It's my last day........

[anisboy]

Today is my last day in the UK. We fly tonight to NZ where I was lucky enough to secure a full contract with an accredited employer (definitely the way to go as the rules stood at the time). I'm hoping to post a few pics and diaries but we'll see how it goes.

Our visas were granted in record time and if anyone is looking to make the move I would recommend using an agent (INZ registered), as it completely smoothed out the process for us, especially we were both working full time aswell.

[remy]

Good luck to you and hope it works out in the future.

[Baldy91]

Good on you and Absolute best of luck to you
...could you point me in the right direction please as how to even get started looking for work out there. Thankyou

[dieseldog999]

good for you.if you get there quick enough then with the time difference,you might be able to log in here and wait for your post to pop up..
nice to see someone else leaving the sinking ship..goodluck,it has to be better than the uk.

[anisboy]

Cheers lads

We're here now enjoying a few days trying to find a house, got a cheapy car yesterday (SWMBO's is in a container somewhere in the UK ready to be shipped) and just doing a few touristy things before I start next week.

We used Paul Goddard at the DUC NZ (Down Under Centre). The company is based in the UK but Paul is in Auckland (being an expat himself) which helps a lot. The onus is on you to find a job etc but he will smooth out the niggles and make sure everything is in place so that your visa (and job) application go without any hitches. Yes you can do it all yourself (cheaper) but you carry with it the risk of something not being right and it delaying the process (which is very expensive anyway) and in some cases being denied a visa.

The rules have changed for Work to Residency so it may not be a cost effective option for transport companies any more (frankly NZ shooting themselves in the foot as they really do have a driver shortage) but keep trying, and keep a look out for any future changes. For those who just want to give it a go, I think the 12 month visa is still available but that is all you get and then you can't return to NZ for another 12 months. However Canstaff are the ones to contact on that basis.

Finally, if you're wanting to come for money, don't bother. It's the life style that makes it better, and more opportunities for the youngsters. If you haven't been to NZ, I strongly recommend visiting before looking at emigrating, its not easy and it's a huge move to make, not just for you but extended family as well. In addition to that the cost of making the move is astronomical, so you have to be REALLY sure it is what you want to do.

For me, we first visited in 2017 and as we were flying in over Auckland (which I had never seen before apart from some pictures) I had the distinct feeling that I was coming home. I did not get that coming back to the UK, and the UK to be honest has not felt right for many years. I haven't been able to shake that feeling since we went back to the UK, even the roads felt unnatural, and now I'm back here in NZ everything has just slipped into place.

However, now the hard work starts to make sure we secure the life we hope it will be.

[Franglais]

Good post, and best wishes to you.
Sounds like you`ve got a realistic and positive attitude to it all.
Quick question: you said moving cost a fortune? Is that moving furniture etc? Did you consider selling everything (most things anyway) UK and starting afresh there?

[AndieHyde]

Summer just around the corner too, after many years having a Barbecue for Christmas dinner still feels weird, but I am not complaining.
If you ever find yourself in Napier and fancy a pint, PM me for my phone number.

Best of luck.

[nightline]

Cheers lads

We're here now enjoying a few days trying to find a house, got a cheapy car yesterday (SWMBO's is in a container somewhere in the UK ready to be shipped) and just doing a few touristy things before I start next week.

We used Paul Goddard at the DUC NZ (Down Under Centre). The company is based in the UK but Paul is in Auckland (being an expat himself) which helps a lot. The onus is on you to find a job etc but he will smooth out the niggles and make sure everything is in place so that your visa (and job) application go without any hitches. Yes you can do it all yourself (cheaper) but you carry with it the risk of something not being right and it delaying the process (which is very expensive anyway) and in some cases being denied a visa.

The rules have changed for Work to Residency so it may not be a cost effective option for transport companies any more (frankly NZ shooting themselves in the foot as they really do have a driver shortage) but keep trying, and keep a look out for any future changes. For those who just want to give it a go, I think the 12 month visa is still available but that is all you get and then you can't return to NZ for another 12 months. However Canstaff are the ones to contact on that basis.

Finally, if you're wanting to come for money, don't bother. It's the life style that makes it better, and more opportunities for the youngsters. If you haven't been to NZ, I strongly recommend visiting before looking at emigrating, its not easy and it's a huge move to make, not just for you but extended family as well. In addition to that the cost of making the move is astronomical, so you have to be REALLY sure it is what you want to do.

For me, we first visited in 2017 and as we were flying in over Auckland (which I had never seen before apart from some pictures) I had the distinct feeling that I was coming home. I did not get that coming back to the UK, and the UK to be honest has not felt right for many years. I haven't been able to shake that feeling since we went back to the UK, even the roads felt unnatural, and now I'm back here in NZ everything has just slipped into place.

However, now the hard work starts to make sure we secure the life we hope it will be.

