emmigrating to New Zealand

[grand cherokee]

might be a silly question to some but is there a Land Rover dealership in Dunedin/surrounding area as i'd take my Range Rover with me?

on a cold dank English winter morning the more i hear from you the better it looks moving to NZ

one big thing in my favour is that when/if i move i'll have no ties to the uk in terms of family etc - my parents are in their 90's and obviously won't last forever - would never move whilst they are alive as i live near them and help them etc

EDIT - just found Armstrong Land Rover in Dunedin - are they any good?

also if parts are not available in NZ how long does it take to get parts ex UK (assume 24/48 hours for small items) or is there a main depot in Aus?

Edited by grand cherokee on Sunday 10th March 09:19

[WhereamI]

grand cherokee said:

might be a silly question to some but is there a Land Rover dealership in Dunedin/surrounding area as i'd take my Range Rover with me?

on a cold dank English winter morning the more i hear from you the better it looks moving to NZ

one big thing in my favour is that when/if i move i'll have no ties to the uk in terms of family etc - my parents are in their 90's and obviously won't last forever - would never move whilst they are alive as i live near them and help them etc

Edited by grand cherokee on Sunday 10th March 09:13

There is, on Princes Street I think - Armstrong.

South Island does sound like the place for you, great scenery, hardly any people, lots of fishing etc.

[GravelBen]

uncinqsix said:

Check out Central Otago. It'll be right up your alley. Kind of like Scotland, but the temperature gets into the high 20s/early 30s in summer.

Make that high 30s/occasional early 40s, around Cromwell/Alexandra is seriously hot in summer. Queenstown and Wanaka a bit cooler but still get mid 30s pretty often. Flipside is it also gets quite cold in winter, but generally a dry crisp cold not a damp cold - Cromwell only gets 400mm of rainfall per year!

ETA: It sounds like work as a South Island hunting/fishing guide would be right up your alley, not sure about fishing but from what I've heard being a hunting guide doesn't pay that well unless you own the company - competition from young guys willing to do it for peanuts to live the lifestyle.

I expect you'll find things like masses of free public land hunting a bit of a change too, but I don't know how the UK system works to compare.

No problem for you to go shooting/hunting without a licence if you're supervised by a licence holder - legally they're supposed to be in a position to take control of the gun at any stage, so effectively its one gun in use per licence.

Edited by GravelBen on Sunday 10th March 09:56

[grand cherokee]

GravelBen said:

Make that high 30s/early 40s, around Cromwell/Alexandra is seriously hot in summer. Queenstown and Wanaka a bit cooler but still get mid 30s pretty often. Flipside is it also gets quite cold in winter, but generally a dry crisp cold not a damp cold - Cromwell only gets 400mm of rainfall per year!

ETA: It sounds like work as a South Island hunting/fishing guide would be right up your alley, not sure about fishing but from what I've heard being a hunting guide doesn't pay that well unless you own the company - competition from young guys willing to do it for peanuts to live the lifestyle.

I expect you'll find things like masses of free public land hunting a bit of a change too, but I don't know how the UK system works to compare.

No problem for you to go shooting/hunting without a licence if you're supervised by a licence holder - legally they're supposed to be in a position to take control of the gun at any stage, so effectively its one gun in use per licence.

Edited by GravelBen on Sunday 10th March 09:51

thanks Ben - as i'm coming up to be 60 i think my days as a stalking guide as over - the local guys know the species/terrain better and who am i as an 'incomer' to take a job from them?

maybe the fishing scenario is better? - as i said it seems like fly fishing for Chinooks is in its infancy? - maybe a chance to teach European methods such as Spey casting etc (these tactics have been 'exported' successfully worldwide)

also i've been 'trading' in second hand fishing tackle - companies like House of Hardy seem to be popular in NZ so with UK contacts this could be another avenue to consider?

anyway guys - so many thanks

keep the comments coming

[GravelBen]

grand cherokee said:

maybe the fishing scenario is better? - as i said it seems like fly fishing for Chinooks is in its infancy? - maybe a chance to teach European methods such as Spey casting etc (these tactics have been 'exported' successfully worldwide)

also i've been 'trading' in second hand fishing tackle - companies like House of Hardy seem to be popular in NZ so with UK contacts this could be another avenue to consider?

