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This is one of the huge benefits of my job.
Contract says 40 hours a week needed. Boss doesnt care how.
Great when you have a holiday planned, you pull 4 ten hour days of meaningful work and get a friday off (the proviso being you are still contactable in case)
If I play my cards right, and I do the 4 days from home, its very easy to do the 10 hour days as I dont lose 2 hours in AKL traffic.
I am grateful for that concession in my contract.
That could be 2 hours of exercise...
Apparently Auckland Council is the place to be. I work with a Saffer who moved here about 4yrs ago. he must have been early-to-mid 40's when he moved.
He got over on an accredited employer visa with Auckland Council as a Quality Manager. Apparently they had a 3 day work from home policy and if they did their 40hrs in 4 days they could take Friday off.
Sounds pretty great to me! I shoud ask him why he ever left
Yip, wanted to edit my post to add that too....heard also it is a great place to work! many benefits!
I work in the event industry. So its concerts, festivals, corporate work, road shows, product launches etc as the a technical production manager. Procuring and facilitating suppliers, scheduling, budgets, communication and logistics.
Small industry in SA with even smaller budgets. Small industry in NZ but with better budgets!
Just last week I saw a job on Seek (or was it Linkedin) from Auckland council looking for someone in that space........ if you get a job offer (from a accredited employer) you are basically in..... just look for the job.
Also 46 isn't old at all!
Some advice if possible please; not about the bike, sorry.
A close relative intends moving to NZ as a teacher. She has done her English test and done well, has most of the other documentation and intends visiting (on a tourist visa) for a "look around" in June/July this year SA school holidays). She has also been advised to apply for registration to the NZ teaching council now and there are people who facilitate this for a fee.
Her concern is that if her application for the council is picked up when she applies for a visa it will be denied so she is uncertain about applying to the council. Any ideas or help?
Should she use an agency for the visa application?
I would say apply for the visitors visa, then after that apply for the registration at the teaching council, they are really fast and good with communication if you have all the required documentation.
My sis got all hers done while on holiday here in NZ (english test, teaching council registration, job interviews and job offers, and working visa) - all so that she cancelled her fight back and it took her 20 months of being here in NZ with just her holiday luggage and only went back to SA now this Dec holiday for the 1st time.
technically speaking, doing ANYTHING other than tourism on a tourist visa is against the law.
So whatever her decision, there are risks. That being said, most people come over on tourist visa to look for work, but it’s calculated risk.
Is there any way she can delay her application to the council?
Statement in red is not true. maybe it has changed recently, but it actually states on the INZ website that you are allowed to go for interviews while on a visitors visa.
Anyone got kids racing BMX that side?
I have a kid
Not really racing age yet, but I think she will be there not too long from now... (because when we said we are riding to school and work this morning she went to fetch her own bike!!)
There is a very active racing course in east auckland at loyds elsemore park.
A guy at my work is part of the board and his kid races.
HA HA HA - Not sure I would consider this mostly flat... But it looks doable with a fit 11 and 8 year old (ages at time of walk)
Can we come with?
I am sure your little-est one will moan less if there is even a little-er one part of the bunch 
Thanks to Wayne and all who have contributed to this thread over the passed few years, it's been interesting reading, which now looks to become reality.
My partner was approached by New Zealand rugby towards the end of last year to do a research project for them, I kind of once in a lifetime opportunity for a sports researcher from South Africa. So I said let me see if I can find a job and if so it might be a sign that we should live in NZ for a few years.
I have now been offered a job in Whangarei, my partner can work from home and just needs to commute to Auckland one day/week.
Just a few questions:
Has anyone actually been to Whangarei, any comments as to what it is like?
Is rental housing really as bad as everyone keeps telling me and is pet friendly accommodation impossible to find? (Yes I know everyone says leave the dogs but the hospital pays me a generous moving allowance so taking the dogs is no financial burden and my partner refuses to go without them).