I got that very same feeling as soon as i walked out of the airport in Christchurch, if younger I would have never come home, too old for Visa
Great post
You will do well it's not all about money

[ORC]

Welcome to NZ! And well done for slipping in just days before the door slams firmly shut on any residency paths for working visas for truckies. You'll be required to work for accredited employer(s) for two years, then you can apply for residency as long as your base salary is at least $55,000. The salary threshold has now been raised for new applicants to nearly $80,000, and no trucking company will be willing to pay that to an unknown driver from overseas.

I hope you'll settle and be very happy in NZ - a delightful country for those of us who like a simpler life, less traffic, more scenery etc

[Pat Hasler]

Good luck

[adoptedkiwi]

welcome to Nz...any info or pointers . pm me . Im in Auckland
cheers

[john.d.m]

Been here 12 yrs now and citizens, if you need anything, we in Palmy

[Paul John]

Good luck to you both.

[anisboy]

Hi everyone.

Sorry for not having replied sooner but we have been absolutely flat out for the last few weeks, not only in jobs but in life too.

So far the job is going great, no pics or anything yet but I'm enjoying it. My 12 hour day took a little getting used to, not so much because of its length but the 7am start. I was so used to being up at 2am in the UK for work that my body just didn't want to function with a few hours extra sleep so it has taken a little while adjusting to it.

I have a relatively easy day, some local deliveries in Hamilton then up to rural Auckland for various collections to one of our transport hubs, then a full load back down to Hamilton at the end of the day. Some of my colleagues and especially my mentor when I started were all saying its going to get really busy leading up to Christmas, you'll be doing at least 5 collections (my max so far is 7 and well within time) and be late back to Hamilton. I'm still waiting for it to get busy......

The other comment they've made is that some of the roads are really tight for a semi, and they don't like doing days because of all the traffic......I have to remind them that I'm a Pom, I am loving driving down the express way at rush hour and it being like driving on a road that has been closed in the UK. The heaviest traffic I've seen so far has been the queue behind me when I had a full load of spuds on, and nowhere safe to pull over to let them all past.

The Scania I have been issued is an old girl with plenty of K's under her but she's going good for now, bit tatty and abused but nothing a good clean won't help with. It due to be replaced next year but I will still get an older one as they put the new ones on line-haul. However in my first week I was tasked with test driving and evaluating the 25th Anniversary edition Volvo FH with the new I-drive seamless box, a lovely unit indeed but just a little too tall for what we do plus it was a Euro set up which was fine for me but the night shift didn't like it. If the company decide to get them they will have a quad set up. I did find it a bit laggy when we had a full trailer on though.

Took a little bit of getting used to the quad set up, both the unit and the trailer but so far so good. Was very strange seeing the trailer so far back from the cab when I'm used to it just being a few inches away in the the UK.

I did have the misfortune to drive UD Quon whilst the Scania was in for service, I know it has an I-drive box but it was rubbish, and I didn't hold out much hope for life expectancy if I was in an incident. I'd rather have driven a Merc and that's saying something as I really don't like driving them.

Home life as been a bit frantic. We managed to find and secure a nice rental (our UK house for a similar rent could fit in the double garage), and have just taken delivery of our new sofa, still waiting for the dining table (I will be so glad to get it as lap dinners are not my thing). Our container is due in tomorrow morning (Sunday) though we won't get our stuff until it clears customs etc.. The car will take a little longer has that has to go through all the WOF and entry certs etc.. We had it scour cleaned (as required by MPI) before we left it with the shippers but they left it sitting in their yard for a month so I dread to think what state it is in.

Franglais - We sold the majority of our furniture in the UK as most of it was Ikea which doesn't ship well. We ended bringing a sofa and chair but they come apart for travelling so they didn't take up much space.

We wanted to start afresh as realistically as possible, we have rarely ever had anything brand new, so it was nice to be able to afford new beds and such. The quality I would argue is much better here though you do have to inspect and research what you are buying just to be on the safe side.

The cost of shipping is astronomical, a shared 40ft container (ie we are sharing it with other persons) was near on £3k plus another £2k for the car (even though it is coming in the same container). If we had gone with a sole use container you could add at least another 3-4k onto that. On top of that you have insurance though it does pay to shop around for that. Don't use the shipping companies insurance as that is vastly inflated. You also have to take into account, airfares, hotels, hire cars, and any other costs associated with moving your entire life to another part of the world. It is something you have to really commit to and do it for the right reasons.

[hutpik]

Congratulations on your move.Pleased all is going to your satifaction.As someone who has lived in various places i know that being welcomed and having things go well is a good start to a new Life,makes you all the more enthusiastic and wanting to fit in.Be lucky.

[dieseldog999]

good man,

now you can lie back laughing watching the uk keep going further and further down the toilet as the years pass.
nice to see someone with balls doing something positive for a change .

[Paul John]

Congratulations. Sounds as if things are working out well. It will take time to adjust to the way of life, it’s a learning lesson but should be exciting.
My girlfriends daughter just moved back to California from Hamilton after spending five years there. She loved it, and misses the easy going lifestyle. Unfortunately her husband never settled and was homesick!
If you are a rugby fan you will be in heaven in Hamilton, quite a few
ex-pats there also.

Please keep us updated.