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Thread: Citizenship time!!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Te Aroha from N.Yorkshire UK
    Posts
    308

    Default Citizenship time!!

    Kia ora,

    Yay - I have finally got myself back onto this fabulous forum and thought I would drop in and say hello as its been a while.

    We have now been living here in New Zealand coming up to 5 years and WOW Time has certainly flown by! We came as a couple and now we have a little family. We have two handsome kiwi boys, aged 3 and 19 months. Life is great but hard sometimes with no family support however, we manage and get through all obstacles just fine.

    Our life out here over the past 5 years has been absolutely fantastic. We have travelled around both islands and feel there is still so much to see. I have now taken up 'trail' running instead of road running, such a great way to see more of New Zealand's beautiful scenery. My partner is more so now always looking into doing new trail bike rides around the Country since recently completing the 'Timber Trail' - we live near 'The Hauraki Rail Trail' which is often getting cycled with the boys in tow.

    We absolutely love this country, so much to do and we never seem to get bored, we are always off on new adventures with the boys, what a great place to raise children, the best part of it is, a lot of things to do over here is either free or there is a way to make it cheap! Depending what is it your in to I guess. Its scary to think how much we have actually done and still do even with the boys, we certainly are "Living Life' to the full. We love the great outdoors!

    If anyone is debating to make the move with their kids, I honestly feel you should just do it, you would not be disappointed, so much to do and so many new things to try that even in Winter (if you can call it Winter after coming from the UK) - It would not stop you - the sun still manages to get out and shine!

    Soooooo, after five happy successful years, we are now looking into getting our Citizenship - we have the forms ready to fill in and get the ball moving. I feel getting Citizenship is a way of completing our journey and putting a final stamp of officially NZ being our 'home'. What I have found though when we have bumped into ex-pats and asked the question about Citizenship that the amount of ex-pats actually don't feel the need to get their Citizenship, after asking "why not" they could never give me a reason, strange I find this! How many of you ex-pats on here have or haven't got the Citizenship - do you mind sharing what are your reasons for and against?

    Once we have our New Zealand passports, we shall not be renewing our British one however, we will be looking at getting the boys both and why not? One day they could be playing for the Black Caps or the England Cricket team... I would love to say 'The All Blacks' but being a mummy, I cringe at the thought of my boys playing Rugby ha ha!!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    37,824

    Default

    Thanks for the update. Glad to hear everything is going well for you.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Te Aroha from N.Yorkshire UK
    Posts
    308

    Default

    Thank you

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    UK->NZ
    Posts
    118

    Default

    Great to hear that you are enjoying the new zealand life! I had lived in Manchester for over a decade so sometimes I think NZ is a warmer Britain. Since UK and NZ recognize dual citizenship so not sure why ex-pats don't get NZ citizenship. I will definitely get mine in 4.5 years! I am looking forward to call myself a kiwi :-) Mind you, perhaps still renew your UK passport, some countries now won't let you enter the country using foreign passport if you are a citizen. For example, I am a dual UK/Canadian citizen, I have to use Canadian passport to enter Canada. Sometimes UK passport has its advantages, my Canadian passport even states that if I run into trouble while overseas and if there is no Canadian embassy nearby, go to the UK embassy instead. We commonwealth countries look after each other!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    UK-To-NZ
    Posts
    189

    Default

    Hey Guys

    I don't know why they don't want to go for Kiwi Citizenship. Well, I am definitely going for this week interview that I booked sometime ago. I moved from London to here and you can read from my timeline.

    Are you guys in Auckland?

    Just filling out forms and need to get my new photo done with half bald head yeah after long 5 years...lol. In last 5 years, I had lots of ups and downs in my person life but its nothing to do with my lovely new home called "NZ". I love this country and only spend 80 days out of NZ since I moved here. I have drove across north island a lot and haven't seen south island yet.

    I think we all are under same timeline for Kiwi Citizenship.
    Last edited by CCIE_4_NZ_work; 22nd May 2017 at 01:13 AM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Te Aroha from N.Yorkshire UK
    Posts
    308

    Default

    Hi CCIE_4_NZ_work

    We are over in Te Aroha. We have just come back from Auckland, last weekend, we went and watched GreenDay play - FANTASTIC - if you like GreenDay

    We landed here on the 12th June but we have enough days to apply for citizenship, sounds like we are off roughly on the same time frame for citizenship, off to the Hamilton branch on Monday to get the papers! We moved over from North Yorkshire, never looked back even though we come from a lovely place. Sorry to hear you have had ups and downs but pleased to read you are loving NZ as much as we are. You got any plans to watch any of the Lions games? We couldn't get any test match tickets but off to watch the Maori All Blacks play and also for them playing against the Chiefs!

    We have probably done more in the South Island than the North, more due to the fact we knew we were going to start a family so best get the good adventurous stuff kid free out of the way Such a beautiful place!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Te Aroha from N.Yorkshire UK
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    308

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    Quote Originally Posted by Auckland2016 View Post
    We commonwealth countries look after each other!
    We sure do!!

    Wow what brought you from Canada to NZ? Canada is on our list of BIG holidays to do once the kids are big enough to enjoy/remember it! I am originally from Bolton with you saying you lived in Manchester. Your right about NZ being a warmer Britain

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    UK-To-NZ
    Posts
    189

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    Hi Living Life

    Thanks for asking for Lion game.
    Unfortunately, I am going through break up issues because my ex partner used me for NZ residence and run away after two months. Just trying to heal and overcome shock by doing fishing and some long drives around Auckland and Taupo. Yeah, I haven't done south island yet. Now I am single again and got my freedom back not a good way.

    Keep us posted here how things go with you for Citizenship process.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Te Aroha from N.Yorkshire UK
    Posts
    308

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by CCIE_4_NZ_work View Post
    Hi Living Life

    Keep us posted here how things go with you for Citizenship process.
    Hi I am so sorry to hear about the break - thats tough going? I wish you luck and happiness for the future. Fishing can help and staying active. I am quite an active person and I find that helps when it comes to dealing with with hard times Now you are single get yourself out and about travelling, especially if you haven't seen much of the South Island, so beautiful!

    As for the Citizenship front, I have just phoned them and we have an appointment in July as they are booked up till then! Fingers crossed we can get it all rolling forward and we become NZ citizens

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    UK->NZ
    Posts
    118

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Living Life View Post
    We sure do!!

    Wow what brought you from Canada to NZ? Canada is on our list of BIG holidays to do once the kids are big enough to enjoy/remember it! I am originally from Bolton with you saying you lived in Manchester. Your right about NZ being a warmer Britain
    Canada is great if you don't mind cold! We lived in Vancouver which is the warmest city of Canada. Vancouver is spectacular in the summer. Can go skiing in the local mountain after work. However, in the winter, it just rains non-stop. It rained 28 days last Oct. I used to think Manchester rained a lot! Since I turned 50 last year, we decided we should move to somewhere warmer. I like hiking so somewhere I can still hike in winter will be great. I had visited NZ as a backpacker in 1990 and liked the city so 26 years later, I live in Auckland! Life is great, weather is beautiful even in autumn, Auckland has 50 volcano cones and I have already visited 10 of them!

    p.s. Just heard that terrorist attack in Manchester :-(

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