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View Full Version : Immigrating to New Zealand maybe - gen questions



argiris
12th August 2008, 10:09
hi everyone
my name is Argiris iam living in greece but i also have italian nationality iam a physicist with a masters degree in medical physics (almost) and on top of all that iam a biker with more than 250000km on my back i currently own a gsxr1000 2 rg 500 and 1 rg 400 and iam thinking about coming and make a life anew in your country and i would like to have some insight from some fellow bikers regarding bikes and life in general down there iam calling the embassy tomorrow to find out more details about the bureaucratic side of things

my questions are these:
from the bikers side
!are there race tracks open for track days and how many?

i saw that the roads are beautiful but how the police is treating us down there is fast (not insane) road riding accepted?

from what i saw in the forum you are a live community with trips etc. but whats the weather exactly rainy sunny cold just perfect for bikes around the year?

spare parts mechanics etc. prices availability ?

outside from bikes

what is considered a medium to upper paycheck there

and whats the cost of everyday living rent food power phone you know the basics

rents? whats the cost for buying a medium class house?

earthquakes?

where is a good place to live, i like medium sized towns by the sea best

how is the community treating new comers?

is there an italian or greek community and where

keep in mind that i will pursue a teaching position in secondary school are there any non english speaking schools ? and maybe later a position as a medical physicist


these are my questions for now i know its boring to ask these here but i feel more comfortable around bikers than in a general purpose forum online community
thank you for you time
Argiris

Big Dave
12th August 2008, 10:13
Others can answer the specific questions. I emigrated nearly 8 years ago.

If you love beautiful countrysides and going around corners on a motorcycle: Move to NZ.

Tank
12th August 2008, 10:18
I started repling, but to be honest you are asking a lot of questions that just cannot be answered easily.

Salaries, homes, cost of living - all depend on where you are based. I would recommend some of the ex-pat and immigration forums for this kind of question - there are tons out there and they will be able to help you ALOT more than we can.

Good luck with the move!

BIGBOSSMAN
12th August 2008, 12:30
We love people from Greece down here, especially those with RG500's :love:

raftn
12th August 2008, 14:05
I agree with Big Dave, if you llike corners....come here.

avgas
12th August 2008, 14:32
Aim for $100K, but accept anything over $50K - obviously depending on your skills (what is your background).
Prepare yourself to be placed in a multi-role position where you will do all tasks lower than your job spec as well. i.e. a Manager will also have to pack his own boxes etc

chanceyy
12th August 2008, 14:42
the further south you go winter riding can be interupted by snow .. but for scenery & roads you can not beat it .. you get the odd cop who loves to ping bikers but thats wot the back roads are for, much less traffic & the odd burst of speed to satisfy the need

Plenty of track days available around the country & I know there is a greek community in wellington (& prob auck/chch as well)

Lifestyle here is pretty relaxed & the ppl friendly, not far to travel to beachs mountains etc depends on wot other interests you have

as for the remainder will leave it to the experts


welcome aboard btw :)

Maha
12th August 2008, 15:02
If you like straight roads? South Island is where you wanna be. (be easy southlanders, tis a p/t) :eek:
If its the 'other' sort of roads you like, yeah head north....temps are better also...overnight low 9 degs tonight.....:cold:
Thats a good high for some South Island areas.....:chase:

Pic 1...some KBers on a spanking road about an hour north of here.
Pic 2...beaches a plenty up this way, this is where we spend xmas.
Pic 3...just another outing for some KBers
Pic 4...mmmmmm, ownered by DMNTD, note the suicide shift!!!

YellowDog
12th August 2008, 15:23
Yassou Argiris,

NZ has a lot to offer you however you would be best taking a holiday to see if it is for you or not. I live in Auckalnd and you can bike all year round (though it does rain a lot). The standards of living are not at all like Europe. You will feel cold in the warm winters. No one here will stop you having European comforts and lifestyle. If you have a good job ($80k-$150k) then you should be fine. Your skills will be very much in demand. Auckland is a cosmopolitan city and best for foreigners. There are some places that are best avoided. East coast to West coasts is just a few minutes away. Choosing where to live and the style /construction of house is a tough choice. Home loans cost around 10% and renting is better value :-o. There are many foreign communities. Eating out is cheap and you generally get to take your own wine/beer. There is a shortage of good greek restaurants. If you like oriental food, this is the place for you!

