Jonathan, Gloucestershire-based pilot now in Ohakea

Jonathan has completed his paperwork and is waiting to ship his worldly possessions to New Zealand.

The Gloucestershire-based pilot has been working for the RAF for sixteen years - teaching for the last five. Now his students will hail from Ohakea, a military base just outside of Palmerston North in New Zealand's North Island - and he'll be working for the Royal New Zealand Air Force. While the teaching side of the job on the other side of the world is expected to be similar, Jonathan's looking forward to a change in the view from the air. And there's an added bonus which most of us wouldn't even think of: "I would be disappointed if I got lost in the air in New Zealand!"

The decision to move his family of five across the world came at a logical time in his life: "It was a natural break in my airforce career and I was considering what to do next in my life. Things just started making sense and fell into place," Jonathan said.

While Australia and Canada were touted as possible destinations, the isolation of military bases in Canada and the over-hot climate of Australia were turn-offs, pushing New Zealand into first place. A visit to New Zealand reinforced this option - the upshot being that this January Jonathan and his family will move from the middle of the English winter into the height of the Kiwi summer.

Jonathan relishes the prospect of a more relaxed pace of life in New Zealand: "Everywhere you go in New Zealand people seem to be genuinely friendly - nothing seems to be too much of a problem. Whereas here it often seems to be the exception rather than the rule." And then there's that self-depreciating Kiwi sense of humour: "I just think Kiwis are fairly similar to us Brits."

Of course, there's the added pull of the great outdoors, which Jonathan admits is an important reason behind the move to New Zealand. Palmerston North is a few hours' drive from mountains close to some good beaches. He looks forward to being able to pack up the car and get away at short notice. "I believe that when I live in New Zealand my lifestyle will change - more space and freedom, and a more relaxed way of life. It suits our characters more."

And his advice to other prospective migrants? "Get on with it - just keep working on your application. I'm really looking forward to new opportunities and experiences.”


 

Contract Manager from Scotland living at the beach near Auckland

George Pirie and his wife Sharonn have always lived in the countryside close to a city. They're doing that in New Zealand too, but with the added pleasure of being at the beachside.

The couple and their two children have moved from Perth in Scotland to Clarks Beach, about 40 minutes out of Auckland where George works for the specialist electrical contracting company Electrix.  As George explains, it's easier to meet people in small community, and that's what they've found at Clarks Beach.  "It's even easier with kids," he says, "because you meet people right away when you take them to school, kindergarten, and sports.  "But what we've really enjoyed here is how friendly the neighbours are. They've become friends very quickly."

Clarks Beach is a small coastal village on the Manukau Harbour. It offers safe swimming, fishing, lots of sports facilities and a laid back lifestyle that's not too far from the city.

George and Sharonn made the decision to come to New Zealand once they had children.

"We had always enjoyed travelling but, with children, it makes more sense to be based somewhere and do short trips.  "We've always been keen on the islands around the Pacific, so living in New Zealand makes trips there very accessible."

Having made the decision to move to New Zealand, George wasted no time. It took just one month to sell the house, pack up, organise visas, a job, transport for the two cats, and get on the plane.

"I just went on the internet and sent out my CV to every New Zealand company in my field. In days I had six job offers. The hard bit was deciding which to accept."

After talking to the companies by phone, George accepted an offer from Electrix. It's been a good choice.

"It wasn't so much the salary or the relocation package," he says, "it was more that, although they're a big company in this part of the world, it's actually a smaller organisation than where I've been before. And that means I get much more involved in all areas of the projects I work on and have more chance to step up the career ladder."

Commenting on the immigration process, George says it was much easier than he expected. Because the company was in a hurry for him to start, he travelled on a holiday visa and applied for his 2 year work permit once he got here.

"I knew it would be okay because Electrix is an accredited company with New Zealand Immigration," he says, "but my timing was a bit out as there was a rush of applications at the same time as mine, so we had to take a few weeks holiday while it was processed." Asked if he has any advice for other people thinking about moving to New Zealand, George says not to worry too much about the paperwork.

"It's not hard. It might take a bit of time. But it's not difficult."

And as for life in New Zealand, George says his children Finlay, aged 6 and Rowan aged 3 already think of themselves as Kiwis. The cats have settled in to life at the beach too, and George laughs that they cost more to bring here than the kids.

George and Sharonn are very glad they made the decision to move here.

"We've got a far better balance of work and lifestyle than we ever could have had in Scotland."

Patent Officer from Devon now in Wellington

"The job prospects here are very encouraging - it seemed like a better way of life, while having all the advantages of home."

Twenty eight year-old Stuart Birch freely admits he's living a life in New Zealand which he simply couldn't afford back in the UK. What was intended to be a brief visit to New Zealand to cap off his overseas experience, turned into something more permanent, when Stuart realised the lifestyle on offer was something he couldn't pass up.

Stuart, from the county of Devon, reflects that if he had stayed in England he'd be "renting a bed-sit and living off creamed rice." He readily admits moving to Wellington has given him a life which he wouldn't be able to finance in England. "The wage here grants you a very good quality of life that you wouldn't have on an equivalent wage at home. I have a beautiful flat with a view – if I was in the UK I wouldn't be financially able to live as I do now."

Stuart arrived in New Zealand in March 2002, anticipating a brief holiday before moving on. "I'd spoken to a number of Kiwis travelling in Australia and Asia, and decided to give it a try."  However, after receiving a job offer as a Mechanical Patent Officer for the Ministry of Economic Development, he decided to prolong his stay. His degree in product design and manufacture is particularly relevant as his job involves assessing the viability of patent applications. "Basically, people come to me with ideas for patents and I examine their application and decide whether the subject matter is patentable."

