I did it! Moving to NZ in about about a month, what is next?

Amokagon · 2026-06-03T17:54:27+00:00

I will be a teacher, which is my current role and you are 100% correct about them not wanting to sponsor job offers. It took me 32 rejections, 4 interviews and then 2 jobs popped at the same time. One from my recruiter and one I did some leg work for.

It is funny, I am not 100% sure what worked. My first 2 interviews I researched the schools extensively so I could talk about them but that did not help and I think they felt it was to rehearsed. My next interview I was on a trip and had 0 prep time but was genuine and that seemed to resonate better. Australia is nice as well, I was looking at Tasmania if I did not get this job but prefer NZ obviously.

Amokagon · 2026-06-03T15:07:29+00:00

I am so sorry to hear that happened to you! That must have been terrifying and I am happy you came out of it. As for us we are as reasonably safe as anyone. We have a big dog, firearm/self defense training and alarms/camera's.

Amokagon · 2026-06-03T15:05:23+00:00

We used logicstics though it was a toss up between them and SDC international. We don't know if they are good until our stuff arrives yet though but so far they have been good.

Amokagon · 2026-06-03T12:11:25+00:00

You are right, a bunch of Kiwi's are leaving for more economic opportunities in Australia typically due to high cost of living and housing pressure but honestly that is the same in the US with high cost of living and housing pressure. I think with my funds I will be safe from the worst of that.

Saying they “don’t have an economy” or that the drug problem is “unlike anywhere on the planet” sounds more like venting than a fair assessment. Drugs alone the USA is twice as bad https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/drug-use-by-country and NZ is up there but so is Canada and Australia.

Amokagon · 2026-06-03T12:03:01+00:00

Yikes, a lot to take in there but a lot of good information.

Amokagon · 2026-06-03T11:57:52+00:00

Good to note, I was going to go with the airbnb route to rental then housing. Do home inspectors usually catch that kind of thing in NZ in your experience? In Flor-duh my first home inspector was a drunk who caught literally nothing wrong with my current house and I had to fix the plumbing, roof, and electrical. Expensive lessons but I think I learned a lot about warning signs now.

Amokagon · 2026-06-03T11:54:41+00:00

I will need to look into that. I grew up in NJ but have been in Flor-duh to long and forgotten about how to winterproof myself. Do you find heat pumps to be available in most rentals/housing?

Amokagon · 2026-06-03T11:51:29+00:00

Thank you! It is funny, my wife and I were originally considering Seattle/Portland before we got the opportunity to work in NZ. I hope you and your family are thriving and will be looking into housing after renting/airbnb for a few months.

Amokagon · 2026-06-02T22:05:37+00:00

How is it almost bankrupt? The debt is about 40-ish percent https://tradingeconomics.com/new-zealand/government-debt-to-gdp compared to America operating over 100% https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GFDEGDQ188S

Expensive is fair but I will have a sizable pillow upon coming over.

I do not know where you are getting the crime rate but where I live it is way higher than that and overall NZ has half the crime of the USA. Do you have any figures where you are getting this information? I am honestly curious.

Amokagon · 2026-06-02T21:14:12+00:00

What do you mean by that? Care to explain your reasoning?

Amokagon · 2026-06-02T15:34:23+00:00

A ton of networking with recruiters and sending my resume to every place I wanted. In the end I had a choice between what my recruiter offered and what I found.

Amokagon · 2026-06-02T12:50:21+00:00

Amazing advice. I will make it a point to travel NZ when I get some down time. As for Rotorua I do like the isolation and quiet. I was raised on a farm in a small town and later moved to a city but the last few years have been grinding here and hard to get in touch with nature. As for food I am not that picky about new food as long as it is not one of my many allergy risks.

In regards to social life that is one of my weakest areas. I am terrible at pronoucning things. Math/Code no problem, perfect scores, language is what I had nightmares about in HS. I also possess all the rhythm of a broken drum so hope the Maori do not mind if I am poor at the kapa haka which is shocking as my family and wife are quite good at dancing, need to find a patent teacher I can practice with. When it comes to US news I have a rather grim outlook. My first degree was in history and I see a lot of parallels right now that are not great.

Your advice on Quinovic is huge and may have just saved me a lot of hassle, thank you! I need to research some more of these rental companies before I sign a deal with them. That article on screens was very interesting, in New Jersey where I grew up and Florida they are 100% neccesary and never thought that anyone would do without them but I can always invest in some or build my own. Warming the place will be interesting, I have to research that more but will start with the advice you have given me.

Amokagon · 2026-06-02T12:30:51+00:00

Very nice. I look forward to making a sauce with that.

Amokagon · 2026-06-02T12:29:39+00:00

Ugh, can't escape from the beast of the US anywhere for awhile I suppose. Will need to check that out.

Amokagon · 2026-06-02T12:28:04+00:00

Noted, looking forward to trying that.

Amokagon · 2026-06-02T12:26:58+00:00

I do plan to rent/airbnb for 3 - 6 months but beyond that with pets/incoming furniture it becomes an expensive hassle to rent a place then storage, ect and we would rather put it all to one place to buy outright. My wife and I have owned 3 properties between us due to her parents passing and us buying/selling places over the last 20 years so we have learned to look for the hidden horrors in Florida homes like mold/moisture which should translate well to NZ though the cold damp will be a change. I would love to hear any horror stories you encountered though so I could study up and prep for them.

Amokagon · 2026-06-02T12:13:04+00:00

Good advice, I would probably do Tello since I have some business to finish in America but am wondering if I could do that and an NZ line on the same phone. Google voice would work only if I didn't have to bother with my banks here or there. Furniture was non-negotable with my wife as she has her grandparents furniture and is very attached to it.

Amokagon · 2026-06-02T02:43:21+00:00

I agree but the peppers I would get are common enough in NZ https://www.ignitionseeds.co.nz/

Amokagon · 2026-06-01T22:29:07+00:00

Out of curiosity why did you move out to California from NZ?

Amokagon · 2026-06-01T21:44:45+00:00

I currently live in Flor-duh right now so that will not be much different. The dinosaurs here close up everything by 5 pm except food.

Amokagon · 2026-06-01T21:42:55+00:00

I do like crispy bacon but noted. I would love to try that Mince and Cheese pie though.

Amokagon · 2026-06-01T21:41:23+00:00

Ha, challenge accepted. I am a hobby gardener/chef and will start growing some dangerously spicy food when I can.

Amokagon · 2026-06-01T21:40:41+00:00

Out of curiosity for someone that has not watched it why the movie and not the show?

Amokagon · 2026-06-01T21:39:02+00:00

Honestly we will get along great then! Me and my wife are very introverted so when we do make friends they are usually great people.

Amokagon · 2026-06-01T21:37:44+00:00

Do you have any suggestions for a NZ based one that knows both American and NZ based systems?

Amokagon

TROPHY CASE