[MotherBear]

Would it be of any interest to members about to set foot in NZ for the first time, if there was a register of people, already settled in certain areas, who would be prepared to act as ?helpers? or ?point of contact?? It is a strange, bewildering feeling to suddenly find yourself in a strange town/city in a strange country where nothing looks familiar. If someone was having difficulty finding where to buy something, how to register somewhere, how to go about doing something, wondering what something means, where the best/cheapest shops are for certain items, which foods/brands can be substituted for the old UK favourites, which is the best local doctor, what?s the easiest route to get to?.. etc. etc., wouldn?t it be nice to drop someone an email or give them a phone and get, hopefully, an immediate answer from a friendly source?

Perhaps ?helpers? who agree to assist (and, therefore, whose names would appear on the list, which I would suggest would sit at the top of the page as a sticky) could be contacted initially via PM on the forum (to protect their privacy) and then a personal email or phone number could be given directly to the family who is looking for a contact for when they get to their selected area in NZ. Not everyone knows in advance exactly where they are going to settle but, for those who do, it would be useful to have some first hand knowledge of which areas are good to live in. There are heaps of little questions that need answering, which members would be hesitant to post on the forum and this would fill the gap.

Of course, the success of this would depend, firstly, on people in a variety of areas being willing to assist and also new migrants feeling they would like to have someone to call on if in need. Life is a lot easier if you have the strength of knowledge behind you and I think it could help people find their way around more quickly and confidently and, therefore, settle more easily. We don?t seem to have a lot of members on the move at the moment but it could be worth setting up a register now for use as and when it?s needed. Great way to meet friends as well! :icon_biggrin: