Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Thinking of living or retiring in New Zealand?

New Zealand City map
According to MintLife, click here for the entire article, New Zealand would be a great place to do it.  I can't disagree.  This is what they have to say about it.

New Zealand

Looking for a place to retire where you don’t have to learn a new language or try and decipher what people speaking English as a second language are trying to say? New Zealand might just be the place for you.
If you’ve ever seen Lord of the Rings you know just how beautiful New Zealand can be. The land of the Kiwis also appeals to the active health nut. It’s also one of the least-polluted countries in the world.
Got money to throw around? Split your time between the U.S. and New Zealand — it’s winter here when it’s summer there and vice versa.

 Here are some resources I have used in order to move and live here.

Working Holiday Visa and logistics:
Bunac:  I paid a smallish fee for them to facilitate the paperwork for my visa and another fee for the mandatory traveler's insurance.
IEP: is the organization who partnered with Bunac, so I am worked with them once I arrived. 
IRD: They helped me secure my tax number.  This is a must for any worker looking to make money in New Zealand.  After applying, it will take 7-10 business days to have to created.  Be prepared to sit on the phone for a long time in order to get it.  They do provide call backs, but only to land lines.
Bank Account:  You'll need a bank account as most employers pay by direct deposit and most transactions are done by their ETFPOS system.  I am using KiwiBank, who offers a free account and they will exchange US dollars for free and they gave us the best rate for exchange. 

Finding Employment:
Backpacker board a mix of jobs all aimed at travelers that range from Au Pair to Waiter/Waitress. 
BBH World travellers jobs at BBH hostels and jobs aimed at travelers can be found on their notice boards.
Helpx typically work for accommodation on family farms.
Seasonal work if you want to follow the weather, then this is for you.  Will show jobs like kiwi and avocado picking to training vines at one of New Zealand's numerous wineries.  
Seek.co.nz this is the best place to find skilled work or work in retail or an office setting.
TradeMe.co.nz a cross between Craigslist and Ebay.  They have tons of postings for all types of work in all the regions.

Finding housing:
trademe.co.nz Can find rentals and flatmates (roommates) for any region.  Check for how the payment works.  Most places are on a weekly rental fee with some asking for several weeks up front.

There are also a variety of real estate agencies that work in both the selling and rental of properties.  Some time properties will only list with one so if always be on the look out for some kind of sign about who is listing the property. 

Start saving.  Start planning.  Make the move abroad.

1 comment:

  1. Oooh! This reminds me that I have to mention the employment and tax stuff in Germany. Very interesting and slightly complicated when you throw the military into the mix. Thank you for the inspiration!

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