View Full Version : Things to consider - Moving to New Zealand
Hi everyone,
My DH's work has asked if we would move to NZ, for him to manage a company in Manukua.
What are some things should we consider before moving from Australia to New Zealand.
Where is Manukua and is it a nice place?
How expensive are living expenses in NZ? Car, food, schooling, medical....
And what is the weather like all year round.
I'm still a little gob smack at the thought of moving.
I know when we moved from QLD to SYD, with another company DH worked for, they asked him, we accepted and he was gone by the end of the week. I was left to organise everything :no:. Won't be doing that again :D
Thanks heaps Gracie
You better hope your DH is getting a GREAT paying job:laughing:
NZ economy is pretty much shot at the moment.Petrol is nearly $2 a litre,cheese is around $17kg!!!
I am from Christchurch,so am just basing it on that..(have never been to Manuka)
No such thing as bulk billing.Doctor will cost you at least $50 BUT you may be elgible for a community services card(which is similar to health care card)
I am pretty sure kindy is free or at least REALLY cheap,not like the childcare here!
Car rego is like half the price,but you need to get a WOF(warrant of fitness)every 6 months.
Minium wage is pretty crapola.:no:
Apart from the money side of things(and how fricken cold it gets!)NZ really is such a beautiful place!!!!!!!!
Good luck with what ever decision you make.
Thank you.
We have never been to NZ, so we are unsure what to expect as well or areas to live.
:rolleyes:
Manuka? Never heard of t!! We too are moving to NZ next year, and we already know that it will be tough financially as wages tend to be lower across the board, but if your hubby is in line for a well paid job i say go for it, it is a BEAUTIFUL country.
Ah...I see it is near Wanaka...VERY lovely part of the country
Is it supposed to be Manukau? If so, it's in Auckland (southern Auckland).
Is it supposed to be Manukau? If so, it's in Auckland (southern Auckland).
Yes it is. Is it a good area?
Is there certain area's that aren't that great?
I'm hoping if we do decide to move the kids and I will settle in nicely.
Ah, Manukau makes a lot more sense! Manakau city is a huge place, it is bigger than Auckland city, but used to be part of it, if that makes sense.
I think to decide if it is a nice place you probably need to narrow down the suburb a little more.
The North Island is a lot warmer than the South, it is still really nice, green and very picturesque, heaps of places to see within quite short distances by Australian standards.
Asking if Manukau is nice is a little like asking if Brisbane is nice, there are nicer parts than others, but it is a pretty nice place overall.
I personally hate cities, but if you are OK with fairly big cities I'm sure you will be fine. It will be an exciting adventure to be sure...
I was born and raised under an hour North of Auckland, and lived in the city for a couple of years, so I know the place fairly well.
ApprenticeMomma, thank you.
Hope you don't mind if I talk to you more about NZ, if we decide to go over.
I was looking at rental properites in Manukua Heights, some of them looked very nice.
I'm assuming its not like Sydney, where it is quite normal to travel 1 hour or more to work?
We will probably choose to live near a Montessori school as the kids go to a Mont school here.
Does it get hot like Australia in summer?
Gracie :hugs:
O no! Ask away!!
Yeah, people do commute pretty big distances to get to work, but it is all in where you choose to live really, I have a rule that 30min travel time to work for me is the upper limit, but some people don't seem to mind, as I said Manakau city is kind of adjoining Auckland city, so lots of commuting taking place.
I'm sure there would be Mont schools somewhere there, perhaps try googleing to see?
In summer there are perhaps a few days where it reaches 30/31/32 but not many, usually Auckland has pretty similar temps to Sydney, but has a lot more rain overall.
:laughing: I read this quickly this morning and then went off to do some stuff and my mind was straining at where the heck Manuka was. Then it suddenly dawned on me that you probably meant Manukau!!!
Anyway, here's my contribution on NZ:
Public schooling system is generally excellent and practically everybody sends their kids to public school. They are given more money than private schools, which sounds like a no-brainer to the average NZer!!
Health insurance actually is of some benefit since you have to pay to go to the doctor. There is no medicare, so if you have insurance you will recoup some of the costs.
The whole country is rugby mad and will expect you to be humbly accepting the recent defeat. If you say you have no idea wtf they are on about they WILL NOT BELIEVE YOU! :laughing:
Many people commute, the motorway does get quite congested, but if you have lived in Sydney then you probably won't think the traffic is very bad in Auckland. The public transport system isn't as good as Sydney.