Good luck.

P.S. http://www.move2nz.com can help.

JimO
12th August 2008, 16:09
jeez most kiwis would want to move to greece

Shadows
12th August 2008, 22:09
Make sure you get a good tan before you apply for citizenship.

argiris
13th August 2008, 06:59
hi everyone thank you for your responses i will look into it it sure is something that needs a lot of thinking thanks again i f i came up with something more specific i will ask again
cheers

scracha
14th August 2008, 23:44
>!are there race tracks open for track days and how many?
Not many but they're cheap though.

>i saw that the roads are beautiful but how the police is treating us down
>there is fast (not insane) road riding accepted?
They're Nazis over here compared to Europe. You WONT get away with the 150kmph motorway cruising that you're used to.

>whats the weather exactly rainy sunny cold just perfect for bikes around
>the year?
Pretty good weather. Poor housing though and the majority of landlords are miserable bastards over here so you'll freeze in Winter.

>spare parts mechanics etc. prices availability ?
Small country, not a lot of spares so if you bin it you might have to be waiting on spares getting imported. Bikes and parts generally expensive. Good helpful mechanics though and there's the kiwi ingenuity when it comes to repairs.

>what is considered a medium to upper paycheck there
Be prepared for a big pay cut.

>and whats the cost of everyday living rent food power phone you know
>the basics
High in comparison to wages but lower than Europe.

>where is a good place to live, i like medium sized towns by the sea best
Anywhere but Auckland LOL

Christchurch and Wellington are nice little towns by the sea.

>how is the community treating new comers?
By and large very good but there's the odd nationalistic and racist incident out in the sticks. Blend in with the locals and you'll have a good time.

>keep in mind that i will pursue a teaching position in secondary school
>are there any non english speaking schools ? and maybe later a position
>as a medical physicist
Be prepared for NZQA trying to shaft you first.

The best advice I can give you is to come over for an extended visit before you decide. Many people love it but it's not for everyone.

munterk6
15th August 2008, 00:16
Big sacrifice in some ways, but sooooo many plusses in other ways!
come for a holiday first, kiwis are friendly to Europeans and you will get an idea of the culture here...ride a bike in the South Island and you will wanna stay!:scooter::rockon:

gammaguy
15th August 2008, 00:25
We love people from Greece down here, especially those with RG500's :love:like he said....

in fact,you can use my garage,always room for another 2T:hug:

portokiwi
15th August 2008, 08:56
:angry2:Just dont hurt yourself over here.....:bash: My lady is from Portugal she hurt her lower back on wed night. I took her to A&E as it was after 9pm Was told there by reception that it might cost around $400.00 even though she is working and pays taxes.... I said thats ok as she cant move at the moment. they gave her a grand total of 6 pills the same stuff we have at home that you buy over the counter at a chemist....over 4 and a half hours later waiting in a cubical sitting in a wheel chair still in total pain. I went out to buy a drink and ask about paying for the bill.....
I was stunned when the lady said that at the moment it was allmost $900.00 and going up.
I went in and said to the nurse about treatment she did her I dont realy care look and said if we are so worried about it we can dicharge ourselves.
Which we did bill now over $900.00. The Dr arrived and said we can do another assesment in another hour... we might then give her morphine SHIT
Took her home still in great pain.
got her to our local dr yesterday who checked her and injected her treated her like a person and charged only $30.00.
I am so pissed about the treatment we got or didnt get. She is in bed at least able to sleep now.

argiris
15th August 2008, 20:36
thanks again you been really helpfull my economic state right now doesnt permit me a visit maybe around christmas

blacksheep
15th August 2008, 20:43
jeez most kiwis would want to move to greece

i second that!,take a holiday here first to be sure

McJim
15th August 2008, 20:49
Best idea is to earn a large lump of cash before you come out - I mean seriously - this is the kind of country where there was an uproar when people found out the biggest TV Station's biggest anchor was earning more than $500,000 per annum. I knew recruitment consultants bank in the UK that earned 10 times that and we didn't bat an eyelid.

I'm earning about 1/3 of what I was earning in UK now....salaries here really are shit.

