The Old Introduce Yourself - Now Closed

[stndrd]

Greetings everyone,
my wife April, my children (Evin 6, Izaac 3, and Zoe 1) and I have been putting together a plan to make the permanent move to NZ :icon_biggrin:. I have been doing a lot of research on the subject and am very thankful to have found this site, seems to be the place to find answers. Our goal is to make it to NZ sometime in 2006. I' m not sure if I'll be going the smc way or another (I have some questions regarding these topics that I'll post in the appropriate forum), yet we're hoping someway we'll be able to get into NZ.

-thanks,
Brian Davis

[Welshgirl]

Firstly, welcome to the forum Anna & family and Brian & family!

Anna - we lived in the BOP (Tauranga) for about 3 months. It's a beautiful place but we found it didn't suit our requirements so we moved to Hamilton in February '05. The BOP gave us the impression of being a very 'cliquey' (sp?) place - people were friendly but it was difficult to make new friends, if you see what I mean! Tauranga in particular is a very touristy place, it gets absolutely packed there in the summer months, but it's also a very popular retirement town. Jobs were also hard to come by unless it was in the tourist industry. Having said all that, personally I would steer clear of Auckland unless you're after big city living! It has it's problems compared to other parts of NZ and the housing is more expensive, but the wages you can earn there compared to the rest of NZ reflects that and you will generally earn more living in Auckland than you will elsewhere. Sorry to be quite negative about both of your options, but depending on what you expect from life in NZ, you may want to consider some other places. What does everyone else think?

Brian - ask any questions you require on here! Good luck in your quest to get here. You may have answered this in another post but what's your job? Does April work?

Anyway, welcome all

[moose]

thanks for the info welshgirl, we will keep these points in mind. If anybody else can give any suggestions or info then they would be greatly appreciated.

cheers
Anna

[stndrd]

Sorry I forgot to mention our work status Welshgirl.
I've been in the IT field for about 3-4 yrs, currently as a level 2 desktop support tech for IBM (contract), as for my wife she is a Cetified Nurses Aide (1yr). I've seen a alot of IT positions in NZ, is there a great need for Nurses Aides (which in the states is considered elderly care)? Does anyone know if Nurses Aides are called something different in NZ?

thanks,
Brian Davis

Hi,
Just like to introduce myself and family to the Forum.

I'm Adrian, a microbiologist working for a Utilities company in Cheshire, married to Lizzie, a health visitor who works on the Wirral peninsula. We have three children Caiti (9), Hugh (4) and Aidan (3) and are attempting to make the move over to New Zealand. At present our status is depressed; we're in the doldrums! The reason is that we're waiting for the house to sell, and waiting for info from others so that we can send off our ITA. Slowly but surely, I suppose we'll get there.

We do have friends who hahave posted on the forum as jan&steve. They're headed out on Tuesday 7th and we're taking them to the airport. There will be lots of tears but for all the right reasons and we're really excited for them. Luckly we've shared the benefit of their experience in the move and one thing they did say is that they got so much from the forum.

So here goes my first question - I'm slightly spooked out at the moment reading about adverse weather reports and floods around Tuaranga in the year 2005. I would like to know, apart from chaining my house to a big rock or buying on top of a hill, how do I stop it getting swept away by floods? Are there no warnings given to people before they buy a property in what could turn out to be a flood plain?

Next time the message will be shorter, promise.

thanks,

Adrian

:icon_eek:

Hi Adrian,

Welcome to the forum!

If you're concerned about buying a house in Tauranga, then just go to the local council and ask for the building file. These files usually contain any instances of flooding, or likely flood areas.

Most of the flooding wasn't in Tauranga, it was in Matata in the Bay of Plenty, and some other areas in that region. I would say that at least 90% of the houses in Tauranga would never be affected at all, and the ones that would are built in very low lying land, or on ridiculous hills and cliff edges!

Thanks Tafffy.

I think, I needed a bit of reassurance aftre lookin seriuosly at the BOP area and Tauranga city in particular . What I need is to gather the information and then make decisions about the places I want my family to be in New Zealand and that will come from talking to you guys on this forum.

Going to the council and asking for the building file is now down on my NZ list of things to do, if successful with my application.

Once I indentify an area I want to get right down to the nitty gritty. Hope you understand.

Adrian

Greetings,

I'm new to this forum stuff. Have never visited one before. My name is Julie and I currently live in Colorado in the USA. I am a Dental Assistant and love my work. I lived in Alice Springs, Australia for a year. Loved it so much I'd like to go back, however, I want to live in NZ. I am starting the process of learning what it takes to make the move. I'm excited that I found my job skills on the critical shortage list. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I am married with four boys, ages 20,19, and 13 years old twins.
I plan to make the move solo until I get a job and a place to live and then my husband and kids will follow. Has anyone done that before? Would like to hear
from you.

Hi Julie,


I take it you are at the very beginning of the immigration process i.e. still pondering about it? If you can afford the time to read through the previous posts, I’m sure you’ll find some guidance on what to do and when to do it, especially the EOI section as that is where you start. You could also try a search if you’re looking for a specific subject and it’ll bring up everything linked to it. Might take some sifting through, but I’m sure it’s all there somewhere. Are your boys happy about making the move? They are at that age where it could go one way or the other. I would assume the older ones will have to make their own applications, as I believe it’s only up to a certain age or if it can be proved that they are dependant on you, that they could go on your application.

Have you ever been to NZ? We’ve just returned from a visit and found it to be very pleasant and relaxing and we could happily make it our home (have even bought a house there. From your other post

I am looking for a cleaner, friendlier, safer environment which is slower paced and not the "keeping up with the Jone's" which the US seems to only offer

I think NZ will fit the bill on all accounts. I felt we could just be ourselves and not have to worry about whether we were wearing designer labels, the latest fashions or had the snazziest car. It just didn’t matter, as everyone was too busy getting on with living their lives to the full. It doesn’t matter if you go shopping barefoot and without combing your hair first, no one takes any notice. If you’re a friendly sort, then you’ll fit right in, as the kiwis generally respond well to a bright smile and cheery ‘G'day’.

If you have any particular questions to ask, just ask away, otherwise there’s plenty to read through on here to keep you occupied for a while. Hope your way forward is a clear one.

NZ sounds alot like where I lived in Florida. When my husband and I first moved there people were shopping and eating barefoot and so.....
relaxed and not stressed. I wondered abit about the place, but learned to accept the, we call it "surfer" attitude. We liked Florida but evacuating for the hurricanes every year got really old. I have never been to NZ but I'm ready to accept the adventure. I spoke with the older boys and told them they would probably be on their own to go over and they said they'd go in a heartbeat. My younger ones are reluctant to get rid of our things and make the move. I try to tell them, it's just stuff. He's also worried that being American we'll "stick out like sore thumbs". I told him if it's anything like Australia, as long as your not arrogant or pompous they be fine with you. That is true isn't it???