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Moving to NZ

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  • 21-06-2018 4:08pm
    #1
    Korma
    Registered Users Posts: 3 ✭


    Hey, myself and my girlfriend are moving to Auckland in two weeks time and are looking for any last minute tips/advice before we head over! I’m hoping to find work as a secondary school teacher and am currently in the process of registering with the NZ teaching council.

    If anyone can help in terms of the following...

    What parts of Auckland to look for accommodation

    How to find work as a teacher

    Pro’s & con’s about moving to NZ!

    Many thanks!


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    #2
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users Posts: 24,469 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    Auckland is a massive sprawling mess so be prepared to spend half you life in traffic. Housing is also very expensive, rents worse than Dublin.
    Nearly all rentals are unfurnished, this means no fridge, microwave, dishwasher etc as well as furniture.

    Not sure on the teaching front tbh, but there has been plenty in the news recently about schools in auckland struggling for teachers because the salaries are too low to live on in the city. Rumours of teacher strike action happening at some point this year. Consider other locations potentially?

    Pros: relaxed attitude, lower taxes, outdoor scene, lifestyle, weather generally much better than Ireland, v8's are affordable, stunning country to travel around to.
    Cons: its the middle of winter, expensive for many things compared to Ire (furniture; no Ikea for example to drive prices down), terrible housing standards, labour government ****ing things up at the moment.


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    #3
    Mrs OBumble
    Registered Users Posts: 25,676 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    Standard advice:

    Drop, cover, hold. This is what to do in an earthquake. Remember it, because you never know when you'll have to do it.

    Slip, slop, slap. For summertime: slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat. NZ has this yellow thing called "sun" which can burn if you're not careful.


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    #4
    Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
    Registered Users Posts: 3,236 ✭✭✭Dr. Kenneth Noisewater


    Mrs OBumble wrote: »
    Slip, slop, slap. For summertime: slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat. NZ has this yellow thing called "sun" which can burn if you're not careful.

    Imperative advice. That sun is extremely strong, even when it doesn't feel hot. There's no Ozone over NZ. I was there in Jan and I never burn but I was red after less than 20 mins outside there.


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    #5
    onrail
    Registered Users Posts: 1,022 ✭✭✭onrail


    Cookie_Monster wrote: »
    labour government ****ing things up at the moment.

    Location - New Plymouth...

    ...anything to do with the Oil & Gas ban? ;)

    Yeah OP, all of the above is pretty true. The winter here can be pretty miserable at times, but just wait it out because the summer is amazing!

    Get a car pretty quickly as it'll make everything so much easier - especially getting out to the beaches during the summer. You can get plenty for less than $2000 and insurance is dirt cheap.

    Housing-wise, don't be afraid to go for a flatshare in your first couple of months. There are no minimum leases on sharing arrangements so its a good idea to help you get settled in and get a feel for the place before committing to something more long term.

    We're actually moving home from Auckland in about a month but would stay if we could. We'll be selling a few bits (furniture, car etc.) if that's any help!


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    #6
    Amalgam
    Registered Users Posts: 6,026 ✭✭✭Amalgam


    Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: »
    There's no Ozone over NZ.

    I had to have a quick Google.. amazing, never knew about this.

    For OP or anyone else, from local NZ press.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10833172

    Research shows the atmosphere above the Antarctic is healing much earlier than expected, but skin cancer experts say the sun's fierce rays are still dangerous.


    New Zealand's ozone hole is shrinking for the first time in 30 years.

    The depleted ozone layer - in part responsible for a 14 per cent jump in melanoma over the past decade - is healing itself, 25 years after an international ban on aerosols blamed for its rapid decline.

    Research by a University of Canterbury atmospheric scientist has found that the hole is making a slow recovery, sooner than expected.

    "Ozone levels above Antarctica are projected to return to 1980 levels - previous to the ozone hole - after 2050," said Dr Adrian McDonald.


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    #7
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users Posts: 24,469 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    onrail wrote: »
    Location - New Plymouth...

    ...anything to do with the Oil & Gas ban? ;)

    not particularly but that's just one symptom of it. The general incompetence, tax increases, diplomatic embarrassments and destruction of business confidence are the main reasons


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    #8
    BlackEdelweiss
    Registered Users Posts: 1,529 ✭✭✭BlackEdelweiss


    Go to Australia if you are going to sit through 28 hours of travelling. Might as well get off the plane somewhere decent.


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    #9
    Timmyr
    Registered Users Posts: 369 ✭✭Timmyr


    Good advice above, but rental costs are not all that bad. I moved here from Dublin and I am paying significantly less here.
    Also as mentioned above almost all houses are unfurnished, a lot of stuff can be got cheap on Trademe.co.nz or better again get a flat share thats already furnished by current tenants.
    As CookieMonster said, traffic can be a nightmare here so I would advise sorting a job before getting accommodation so you can be close to work. But if you are keen to get a place first then I recommend anywhere around Mount Eden/Dominion road, seems to be where a lot of Irish live
    Earthquakes are not really an issue in Auckand, havnt had one since I got here. They are mainly further south
    And ignore the Australia advice, I have lived both places and I can tell you that in my opinion NZ is way better.
    Need any advice just drop me a pm.
    Do you play football/hurling?


