Help/Advice Needed about relocation to NZ

lmclmf2009 wrote:

Hello Everyone,

I was hoping you could offer some advice to us.  My husband, myself and our 7 year old daughter are considering a move to NZ in the next year or so.  We are from the U.S. but currently reside in the Dominican Republic.  We had a few questions we hoped you could answer and also offer any advice.

Thanks.

1. What area would be best for a family to move to that would have a good school, job availability and also easy access to either public transportation or walking distance to stores?

2. What would a 2/3 bedroom home cost to rent per month?  We hope to have a fenced yard for our dogs

3. How difficult is it to find a job?  My husband is a laborer.  He can do just about anything.

4, Is there a fee to attend any of the primary schools there?

5.What are the average costs  for groceries, electricity, gas, cable, internet and basic mobile?  Based on a normal family of 3?  Again, just an approximation?

6. How do most people search for rentals and jobs?  Internet? newspaper?

I suggest you read through the posts in the forum categories list, upper right hand side of this page. There is good information there.
Then post some specific questions.

I moved here from the USA about 3 years ago. I live in the Auckland area as that is where most of the jobs seem to be. If your husband is a labourer he could most likely find work in Christ Church which is a little cheaper to live in than the Auckland area. Weather wise living in Christ Church would be comparable to living in Southern Missouri or possibly Kentucky. Not very much below freezing in the winter but usually gets a bit of snow now and then. The north island is warmer but a bit more expensive. Living in the Auckland area is about the same as living in LA as far as cost of living goes. Cheaper than San Fransisco or NYC but much more expensive than the midwest. I used an agency to get a job here and I would not do it any other way. It let me utilise my time to work on the actual immigration process which is quite time consuming while that agency set up the job interview and helped me with my licensure. (I am in the medical profession)  Go to www.trademe.co.nz to get an idea of house prices in different areas. Good luck on your venture.