The food in NZ is beautiful. Prepare to enjoy the chocolate (its better), the icecream, and the things you can buy at your local bakery.
The weather is average in NZ. Its the thing us kiwis enjoy the most about Australia. The wind in NZ is often freeeeezing and the summer days do get nice but summer doesn't seem to last long. The weather is very changeable and kiwis are quite obsessed by it.
Good luck. I think you will like it. The people are nice and the culture is interesting.
Okay, so now I am homesick :(
Okay, so now I am homesick
:crying: stoppit!! Me too...
Hi I live in Auckland.
PP are right - Manakau is a big area with lots of suburbs - some not so great at all.
It would be quite feasible for you to live out of that area tho and hubby to travel -
I live near Glendowie Montessori and that is about 30 minutes from Manukau.
Here is a link that might help.... I would base it more on a school you are happy with as the commute will not be as bad as in Sydney although the motorways can be quite congested depending on teh direction you are travelling.
http://www.montessori.org.nz/memberschools.shtml#auckland
Feel free to PM me and ask more specific questions about suburbs etc
I lived in Melbourne for 4 years and do miss it .... but it is all much of a muchness here.....sometings are better than oz ...some arent...but its what you make of it:thumbsup:
Alice
There is a reason so many Kiwis live in Oz... its really hard to survive in NZ at the moment. If you get any Centrelink, you probably won't in NZ. Power costs are huge in NZ. Cost of groceries similar except dairy and meat more expensive in NZ. Can do less overseas travel from NZ as $ worse less. On the up side no stamp duty, awesome scenery, compact country for holidays, skiing in winter, clean rivers and lakes. Ummm... lots of other points, but be sure the money is good, we were in Oz on $15k less than we are now earning in NZ and are struggling more in NZ and heading back to Oz. Can go into it a lot more if you want specifics, but if it's a great opportunity/job, money is good, moving costs paid and you can head back if you don't like it, then it would be a great chance. Oh... and if you love fish its much nicer in NZ lol.
ok, sounds like we need to sort of find out what is a good wage for sustainablility and what isn't?? And also work out the taxable rate on incomes etc
I work from home and will have to move the business over, so for a while we will have to just rely on his wage until I can do my thing over there.
I looked online at the Woolworths home shop (NZ) to find out the costs of food, they seem similar. We are not big meat eaters maybe once or twice a week.
I'm happy to live out of the hussle and bussle that Sydney has clouded us with. At the moment I travel 30 mins everyday to take the kids to school.
Kiwimay - Is it easy to make friends? I'm assuming that I will make a few from the kids and school. How did you find the living expenses? Thanks for the link, I will pop into it now.
How would you handle financial commitments in OZ if living in NZ?
JosieJo, how much would you approx pay per month or qter for elelcticity?
I'm sure we will know either way this week.
Gracie
mumx3littlies
28-09-2008, 08:15
:)Hi there. We are from NZ and have been here for 2 years. I would definately look into the wages etc that you will be getting cos as others have said the cost of living is really high compared to here.
We went back in December last year and spent $400 (in the supermarket) on food for 10 days where here we would spend about $250 max. Fruit and veges were VERY expensive.
Electricity is really expensive as well. My sister said their bill for last month was $300 and that is with no heating. There is only her, hubby and baby that live there and they work so are not even home much to use power:rolleyes::eek:
NZ is a beautiful country with great people but my advice would just be to do your homework first before committing to anything:DBest of luck with whatever you decide!
Tax rates are generally lower in NZ than Aust, but I would do some research to compare them if you know the wage you will be on.
When we first came to Aust we had bills still in NZ to pay, and we would send a lump sum over periodically by telegraphic transfer into a bank account we left open to cover direct debits to come out. We had the exchange rate in our favour, but unfortunately from NZ the exchange rate will be against you.
I think it is a livable place, you just may have to change things in your lifestyle a little really to make your money go further. There are always ways to tweak and save if you put thought into it.
I think you would make friends easily enough, it is really pretty easy when you have kids, there is always something in common to break the ice :) And kiwis on the whole are a really friendly bunch.
megaminz
28-09-2008, 11:31
There is a Montessori in Pukekohe. Pukekohe is about 30mins max south of Manukau unless traffic has gotten worse of late.
