Life in Wellington

Hi Shawn,

To answer your questions.

* South Africans are treated well, I've found the people very welcoming.
* There is a lot of opportunities here, due to key skills shortages. I recommend looking at the New Zealand Immigration website to see whether your skills are in demand, either way, chat with local recruiters. If you get a job offer here from an immigration accredited employer, then the visa process is usually very quick and painless.
* Cost of living here is incredibly high; what you need to support a family of 4 greatly depends on your standard of living expectation, obviously. Generally, people here live much more frugally and in much smaller houses than South Africans, so if you do move, you have to expect a lifestyle change. I'd say, take your SA salary and double it if you want a similar standard of living.

Hi,
I can't speak for South Africans in Wellington but I can answer your questions from my perspective:

- As an American I get mixed re actions and levels of friendliness from native New Zealanders. Some of them already have stereotypes of Americans and have confirmation bias while some are very open minded and appreciate our direct approach. It really depends. You also have to note that kiwis are generally a more reserved culture than others and that new zealand is a pretty conformist society. I am not 100% sure why that is but believe it may have something to do links to british monarchies and class systems etc.

- There are work opportunities but again it depends what line of work you in, your background and skills and location. For example in wellington you are more likely to find a government job as wellington is a government city.

- Again, the average take home salary varies but it can range anywhere between 42k-150k.
Minimum wage here is $15.75 per hour and the living wage is $20 per hour.

If you have time, I would suggest doing some research on these things on the web and also visiting if you can to get an idea of the look and feel of where you would like to be in new zealand.

I hope that helps.

Cheers,
Michele