Anyone in NZ

frag420

HI,

I am seriously considering leaving Ireland and starting afresh abroad. Recently I have been seeing loads of adds for work in NZ and I have researched living there, social life, cost of living etc but I would like to hear from any Irish over there who have moved in the last few yrs.

I am 31. Have I left it too late?

What is the job market like?

How easy is it to settle over there?

What is the cost of living like of there?

I need to know the advantages and disadvantages to living there.

Any and all help appreciated. Would like to thin I could be gone before the end of the yr.


Cheers

frAg

Claasman

frag420 wrote: »

HI,

I am seriously considering leaving Ireland and starting afresh abroad. Recently I have been seeing loads of adds for work in NZ and I have researched living there, social life, cost of living etc but I would like to hear from any Irish over there who have moved in the last few yrs.

I am 31. Have I left it too late?

What is the job market like?

How easy is it to settle over there?

What is the cost of living like of there?

I need to know the advantages and disadvantages to living there.

Any and all help appreciated. Would like to thin I could be gone before the end of the yr.


Cheers

frAg

1. depends on what skills you have
2. www.seek.co.nz and www.trademe.co.nz for jobs in your area.
3. settling?, depends on the person/location/contacts
4. pay is generally less that ireland but the gap closes the more qualification/experience you have. cost of living is similar, good/healthy supermarket food is expensive.
5. disadvantages, opposite side of the world if you need to go home,

frag420

I currently work in online advertising/marketting and have experience in print also. I intend on up-skilling some more in the Digital field before I make the move.

Different side of the world to Ireland does not sound like much of a disadvantage to me.

Is there much Irish over there? What a bout standard of living compared to Ireland?

thanks,

frAg

annsie17

I have just moved to NZ to CHCH in Feb not the best time. I have met lots of people no kiwi's really as friends but lots of Irish and English they are more friendly than the kiwi's.

i am considering moving home because I cant keep listening to how fantastic kiwis are at everything how they save the world. i think they are the most narcistic.

it is really expensive here for just normal things like clothes, underwear (i am a girl and nice bra's are 50% more expensive than in UK where I lived for a period of time), food, eating out, booze (but boy have they some nice white wines) Books, CD DVD all the things you spend your spare change on in UK and Ireland are hugely expensive in NZ. I order everything from UK as it drops the price by 50% including postage and packaging. Therefore keep a bank acc in europe.

when i was looking for a job it was all about the local experience if you didnt have or network enough the job wasnt there for you. I was lucky i found a job within a month of looking but some of the people i have met have been most unfortunate and been 6 - 12 months looking for jobs!

I feel that the dream is a very sour one for us. Its so unfortunate our timing moving here although as i have prem residency we can come back and try somewhere else but need to lick wounds inflicted and come back in a few years I think. the earthquake really didnt help but who could have predicted that.

i think you should have your eyes wide open i know people here who would never return to ireland as NZ is bees knees I also am one of and know others that its not the dream!. make sure you have an escape fund always available as without life could be miserable!

kiwipower

annsie17 While I disagree with your comments about Kiwi's. We are Fantastic! We do our bit for the world! We are WORLD FAMOUS (IN NZ)

I do agree it will not be the bees knees and the dream for everyone. No more than any country/town or place.

I have been noticing since I joined this forum that a sectrion of disaffected people in Ireland are begining to believe that if they pack their bags and head to either NZ or OZ they will be welcomed with open arms, given a job a home and permanent residence just like that.

I think you are wise to point out that it may not be such. You may find when you move that you are jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Anyone considering taking to immigration as a solution to lifes issues needs to be very clear on their reasons for doing it and have grounded expectations of what they will get once they are there, and be prepared to work hard and for things not to just fall into place. (I know I am in my third counry in 15years!)

If you have already made they move do make the most of it. My advise is always make an attempt to get to know the locals, you will eventually find the ones you will click with, but staying within the click of people from your home country will always reduce your chances of doing this. (Personally while I know of other Kiwis and Australians in Ireland, over the last 10years other than work nights out I have never had a drink with another kiwi or Ozzie.) To get to know the locals you need to do a bit of Cultural Immersion.

annsie17

We moved here as my husband is a kiwi and he wanted to spend some time here. he moved abroad about 10 years ago. he feels the same as me.

Bearing in mind that Christchurch has gone through the worst time recently i still wouldnt think that NZ is anything like what anyone thinks.

I have a large group of kiwi friends when we lived in UK and some of them have moved back and have changed for the worst. Narrow minded tunnell visioned would be words that i would use about them now. They were never this when they were abroad.

I know about cultural immersion but do kiwi's. I have been abroad for many years and never had a problem settling anywhere. I realise that age changes things but i have lived in cultures where there was another language to contend with also and nothing like here.

Are you a flight risk what is your first question to new people how long do you plan to stay!. Whats that all about. oh its about checking whether or not it is worth putting in time with a person.

While i see your point about people being unhappy in ireland but are they any happier here. I dont think so. If you are running from something its normally something within you and therefore it comes with you. I think that is a point the people forget. If you are unhappy in Ireland what means that you will be happy in NZ or OZ. While a change of circumstances / country could be a good thing it could make the problem beam like a lighthouse for you. A problem follows until you deal with it!