Realising he wanted to make his stay more permanent, Stuart submitted an application under the Skilled Migrant Category at the start of 2004. "Originally I was granted a work permit. After four months I received an invitation to apply for residence, and I got my residence in December 2004."

Today Stuart is taking full advantage of the outdoors opportunities his new home has on offer. A keen snowboarder, he's only four hours drive from Mount Ruapehu in the central North Island. Over Christmas and the New Year he hired a campervan and toured the beaches of the Coromandel Peninsula, finishing off his holiday at Lake Taupo. "The beauty of New Zealand is that it's not only unique, it's accessible. I hadn't meant to stay here – I fell in love with the beauty of the country."

"Before I left, my Dad said 'Don't come home before seeing New Zealand'. I think he regrets it now because I've never looked back."

Teacher from Northumberland now on the West Coast

Farming has been a large part of English teacher Paul Jackson’s life. But when he left the farm in the village of Ponteland, just outside Newcastle in Northumberland, which his family has lived on since 1649, he wasn’t to know he would eventually settle on another farm on the South Island’s West Coast.
Paul had been to New Zealand during his travels as a young man, and his first impression was that the country was much like the UK in the 1960s. Now he describes life in New Zealand as “a wonderful lifestyle, and I just can’t get over how lucky we are.”

At the age of 30, married to Jacqui and with two small children to support, Paul was teaching at a school for profoundly handicapped and autistic children in Manchester. But he and Jacqui knew they were not going to spend the rest of their life in the UK and decided to emigrate to New Zealand.

A job in a minute

A break came when Paul saw an advertisement for teaching jobs in New Zealand.

“I got on the internet that night, and applied for eight jobs. Within a few hours the principal of one of the colleges, Bishop Viard College in Porirua, was on the phone. From that moment, things happened very fast. The principal faxed a letter to the New Zealand High Commission in London saying that he’d offered Paul a job. Paul sent his passport to the High Commission and got a one year work permit straight away.

“I was on a plane as soon as I could book a flight. Two weeks after being offered the job, I got off the plane on a Monday morning and was teaching that afternoon.”

Contrasts and surprises

Jacqui and the two boys, Harry and Robert, flew out over four months later, and the family bought a house in the seaside village of Pukerua Bay, north of Wellington. That experience was one of the first that showed them how different New Zealand can be from the UK.

“It was so easy to buy a house over here compared to the UK It’s also more affordable than in the .UK We paid just over $120,000, or £40,000, for a detached house with lovely views in a coastal village. That wouldn’t have bought a terraced house in Manchester.”

Career opportunities

By the end of four years, Paul had been promoted to head of a department and manager of curriculum change for the whole school.”

However, he was then lured to the West Coast by Greymouth High School, to build a new technology block.

After five and a half years in New Zealand, Paul appreciates his Kiwi students. He says they are more laid back than students in the UK, and they aren’t as aggressive.

“I also think the curriculum here is much better,” says Paul.
And Paul’s advice for teachers wanting to work in New Zealand?
“Jump on a plane and come over. We need more teachers, especially technology teachers. We’re desperately short of them.”

A wonderful lifestyle

Home is now a 40 hectare deer farm near Hokitika, on the West Coast, on the historic stagecoach route from Hokitika to Christchurch. Paul describes it as remote, although they have neighbours only 50 metres away on either side.

“We farm 60 hinds, and also have some pigs and hens.

“We have a wonderful lifestyle. We wake up every morning to the calls of tuis and wood pigeons. It’s a stunning place, and I just can’t get over how lucky we are.”

Richard Dolan, North Yorkshire to Hobbiton

Filmaker Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy is synonymous with New Zealand, and animator Richard Dolan will soon be moving to New Zealand to work on the next Jackson epic - The Hobbit.

Richard will be working for Weta, Peter Jackson’s famous Wellington film studio and special effects facility, designing characters and environments for the upcoming film.

Working for a company that has had so much influence on the industry is an exciting prospect for Richard. “The industry is dominated by Weta – they’re world leaders and have not only put New Zealand on the map, it’s now sitting squarely on the film, animation, special effects arena. I have so many friends and colleagues in the business up here in Europe who now aspire to live and work in New Zealand, thanks to Weta. Weta have achieved monumental industry benchmarks, by anyone's standards. It has made New Zealand a very enticing place to be for people in the industry.”

While it's the opportunity of a lifetime, it's not just the job offer which attracts Richard to move all the way from North Yorkshire to New Zealand. The landscape also draws him in: "I find the landscape to be a very refreshing mixture of the familiar and the exotic - it has a freshness which is impossible to experience in Europe. I think that's what I'm looking forward to the most."

While Richard's application for residency has just been accepted, he doesn't have a firm date for moving to New Zealand - although he says he wishes he could leave tomorrow. "I'm in the middle of a job right now which will probably tie me to the UK until the middle of next year." While he will initially move to Wellington for his job with Weta, he hopes to later relocate to the South Island. "I haven’t decided where yet, though I imagine it will be in the South West, close to the mountains," he said.

Richard had been considering the move to New Zealand for many years, but was prompted to take the plunge after his sister moved to Nelson with her family six months ago. His ability to freelance from a distance via the internet also played a major part in the decision: "I work on a freelance basis, and now work for a number of people in varied locations from home. I'm very much looking forward to working at Weta in New Zealand, but am now also able to continue working for many of the people I have become accustomed to working for in Europe. "

But sitting in front of a computer screen isn't all that Richard has planned for New Zealand: "I plan to spend a lot more time out of doors when I am living in New Zealand I have visited New Zealand on many occasions in the past, and enjoy exploring the unspoiled national parks," he said.