of support. I hope that you enjoy youself and feel at home in NZ.

babyminder · Apr 10, 2008

I work in the NICU at Waikato and I see enough babies coming through with drug withdrawal or conditions related to maternal drug use and see enough social problems related to drugs to still say there is a drug problem. It may not be as bad here as other places in the world but I wouldn't like anyone to think that it is perfect. But then where is??

shazniko · Jul 21, 2008

Hi

I was just wondering if anyone can tell me where the best area to live would be - between Whangarei and Hawkes Bay? Can't quite decide. I am a midwife with 2 young children so would be looking for a fairly rural area with good schools.

I have heard mixed stories about Whangarei - this was the original area we considered to settle in but then when we holidayed in NZ for 3 weeks we spoke to several kiwis and they said tried to put us off the area! That's when we started researching other areas. However, we plan to build our own home but the cheaper sections tend to be in Hawkes Bay or Whangarei.

Any advice would be greatfully received as getting more and more confused by the day!!

Djuna · Jul 21, 2008

I hate being a negative Nancy, but with the present economic climate in New Zealand I would not recommend living there to anyone. In fact my younger sister as well as my parents have left NZ to go to Australia because the cost of living is so much more affordable.

If you are determined to go however, rent for a year to really get a feel for the place before you commit to building a house. Until you live there you can never really know how difficult it can be to enjoy the lush countryside and supposedly 'laid back' lifestyle, due to many socio-economic factors that are problematic in New Zealand.

babyminder · Jul 22, 2008

The area between Whangarei and Hawkes Bay is a very big one. I agree that you should try renting before committing yourself to anything besides which it could take you a year to get the house built. We built a house when we got here, much too quickly I think. Anyway, it was a very harrowing experience and unless you are experienced inown builds i wouldn't recommend it. Rural? How rural? Don't forget how expensive petrol is and you proabably need to decide where you would like to work as a priority. How big a place do you want to work in or do you want to be independent? Also don't forget that your children will get older and may not want to live rural (as I have found out to may cost, they don't find it easy when there is no public transport). There are many places to choose from but you need to think about what you need and then look for something that fits. :twocents:

shazniko · Jul 22, 2008

Hi

Djuna, Don't mind you being negative. Can NZ really be any worse than the UK?? The UK is going into recession now. It is getting so expensive to live - all our immigrants are leaving now as it is so expensive to live! We are emigrating for a better lifestyle for our kids - there is absolutely nothing for them here. Crime is increasing rapidly with a major major drug problem even in the 'good areas'. So New Zealand here we come! If it doesn't work out at least we can say we've tried and then go to Australia. Australia didn't really appeal to us because it is too big and has lots of deadly beasties though!!

shazniko · Jul 22, 2008

The area between Whangarei and Hawkes Bay is a very big one. I agree that you should try renting before committing yourself to anything besides which it could take you a year to get the house built. We built a house when we got here, much too quickly I think. Anyway, it was a very harrowing experience and unless you are experienced inown builds i wouldn't recommend it. Rural? How rural? Don't forget how expensive petrol is and you proabably need to decide where you would like to work as a priority. How big a place do you want to work in or do you want to be independent? Also don't forget that your children will get older and may not want to live rural (as I have found out to may cost, they don't find it easy when there is no public transport). There are many places to choose from but you need to think about what you need and then look for something that fits.

Hi Babyminder

Who did you get to build your house? Its just the firm we were going to use said it would take 2 months to build our home! That would just be the shell though.

We need to live in a rural area as my husband plans to start a business so we need a fair sized plot of land. I still want to be within close proximity to shops though - I don't want to be in the middle of nowhere! It is so hard to decide where to settle. You hear so many different stories about places that you think would be ideal for you then it can all change again the next day! To get the business set up quickly we really need to decide on an area then buy a section. Schools need to be close by though too cos my husband will need to collect the girls when I am working.

We had really liked the sound of Nelson/Tasman bays but sections are too expensive there. So I think it is going to be between Whangarei or Hawkes Bay. My head is spinning!!!!