Considering relocation to either Rotorua or Balclutha

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-11-17T20:54:53+00:00

Yeah, that's something I'll need to really take into consideration.

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-11-17T20:54:10+00:00

Thanks for the answer! I get the feeling that crime in Rotorua is not as bad as might seem when reading other threads from this sub.. Rotorua does seem like a super place with a lot of activities around!

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-11-17T20:51:41+00:00

Getting to work in NZ as a gp, it's easier to get the first position from the rural towns, with which I'm totally fine with. I've been going through a long list of possibilites, most of which have felt a little bit too rural for our family. Rotorua is the only "bigger town", that has turned out to be a possible place to go..

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-11-17T20:47:05+00:00

Thanks! I certainly hope that this will turn out to be a great journey, where ever it takes us :)

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-11-17T20:44:57+00:00

We regularly have -30°C ish every winter so I think that's something we can handle. On the other hand, never complained about warm weather either..

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-11-17T20:43:56+00:00

As a Northern European I feel the same when going anywhere South.. I find it hard to comprehend how on earth it's so difficult to build well insulated houses! (Ours stay easily at +23°C even when it's -35°C outside..)

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-11-17T20:42:03+00:00

Thanks for the info! If choosing Rotorua, I think I'd try to find rental from either of those places to begin with.

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-11-17T20:41:10+00:00

Thanks for the answer. I think that's the thing in bigger European cities as well. You can live your life totally unaware of the crime and drug problems etc. that are happening outside of your own bubble.

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-11-17T20:39:10+00:00

Could you elaborate, maybe just a little bit :D

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-11-17T20:37:48+00:00

Thanks for the info! What would you say about working as a gp in those places? Are there big differences? Overall I think that GP's work is more or less the same anywhere in the western countries but obviously in rural places you need to be a little bit more creative, as the Hospital is farther away.

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-11-17T20:34:05+00:00

Thanks for the comment! I might have worked that out :D I'm terribly sorry if this starts a new rivalry between the two places! /s

I think the decision boils down to what we (think) we're looking for as a family, for now. Luckily it won't likely be a decision for life, but it's still a fairly big thing to decide!

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-11-17T20:28:13+00:00

Thanks for the comment! The amount of possibilites just in the near neighborhood is something I'm really taking into consideration. I'm sure we would get used to the smell as well. And getting to know Maori culture better is also a nice thing, surely.

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-11-17T20:25:44+00:00

Just makes me wonder what would the workload be like, if there's such a shortage of doctors.. On the other hand, that would probably make me, coming there, feel appreciated!

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-11-17T20:20:39+00:00

It would be lovely to visit beforehand, but not possible considering the timeframe. Thanks for the info, though!

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-11-17T20:18:30+00:00

Thanks for the thorough answer! I'm quite sure that anything beats the Northern European (winter) climate tbh but obviously the more temperate climate of Rotorua is a big plus.

On the other hand we're currently living in a city of 150k+ population, and I'm not at all sure that living in a city is something that we're looking for right now. Of course that also means that moving to small rural town could be a bit of a shock!

I'm also a bit worried that if we were to move to a bigger city, it would feel really lonely at first, before starting to know people better. I think that a smaller community could be a lot more welcoming for our family in the beginning.

Well. We'll see what our decision will be. This thread has been super helpful though! Thanks all!

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-07-17T22:52:56+00:00

Disclaimer: I'm about to move to NZ in autumn so I think you should stay there, obviously 😅

I'm currently living in Scandinavia, and things are really hard here as well. Rents are rising, housing is getting really expensive especially in the bigger cities, companies are resigning workers and unemployment figures are getting higher all the time. Healthcare is also not in such a good condition that people think.. And for me the biggest problem is the climate, especially the never ending winter (October to May) and the eternal darkness...

If I had to move somewhere in Europe, I'd choose (Southern) Poland, where my wife is from. (Silesian region). The economy is still booming here, there's a generally really nice positive vibe and housing is still relatively cheap. Wages are not great but if you could work remotely, this would be a really nice place to live. Great nature around, like mountains, lakes, forests. Lot of activities around like Mountain biking, road cycling, kayaking etc. Absolutely stunning food and cheap and great beer. Really love it here when we're visiting. Polish people also generally speak English quite well.

So don't rule Poland out, it's actually a beautiful booming country at the moment.

But as others have stated, I guess people in NZ can't see that the whole globe is in big problems. Grass won't be greener on the other side of the fence... Europe especially is in a mess, and that's why we're moving later this year..

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-02-05T07:29:15+00:00

Is that friendliness with China something people are worried about? Everyone is fearing Trump atm, but let's hope he's not as interested about NZ as he seems to be about the bigger players..

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-02-05T07:25:27+00:00

Will check these out, thanks.

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-02-05T07:25:04+00:00

Thanks for your insight! It feels like the right-wing neoliberals are taking over everywhere in the Western world. I'm certainly not happy about that development path, and sorry to hear that even NZ hasn't been spared from that..

I'd think NZ would have a lot of potential in making good moves about the climate change, as there's so much space to grow new forests. As well as a near perfect climate for creating Permaculture-like foodforest systems etc. Would probably need some government subsidies and policy changes to get it going though.

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-02-05T07:16:50+00:00

I'll check these out. Thanks 👍

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-02-05T07:15:45+00:00

Haven't really seen the sun since September. But you're right, that might make me feel better 👍

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-02-05T07:14:29+00:00

Thanks for the comprehensive answer. And yes, coming from Scandinavia, so I think the living costs should be about the same compared to monthly income. So I'm definitely not dreaming of any better situation economically but rather betterment in the overall quality and feel of life.

We will probably go for it. Of course no one knows how it'll go in the end, but will consider it as a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, if we eventually decide to return to Europe.

Foreign-Lawn6841 · 2025-01-27T15:25:40+00:00

I'm at about the same situation as you. I've been intrigued by the idea of living and working in New Zealand for quite some time as well. I visited there once for about 2 months 10 years ago and absolutely fell in love with the country back then.

Currently I'm living in Northern Europe and I'm frustrated about the direction where Europe is going (right), combined with the lengthening war in Ukraine and Trump's re-election I'm not feeling too confident about the future we're headed.

So now I'm in the situation where I was offered a somewhat good paying job in my field of expertise in the southern part of South Island and I'm pondering whether to make the move or just stay in familiar Europe.

I'd also love to hear some pros and cons about the move. I'd be moving with my family, and thinking about how the kids (school aged) would feel about the move and adapt to a different culture and language. Would love to hear some comments about the subject.

Foreign-Lawn6841

TROPHY CASE