Worth looking into, I don't know anything about fishing to help you out sorry! http://www.fishnhunt.co.nz/forum/YaBB.cgi has a fairly active fishing section I think.

[Bapple]

I'm in mid Canterbury and it seems the hunting and fishing industry is growing every year,. I am sure you would find a niche. Might want to read up on fishing in "braided rivers" though!

[grand cherokee]

ClaphamGT3 said:

Just a thought, esp as you're single; 50 miles from the nearest house might be great now - and I hope for many years to come - but, if you get a bit doddery, would you not be better a little closer to civilisation?

ok 50 miles was probably too high - lets say 5 miles - lol!

[grand cherokee]

Bapple said:

I'm in mid Canterbury and it seems the hunting and fishing industry is growing every year,. I am sure you would find a niche. Might want to read up on fishing in "braided rivers" though!

had a look at 'braided rivers' - challenging to say the least

it seems that i might have something to 'offer' with my various fishing skills?

the last thing that i want to do is be an 'incomer' taking jobs from locals - hence my thoughts on fly fishing for the Chinoooks?

tackle trading is another option as previously noted - split cane fishing rods are in big demand and prices - need to check out the NZ market?

historically the UK in the form of House of Hardy still has a worldwide reputation for quality fishing tackle up until say 2000 - when the company lost its 'ethos' and standards

i was in India some years ago and there are still local fishing shops displaying the Hardy badge from the days of the Raj and Mahseer fishing

[grand cherokee]

i've heard that NZ building 'standards' are not high in terms of workmanship? - is this just bad press?

also do they use timber framed construction - as makes sense in an earthquake zone?

how easy is it to get planning permission to build a home on a 'green field' site?

and how easy to build it yourself using local builders/contractors?

sorry to be a pain in the ass

[WEHGuy]

In January 2011 I went to NZ for 6 weeks to visit friends who had moved there. I absolutely loved the country and I have decided I would probably like to retire there. I'm only 26 at the moment and would like to make my millions first because I feel NZ wouldn't be a good place to make mega bucks due to the fact it is that far from everywhere else in the world.

I thought it was just like Scotland but, hotter, bigger, more laid back and alot less chavs/neds walking about. However the flight from the Uk is a grueling 25+ hours so, it's not a place you would like to live if, you had to travel alot for work. Ideally I will retire there in about 20-30 years and hopefully can afford something like this by then.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/slideshow/megauploa...

[Caractacus]

After reading your comments on the 'Boring' thread, I reckon the S.I will be right up your street. Do look at the Nelson/Abel Tasman region, too. IIRC Nelson has the highest sunshine hours per annum in NZ @ 2400. The Nelson Lakes are nice, just watch out for the Sand Flies!

[cheddar]

grand cherokee said:

i've heard that NZ building 'standards' are not high in terms of workmanship? - is this just bad press?

also do they use timber framed construction - as makes sense in an earthquake zone?

how easy is it to get planning permission to build a home on a 'green field' site?

and how easy to build it yourself using local builders/contractors?

sorry to be a pain in the ass

Mostly timber frame - nice and bendy when the ground wobbles. Hardly any wooden houses collapsed in the quake although many were damaged beyond repair.

Steel framing is becoming popular, costs the same and is rated to withstand a Magnitude 9 quake - I'd use this if I was building new.

There's plenty of wide open land to build on.

1/4 acre from about £40k in my area - http://www.trademe.co.nz/property/residential/sect...

Also near me, an acre on a golf course next to the Rakaia river for £100k - http://www.trademe.co.nz/property/residential/sect...

Bigger blocks with services to the boundary start at around £150k

Building yourself is simple and can be cheap, there's the usual red tape but nothing too nasty.

[CR6ZZ]

