Is NEW ZEALAND a good place to live i want to emigrate their with my nine year old . I'm from the UK.?

Question

What are school's like, the wages and price of food. Is it sunny for most of the year? Is it generally a better place to live then the uk? Please give your opionin as i'm not well traveled but want to emigrate to somewhere thats not so...grey! a better quality of life for me and my son can i find this in NZ? Any tips before i go things i should know.

Answer 1

I am going through exactly the same thing at the moment. I have 2 children (aged 5+3) and my husband is a Kiwi and wants to go home. I agreed to go at the end of the year and was really excited and looking forward to it until I started doing my research. I am sorry but I am going to sound really negative - so please stop reading if you don't want to be depressed. And sorry to any Kiwi's out there.

Wages are really low and though I keep hearing that the cost of living is low, groceries are not any cheaper than here and house prices have been increasing rapidly over the last few years. With a small population the shops do not have the customer numbers to offer a wide range and choice is therefore limited. If you want to come home (for good or for a visit) it may take you a long time to save the money for the flight.

I place a huge emphasis on academic acheivement but the emphasis is very much on sports and social acheivements. State schools are free but you are still expected to pay a 'voluntary fee' every year and have to provide all materials including jotters!

And what of the opportunities for the kids that do make it to Uni? With a population of only 4 million I don't fancy their prospects - it might be a great country for kids but our kids are going to grow up!

Taxation is high - starts at 19% but there is no threshold and you pay tax from the first dollar you earn. This jumps to 33% at $38,000 and 39% at $60001. Children from aged 6 pay for visits to doctor, prescriptions, dental treatment. You can offset it against your tax but still, what a hassle and you have to pay for it upfront anyway.

There are positives - the climate, the outdoor life but I am not sure that is enough for me. I hope you make the right choice for you.

Some useful websites are:

For Housing:
http://www.realestate.co.nz
http://www.allrealestate.co.nz/...

For Schools:
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/
http://www.ero.govt.nz/ero/publishing.ns...
http://educationcounts.edcentre.govt.nz/...


Expat Opinions:
http://www.emigratenz.org/msjames-ann.ht...
http://www.emigratenz.org/mskarls.html...
http://www.emigratenz.co.uk/

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You might also find Kiwi's are very parocial and hate anyone that has anything negative to say about the country.
I don't mean to be one sided but moving so far away, you need to be aware of the negatives

jstcruizin - you might be trying to sell your country but you just succeeded in backing up what I said whether you like it or not
I have stayed in NZ for a year previously.

Answer 2

I was born in the UK and emigrated to New Zealand at the age of 8 with my family. I'm now in my mid-twenties and have been back in the UK for a couple of years.

I think that for your child, emigrating is definitely a good option. I think that children have a much better quality of life over there. There are so many great beaches and parks, and it is much safer than the UK.

Whether or not schools are good varies greatly between different areas, and you will find that house prices are affected enormously depending on which school zone they are in. For this reason, I would recommend that when you first get there, you rent a house rather than buy, so that you can figure out what the schools in the area are like. When my family emigrated we ended up in a really good area, but this was a total fluke and other people may not be so lucky.

You'll find that wages are lower than in the UK, although this depends on what area of the UK you're from - if you're from up north you may find that they are comparable.

The cost of living in NZ is a lot lower. You will need a car - there is no area in the whole country in which you could possibly rely on public transport - but petrol and other associated running costs are a lot cheaper that in the UK. Food and clothing are much cheaper than in the UK.

In terms of weather, it varies a lot depending on which area of the country you're in, but basically everywhere has better weather than the UK! The west coast of the South Island is extremely wet, but there is no reason to go there anyway. Auckland and further north can be wet in the winter, but this is because it is a subtropical climate so this means at least it doesn't really ever get that cold. In general, everywhere has nice warm, dry summers, but the South Island can have cold winters whereas the North Island is usually quite temperate all year round.

To sum up - I love living in the UK FOR NOW because I'm in my twenties. If I ever decide to settle down and have children, I will most definitely be returning to NZ, because I truly believe that it offers a much better environment in which to raise children.

Answer 3

I´m from South Africa and stayed there for 4 months.
Great people, very friendly, even in a big city like Auckland.
Good value for money with regards to food, clothes, cars.
Wages are sufficient in comparison to the cost of living.
Property is getting quite expensive in Auckland and Wellington but that´s all relative anyway.
If climate is a big issue then perhaps Australia is a better option.
The weather in NZ is generally better than the UK, although in Auckland in winter it can rain and rain, but still generally warmer and sunnier than the UK though. Christchurch tends to get more sunshine but it´s quite a bit further south so winters can be a bit chilly.
Very beautiful country and a healthy safe environment for children to grow up in.
A definate thumbs up from me.
New Zealand do also give the opportunity of applying for a work visa in the country, so theoretically you can go there, find work, and apply for a work permit without leaving the country - not possible in Australia.
Check out their website for what skilled labour shortages there are.
http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/visa-options-nz.htm
good luck

Answer 4

I came to NZ from the UK in 1968, to study here. Apart from trips to Aussie and Antarctica and a 5 year trip all over, I've been here ever since. I used to think it was boring, but that's changed. The Internet and immigrants from all sorts of places with their cuisine have made NZ much more cosmopolitan than it used to be. We live in the far south. Even down here the weather is OK mostly. Schools? I went to a good grammar school in Britain and taught at a crummy school in NZ, but Britain has some dog tucker schools as well as good ones, so I reserve judgement. Food here is dirt cheap, and most people have their own veggie gardens. Housing here is getting more expensive, but in the country it's much cheaper than the UK. The only times I envy friends and rellies in Britain are when they tell me about their trips to the continent. Oh yeah, I agree with the lady who said something about the obsession with sport in NZ. In my opinion it's the main reason for our high youth suicide rate. We'd have healthier individuals, a healthier society and a healthier economy if we wasted less time and money on sport and gave less acclaim to this timewasting activity.

Answer 5

I would have to disagree with jen S.
!st of all the medical system for children isnt that bad,children do have to pay by the age of 6 and thats a whole $5,then check ups and dressings are free from then on if needed.
We have a wide range of items ranging from food to clothing and footwear etc,just in most cases you have to go to a shopping centre not just to the dairy.
Dental treatment is absolutley free for children and young adults up to the age of 18years old and School fees are exactly what they say they are...Voluntary! The school does send out letters to the home reminding them of these fees but you are not obligated to pay these. The cost of living can be high,as is in most countries,but its not ridiculously high that you cant get by. I only work part time and have a 11year old son that is very happy and healthy and i made him who he is today all by myself. Majority of people that emigrate here have nothing but good words to say about NZ,i think its what you make of it that will determine wether or not NZ is right for you and your family.
Good luck with your decision :)

Answer 6

I am an Aussie living in the USA and also have worked in New Zealand for a few months.Its a beautiful country with great people, the only negative aspect of NZ was the cost of living was very expensive...hope this helps.

Answer 7

It's a good place. I've only visited I lived in one of the neighboring countries for some time. I'll recommend a cool website where you can get excellent migration info. It's as follows:

www.britishexpats.com

Answer 8

Go and live in Christchurch NZ . Its just like England but it doesn't rain as much!

Answer 9

Good luck