planning to migrate to NZ

Dear friends,

Me and my DH planning to migrate to NZ... before we proceed to apply the EIO, we would like to get some ideas or opinion fm those gals staying around NZ :-

1) can we find vegetarian food in NZ (both north and south) ??
we are full time vegetarian (no egge also).. can we find vegetable there ??? is it expensive ??
2) how about the living cost ???
3) is there any demand for accountant post, my hubby having ACCA & MBA in HR. Being Finance Manager for 7 years.
4) is there any demand for IT jobs.. like programming in Oracle and Java ??
(it's for me)
5) how about temple in NZ ?? is there any ???

seeking for ur kind help gals....
Thanking u in advance !

Originally Posted by Bambli

Dear friends,

Me and my DH planning to migrate to NZ... before we proceed to apply the EIO, we would like to get some ideas or opinion fm those gals staying around NZ :-

1) can we find vegetarian food in NZ (both north and south) ??
we are full time vegetarian (no egge also).. can we find vegetable there ??? is it expensive ??
2) how about the living cost ???
3) is there any demand for accountant post, my hubby having ACCA & MBA in HR. Being Finance Manager for 7 years.
4) is there any demand for IT jobs.. like programming in Oracle and Java ??
(it's for me)
5) how about temple in NZ ?? is there any ???

seeking for ur kind help gals....
Thanking u in advance !

why no reply...????

Thanks for the post, bambli. Even I would like to get similar info (just briefly) on the same topic.
TIA!

Hi Bambli,

Tried to reply couple of times. Didnt get posted.

I live in Auckland and I will be glad to answer your questions.

1) You get vegetables here although not all of them you get in India. They are a bit pricey but you get used to it. You also get vegetarian food widely here - I am a vegetarian too and I have not had trouble finding veg food to eat outside.

2) Cost of living is a bit high in Auckland - I am guessing its not so high in other NZ cities. When we came here it was a shock to see the prices, mind we have lived in europe too but found this place more 'costly'. But when you start receiving your pay in dollars you get used to this. I am not sure if I am expressing this correctly.
I have seen a really good cost of living calculator in emigratenz (cant give you the URL coz the post gets moderated and doesnt get posted, just google it)

3) Regarding jobs, I am sure I have seen Accountant jobs in job ads when I was looking for a job last year..But since then it has been very less due to the recession. But it will pick up again next year i am sure.

4) Java and Oracle should definitely get you a job ,again it depends on the recession period..Hiring is quite limited in most companies this year. Make sure you adopt to the NZ standard resume, you will be able to find in google. Before coming here, make sure you contact some of the recruitment companies so they can line up something for you. I got my job through AbsoluteIT. I contacted them before I left India and they arranged to meet me within the first week of landing here.

5) There are many temples here - no worries.

Feel free to ask any question you may have.

Kind Regards, Vidya

Thanks Vidya! this was very helpful. We are in the US- so I guess we should be adjusted to the costs right? Two more questions I have are:
- how busy (hectic) is the life in NZ. I'm in New York and its pretty much like Bombay, thats why the question
- Is it easier to save money than if in India : if living decently, like middle-class to upper middle class lifestyle? or maybe you can help with a more direct question- what will the life be for a IT person with 4 yrs of experience- average salary & average cost of lliving?

Thansk again!

hi Vidya

Thanks for all the information
We are also thinking of migration. this information comes at the right time.
very useful info.

thanks
Jaishree

Hi nn23,
Coming from the US the cost of living would not hit you as much.

NZ is generally a bit laid back. I wouldnt call it hectic here, ofcourse that really depends on the job too. As for as my experience goes,I have had more family time here than I had in India. I can count the number of times I have stayed back in office after 5:30. Although commuting does take some time here in Auckland. I heard its not so bad in Wellignton.

Its much quieter here, exp in suburbs where most families live. The City, where most offices are, is vibrant and as busy as it could be. People here are not rushing to make money and live to make money like its so common in India (nowadays).
Also, because the wage is lower and the cost of living is not low in comparison to the wage, this is really not the place if you want to 'save' money. Ofcourse you will save money in comparison to India, but not as you would in US or Europe.
But, this place is definetely for you if you are looking to have and give a good quality of life for yourself and your kids. People here are extremely accomodative when it comes to kids. Its a kids paradise infact, with all the parks, playgrounds and various activities they get to do here.
My daughter loves it here and it is worthwhile to be here for that. So it really depends on what you are looking for. I have seen europe to be the same as here,probably more infact but with the disadvantage of learning a new language(atleast to me).

Kind Regards,Vidya.

Dear lotus

thanks for your kind reply....
I'm planning to migrate to christchurch or invarcargill or queenstown...
are we able to get vegetables or vegetarian restraurants in these places ??

How is the living cost at these places..??

seeking for your kind advice and help.

Hi Vidya,
We were also wondering: is there any strong discrimination or racism seen in NZ. I think I'm asking more in relation to whats happening in Australia. are the Oz incidents causing any similar actions in NZ? How similar are the kiwis to the aussies?

Thanks again :)

Hi Bambli,

I am afraid I dont have much idea about the cities you have mentioned. Queenstown, from what I have heard is a tourist place and unless you and/or your husband is in tourism I am guessing there may not be many opportunities there. I am not trying to put you down or anything, moving to another country is a huge step so I would advise you to do a lot of research.
I hope other ILites in these cities might be able to help you more than I have. Sorry.

nn23, I have not had any such experience so far. People are friendly enough and no such racist attacks have been in the news either. Regd the attacks in Australia, in my opinion it could just be some random attacks and not really racially motivated.
There are petty crimes in NZ though, the safety restrictions in other cities apply here too. Not venturing out to certain areas in the night etc other than that I dont see any issue here.
From what I have seen, people here are friendly but not as much as I have seen in US or Europe :)