It really depends on what "spins your wheels". I'm just a whisker older than you OP, and have travelled extensively round the world. There are many places I've enjoyed visiting and quite a few I'd like to return to to spend more time, but, and I acknowledge this is a personal preference, there is no place I'd rather live than here in NZ. If a laid back lifestyle and getting into the great outdoors is your thing, it is hard to beat. Yes, there are down sides. I live in Dunedin and I can be on deserted beaches 10 minutes drive away, but culture (shows, theatre etc.) is hard to come by, although it is getting better. As for history, - well let's just say something 100 years old is considered ancient and worth preserving..... Yes, some of our housing is substandard, especially from around 10-20 years ago when everyone was building cheaply to cash in on the property boom, but the rules have been tightened since the "leaky homes" debacle and new houses are much better quality. That's not to say there aren't some nice older homes around as well. You can build your own home, but all work has to be signed off by appropriately qualified tradespeople. Yes, there is the nanny state thing, but the current government is slightly better in this respect than the previous one. Red tape and bureaucracy, like anywhere, can drive you nuts, but a lot can (ahem) be reasonably safely ignored. I'll probably get shot for saying this, but some of Kiwis have a lousy work ethic (a bit of the number 8 wire and "she'll be right" ethos) and there is a percentage of the population who expect something for nothing. Yes, we have immigration and some object to the number of "foreigners" coming in. Doesn't worry me. We have a strong cultural (Maori) heritage with reasonably good race relations by world standards. Many of our laws stipulate that Treaty of Waitangi objectives (agreement between the crown and Maori signed in 1840) be taken into consideration when making decisions. Some object to this saying that "treaty issues" have got out of hand, but generally, such things are pretty well accepted and Maori and European get along extremely well (there are, of course, exceptions on both sides). As another poster said, finding new friends in a new town can be difficult (NZers tend to be a bit reserved on the whole and generally loath pushy types), but join a club, get involved in sport or other activities, and you will meet many very genuine an sincere friends. Many of our roads are poor, but they are deserted in European terms, more so in the South Island, and there are some great driving experiences to be had. Climate is relatively benign. Things can get humid in the far north and cold in the far south, but overall it is pretty good. Get used to dressing in relatively light layers and donning or shedding layers as appropriate. Another poster commented that they preferred South Africa. That is their preference, but I have noted over the past 10 years a huge number of South Africans moving to NZ keen to make a new life for themselves. Go figure.... Whatever you decide, I wish you well. Like most things, if you want to get something rewarding out of a venture, you must be prepared to put something in....

[cheddar]

CR6ZZ said:

It really depends on what "spins your wheels". I'm just a whisker older than you OP, and have travelled extensively round the world. There are many places I've enjoyed visiting and quite a few I'd like to return to to spend more time, but, and I acknowledge this is a personal preference, there is no place I'd rather live than here in NZ. If a laid back lifestyle and getting into the great outdoors is your thing, it is hard to beat. Yes, there are down sides. I live in Dunedin and I can be on deserted beaches 10 minutes drive away, but culture (shows, theatre etc.) is hard to come by, although it is getting better. As for history, - well let's just say something 100 years old is considered ancient and worth preserving..... Yes, some of our housing is substandard, especially from around 10-20 years ago when everyone was building cheaply to cash in on the property boom, but the rules have been tightened since the "leaky homes" debacle and new houses are much better quality. That's not to say there aren't some nice older homes around as well. You can build your own home, but all work has to be signed off by appropriately qualified tradespeople. Yes, there is the nanny state thing, but the current government is slightly better in this respect than the previous one. Red tape and bureaucracy, like anywhere, can drive you nuts, but a lot can (ahem) be reasonably safely ignored. I'll probably get shot for saying this, but some of Kiwis have a lousy work ethic (a bit of the number 8 wire and "she'll be right" ethos) and there is a percentage of the population who expect something for nothing. Yes, we have immigration and some object to the number of "foreigners" coming in. Doesn't worry me. We have a strong cultural (Maori) heritage with reasonably good race relations by world standards. Many of our laws stipulate that Treaty of Waitangi objectives (agreement between the crown and Maori signed in 1840) be taken into consideration when making decisions. Some object to this saying that "treaty issues" have got out of hand, but generally, such things are pretty well accepted and Maori and European get along extremely well (there are, of course, exceptions on both sides). As another poster said, finding new friends in a new town can be difficult (NZers tend to be a bit reserved on the whole and generally loath pushy types), but join a club, get involved in sport or other activities, and you will meet many very genuine an sincere friends. Many of our roads are poor, but they are deserted in European terms, more so in the South Island, and there are some great driving experiences to be had. Climate is relatively benign. Things can get humid in the far north and cold in the far south, but overall it is pretty good. Get used to dressing in relatively light layers and donning or shedding layers as appropriate. Another poster commented that they preferred South Africa. That is their preference, but I have noted over the past 10 years a huge number of South Africans moving to NZ keen to make a new life for themselves. Go figure.... Whatever you decide, I wish you well. Like most things, if you want to get something rewarding out of a venture, you must be prepared to put something in....

