Emigrating to NZ? I've been here 9 years and want to help

Hey Josephine how are you, can I ask what sort of work you are envisioning yourself doing? Where and what are you studying and how far can you travel?

Reason I'm asking all this is so I can point you in the right direction for what you want

Kind regards
Anil

Hi Anil,

I was interested to see your post and thought I'd "pick your brains" if you don't mind.

I was born in Rotorua NZ, I have a NZ passport. Finally after 40 years living in Scotland my wife and kids have decided they would like to move to North Island NZ and see how we all get on there.

My job background for the past 25 years has been in Oil and Gas industry. My main role being as an Offshore Pedestal Crane Operator. The Past 10 years I have also been working as a Trainer and Assessor of crane operators and personnel involved in Lifting Operations. I have UK based certificates so my first question is:

1: Do you know if it is it a long drawn out process to have my Certificates/ Qualifications checked to see if they are transferrable to NZ qualifications?

2:If I am struggling to find a job in my line of work would I be able to apply for casual work as something like a Courier driver or postie etc on my UK driving license to have some income coming in?

3: We have a pet dog ( West Highland Terrier) - he has had Rabies vaccination and we are going through the process with our vet of all tests/checks he needs for Quarantine rules. We were hoping to rent out our house here and rent a house in NZ for up to a year then decide wether or not to sell up in UK. From searches online I don't see many rental houses that will let you have a dog?
Can you recommend any websites I could look at for Rental Properties please.

Kind Regards,
David

Hi Anil, I got an offer to study in Canterbury university for bachelors in science forestry in 2019 session but I am a little worried about the news of student scams and not giving them PR  or work opportunities as promised. My intention is PR, i am not ashamed to admit that. Is it true that companies in NZ are warned not to hire international students even though they say that they will? I know it all depends on the individual skills and what not but I'd like to know whether NZ is taking the same path as UK by making it harder for international students to get full time work in their line of studies.
Hope to hear from you

Hi David, thank you very much for forwarding your questions to me and I appreciate the effort you've put in, I'm no expert but below i've tried to answer your questions with the knowledge I have, I hope you find them useful, please let me know either way.

Here goes:

1: Do you know if it is it a long drawn out process to have my Certificates/ Qualifications checked to see if they are transferrable to NZ qualifications?

I've done a little digging around it looks like for formal qualification the NZQA take around 35 days

I've done a little digging around for you and found these sites may be of use to you:
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications- … fications/https://www.immigration.govt.nz/formshe … ifications


2:If I am struggling to find a job in my line of work would I be able to apply for casual work as something like a Courier driver or postie etc on my UK driving license to have some income coming in?
Absolutely you can, with UK licence you can pop into any branch of the AA which are dotted about everywhere and can apply for an NZ licence, you don't even need to complete any tests anymore. You just fill in the form and in a couple of weeks you'll have a an NZ licence.:

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/driver-licence … r-licence/




3: We have a pet dog ( West Highland Terrier) - he has had Rabies vaccination and we are going through the process with our vet of all tests/checks he needs for Quarantine rules. We were hoping to rent out our house here and rent a house in NZ for up to a year then decide wether or not to sell up in UK. From searches online I don't see many rental houses that will let you have a dog?
Can you recommend any websites I could look at for Rental Properties please.

My suggestion for this is to just search "letting Agents" for Rotorua or wherever you are planning to move to and then email agents and register with them, i'd start with the bigger agents first such as Harcourts, Ray White and Barfoot and Thompson,

Hope that helps

Hey there, NZ is very multinational and cosmopolitan, i've found since i've been here employers here focus more on team fit and attitude more than qualifications and experience. That's not to say you can go for jobs you have no skill in you need the basic skills.
One thing I have noticed is that the job market is very slow, it takes me between 4-8 weeks to get a job here.

Hi Anil,

Thanks very much for your effort and reply.

I have been looking at the Bay Of Plenty but somewhere around Tauranga as my daughter has seen a good course she wants to attend at College there, will hopefully be job opportunities there for my wife and son and I and also I have fond memories of day trips there to  "The Mount".

I'll search those sites you sent me links for and hopefully things will become a bit clearer.

Thanks again,
David

Thanks man. I'll keep an eye out for the job sector. I was very confident in the studies because of its demand in the long term skills list, which I've been checking every day just to make sure I land in the position I'm intending to.
If you have any advice for a student like me, it will be highly appreciated.

Hi Anil,

Thank you for an opportunity to ask a few questions re NZ.

I am considering business immigration and would appreciate an down to Earth advice re living in NZ, as I am choosing between SG and NZ.

(01) What is considered a "decent" or a high speed internet? I mean, it is pretty straightforward to get 200/60 Mbps (UL/DL) fiber optic line for about USD 35 per month for a foreigner in TH without long term contract (where I live now). Is internet really as slow in NZ as they publish in the news? Can you get a fast 4G there? "Fast" I mean at least 20/20 Mbps.

(02) What are the most livable rural areas around Wellington or elsewhere in NZ that you may suggest to save on the rental fees? I mean that I can comfortably live alone without any neighbours around.

