Your Money or Your Life

Most of you will have heard about the story of Folole Muliaga, she died after an electricity company cut off the power to her home. She needed oxygen from a powered supply. As she was dying she asked her sons to play guitar music.
Now the full details of this story are yet to come out. The energy company are defending their actions. Simply, the weak need protection. Large corporations cannot simply follow policy. It would appear this family were of limited means and living in a society they didn't fully comprehend. That was not their fault and those of us lucky enough to understand and have the power to act, help and protect should have done so. It is a National disgrace that this could ever have happened and we all have a duty of care, a duty shared by all society. The person who actually turned the switch needs to hang their head in guilty shame. Everyone in New Zealand needs to care that this happened and ask them selves why.

The People of New Zealand are caring, aware and have a sense of community. Which makes this appalling news even harder to understand.

When to Leave

I already wrote about this in a previous post but I got an email from they team at yell pointing to this press release it basically say that people start to search for information about emigrating from the UK in May. Interesting as its the summer and May is in my opinion one of the loveliest months of the year.

The month that would prompt me to leave the Uk is September or late November. Although now that we tend towards Indian summers and warmer climates September can be lovely too.

Its interesting that I have been getting spikes of traffic to my site and it is the end of May. Spooky....

Points, Qualifications and Residency

I think I was a bit tight on my information regarding Visa applications. It is touch to get into the country, harder than you may think but actually not as impossible as you may think. You can apply for residency before you arrive or if you are here on a visa before your visa runs out.

Points
The system is quite simple you get points depending on your status circumstance and value to New Zealand. There is a fortnightly selection based on the points you gain on your expression of interest and the selection will lead to an offer to apply for residency. Now have a look at the table here and you will see that 140 points get you automatic entry to the selection process NOT automatic residency. You will also notice that there is a sliding scale and rather than waste time writing about it you can get it from the people making the selections by clicking on the link.

The thing about points is that you need to fill out the form to really understand how you gain them. If your company belongs to a certain organization it can add 5 to 10 points to your application. If your industry is seen as an area of growth you gain points. Obviously if you planning to work in an area that there is a shortage of New Zealand workers you gain points. A secure Job offer gains points. Your health dependents etc etc. Fill out the form add up your points and then maximize them honestly.

There are schemes you can enter. Talent programes, if you are great at certain sports or work in the arts in some way. You can work to residency by showing your worth to the country.

Be honest with your self and with the immigration authorities is the best advice. If you simply don't have what this country needs you will not get in, but this country needs a lot and if you have it you will be welcomed.

Qualifications
Your own qualifications give you points, now you need to get over 140 to be guaranteed of going into the pool who will be considered for a visa. But your qualifications may not be recognized in New Zealand so you need to read this, NZQA they will tell you for a fee if your qualifications are recognized. A degree from Cambridge is definitely a certificate from polly may not. A fully qualified Nanny may find that her hard earned qualification is worth diddly squat in NZ. Don't worry NZQA will tell you.

SO don't give up, the great thing about the system is that if you are a bit undecided and your following a pipe dream the system will actually mean you'll tire long before you make the mistake of leaving your home country. If you are determined to make it work it will, some how. I did and it was a gut wrenching, hard and anxious time but I'm here. I didn't fall at the first hurdle, and the cliche things worth achieving are worth the fight is very true.

Madeleine

Just to say I think it would be great if every blog in the world could post a link to this site http://findmadeleine.com/ I hope this case will inspire police forces all over the world to have an immediate and well rehearsed action plan to put in place the moment any child is reported missing. I also hope that every corner of the world is aware of the plight of this girls parents and that we all ensure that Madeleine is given every chance of being returned home safely. My heart breaks for her parents, My own daughter is 3 and I simply can't begin to imagine the pain.

My Heart also goes out to the memory of the abduction of Ben Needham, another child taken while on Holiday and never seen or heard of again. I know there are others, many others. If anything positive can come from this truly awful situation it is that this type of crime is as hard to commit as humanly possible.