With the new expat tax to be introduced to SA on the 1st March what are people doing to not have to be an SA tax resident? (I am still going to have to have a bank account and house in Cape Town - my in-laws are moving into our house and are financially dependant on us)
I go from being excited to terrified on pretty much an hourly basis about this decision.
I think Whangarei is nice. Maybe more for were and what you can do from there quite quickly. There's amazing places up there. And like Ramrod said properties there are way more affordable. I won't doubt the move if that is where they would base me.
Edit: on your rental question, no it isn't THAT bad if you look outside of Auckland main areas. I would suggest to try and rent straight from the owners though, I have always done that and have never had issues. T and C's are also more low key.
Is anyone else struggling with this years summer being so miserable and feeling like it just hasnt gotten started?
Me!
I am probably the whitest I have ever been over December (well after the one where I spent the complete month in Canada!)
I desperately need some time in the sun on the beach!
Yeah, the more I read into it the less onerous it seems.
From some additional reading it seems like GST (15% in NZ) will be applied on all online orders. Duty will be applied on applicable goods.
- If the GST and duty are less than $60 then the fee will be waived.
- If the goods are valued at under $1000 and the GST + duty is greater than $60 then the purchaser will be required to pay that fee.
- If the goods are valued at over $1000 then the purchaser will pay GST + Duty + clearance fees (approx $55).
So where previously orders under $400 slipped under the radar, now those between $400 and $1000 aren't subject to the clearance and bio-security levies (the $55 odd), well at least according to my limited understanding
We bought something 2 weeks ago online, can't remember the purchase price, but knew about the added GST rules so went to calculate that before buying from overseas, it worked out to only $58, so knew we would be okay (shipping cost was not added to the amount when calculated).
Parcel was ordered on the Friday from UK, was on our porch on the Tuesday. (Didn't expect that.)
Anyone here ever bought a collapsible / foldable water bottle before? (vol anything over 500ml - 750ml)
Another Bad/Good/Strange...
Bad: spiders. They bite.
Good: they know how to treat you
Strange: you can claim against ACC - the govt accident compensation thingy - 'because you didn't intend to get bitten by a spider, so it's an accident'.
Howcome if I don't intend to get cancer it wouldn't be an accident. However, I'm not complaining. Luckily I don't seem to need need any ACC'ing.
Because it falls under the "New Zealand doing harm to you " (when a spider bites you) area
Leasehold is the one for flats/apartments built on Iwi land. Freestanding houses on Leashold land are extremely rare (if they even exist at all).
ps. I bet you a bag of biltong that the houses on your street are cross-lease and not leasehold
Oh goodness...it is classified as a leasehold
Here is a screen shot of the title document:
Here is the land plan showing it is separate standing houses:
Leasehold or Cross-Lease? (there's a HUGE difference)
Leasehold. I know the difference, been looking around for a while. Wont live in a flat/ apartment, so generally won't fall in the cross-lease section. Find houses around are more in the other two areas.
I know I have said it before, but damn child care is so so expensive!! $300/week, and we are already over our holiday allowance (3 weeks you can take the paying only 50% while child not at school), so we will basically be throwing money in the water over Dec holiday! (Enough money to cover international flights 
)
Another bad of NZ- the amount of leasehold properties!
Every house I have been looking at was a leasehold property!
Crazy as the sales prices was +-$1mil anyway!
(And these aren't fancy places, just simple houses in our street.
Getting them started young.
Bought them matching (Pink and Blue - very gender stereotypical
) Bontrager helmets that supposedly fits from 2 - 4 years. Apparently my boy has the head of a 4 year old so I had to move up a size!
He's already very brave on his little scooter - at what age would a balance bike be appropriate?
His sister is much more circumspect.
Looking at something like the Feva seat or Thule Ride Along so I can start taking them one at a time on some (gentle) rides.
Would the Thule work on a duallie?