Puke is gorgeous, real cute little buzzing town, you will get cheaper vege and meat there cause of the surrounding farms etc... its always better to buy those things at greengrocers and butchers rather than supermarkets anyway.
I would personally live in Papakura (10mins south of manukau and halfway from manukau to puke) as its got a lot more nicer areas than manukau and the current MP there is just wonderful and doing heaps for the town (am biased my mum works for him).
Oops forgot to add I am sure there is a Montessori school in Manurewa or Papakura as my neice goes to one and my sister doesnt travel far so it has to be close...I can ask mum and find out...they are both a hop skip and jump to Manukau
Our powerbill is around $320/month here (about what we paid a quarter in Oz!).
Tax rates are actually higher in NZ because there is no taxfree threshhold, you pay tex from the first $1 you earn as opposed to Australia where the first $8k I think it is is taxfree. You can go to www.ird.govt.nz (http://www.ird.govt.nz) and www.ato.gov.au (http://www.ato.gov.au) and do the comparison, but I know we take home the same in NZ as we did in Australia, however the salary in Australia was $15k less (excluding the exchange rate) possibly a contributing factor is in NZ the super comes off the salary, in Australia the 9% is additional to the salary if that makes sense. On the upside forgot to mention the preschool system is far superior in NZ, 20 hours free childcare for 3+'s and kindergarten is free from 3 and excellent with minimal waiting lists. We are still supporting our house in Australia, just left it rented out with a couple of thou in the bank account and the rent pays for the mortgage and I pay the rates, insurance etc from our NZ credit card to avoid fees.
What are hospitals like and materinty in NZ? I just found out that I'm pregnant with a long awaited #3 after two M/C's
:smiliedance::smiliedance::smiliedance:
What are hospitals like and materinty in NZ? I just found out that I'm pregnant with a long awaited #3 after two M/C's
:smiliedance::smiliedance::smiliedance:
oh, you are in for a treat then. I was going to say that the maternity system over there is far superior to here, but didn't think it was relevant.
I am very jealous of my friends back in NZ who had babies the same time as me.
sucks for me, rocks for you! Lucky thing.
oh, and CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
What's better about NZ then OZ?
How would private health care cover work???
I had my other children privately here and really cannot complain, plus I love my OB.
Thank you for the congrats :hugs:
And also, how does he NZ Govt look upon me not being a citz having a baby over there?
Oh congrats!! Homebirth is FREE!! haha just had to put that in there ;)
When you want to get yourself a mw, you just ring up for a list of all those who are available in your area, and it details those who do homebirth, hospital birth or a combination, and then you just ring around and choose one you like, they look after you for your entire pregnancy barring complications which would necessitate seeing a doc or Ob or something, and it costs you not a penny. So much nicer.
And there are Birthing Centres all over the place, and unlike Australia where they are pretty much just hospital wards with some window dressing, they actually are pretty good places to have a bub in, as the mw's in NZ (If you choose one who is low interventionist) can be really quite cruisy, and they have greater autonomy and respect from the docs than mw's here generally do.
As an example, my sister had both her babies at a BC, it was a tiny one in a country town, and they actually only opened the place up when a woman was about to give birth, so when she was in labour, there was just her, us her support crew, mw and doctor in case he was needed. It was really intimate and lovely both times, the birthing room was like a hotel room, the hospital like area was down the corridor.
Although my sister had a doc present, her mw was clearly in charge of the whole thing, he was just backup. The way it should be ;)
I'm not sure what the deal is if you want an OB there just as a personal preference.
And also, how does he NZ Govt look upon me not being a citz having a baby over there?
Duh.
In my excitement I forgot about that...
Here is some info about the reciprocal healthcare agreement NZ and Aust have, which applies until you have resided in NZ for more than 2 years:
QUOTE: from www.waitematadhb.govt.nz
Visitors from Australia
Australian citizens and permanent residents visiting New Zealand on a temporary basis (less than two years)
can receive immediate necessary medical treatment in New Zealand under the Reciprocal Health Agreement.
This reciprocal agreement provides access to hospital services, pharmaceuticals or maternity services that
are urgently needed. These services are the same services that New Zealanders receive. The patient needs to
show a current passport to receive treatment under this Reciprocal Health Agreement.
Existing conditions are covered only where treatment is necessary for the diagnosis, alleviation or care of the
condition requiring urgent treatment. There is a special provision for visitors to get renal dialysis while in
New Zealand. This has to be arranged in advance with the hospital where the treatment is to occur.