Every single piece of CCTV footage in a country should be viewed for the 24 hours after the crime is reported by someone, the security man, the petrol station owner, the bank teller every one. These people still have to eat find cash and move around. Someone must have seen or even know something.

The Honeymoon

After you arrive their is a flurry of activity and no time to think, it is like a holiday! At some point though reality will set in. Your 12,000 miles from home in a strange country that despite first appearances is nothing like home. It's your choice as to that being a good or bad thing!

I would say that the best time of year to arrive is October. Its the tail end of winter the weather is Grey but you are in the throws of the honeymoon period. Then just as you get your reality check its around February, Christmas is all gone but summer arrives. Its all beaches long walks brunch in the open air and lots of weekend trips away! Especially to places like Paunanui in the Coromandel. It is just one of those magical places in the world. Some may say a bit like the Truman Show, immaculately kept quiet etc. I'd say just go there it is great.This is in my opinion the best way to do it. We arrived in January and just as the rose tint faded it was dull grey and rather cold!

Health

Ok you've sorted out your money, next comes health! Is that the right order?!!! It's interesting isn't it we all have different experiences in the UK of the 'good old' NHS.

If you live in the US and come from a modest background then you probably think the UK system is great. As I left the country it was in turmoil, at least that's how it felt. Dentistry in particular, it was never really "free" and even if it was; have you tired getting a dentist in the east end of London? Hey when I moved to the Isle of Dogs I even had to go through a special procedure just to get a Doctor. It wasn't very funny as I was suffering from major depression at the time, if your having to spill your guts to a doctor you need them to understand you, it is key to depression.

A fair bit of our personal comparison comes from recently having a child in each country. Millie in the fantastic Rosie in Cambridge and the twins in New Zealand at the North Shore Hospital.

I love the Rosie and they did a great job with a difficult delivery. However, we probably never saw the same specialist from one visit to the next. The midwife choice was on a pot luck basis (don't misunderstand me they were all great. But I'm fairly certain if I were a mum I'd want the same person throughout, building up trust etc. Not only that we are all human, some people get on and others don't. The health service seem to agree as they are trying to introduce continuity to the system.

In New Zealand it is totally free to have kids given the criteria set out below. For children you can add working visa to the list. For not much extra you can go privhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifate, we used Shorebirth, and you receive a top class service. In the hospital in New Zealand every room was private, our consultant delivered and he was the same man becca saw at the very begining. The scan service was just fantastic and then of course their is Plunket! YOu need to explore the wholw notion of Plunket here.

What does it Cost?

People eligible for free hospital treatment:

* New Zealand citizens born in New Zealand
* People with permanent resident status
* Refugees admitted by Immigration Service; people over 16 and ordinarily resident or previously ordinarily resident (legally) throughout preceding two years or who can provide proof that they intend to remain for two years.
* People under 16 and in the care and control of the above.
* Cook, Nuie and Tokelau Islands.
* Residents of Gt. Britain and Northern Ireland (including premature birth and complex maternity cases but excluding normal maternity or those with pre-existent condition).
* UK Royal Navy personnel
* Residents of Australia, except antenatal outpatients.
* US Antarctic Expedition personnel.
* Overseas students enrolled in a course of study of two years or more.

The Basic cost of a visit to a Doctor is $50, prescriptions are slightly less expensive than the UK. Dental work is different. It is Private for all adults and costly. A broken tooth cost me $300 last week. Still I won a free electric tooth brush a month ago. But if you are coming out and you children a thumb suckers, good luck braces will cost you. We use Proudmouth who are great.

There is private health insurance and that is quite expensive, especially when most things and emergencies are free.

Oh and for the spectical users - Actual specs cost a fortune for some reason soft contacts seem less expensive. Have alook here OPSM don't be fooled by the advert, its like the UK the £99 offer turns to £700 once you have lenses and a decent frame.

The Health Service site is here
NZ Health

Money

After arriving get your finances organized as fast as you can. Luckily opening bank accounts in New Zealand is not that hard. But be warned getting credit is far too easy. New Zealand lives on credit and the interest rates are high, so be warned and mortgages are particularly easy to get. The accounts in New Zealand are different to those at home and do shop around. The banks are cowboys, I have no problem with saying that publically, bank charges in New Zealand are comprehensive and extra ordinary, they do charge you for spending your own money.

