shazniko

Hi I was wondering if anyone could tell me what Whangarei is like to live in? Are there good schools? What shopping facilities are there? Does anyone work in Whangarei hospital? I am a midwife and considering working there. Any other information would be gratefully received? Thanks

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!!!!

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!!

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!!

I didn't say I would never work as a midwife. However, I am emigrating for the lifestyle, not for career progression. If my qualifications can allow me to do that then all good and well. If I fancy changing my career at any point then I think that is entirely up to me as long as it is within the immigration rules and regulations.

Interested Party Thats great to know. thanks very much. Its just good to know that if I want to have a career change, then I can. I probably will jack in midwifery at some point, just don't know when. Shazniko

Suzanne4 I am a direct-entry trained midwife and DONT need to be RN trained to be able to gain NZ registration or a PR visa. Dual trained midwives are going to be few and far between now as that is the way the training is going now. If I was changing career, it certainly wouldn't be within nursing, it would be something entirely different. Shazniko

Thanks everybody for your input. Djuna, don't appreciate you implying that I am being dishonest though! I am not lying about being a midwife. I have 13 years experience and probably will work in the field in NZ. However, the long term plan is to start up a business with my husband so if I did eventually give up midwifery then I don't want to find myself suddenly deported! Better to make sure beforehand. Just weighing up my options.

Hi I have been a midwife for 13 years now and I can honestly say I HATE L&D! I think it is a place you either love or hate - there is no in-between. Its like NICU - a lot of midwives hate it but others love it! I couldn't be bothered with the hanging around with a screaming woman on a 12hr shift and having nothing to show for it if she hadn't delivered before the end of your shift. If they did deliver, there were only so many times I was willing to be verbally abused, kicked, nipped, shoved etc just because they thought they had the right cos they were in pain! I used to dread going into work every day. Epidurals are also a nightmare because you have to stay with the woman - great fun if she isn't much of a conversationalist! Definitely not my cup of tea, I found my niche in NICU.

Hi I was wondering if anyone could help me. I have applied for my NZ residency visa under the skilled migrants category as I am a midwife. However, if I get accepted, do I HAVE to work as a midwife or would I be allowed to persue a career change? I haven't claimed points for a job offer, just work experience. Looked on immigration website but couldn't see anything regarding this. Thanks very much.

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

Hi Thanks very much for that. I appreciate it. Sharron

Hi I was wondering if anyone could help me. As I am coming to New Zealand for 3 weeks holiday, I was wondering whether I should just bring New Zealand Dollars. If I brought sterling travellers cheques, would it be easy enough to change them into new zealand dollars? If so, where would I change them? I would be really grateful for any suggestions. Sharron

Hi Sue Good luck with everything. Let me know how you get on anyway. We've only got 4 weeks to go so not long now! We are going to check out some properties in Whangarei while we are there to see what our budget can buy us. Really looking forward to it. Take care. Sharron

Hi Sue We had thought about Wellington too but it is city living. We don't want that at all. We decided that we would prefer further north for the weather really! Whangarei is on the east coast of the Northland. Everyone seems to love it there. I hear that South Island is a lot like Scotland even the weather - so I think we will stay clear of there!!! Fed up with the weather in Bonnie Scotland! It's always miserable. Really fed up with work at the minute too so things can't happen quick enough for us. So why have you decided on a move? Why New Zealand? Does the reduction in wages bother you? Hopefully hear from you soon. Sharron