Maternity services required during birth, labour and the immediate postnatal period are covered under the
Reciprocal Health Agreement, as is any maternity service that is required urgently. However, routine
antenatal services are not covered and the visitor can expect to be charged for these services.Visitors who need ongoing supplies of medication can take a reasonable supply into New Zealand. A letter
from the prescribing GP confirming the details of the medication is recommended, and may need to be shown
to customs officials. Many medicines are subject to import controls and there is a need to for the visitor to
get formal approval in advance from Australia giving permission to bring restricted medicines into New
Zealand.
Visitors requiring dialysis treatment are also covered under this agreement. Arrangements need to be made
well in advance, usually by the person’s Australian specialist liaising with their New Zealand counterpart.
If treatment qualifies under the Reciprocal Health Agreement, the visitor will receive the same medical
treatment as New Zealanders receive, but it may be different to the treatment provided in Australia. This
means that payment can be expected to be made for:
· for visits to a GP, except for emergency maternity visits
· for GP-referred laboratory and diagnostic tests
· for private specialists
· full costs for prescription items prescribed by a GP when not associated with an inpatient acute
event.
The Reciprocal Health Agreement does not cover any medical treatment that a person travels specifically to
New Zealand to receive.
I'm not sure what the deal is if you want an OB there just as a personal preference.
From memory it is just like Aust really...purchase private health insurance, and you can birth in a private hospital.
What happens though I'm obviously an Aussie if I have a baby over there. Do they have a baby bonus like here in Aus? Is the baby then a NZ citz?
What happens to my health insurance here? Do they have NIB over in NZ.
Oh dear...when it rains it pours....
And thanks for the congrats :hugs: After two m/c's I'm praying this ones sticks :goodvibes:
No baby bonus in NZ.
About citizenship for baby...
Quote: from www.emigratenz.org
The Citizenship and Travel Documents Bill
New Zealand's internal affairs minister, George Hawkins, is introducing a new bill to make it harder for immigrants to become New Zealand citizens. Currently about 20,000 people receive New Zealand citizenship each year, the standard requirement for which is legal residence in New Zealand for the three years before applying.
* There will be a supplement to the bill to restrict citizenship by birth in New Zealand to the children of New Zealand citizens and residents. Currently, with few exceptions, babies born in New Zealand are New Zealand citizens. Some people have come to New Zealand on temporary permits solely to give birth so that their children will be NZ citizens. Under current law, these children are entitled to access publicly funded services such as health care and education. Restricting citizenship by birth will ensure that citizenship, and its benefits, are limited to people who have a genuine and ongoing link to New Zealand.
It may be more lenient for you as NZ and Aust have a reciprocal agreement, so you may just have to prove you intend to live in NZ for at least 2 years for your bub to get citizenship...something to look into further I guess.
oh thank you.....
I told DH he can move over and live in a cheap 1 bedda and fly back here every few weeks until I have bubs.
I love my Ob over here. I like the idea of a home birth but I trust my Ob completely and enjoy my obs sense of humor iywim.
Hopefully we will know by the end of the week.
You get a $1200 tax credit on having a baby, paid 12 week maternity leave if you are working for the 6 months prior to giving birth.
No need for private health care here. If you are working here 'permanently' you can get free maternity like a NZer can in Australia, to be elegible for that though you'd have to tell them you had moved for more than 2 years.
Maternity is normally midwife care - you get the same midwife the whole way through and they are present at the birth. I had my 1st bub here, 2nd in Australia. With my #1 we had a birthing suite complete with birthing pool, private room afterwards, and 2 midwifes present from start to finish (obviously if you need more specialised help you'd go to a proper hospital). Its probably very similar to what you'd receive at a lot of private hospitals in Australia.
Congratulations and good luck with your decision.
I'm self employed and work from home. I'm hoping to set the business up over there. Hopefully I'm covered then, it would be nice;)
Giving birth in NZ sounds lovely and relaxing!
DS was premmie as I was involved in a car accident. DD was a natural 48mins no pain relief. I'm pretty much an easy patient, when I get past 12 or so weeks.
I'm excited already about NZ.
If you are working here 'permanently' you can get free maternity like a NZer can in Australia, to be elegible for that though you'd have to tell them you had moved for more than 2 years.
Did you mean I need to tell them we are staying in NZ for two years as a permanent resident? or be in NZ for two years before giving birth.
