People & Places
Retiring to New Zealand
While some people might like to take it easy after they retire, Peter and Hazel Wooding decided instead to jump into the emigration process and join their family in New Zealand
We're both from Northamptonshire originally, but came up to Birmingham when we got married in 1965 for work. Our three daughters were all born in Birmingham, and we've lived in the same house since 1967. It's about as far from the coast as you can get in the UK.
We first visited New Zealand in 1995, for just four days, on our way to Australia, which is where Hazel's youngest sister and family live. We hired a camper van in Auckland and headed for Rotorua via the east coast.
We were struck by the friendliness of the people, and the undulating greenery of the countryside, not to mention the geothermal spectaculars! I doubt if we would have thought of emigrating to NZ if Sally, our daughter, and her family hadn't gone there to live.
We've been there twice since – first time for Christmas after they'd been there six months, then again 21 months later in between visits to see our youngest daughter in Japan. Sally and her family live in Whatatutu, 40 kilometres up the road from Gisborne, North Island, towards Opotiki (via the Waikato gorge). We're headed for the same area, but nearer to Gisborne, so we can walk into town and along the coast. It's near enough for regular visits but not on each other's doorsteps!
We're going out on the Family Category Visa, and we thought it would be a straight run – we knew about the 'Centre of Gravity' requirement (where more or equal numbers of your children have to be resident in New Zealand or overseas) and although we have three daughters, and only one of them lives in New Zealand, another had lived in Japan for seven years so we didn't anticipate a problem. Our application was submitted in March 2005 and we were told the waiting list was 18 months to two years, so were surprised when our file was opened in July. Then we hit the buffers.
Unfortunately, the lack of a permanent residence visa for Japan was a stumbling block and the door seemed to slam in our faces last September. It was a major set-back as we had been led to believe that New Zealand Immigration Service (now renamed Immigration New Zealand) had a degree of discretion in such cases. Written pleadings, with lots of information were to no avail. Now the rules have changed the door has swung open again, and our application can proceed.
Emotionally, the whole emigration process has been a roller coaster! Initially we each had somewhat different views on the pros and cons of leaving the UK; there was a brief period of uncertainty, but we made our decision to go for it and felt we could 'do it ourselves' without involving an emigration agent. In December 2003, after our daughter and family had been in New Zealand around two and a half years, we obtained all the forms and guidance notes and began to plan our application, but a major health problem struck at the end of January 2004 which put everything on ice. Oh cruel fate! Fortunately, the medical wizards at University Hospital Birmingham pulled the rabbit out of the hat, and by the beginning of 2005 we were on track again. It was fairly straight-forward but time-consuming and, at times, nail-biting to put the application together. By the time it was ready to go in the post we were so psyched-up that our performance at the Post Office was like something out of Laurel and Hardy – if it could go wrong, it did! First came the anxious waiting period; then the excitement when our file was opened and we were assigned a case officer. This was followed by the disappointment of being told we did not satisfy the Centre of Gravity requirement; the exasperating but futile attempt to resolve our 'Japanese' daughter's residence status; and finally the exhilaration upon being told our application could be accepted.
We will be retiring from full-time employment, but are open to the possibility of some part-time or voluntary work in New Zealand. Pensions are problematic – a trail of different schemes from different employers over the years that still need to be sorted. We definitely intend to take the maximum tax-free lump sums and use them to supplement our income. It will still be another two years before the full UK state pension kicks in, but we'll survive. We have already paid for some financial advice, but didn't find it particularly helpful. Once we arrive, our first problem will be finding a suitable property to buy, and then fitting all our possessions into it!
No doubt it will take a while to get used to prices in Kiwi dollars, and the subtle differences between Kiwi English and 'BBC' English might cause a few misunderstandings, but I'm sure we'll be speaking like Kiwis pretty soon. We're interested in the Maori language and culture, and learning a new language at our age will not come easy, but we already know the National Anthem in Maori so that's a start. The first and foremost benefit will be proximity to our daughter, son in law and grand-daughters (we haven't seen the children for three years).
Secondly, as we shall be able to release a substantial proportion of the equity in our UK home to supplement our meagre UK pensions, and enjoy a relatively lower cost of living in New Zealand, our standard of living will not take such a knock when we no longer have the income from full-time employment, even though the New Zealand tax regime will claim a larger fraction of our income compared with the UK.
Thirdly, we are looking forward to a more relaxed lifestyle on the coast, making new friends and acquaintances, and exploring our new homeland. We intend to stay with our daughter and family initially, but don't want to impose ourselves on them for any longer than is necessary. Therefore, house-hunting will be a priority. Our daughter started to send us the local property rag, but we found it frustrating when we saw something we liked but were not in a position to view or purchase. It is an act of faith that we shall find something to suit us within the first couple of months. Fortunately the buying process seems to be a lot swifter and more certain in NZ than in the UK.
Having moved from a large 'anonymous' conurbation in the UK to a smaller town, and having ceased full-time employment, we hope and expect to enjoy a greater degree of social interaction in our new environment. Our time will be our own and we shall use it to maximum effect; no more late lay-ins (well, maybe the odd one occasionally!). While there will be plenty to do in our new home during the first year, we shall get out as much as possible, familiarising ourselves with the locality, and plan to acquire a camper-van eventually so that we are able to explore further afield whenever the spirit moves us. We shall have been able to fulfil the role of grandparents properly again – with weekend visits, attendance at school events, imparting wisdom, and teaching tricks and silly songs! Nobody knows how long they have on this earth; we spend the first age in education, the second age earning; now we are about to enter the third age handing over to our successors and having fun in the process.
Read other relevant articles about NZ:
New Zealand profile
First class health care
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