this post was submitted on 27 Jul 2025
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Aotearoa / New Zealand

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US Immigrant looking for advice (lemmy.blahaj.zone)
submitted 1 week ago by mjsaber@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/newzealand@lemmy.nz
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Hi, apologies if this isn't allowed. I'm a US citizen looking to move to NZ. I have all the technical stuff taken care of, just waiting on my documents to be processed and approved.

Basically I am looking for groups I can reach out to to help me get build a social group, and hear what others think about different areas of the country. I am LGBTQ, so it seems like Auckland or Wellington will be my best bet. If I'm in a big city, I would prefer not to have a car.

I'm a nurse, and it looks like salaries are good but not great (between 70-90k/year is what I seem to be finding).

Is this reasonable? Is NZ easy to settle into? Any other expats that can offer advice? Am I going to be broke all the time (I also have a cat I am bringing unless I am physically unable to)?

I did some research prior to applying, but I find more and more opposing views on where the country is headed. I guess I am just looking for some folks that had a similar situation to see how it worked out for them. I had a fair bit of options in where I could go, but the culture in New Zealand just seemed like the best fit. Thanks for taking the time to read or reply.

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[–] JamesNZ@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Please do not rule out Christchurch. Dispite the name and a bad rep from back in the 80s-90s with skin heads, we are a reasonably liberal place. Benefits of Chch. Housing, is much cheaper. The main hospital is right in the middle of town, next to a beautiful large park. The town centre is basically brand new (due to earthquakes from a while ago). If you live in the town centre, everything you need is within walking distance.

[–] mjsaber@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I've seen a few things about Christchurch, I will have to give it another look. At this point I'm just gathering locations I'm open to so I can take the best job I can find, nothing really ruled out yet. I'm going to need to save a few months at least before I'm able to finance everything.

[–] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 3 points 1 week ago

You could probably look at Hamilton (where the Hobbits live) and Dunedin them too. They're the other major cities and have large public and private health sectors.

Just remember that the further south you go the colder it gets :-)