Before getting to NZ it might be useful to get into the mindset of spending cautiously until you get a feel for prices there. Some folks get carried away with their new life and the excitement of it all and spend up a storm in the first few weeks. The money you take with you won't be replaceable and you'll just be left with having to make ends meet on a NZ salary, which may or may not be a reasonable one.
It would be very difficult to judge how well you'd cope without knowing the household incomings and outgoings. Some people cut their cloth accordingly, but others try to emulate the 'good life' they may have had in their home country. I think the idea is to seek out all the free things NZ has to offer and take advantage of them. It will mean a change of perspective for many people e.g. swapping money-guzzling indoor activities for outdoor freebie ones, which are healthier, too. If a family's income is $100k and they can't manage, yet someone who is earning $60k can manage you have to ask yourself what is going wrong.
Perhaps it's time for one of our 'cost of living' exercises where folks post up the number in their family and their weekly or monthly household expenses inc. those for running a car or two so we have an idea of how much things cost. Examples are:
food bills
utilities
rent/mortgage
council rates
house insurance
vehicle running expenses
school expenses
an average figure for clothing etc.
That way it's easier to see where the money is going. It's a valuable exercise that needs updating every now and then because costs are often on the move.
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Mother Bear 
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