I am getting excited.
Just tell them you are staying for at least 2 years as a PR (that you have emigrated permanently).
Ok then. I hope its 2 years or more. Wouldn't like to be on the move again so early.
thank you to all of you for all your help and info.
I'm sure if it goes through I will be asking loads more questions.
Gracie
Pregnant and on cloud :cloud9:
Hi Grace3
Congrats on your preg!
Yip the maternity system here is pretty good - was only me, mw and hubby at Sam's birth at the hospital - we then transferred to Birthcare ( like a maternity hotel ) you get three free nights there ( in a shared room - payfpr private).
As for friends.....there's me:wave: and I suggest you join a couple of forums here...( I will pm the sites if you like ) and then join the birth groups - they often meet up.
Is it poss that you husbands work will put you up in temp accom first so you can look around and get a feel for where you are??
Costs Winter power bill was about 220 amonth Summer 160.
Food - we spend around 150 a week for three of us so yes it can be expensive.
Cheese - 10.00 a kilo ( eek ) Bread 3.70 a loaf. Milk 3.50 for 2 litres.
Petrol at the mo is 1.93 a litre ( it was over $2 a few weeks ago )
Beer is cheaper tho.....
Not sure about transfering your health insurance...talk to NIB they may have partners here......
We have private health insurance....Southern Cross....docs fees are $45 per visit for you ( you can get some back through your cover) Kids under 5s free or minimal charge.
Noticed in some of the info apprenticeMumma gave it says you will be charged your routine antenatal visits....check that with your midwife - because they could be quite costly. I know a place in Botany ( near Manakau that does free scans.....hopefully that will apply to you too)
Hope that is helpful.
Alice
Eleni's Mum
08-10-2008, 06:35
Hey there,
We just moved to Rotorua from OZ and I think like anything you need to shop around. My DD starts school next year (they start the Monday after they turn 5 not the beginning of the year) so we went on line and researched schools. NZ is open on school ratings so we picked an area according to the schools we like. Also the real estates were really honest in saying which areas to avoid living in which was great. We found there are a lot of expats at DH work which helped too.
Food prices - its all about where you shop, go to markets for F&V, we can buy milk and bread for $4, but you can pay that for each if you go to higher end stores. Petrol is expensive but things are closer so we dont drive so much.
First 20hr of childcare is free but shop around cause some centres are only open half days.
The weather is colder but we lived in Canada for 12 months so compared to that its definitely warmer! And yes its really pretty!
Congrats on the pregnancy, I have to say I'm excited about the midwifery care I've been reading about here, looking forward to that kind of care!:)
And beware needing to pay for things in OZ, the exchange rate sucks, we still have mony in OZ to pay for a few things but need to wait 6 months b4 getting a new loan to refinance so we can pay in it NZ$ instead. Thats probably our only real problem. Everything else is what you make it.:D
Mumsyagain
04-02-2009, 10:53
I think you have been given some pretty good info on NZ. We actually did the opposite and came over to OZ when my second babe was 7wks old. Moving is very stressful - especially if you do it in winter when the boats have to get thru some pretty rough seas - delays etc.
Totally agree with the food, chocolate (that is a food) and ice cream etc - FANTASTIC.
We came from Christchurch which has CRAZY weather. Don't get too hung up on the weather - you will be cold anyway until you acclimatise. North Island is much warmer than south, but South Island is much more beautiful AND much better at RUGBY! hahaha!
NZ tries to embrace absolutely every different culture in the world - which sometimes has the effect of wiping out our own individuality.
Cost of living IS more expensive - one of the reasons we came over here, so that I could stay home with the kids rather than have the frenetic life we once had of chasing between Montessori and work etc etc.
Good luck - wish we could afford to live there.
kiwibird27
14-04-2010, 08:14
Hey guys this is an old thread but I thought I would try and get some response... We are moving over to Nelson with our gorgeous 4 year old disabled child with medical issues, Don't suppose any of you have any experience with special education or the health system???
kiwibird27
14-04-2010, 08:15
And Please check the immigration site carefully.. I know as a New Zealander we cannot become permanent residents in Australia at the moment as we have a disbled child... thats why we are moving back!!
kiwibird - I hope all goes well with your move!!
We have just put our house here in Brisbane on the market, so hopefully I'll be back in NZ permanently on the next few months!
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.1.9 Copyright © 2013 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.