There's been many a discussion on the subject of whether to ship or not. Some have said 'Bring everything you can, it's very expensive to replace stuff here' while others have said 'Sell up and do away with the cost of shipping and the worry of whether your possessions will get lost or damaged - you can get great bargains here if you wait for the sales or buy several items per shop and ask for discounts.'
Guess it comes down to how fond you are of your belongings, how old they are and whether they are worth the cost of shipping. It's very liberating to sell up, walk free and then start up again in NZ, but it comes at a cost when you get there. Basically, if your stuff is getting a bit worn round the edges think twice about shipping it because you'll probably only have to replace it anyway after a short time in NZ. If you're thinking of having a container, get the guy around to enlighten you how much of your stuff you'll get in there, starting with the things you really want to take and filling up the last nooks and crannies with the stuff that's not so important. If you're paying for a full container load, make sure you do fill it to get your money's worth, even if you need to go out and buy something new to take with you.
From what I can gather, TVs are only worth taking if they're digital and reasonably new. Not sure about electrical appliances but many people seem to ship them and have no problem. I'm sure someone can fill you in on this.
Lou, I'm sure front loaders can be installed in NZ as WG has one (I've seen it and had my washing done in it
). Many washing machines are top loaders but there doesn't seem to be a problem hooking up a front loader either.