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    #10
    Korma
    Registered Users Posts: 3 ✭Korma


    Timmyr wrote: »
    Good advice above, but rental costs are not all that bad. I moved here from Dublin and I am paying significantly less here.
    Also as mentioned above almost all houses are unfurnished, a lot of stuff can be got cheap on Trademe.co.nz or better again get a flat share thats already furnished by current tenants.
    As CookieMonster said, traffic can be a nightmare here so I would advise sorting a job before getting accommodation so you can be close to work. But if you are keen to get a place first then I recommend anywhere around Mount Eden/Dominion road, seems to be where a lot of Irish live
    Earthquakes are not really an issue in Auckand, havnt had one since I got here. They are mainly further south
    And ignore the Australia advice, I have lived both places and I can tell you that in my opinion NZ is way better.
    Need any advice just drop me a pm.
    Do you play football/hurling?

    Thanks everyone for your input!
    Looking forward to it now. We have a small temporary room with a friend in Greenlane while we find our feet. We will be moving from Dublin where rent is currently sky high so that’s good to hear.
    Yeah I play GAA and soccer and I hope to join a team over there if possible! Are there a good few to choose from?

    Also, does anyone have any info/tips regarding what bank to go with over there? And what is the best way to transfer money from an Irish account to an NZ account?

    Cheers!


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    #11
    Timmyr
    Registered Users Posts: 369 ✭✭Timmyr


    Korma wrote: »
    Thanks everyone for your input!
    Looking forward to it now. We have a small temporary room with a friend in Greenlane while we find our feet. We will be moving from Dublin where rent is currently sky high so that’s good to hear.
    Yeah I play GAA and soccer and I hope to join a team over there if possible! Are there a good few to choose from?

    Also, does anyone have any info/tips regarding what bank to go with over there? And what is the best way to transfer money from an Irish account to an NZ account?

    Cheers!

    Yeah Greenlane is pretty near the area I mentioned. 
    There are 4 clubs in Auckland at the moment, Harps, Celtic, Marist Rangers and St. Pats.
    Harps is my club and is based around the Mt Eden area.
    I assume most banks are the same, I'm with ANZ and have no complaints so far 
    I transferred money with Currency Fair, have only done it once though because the first transfer had no charges if I recall correctly


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    #12
    cnocbui
    Registered Users Posts: 19,691 ✭✭✭✭cnocbui


    Korma wrote: »
    Thanks everyone for your input!
    Looking forward to it now. We have a small temporary room with a friend in Greenlane while we find our feet. We will be moving from Dublin where rent is currently sky high so that’s good to hear.
    Yeah I play GAA and soccer and I hope to join a team over there if possible! Are there a good few to choose from?

    Also, does anyone have any info/tips regarding what bank to go with over there? And what is the best way to transfer money from an Irish account to an NZ account?

    Cheers!

    For transferring money, set up a verified Currencyfair.com account before you leave - use them to convert between currencies and transfer the funds as banks are a rip-off.


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    #13
    david.mcgrath1
    Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭david.mcgrath1


    Hi,

    Thanks for all the information guys!
    I am an Irish Primary Teacher moving to NZ in the end of August. Have a job in Devonport.. Just wondering, where would best place be to live with public transport, that is easy access!
    I have being looking into Takapuna??


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    #14
    onrail
    Registered Users Posts: 1,022 ✭✭✭onrail


    david.mcgrath1 wrote: »
    Hi,

    Thanks for all the information guys!
    I am an Irish Primary Teacher moving to NZ in the end of August. Have a job in Devonport.. Just wondering, where would best place be to live with public transport, that is easy access!
    I have being looking into Takapuna??

    Yeah - Takapuna or North Shore would suit you rightly and have buses etc, and both are pretty nice. Anywhere over the bridge would be a bit of hassle, but just about do-able with the ferries etc.


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    #15
    smackyB
    Registered Users Posts: 747 ✭✭✭smackyB


    david.mcgrath1 wrote: »
    Hi,

    Thanks for all the information guys!
    I am an Irish Primary Teacher moving to NZ in the end of August. Have a job in Devonport.. Just wondering, where would best place be to live with public transport, that is easy access!
    I have being looking into Takapuna??

    Am currently living in Devonport but moving back to Ireland next month after 3 years out here. If you're working in Devonport I would try to get a place to rent there. Takapuna is nice but there's only one road you can take from there to Devonport and it can pretty awful during rush hour. There are (painted) bike lanes on the road though so cycling is an option to beat the traffic.


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