Making the move

[Karin B]

Hi there,

This is the first time I have ever been on anything like this so here goes.
My husband and I are desperate to make the move to nz, per kids we lived there for 7months and went back last year for a holiday with the kids and we still love it.
It seems like a phenomenal move to make with the childeren though with huge financial implication. I know this is a blunt question and that it varies greatly but are there any families out there willing to give a ball park figure of how much they needed to move?
Any information will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Karin

[Kensington]

It really all depends on whether your new employer helps out with relocation, but I'd say worse case scenario where you have to pay for everything - around £8-10,000. That's all visa application fees including medical/police checks (plus use of an agent if you were to go down that route), shipping (full container) plus insurance, flights and travel insurance, immediate accommodation when you arrive.

I'd be interested to know what others think though.

[Woodchip]

We made the move (just two of us) with 4000GBP. That covered the cost of finding a place, paying the bond, a months food and drinks, some more clothes as I found out after I landed that work dress code was casual (and I packed smart-casual). We also had to buy a bed, fridge, freezer, washing machine, chairs, table, etc... Pretty much all of that has gone, and I've transferred more across to cover the 25% of the shipping fee I need to pay.

[Karin B]

Thank you for the quick response. That is less than we though, we are probably being conservative as we have the kids and want to make it as smooth as possible for them. Thats really encouraging as we were thinking it was going to take a lot of sacrifices to save.
No doubt you will hear more from me as we start the process (hounding you with questions) I am sitting here with a smile on my face as your replies have just potentially brought forward out intended move.
Thanks again

[RejjieM]

Hi Karin

We're making the move in 3 weeks, although our container is already on its way, and my husband has been in Auckland since February. I would estimate it has cost us around £12,000 in total - expensive medicals (in Winchester - probably cheaper other parts of the UK), EOI, visas, migrant levy, shipping container (40ft), insurance and flights for both of us and our 2 young sons. But I reckon it's worth every penny

[JandM]

Hello and welcome.

[Karin B]

Wow 3 weeks, good luck. I hope everything goes well for you.

[kiwihusker]

So, we are bringing 10k in cash to help pay for the upfront costs of getting a car, and first month rent, letting fees etc., and also we'll have to purchase some new appliances due to voltages differences etc. And on top of that our move to ship our stuff is going to cost anywhere between 5k and 10k. So, these are my numbers from my perspective.

[mikeandcaroline]

I have budgeted for around £14K to get us there, EOI, ITA etc (including cost of an agent and shipping our car). This doesn't include costs in the UK for selling/renting out our house etc. Haven't yet started on the costs for getting us up and running once there. It's not cheap but we know it will be worth it.

[Karin B]

These seem more in line with the basic costing we done.
Is taking your car a viable option? Think I may look into that as cars are so expensive in nz, even for old ones.