Edited to make readable, hope you don't mind:

"It really depends on what "spins your wheels".

I'm just a whisker older than you OP, and have travelled extensively round the world.
There are many places I've enjoyed visiting and quite a few I'd like to return to to spend more time, but, and I acknowledge this is a personal preference, there is no place I'd rather live than here in NZ.

If a laid back lifestyle and getting into the great outdoors is your thing, it is hard to beat. Yes, there are down sides.

I live in Dunedin and I can be on deserted beaches 10 minutes drive away, but culture (shows, theatre etc.) is hard to come by, although it is getting better.

As for history, - well let's just say something 100 years old is considered ancient and worth preserving..... Yes, some of our housing is substandard, especially from around 10-20 years ago when everyone was building cheaply to cash in on the property boom, but the rules have been tightened since the "leaky homes" debacle and new houses are much better quality. That's not to say there aren't some nice older homes around as well.

You can build your own home, but all work has to be signed off by appropriately qualified tradespeople. Yes, there is the nanny state thing, but the current government is slightly better in this respect than the previous one.
Red tape and bureaucracy, like anywhere, can drive you nuts, but a lot can (ahem) be reasonably safely ignored. I'll probably get shot for saying this, but some of Kiwis have a lousy work ethic (a bit of the number 8 wire and "she'll be right" ethos) and there is a percentage of the population who expect something for nothing.

Yes, we have immigration and some object to the number of "foreigners" coming in. Doesn't worry me.

We have a strong cultural (Maori) heritage with reasonably good race relations by world standards. Many of our laws stipulate that Treaty of Waitangi objectives (agreement between the crown and Maori signed in 1840) be taken into consideration when making decisions. Some object to this saying that "treaty issues" have got out of hand, but generally, such things are pretty well accepted and Maori and European get along extremely well (there are, of course, exceptions on both sides).

As another poster said, finding new friends in a new town can be difficult (NZers tend to be a bit reserved on the whole and generally loath pushy types), but join a club, get involved in sport or other activities, and you will meet many very genuine an sincere friends.

Many of our roads are poor, but they are deserted in European terms, more so in the South Island, and there are some great driving experiences to be had.

Climate is relatively benign. Things can get humid in the far north and cold in the far south, but overall it is pretty good. Get used to dressing in relatively light layers and donning or shedding layers as appropriate.

Another poster commented that they preferred South Africa. That is their preference, but I have noted over the past 10 years a huge number of South Africans moving to NZ keen to make a new life for themselves. Go figure....

Whatever you decide, I wish you well. Like most things, if you want to get something rewarding out of a venture, you must be prepared to put something in...."

[Caractacus]

cheddar said:

Edited to make readable, hope you don't mind:

All, don't worry...not all in NZ are pedants or overly fussy!

[grand cherokee]

thanks again for all your comments - much appreciated

another question if i may? - health care

if i was to live permanently in NZ would i as a Brit get full health care or have to have insurance?

thanks

[Esprit]

ACC covers you for injury or accident, this is free and all taxpayers contribute. You'll need to take out private healthcare to cover against illness or elective surgery etc though, unless you're happy with the public health system.... which is actually quite good in NZ. I THINK this covers you even if you're not yet a permanent resident.

[grand cherokee]

Esprit said:

ACC covers you for injury or accident, this is free and all taxpayers contribute. You'll need to take out private healthcare to cover against illness or elective surgery etc though, unless you're happy with the public health system.... which is actually quite good in NZ. I THINK this covers you even if you're not yet a permanent resident.

thanks very much

[Pothole]

grand cherokee said:

Mobile Chicane said:

Have you actually been to New Zealand?

It has its problems too with immigration, crime, the Nanny State and suffocating political correctness.

been there - have friends living there

nothing like the UK - immigration rules are so strict you don't get economic refugees/EU dross like the UK

to 'retire' i'd have to invest about £350K for two years/£250K in maintenance fund/£30K pa income from pensions etc - thats what this country should do - how many Eastern Europeans could meet that criteria?

It's also closer to North Korea.

[grand cherokee]

Pothole said:

t's also closer to North Korea.

i really fail to see the relevance of that comment?

you live in the UK anyway?