(03) Do you know if there are condos with a shared swimming pool in NZ? I couldn't find any of these online. These are quite popular in TH, that is a way to bear with neighbors for a good pool in exchange.

(04) I realize that I will have to pay 28% Worldwide (ouch) income taxes there. That is smaller than in the UK but far more than in SG. Is it easy to write off your life expenses to save on taxes? I mean, do I need to hire a certified tax specialist / company to handle this tax burden, or could I do all that stuff myself "easily" online, as they advertise it? Good news is that the taxes are fixed to 28% and no more hidden taxes. Is this true in real life? (Well, besides the 15% GST on everything you buy and import - ouch2).

(05) What about medicine? Is it good enough to rely on the gov. Hospitals? How much to expect from private hispitals in charges? I have been through some uneasy experiences here in TH due to an road accident and need to check if I am eligible health wise first.

(06) Are the roads as crazy dangerous as they talk about in the media? Some compare the Kiwi driving to a highly provocative degree of a danger, to put it politely.

(07) Is it true that police may stop your car and demand to check your belongings without apparent reason and you would have to prove yourself innocent?

These are some basic questions.

I would really appreciate your input based on your personal experience.

I understand that I have to experience it all by myself to get a "real feel" of the living there, but I hope that your feedback would not suger coat the issues.

Thank you very much in advance for your reply.

Hi Anil,

I'd like to take you up on your offer as we'd like to move from the UK to Auckland in July (if not before) - thank you!

1. I've read people complaining of issues getting their first job - something about the catch 22 of needing 'NZ experience' - the concept of which kind of baffles me - do you know what this is about? (and what I can do to prevent it getting in the way?). This is making me think I should be applying now as I can go early and I don't want to be fruitlessly looking for a job because of this of barrier.

2. Order of tasks - deadlines/priorities for a July move. What needs to be done for when? Does the visa need doing well in advance?

3. How do I find out what salary/perks I should expect? I've noticed that in NZ they don't put salary ranges in most job vacancies which is going to put me in a very poor negotiating position as with anywhere, there are plenty of businesses who could take advantage of that.

Background:
I'm a Senior Network Engineer working in IT. I have extensive certifications and plenty of experience, but no degree. I've never emigrated before.
My partner already has a degree and is going to be studying for a 2nd degree.
Both of us are under 28 years old and are going together - we're not married.

Hi Anwanti

My husband is in the process of applying for LTSSL work visa as he is now a fully qualified NZ Electrician.

I would just like to ask, how would we go about financing a vehicle? My husband have a job offer in Auckland, but we would just like to know if buying a car, do we need to buy it cash or will we be able to get finance?
If we could buy a vehicle on finance, what is the requirements?

Would appreciate your assistance with information.

Thanks

Leenie

Hi there.....Its so nice to find someone like you. I'm in South Africa desperately wanting to join my children in Wellington. The Child Sponsor facility has been placed on hold indefinitely by the N.Z. govt. Im currently studying a TEFL and Young Learners course to assist me with points and obtain work in N.Z. But it seems so difficult to get there now with the changes. Any advice?

Much appreciated
CONNIE

Hi Anil,

So basically, at the moment I'm in Sri Lanka and I'm looking to move to NZ to study something in the field of Data Analytics. Preferably a Postgraduate Qualification. Frankly, more than me getting into my studies or me graduating I'm a lot more worried about finding a job afterwards. I'm aware that Engineering, specially Building & Construction and Civil are very much in demand there at the moment, but something like this doesn't seem to be. I have a few acquaintances in NZ at the moment who are finding it very hard to be employed there. Could you advise me on this?

Regards,
SL_Realist

Hi..............I sent you a message on 1 Aug 2017. No reply from you. thank you for offering but your no reply is of no help.

Regards CONNIE

Hi Anil,

It is great to see your post and willingness to help people aspiring to move to NZ.

I am an Indian citizen with 15+ years of experience in design and development of heavy machineries (mechanical design of power turbines). I have M. Tech. Degree from IIT Kanpur so I applied for EOI under Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) which was selected on 20th September 2017, still waiting for ITA.

I do know that it is a long and tiring process but I am trying to get a job offer which could probably accelerate the process (I am not sure though). Can you please provide some leads/contacts/recommendation. If you want to know more about me, we can talk offline as well.

Looking forward to hear from you.

Thanks
Spremkr

Hi, Finding a job is difficult in NZ or that matter anywhere at this moment in time, but it is just a case of getting yourself out there and networking with the right people.
My suggestion to you is not to focus to much of your attention on the future and getting that job so much, I suggest you focus on where you are at now and attaining your first goal which is to get into NZ and securing a place on a course. Whilst on the course you should look on meetup.com and actively join groups that are appropriate in your field, in Auckland there are many Big Data groups, there you will meet many people often those who are looking to hire.

I hope this helps

Anil

Hi Connie, sorry for my late response. Unfortunately I have little knowledge of immigration policy.
My only suggestion is to keep following up with your local office and if you think you are making no progress contact NZ immigration directly in Wellington

Sorry I could not be of more assistance.

But good luck.

Regards
Anil