New Zealand ?

[Taupotreeman]

The days of the 100% mortgage are long gone I'm afraid. It also depends where you are living. If you are in one of the cities or large tourist areas then it's always going to be a little more expensive than everywhere else, hence the reason we moved out of Auckland.

 

The gear, for the good stuff, is more expensive here. Boots, trousers, harnesses etc. If you have good stuff already just clean and disinfect and bring with you.

 

You probably won't need the holiday. Once you get here you won't be leaving I doubt. I figured when I got here in 98 that I'd get residency and move to OZ but they don't call it god's own for nothing here.

[jayman]

i just spoke to my friend 2 days ago and he said about the 100% mortgage , when did they scrap that ?

 

also said if i take a job with maf or doc that was in he middle of nowhere i might get a house and vehicle of them, might be a good thing, hours away from anybody else sounds good to me.

[Taupotreeman]

Ahhh, a man after my own heart. The further away from people the better sometimes. The 100% mortgages went out with the financial crisis. It didn't hit us as hard here but there were several people who got themselves up to the eyeballs in loans to develop sections and houses and then couldn't shift em when the housing market plummeted. Since then the banks have been shy on giving out the 100%. I think it's up to about 90% with some banks but you'd need to have a pretty good credit record.

 

As for DoC and MAF; you have to get a job with them first and the vehicle and house thing depends on where you take the job. I'd imagine there'd be a few in the wop wops as there is plenty of unadulterated land here far away from people but it's just a matter of finding those particular jobs. Sounds like your best option is to come here and have a look, see what's about and work from there. The bonus is, if you find any job in one of the smaller rural towns house prices will be way cheaper than city living.

[LSD]

who are Maf and Doc??

[Taupotreeman]

Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Departmen of Conservation.

[LSD]

ahh.. I thought they where a couple of rednecks living in the bush somewere:laugh1:

[jayman]

haha rednecks, that made me chuckle, yea think im gonna take a holiday first maybe a month over there see whats what,cant think of anything better than being hours away from the next town or even person, ahh bliss

[Mike Hill]

Always a good idea to visit a Country for a while before deciding to immigrate.

 

When you are there,compare the cost of food,housing,transport against what you will take home.New Zealand is a very expensive place to live in on the wages most Tree Companies pay.I worked back home for three months recently and found the food prices comparable to Scandinavia.

 

I have lived abroad for 12 years now,the wages havn't risen much in that time.Seems that most companies pay around $20ph for a climber with HGV.Thats in the South Island anyway.

 

I can't speak for all Tree companies but the work rate is twice what I experianced in the UK.

 

Jobs working for DOC are pretty sought after.I don't know what qualifications you have,but to get a post without a applicable masters degree in somthing Enviromentally related it pretty tough.Even if you do have a Degree,it somtimes takes a fair bit of voluntary work to get your foot in the Door.

 

Most companies are not too hung up on qualifcations,you'll get a trail period to show them what you've got.HGV licence would be a huge help in gaining employment with many companies.Its pretty cheap to get it in NZ,but I am sure you have to be a permanent resident before you can sit it?

 

 

Having said all that,the quality of life in NZ is hard to beat.If your into the outdoors then there are few comparable places to live.Its pretty safe,very clean and most of the people are genuine.

 

Ross Smith on here,is moving back to the UK.You might want to send him a PM for some more up to date info about how he found working in NZ

 

All the best with your adventure mate!

[jayman]

some good stuff so far, i havnt got HGV but if its cheap enough to do it out there then i'l look at that aswell.

 

just need some pennies now to get out there for a holiday !

[LSD]

how old are you jayman? could be worth going for a working holiday,, “try before you bye” so to speak, that’s what I’m trying to do anyway.