nice places to live around Christchurch

[ray1980]

hi folks

I will be moving to Christchurch in March and working in the area although I am worried about the fact I don't know the area and will find it difficult to find a property in a nice area. Can anyone recommend nice places to live please. I will be looking for a place on my own for a while then in a few months, looking for a house to buy/rent with my wife and kids in a nice area with good schools for my 8 yr old

[Twunky]

http://www.dbh.govt.nz/market-rent?T...ch&RegionId=14

The above link will give you a guide to rental prices. Areas to avoid MAY include Aranui, Wainoni, Hornby, Linwood/Phillipstown but it will also depend where you will be working. A drive around the area should give you a fairly good indicator.

[sks]

A bit more information might make it easier to make suggestions. How many bedrooms are you looking for? Do you favour any particular types of schools (public, private, single-sex, etc.)? What area will you be working in, and how will you commute? Do you favour a suburban, rural or "urban" living environment (I put "urban" in quotes because, as you may have heard, the CBD isn't really functioning as a normal city at the moment). Sorry to be asking questions in reply to questions, but I think you'll get more specific recommendations once they're answered.

[ray1980]

A bit more information might make it easier to make suggestions. How many bedrooms are you looking for? Do you favour any particular types of schools (public, private, single-sex, etc.)? What area will you be working in, and how will you commute? Do you favour a suburban, rural or "urban" living environment (I put "urban" in quotes because, as you may have heard, the CBD isn't really functioning as a normal city at the moment). Sorry to be asking questions in reply to questions, but I think you'll get more specific recommendations once they're answered.

Hi
I will be working in Christchurch itself is as much as I know at this stage. My daughter will go to a public school ( no problem with single or mixed ). Looking for modern 3-4 bedroom house in quiet area in the suburbs preferably. Will be commuting by car. I don't mind a bit of a drive to work if living in a nice area.

[Mamee & Co]

I live in Sumner and thoroughly enjoy it. Good school, accessible beach, community pool, cafes, small cinema etc. However, the surrounding cliffs took a lot of EQ damage so we also have more than our fair share of containers and some wrecked housing n the hills. I am told by people who don't live in the area that the roads are bad too...but I have become used to them.

Much of the east side of Christchurch sustained much damage at the time of the quakes. The coastal areas are also prone to a cooler easterly wind.

The western side of Christchurch is relatively undamaged those house prices have been climbing there recently as people who have been red zoned move out. There are a number of new subdivisions in those areas and Rolleston, Halswell etc. are also areas in demand.

If you prefer the hills look to those suburbs too...not prone to Liquifaction, but generally nice housing and good schools.

The north west of the city was relatively unaffected and there are many good areas here too.

Really it all depends upon your preferences, and my thought would be to drive around a lot and get a feel for where you want to be when you arrive. Each area has its own merits but it really does depend upon how you feel about the various things on offer.

[Bozeman]

When we moved here nearly five years ago, the first thing we did was visit every decile 9 and 10 school in Christchurch. The result was a short list of schools and that provided us with zones within which to seek our initial rented home. Every school, by the way, was eager to show us around. With only one exception, it was the principal himself/herself that acted as tour guide.

[ray1980]

Thanks guys for your posts. Very helpful. When I get to Chch, I think the best thing to do is, as you guys say, drive around different areas to get a feel for them.

[TeamBacon]

Hi Ray:

You're just a month or two behind us, and we have had the same concerns.

My husband landed in Chch early this month, and we've been looking in earnest for houses in the western suburbs. As you are looking for places for yourself, be prepared with a long list! My husband is finding a LOT of people at house viewings, and many of those are submitting applications to rent on a temporary or longer/permanent basis.

As you compare schools, look at ERO reports instead of deciles; the deciles do not indicate quality of schools, merely the socio-economic make up of its school zone.

From the Ministry of Education:
"A decile is a 10% grouping, there are ten deciles and around 10% of schools are in each decile. A school’s decile rating indicates the extent to which it draws its students from low socio-economic communities. Decile 1 schools are the 10% of schools with the highest proportion of students from low socio-economic communities, whereas decile 10 schools are the 10% of schools with the lowest proportion of these students. The lower a school’s decile rating, the more funding it gets. The increased funding given to lower decile schools is to provide additional resources to support their students’ learning needs. A decile does not indicate the overall socio-economic mix of the students attending a school or measure the standard of education delivered at a school."

Best of luck, and we'll see you there!

[sophiedb]

From the Ministry of Education:
"A decile is a 10% grouping, there are ten deciles and around 10% of schools are in each decile. A school’s decile rating indicates the extent to which it draws its students from low socio-economic communities. Decile 1 schools are the 10% of schools with the highest proportion of students from low socio-economic communities, whereas decile 10 schools are the 10% of schools with the lowest proportion of these students. The lower a school’s decile rating, the more funding it gets. The increased funding given to lower decile schools is to provide additional resources to support their students’ learning needs. A decile does not indicate the overall socio-economic mix of the students attending a school or measure the standard of education delivered at a school."

It's also worth noting that deciles are based on 2007 data, and Chch has undergone a lot of change since then!

We live in Halswell, in SW Chch - if you happen to have any questions about that area let me know. We don't have the lovely beachy location of Sumner, but we do like it here - very close to the countryside in spite of new housing developments nearby - and have a 5yo daughter

[Bozeman]

As you compare schools, look at ERO reports instead of deciles; the deciles do not indicate quality of schools, merely the socio-economic make up of its school zone.

And what comes with a higher level socio-economic make up of the school zone? In general, kids receiving more support from home and thus more focused on school thus a better educational experience for all. I do agree there is some value in reviewing the ERO reports.