Thinking about moving to New Zealand?

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Skylark

I've never lived in NZ, but I've spent a lot of time there, and I absolutely LOVE the country and the people. As Lesley said, there are a lot of differences between a country of 4 million people like NZ and the US where one city alone can have more than twice that population. By far Auckland is the most populated city - it has nearly 1.3 million residents, but I think you might like Wellington best if you are are artistic. It has a fair sized population and a very cultured, cool vibe. We were there because of stuff w my dad's work that involved King Kong which was shot there & I so I got to check out Weta & the studio & explore Miramar. It's sooooo different from Hollywood. It's so mellow and un-obsessed with itself. This is definitely where you want to be if you're into visual animation. The Weta ppl are insanely talented. Wellington is also very beautiful - not so much in the city center, but in the surrounding area. There are so many great coffee houses & if you're into music & art, there is a really cool scene.

I don't know much about the laws there. I think they are basically the same..... I know of Americans who got full-time jobs there, so I don't think it's too hard. If you are young you can get a free one-year work visa through the New Zealand government. I've been thinking of doing a gap yr there in between hs & college & know that for LA you can just apply at the NZ consulate. I don't know the exact ages for it - just that it starts at 18. I think maybe 30 or 31 is the cut off.

Check on the TripAdvisor forum and do much searches for expat groups. I know there are some. Maybe on Meetup? You could pose the questions there & they'd be able to give you the best info. In books like Lonely Planet they usually have info on this kind of stuff too.

: )

lesley w

ifrom new zealand ,,,of cause life style different here, we have only 4million people in nz ,,nz has change in the last 10years , imm igrant so we are now a muli culture society here now , people from all over the world live here now ,,, the pace of life must be slow here compared to us , we have a very low unmployed , the cost of living is on the rise , like all countrys,the summer months are lovely, cooler in winter ,all depending on the work you do wages are good ,, we areclass as a safe and peaceful country around the world / our crime would be nothing to to u s crime .we are a sporting country ,, and we are told by imgrants here it the best place in the world to bring up family ,,hope that helps abit

napper

I am a Kiwi and have on occasion had dealings with a few "yanks". Get used to that. Nothing derogatory. Everyone has a nickname.
If you come here just go with the flow. relax. We don't like tight wound up types. Don't compare us with USA. We like it just the way it is. We are very much outdoors types who love a good laugh. In Wellington, where I am, There is a good arts scene. Most find something they like. We are a small city by your standards but still have the good things that small towns have. Money is pretty average and most with skills can earn more than enough to have a good standard of living.
You would probably be best to come here for a few weeks with the attitude it is not a holiday.
As far as the law goes, Like any other country, common sense applies.

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