New Zealand is a country that uses EFTPOS like no other I've been to. I rarely have cash on my person, but the banks will charge you for this service if you are not careful.

Mortgage structures are very different, certainly to the UK. You can mix and match your mortgage almost to your hearts content. However the ONE account has not made it hear as a product. My advice is get your self a very independent adviser. It is far beyond the scope of this blog to give out specific financial advice or recommend particular products.

That said my general advice is, beware of credit and steer clear of a product called a flexi mortgage, unless you have a will of steel you will constantly have an outstanding balance and interest to pay because it is in effect an overdraft against your home and so can be quite large and no one ever pays off an over draft of you just buy stuff like new computers and plasma screens.


If you are expat and want to deal in accounts with different currencies I'd go for either Westpac who have an the best website with information that is specific to immigrants. They also allow you to pre plan and open accounts before you arrive. As Do

click here for more information.

There are of several other banks. The ANZ National Bank of New Zealand, the Bank of New Zealand which actually has the best advert!


There are lots of Mortgage brokers one of the most popular is Mike Pero I've not used him I went with my bank, its a personal preference but I try to have a one stop shop for finances.

So be on your toes, use any cooling off period to cool off and do shop around for everything, it is a buyers market and the competition to get you money in their vault is amazing, you should always be able to get a better deal.

A New Life

I promised myself I'd never do this but that's what promises are for. The sister site to this doesn't get nearly the same amount of traffic and I like this entry, so I'm going to cut and past it here.


Today Rebecca and I had a talk. I suppose you do take stock around birthdays and anniversaries. We talked about the difference in our lives since moving to New Zealand. we had talked about many of the things we would change. We used to like a trip to Canary Wharf, we lived on the Isle of Dogs - great place called Burrells Wharf. At Canary wharf we would wander around the shops, probably enjoy a light lunch at Carluccio's, we'd buy things go home look at them watch TV and go to bed. In New Zealand the consumerist life was going to change, we'd be out in the fresh air in our Nuclear free paradise. We'd enjoy the climate, have more time for the kids and go on day trips. We'd entertain in true BBQ fashion, we'd swim, walk eat well and get fit. I think Becca really hit the nail on the head when she announced the major life change we have made is that she uses the tumble dryer a bit less!

You know moving was the easy part, changing is the hard bit. You have to realise that change is about you, not where you live. I've just made a programme about change, real honest and profound change. If giving up things that we know kill us, like to many Mcdonalds, KFC's or Burger Kings. Too much wine and Beer, cigarettes and sitting at the computer. then it must come as no surprise that changing the little things to make the big difference is almost against human nature. Going for a walk, can seem like the hardest thing in the world when it means getting 3 kids into a car, getting them out again, one probably getting tired and crying etc etc etc. It doesnt actually matter if you are in New Zealand or the New Forrest or Vote New Labour, change is hard but it is so rewarding if only you could get their a bit faster!

We will get there and we will do it as a Family. Becca has actually made huge changes and I am really proud of her, she is a fantastic partner and a great mum. If you really want an insight to What Becca has done click here.

Its My Birthday

So, thanks to Becca, my 3 year old delights the odd passer by or friends by often exclaiming, "My daddy is looking down the barrel of 50!" I don't mind, I'm actually 48, I was born May 7th 1959 - always difficult to be born in the final year of a decade, it seems to make one even older! The other thing about my own birthday is that the 6th of May 1959 was the day my father died of Leukemia. A tragic story and I obviously cant mention my own birthday without thinking about a man I never knew yet shaped my life.

Now after an often difficult life I find the joy of a sunny day in New Zealand with my family remarkable and almost unbelievable, especially as it happened so fast! A 3 year old delighting in baking my cake with her mum and the utter joy of opening my presents surrounded by my very own family of 4 beautiful girls. Having twins is still hard work, read Oh My God Twins if you're interested in finding out how much work!