I had been here a number of times before we moved and didnt think it would be this strange. Maybe a different city would make a difference but for us it would defeat the other purpose of being in NZ. Also there is no rugby in Christchurch a big enough reason for my husband to say we can go now!.

2.8trooper

we moved from wicklow to nelson in september and whilst it has taken a long time to get settled(i have never lived abroad) i have comfortably found a group of friends with likeminded intrests which has helped greatly,also coming froma semi rural wicklow to almost the same in nelson its quite easy to adjust,whilst not having a major city within commutable distances doesnt help with job prospects,i am from the contstruction industry which i wouldnt have much intrest in getting into here its quite different and not as well payed as home was,so i looked elsewhere and eventually found a job which pays the bills and will give future promotional prospects.
i havent met a fellow irish person yet mostly english and american here would be nice to chat about ireland now and agian but im in no hurry to have irish companions only.most friends i have made are kiwi and i havent really noticed the we are the bees knees attitude maybe its the aera you are in?
back to o.p. its expensive here so budget as much as you can before coming over euro is king when converting or sterling even better bring as much as you can possibly save give yourself a comfortable head start dont bother bringing cars etc they are plentiful here.
but do bring a good quality wardrobe clothing is quite expensive and the cheap stuff really isnt worth buying.
research the aeras you are thinking of settling in thoroughly,city rural town etc and then cross refrence your preferred place with jobs on trademe to get an idea of availability.distances between places here a far greater than home.
hope thsi helps

spunkymunky

Hey Frag

Quick question. What visa are you looking at getting? As far as i know you have to be 30 or under to get a working holiday visa. Just thought id throw it out there.

I loved New Zealand, lived in Queenstown for 10 months. Party central and had a great time. Dont think I could ever live there long term but was fun. My experience of Kiwis' is pretty good. My ex in Ireland was from Auckland and she introduced me to some wonderful people (both in Ireland and New Zealand). Didnt meet a whole lot in qtown so cant comment on the attitude. But the ones I did meet seemed ok.
It can be expensive there, i managed on min wage in qtwon for my day to day. Might have borrowed a bit from home for my ski pass and the odd pair of jeans. I dont think its any more expensive than home though. If you land a decent job you'll be fine!

aingeal_croi

My husband and our children are moving from Ireland to New Zealand in November this year because we have had literally enough of Ireland.

New Zealand standard of living is far better than that of Ireland for a start most houses are bungalow style almost all having their own backyard and space for children to play. Christchurch at the moment is very difficult to get a decent rental because a lot of houses are in need of repair after the earthquake... so we are staying with family until we are able to move to the North Island. Jobs in Auckland are plentiful in just about all areas you can check www.immigration.govt.nz for skill shortage lists they even have job shortages in the catering industry which is great! My husband is a chef and can not wait to soak up the lifestyle which is more laid back and despite what some people on this forum say we ARE among the most friendly in the world and we LOVE the Irish people. There are a good few Irish people living there most cities have a local Irish Society that get together on a regular basis and have dance competitions, their own little rose of tralee competition, GAA games and celebrate St Paddys day with a guinness and traditional fry ups (We cooked for them one year which was great fun!) You will never feel like a foreigner only when it comes to applying for your initial permits which I would suggest you go offshore before you go to New Zealand. They are processed through London and the processing times are by far shorter than if you lodge applications in New Zealand. Wellington Climate is windy and a bit more rainy, Auckland is a cracker and a mate of mine said the other day that its the 5th day of winter there and they were crackin on a 21 degree high!!

Downsides are the grocery prices are high and selection of items are not as varied as Ireland/Britain, the public transport systems are great, and you are never far away from the beach with real sand or a ski field with real snow. If you love the outdoors I would highly recommend it, The north of the south island is amazing with beautiful clear bays and inlets and golden sandy beaches, most of it untouched, that is a hotter part of the south Isalnd and where most of the Marlborough wines are produced, the West Coast of the south island has a wetter climate around Greymouth and Hokitika Up the top of the North Island is gorgeous... it is a far cry from Ireland but having said that Ireland is a beautiful country in its own right and has a lot of positive aspects to it. I guess we have just decided that for our kids future and the kind of relaxed lifestyle we are wanting to lead, NZ is the place. You dont have a daily fight for the most basic of things. If you want I can email you some more websites to look at if you want further info feel free to message me if you have any queries I have been through the NZ Immigration process before also.

kiwipower

aingeal_croi wrote: »

Auckland is a cracker and a mate of mine said the other day that its the 5th day of winter there and they were crackin on a 21 degree high!!

the public transport systems are great,

I would agree with most of what you said. Except for the bit about public transport. While I wouldnt know about Auckland. General public transport in other towns or between towns and cities is limited. For example when I lived in Wanganui a town with a population of around 40,000 on a good day, we lived about an hours walk (5km up hill) from town with no bus available to our suburb. Prior to that we where 30-40min walk from town (again up hill about 2.3km) again no bus route. Most people drive themselves, it is also one of the reasons that young people can apply for their learners licience on their 15th birthday! Thankfully cars (as long as you are not buying new) are inexpensive, mainly due to all the Japanese imports.

Also a word of warning, about the weather at the moment. I was talking to my grandparents this morning, and over the last few weeks. It sounds like weather wise they are getting a mild introdution to this winter in NZ