Hi there

[sevans42]

Hi everyone, looks like a great forum and I'm pleased to become a member. Just a bit about myself, I live in the UK, have a lovely wife and 2 young children and I'm a full time IT student. I'm a printer by trade, went into production management then decided I'd had enough and started an IT degree. I'm hoping to do a PGCE then fingers crossed - pull off a move to NZ. I look forward to sharing information/ideas with you good people. Steve Evans.

[nickydwuk]

to the forum and the huge, bumpy journey to NZ.

How long before you plan to be in NZ and where are you looking to settle?

[sevans42]

Thanks.

(Apologies if this is long-winded)
We're at the 'we've made the decision that it's what we want, are confused from reading bucketloads of stuff, and are just starting to narrow the process down' stage.
It's a relatively loose plan at the mo, but we're aiming to get over there as soon as poss. When that'll be is dependant on a few things. I've got a backgound of printing and production management but decided I wanted a change and as a result I'm in my 3rd year of doing an IT degree, and considering doing a PGCE course after my Bsc. This potentially leaves me with experience in printing and production management but with qualifications in I.T. and teaching. Sounds to me like a complex scenario when it comes to moving to NZ but we've decided to base what I do next, as the main applicant, on what is most likely to get us there the earliest (I want to go tomorrow). If I have to get a job here to gain experience in an industry related to my qualification then it'll be up to 5 years - more research needed me thinks.

As regards where to live, we are really in many minds at the moment. We started with Hawkes Bay due to the climate and area, but after research realised it would be more dfficult for me to find work in the industries I could potentially find a job in. Auckland is a definite no-no. There's just too many people for us. Probably somewhere I'd like to visit but not to live and work - I'd like a relatively peaceful and slower pace of life outside my job. We would love to live in Nelson - oh would we!!! but I'm not sure again about the job situation. Christchurch is definitely a consideration and somewhere we'd be happy to live but the Wellington area is looking favourite at the moment - the job situation for the industries I could work in seems favourable so we're looking at all the areas within commutable distance of Wellington. Upper Hutt seemed high on our list for a number of reasons but we've read some discouraging comments about it being a bit rough which may put us off (dunno until I've found out more). The difficulty is in recognizing and understanding just what 'rough' means in NZ in comparison to North West UK. That's why I like the look of this forum - loads of good questions that relate to this sort of thing. I hope I can pass on bits of information to other members while I go along the way picking up tips and opinions that will help us to pull this off. Ultimately, we just want to move to NZ and try to minimise the impact on our 2 little uns if we can. If that means renting first then moving somewhere else to put down our roots then that's what we'll do.

Thanks again.
Steve.

[MotherBear]

Hi Steve and welcome.

When you're starting out, thinking of how to get to NZ and all the accompanying concerns you have relating to the subject, it's good to come on a forum like this and share with others who either have been or are going through the same thing . Immigration is a minefield unless your circumstances press all the right buttons and you slip in with ease, but sadly that doesn't happen very often.

Choosing a place to settle is usually dependant on where you can find work, which is the most important thing. Once you've been in a place for a while and had the chance to look around and get to know the various areas, you should be in a better position to move about if you wish. You will have NZ work experience under your belt by then which will help in finding another job elsewhere.

We look forward to you sticking around and swapping information with us.

[sevans42]

Wise words no doubt Mother Bear. Thanks for the welcome and yes it does feel like a minefield, but we're in for the ride as many people are on this forum. I'm currently in the process of reading through the many interesting posts on the forum so I can get an idea of existing threads (whilst trying to work on an assignment due in next week - ouch).