But today was warm and clear, we drove to the play ground at Mission Bay (MAP) Like most areas in Auckland it has its own website here. Although we didn't get there today due to the intervention of grumpy twins I cannot recommend the cafe Mecca at the old Mission House strongly enough. The old and New Pictures above. It has a great play ground opposite. So my 48th birthday will go down in the diary as a good one.

A New Life

Today Rebecca and I had a talk. I suppose you do take stock around birthdays and anniversaries. We talked about the difference in our lives since moving to New Zealand. we had talked about many of the things we would change. We used to like a trip to Canary Wharf, we lived on the Isle of Dogs - great place called Burrells Wharf. At Canary wharf we would wander around the shops, probably enjoy a light lunch at Carluccio's, we'd buy things go home look at them watch TV and go to bed. In New Zealand the consumerist life was going to change, we'd be out in the fresh air in our Nuclear free paradise. We'd enjoy the climate, have more time for the kids and go on day trips. We'd entertain in true BBQ fashion, we'd swim, walk eat well and get fit. I think Becca really hit the nail on the head when she announced the major life change we have made is that she uses the tumble dryer a bit less!

You know moving was the easy part, changing is the hard bit. You have to realise that change is about you, not where you live. I've just made a programme about change, real honest and profound change. If giving up things that we know kill us, like too many Mcdonalds, KFC's or Burger Kings. Too much wine and Beer, cigarettes and sitting at the computer. then it must come as no surprise that changing the little things to make the big difference is almost against human nature. Going for a walk, can seem like the hardest thing in the world when it means getting 3 kids into a car, getting them out again, one probably getting tired and crying etc etc etc. It doesnt actually matter if you are in New Zealand or the New Forrest or Vote New Labour, change is hard but it is so rewarding if only you could get their a bit faster!

We will get there and we will do it as a Family. Becca has actually made huge changes and I am really proud of her, she is a fantastic partner and a great mum. If you really want an insight to What Becca has done click here.

Enough of the Real Estate

I'm sorry I know, too much detail on the real estate front. In my defense it is the single largest financial decision you are going to make, it shows your commitment to the new life but above all else, get the location of your home wrong and your attempt to find a new life will fail. I have also passed another mile stone as it is my birthday today! If you really are interested you can read what I did here!

I will endevour to get back on track with a logical chronology of the journey to where we are now as soon, that is, as the effects of the Birthday Bottle of Red have subsided. Interestingly I recommend the Pinot Noir - especially on Air New Zealand!

Rental

So after producing Jonah Lomu's this is your life and my trip to the UK and France, I'm back on track with our story.

We rented in Mairangi Bay when we first arrived, it was the hardest part, looking at rentals. So many of the houses were dirty or unloved, nothing to do with NZ it was the same in the UK when we rented. It is quite soul destroying, my advice is to just keep looking and don't get down hearted, there are plenty of properties to look at it will take time for you to find the right one for you at the right price, its almost a case of too much choice.

Our home as you've seen was a typical 1970's kiwi home with the living all on the upper floor and a rumpus room and garage underneath. It is a great layout and the rumpus room is perfect as a play room or hobby room. The lack of central heating is a shock, despite the warmer climate.

harcourtsThen you suffer while you wait for the container to arrive and it is hard with a 9 month old baby. We had a camp bed and Millie had a travel cot. that was bayleysabout it apart from 32kgs of baggage, believe me that is the only reason to go through LAX, the most uninviting airport in the world. Being shouted at by security after a 12 hour flight with a baby is not a great experience. The ground staff are great if you get the right one. Security staff could be a little more aware of the people they serve. I'll wait in the longest line if it means my flight is secure, I won't be shouted at or treated with disrespect, there is no need for it.

So with nothing but paper plates plastic knives and the resulting small cuts in the upper thigh region - think about it - our life in New Zealand began, good humour is obligatory.

Some great Websites exist to help you find rentals and places to live. These are the top ones in my view,

• www.realestate.co.nz
• Harcourts
• Professionals
• Bayleys
• L J Hooker