Best place to live and work in Wellington, New Zealand?

Question

I'm from Perth, WA and tired of the heat, drought and high cost of living so I'm considering moving to New Zealand for a change. Wellington appeals to me greatly, I visited there 18 months ago and fell in love with the city, as its like Perth use to be but with the culture and arts of Melbourne.

I also work in IT, and understand it is the IT hub of NZ.

What is the reality of living in Wellington? Are IT jobs easy to get or is there much competition? How much is housing to rent, and what are the best suburbs? What is the general cost of living eg. a cup of coffee, a bus fare to work, doing an average weekly shopping (fruits & veg).

Are the earthquakes really that bad? I'm trying to convince my husband that it's worth the culture and lifestyle!

Thanks all in advance!

Kate :)

Answer 1

Wellington has a great community spirit and I found living there very friendly.  House prices are coming down at the present time so is well worth checking out house wise..the train system there is fantastic and I used it to commute to work hassle free, during the 1 1/2 years I lived in Wellington, I dont think I experienced 1 earthquake..so not bad...I hope you enjoy Wellington if you both decide to make the move.

Answer 2

EAT CHEESE!

Answer 3

You should have no trouble finding a very well paying job in IT, as many kiwis tend to move to other countries for their OE, save money due to the exchange rate, and for a change of pace.

Wellington is beautiful and a very fun place to live!  Mt. Victoria has some nice housing options, as does Upper Hutt which is about 20 minutes outside the city along the Hutt River.   However, there are numerous neighborhoods in Welly that would be wonderful to live in, and easy to take a bus or ride a bike into the city.

You could get by on $2000 nzd per month on a tight budget, but working in IT you should make much more than that.

(And no, the earthquakes are not that bad!).

I say go for it and have fun!

Buy new furniture when you get there, can if you buy a car you can find one that is pretty cheap and will last you a while.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Hi Kate

I currently live in Wellington and work in IT.  There are plenty of IT positions available in Wellington, but do select your employer carefully!  You can probably afford to be fussy when looking for a job.  Currently nationwide, recruiters are having difficulty filling the following vacancies:



- ICT business and systems analysts and programmers

- ICT database and systems admin­istrators, and ICT security specialists

- ICT designers

- ICT network and support professionals

So if you fit in to one of those fields, chances are theres a great job just waiting for you.  Have a look at seek.co.nz for vacancies :o)

Rental prices for housing differs depending on where you want to settle, if you settle further away from the CBD (eg Lower Hutt) it will cost less, but if you work in Wellington you will need to commute, you will need to factor that in.  Trademe.co.nz is one of the best sources for rental properties in NZ, have a look there.

Cup of coffee $3.00-$4.00

My partner and I do a weekly shop of only $80 (including meat, fruit and veg), which sometimes lasts us a fortnight. But when I ask my workmates, they spend HEAPS more!  approx $100-200 pw.

The earthquakes aren't that bad... you get used to them, but I must admit I haven't felt one in a very long time, I can't even remember when.

Wellington is a great choice!  Best of luck in whatever you decide to do :o)