7 months old, she was on 3 wheels, no at 16 months we are starting the 2 wheels
We have a Thule rear seat, they wont work on a dualie, as they clamp to the seat stay where the rear suspension is. Also not to be used on carbon bikes. I am actually in the market now for a new bike, just so I can put her on my bike too and not have to use her dad's bike all the time (setting seat height is a pain). I also would go to disk brakes, so possibly a cyclo cross / gravel type bike.
I don't do any races or belong to any clubs so not too sure around that side of things, but what I can say is that here in NZ trail riding and enduro are way bigger than XC.
So XC races may be hard to come by. No Nissan Trailseeker type events with 2000+ fun-riders. Quite a few enduro race though, if you're that way inclined.
In general though cycling is big. Especially MTB!
I think there is way less races and clubs etc here in NZ than in SA.
Talking MTB and Road.
Agree though, enduro racing is much larger here and by enduro I mean in the term as we use it in SA, here in NZ it means something totally totally different. Here enduro is like the long distance nissan trail seeker races. (so bikes generally with small travel suspension)
2W in NZ is enduro in SA - the race atmosphere is buzzing with plenty of riders around!
I am sitting at my kids school at 7pm while they play on the playground. It’s still sunny.
Winter is ***.
Today was an absolute stunner!!
Even lots of people swimming in the sea water when we cycled past @17:15!
Perfect weather is say, not to hot either but hope enough for short sleeves and slops
So in the land of daisies and roses, how real is the crime rate?
Let me tell you how my take is on the feeling of safety here with how my day has been thus far...
This morning we got woken up by out little one being restless in her cot, not by hearing a dodgy sound outside of the house in our garden or in the street
We moved around in our house from the rooms to the kitchen without having to unlock any doors or separation gates (as I know many houses in SA also now have)
Our little one opened our curtains to windows with a view of trees etc without the obstruction of bars across the windows
We opened the doors to the porch by unlocking one lock and without having to open a security gate and some of the window we opened are left open during the day while no one is home
We got our bicycles out of the garage and left them leaning on the side of the house while we were getting our stuff inside the house without a worry that they wont be there when we go out again
My partner and I cycled our little 15 month old to school this morning passing a beautiful beach and calm waters with boats drifting offshore, then we rode to work (I must add, she just looooves it!)
Our bikes are on a bike stand with all the lights still attached in a car park open to public (we do have a chain on both bikes though, mostly because we don't want them to be bumped over by all the other people using the bike racks these days)
This afternoon we will cycle back to the little ones school, where we will once again leave our bicycles leaning on the front gate while we go in to fetch her
We will cycle back home pass the beautiful beach with a 'not so low hanging sun anymore due to daylight saving' and we will get to a home where we have to turn one key to get inside
We will make our dinner and eat it and most probably walk to the beach again before bedtime routine
My partner will go for his run outside around 8pm and without thought or a worry I know he will return safely
Crime is never on my mind, if it is, it is because my parents are still in SA 
5
ill be on leave around that time. Let me know and we can hit Woodhill.
I’m sure a few others on here will join in???
Count me in too!
2
I'm glad they upped the required salary, bit they really made a big jump.
Lots more tighter rules for immigration coming through from Oct!
The increase of minimum annually income from $55k to +$79 is going to kick many people out.
Many of those already here on a work visa that won't be able to apply for residency and won't get a new work visa either due to this new rule alone ...
I only have dhb now as my roady kit! And love every piece of it. Have 4 different long sleeve for all the different seasons and also have 3 different bibs (one kinda like wetsuit material for rainy days). I love the fit. I think for now if I were to buy any more cycling kit I'll only buy them.
Edit: 1st started riding with them 4 years ago.
New Zealand - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
in Chit chat
Posted
If you haven't already.... sign up...... it starts tomorrow!
https://www.lovetoride.net/auckland?ic=66168734&locale=en-GB
Also if you have kids, join my group "Ride Your Child 2 School"