As for the weather it's different all over. If you are used to Italian or Greek summers NZ will be cold - about 30 degrees Max in summer. I've experienced 42 degrees in Firenze and 42 degrees in Zakynthos so NZ ain't hot. Mind you it's not too cold either. It rains more often than Italy or Greece too but nowhere near as often as it rains in the UK.

I have found parts and availability to be splendid for my Ducati but maybe that's a reflection on the dealer (Haldanes) parts were both cheap and in stock.

portokiwi
16th August 2008, 08:00
To be honest mate. apart from the weather. Things are not too bad over here. Our wages are close to E.U pay. cost of food is higher then in Europe.
Fuel is much cheaper here.
Accomidation costs more here.
But the way of life here far exceeds anything else.
Get medical insurance though.

popelli
16th August 2008, 10:18
Left NZ 9 years ago and moved to europe

Money that can be earned over here is 2-3 times what I could earn in NZ

Price of a lot of things is higher but you have a lot more disposable income to start with

The whole of europe is on your doorstep and with cheap internet flights a different lifestyle is available that is not obtainable in NZ

Example is return flights for 2 uk to geneva £108 return, less than a days take home pay

There may be great scenery in NZ, but there is great scenery in Scotland, Italy & France that would rival anything in the South Island

Social scene for motorcycling is a lot better, bike rallies on every weekend through summer, loads of racing if you are into that and a lot less attitudes to put up with

portokiwi
16th August 2008, 10:38
Every place has its pros & cons. I loved Portugal due to the weather, the roads the people, the food. and drinks.
Work was the hardest part as I was too over qulified.
They wont employ you in a lower department.
and I cant speek Portuguese :whistle:
Thats why I brought my lady back with me.
She loves it here.
But like was said. in the E.U everything is on your door step over there.
Here everything is what you make of it.
I miss the motorcycle rellies though lol. Was fun.

popelli
16th August 2008, 17:26
Work was the hardest part as I was too over qulified.
.


is that NZ or europe??

I found work in NZ to be a real problem returned to NZ in 91 and 97, in both cases I had 4 months or so on the dole before I could find work and even then it was at a level well below what I was qualified and capable of.

In the Uk I can get work in a matter of weeks

There are just so few opportunities in NZ that the thought of returning to NZ and having to sign on is not really appealing

portokiwi
16th August 2008, 17:37
In the UK I would have been fine I just didnt like the weather there.
No it was in Europe. I was classed as over qulified. (Lucky it wasnt on spelling):eek5:
I was asked to come back to a job here.
Now its the other way round.... My partner is having problems finding another job.
She had a job here for 3 months but her team leader was was a cow so she left. She was loved the job and was liked by everyone else in the office and did the job fast. Also fixed the jobs that her team leader stuffed up. Enough was enough so she left. (I think her team leader found her to much of a threat as she was a manager back there.

sincity
21st August 2008, 23:36
Well after reading all of this, I am glad to be coming over next year. Who knows, I might have to sell up when I get back home and move over myself if its as nice as you all say it is. But I will miss going to the ranch in summer and riding the horses we have, and my best mates :grouphug: who I love going for outings :scooter: with and down to Saltlake and my baby !
!
!
\/

justsomeguy
21st August 2008, 23:43
If you love beautiful countrysides and going around corners on a motorcycle: Move to NZ.

Argiris - yes it is that simple. Provided you get a job to help pay for that motorcycle.

Welcome to KB.

A medium wage in NZ is around $50,000 per annum. As a single person supporting only yourself and living alone: renting in suburban Auckland you will need a bare minimum of $25-$30,000 a year to happily pay your rent, bike payments and everyday bills. Less if you're frugal, more if you like to go out a lot. After tax from $50,000 you will earn around the $40,000 mark over all to the best of my knowledge.

Hawkeye
23rd August 2008, 07:51
One of the best forums I know of to get info is http://www.emigratenz.org/

First rule that I applied when I came here was not to compare prices with the UK.
When in the UK, I was earning UK pounds. Now in NZ I earn NZ Dollars. You have to compare buying power with buying power rather than direct price comparison.
I hear so many people saying they earned more in the UK than here. It's all relative.

Shadows
23rd August 2008, 09:50
It's all relative.

Not only that, but we're all relatives too.