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T minus six days...


Ivan Ivanovich

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Until "Goodbye Germany. Hello New Zealand."
Quite a break after 49 years (and after having served that country for 24 years until 2011)... But sometimes, it's just time to move on.

Container #1 has made it safely to Lyttelton and cleared customs without any probs on Wednesday.
Container #2 is scheduled to arrive on 9 January 2019. The cars and a few smaller things will follow early March.

Greatest concern so far: not being concerned at all/lacking any sign of nerviness. 

 

 

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From a more easterly country? How comes?!  ;)
Do you reckon it's got anything to do with my nick, avatar or potential soft spots for Soviet/Russian material or my ability to speak, curse, write and read Russian?

No seriously, no need to apologise. All good.

P.S.
Somewhere along the way you were mentioning you were related to Germany in one way or another.

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When I left Germany some years ago for my tiny island in the Atlantic Ocean I had similar feelings. I was not concerned at all, maybe because we had just one container :D, but maybe and there might be more truth in it, because it was the right decision and it was made.

Whish you luck with the customs (PITA-potential) and that you keep your coolness through the whole process.

Cheers Rob

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3 hours ago, Jeff said:

Ok, silly question time gentlemen...................... when the cars get to NZ, is it mandatory that you convert to right hand drive? I have heard that is a must, is that really true?  

The NZ Transport Agency has set up specific categories of LHD vehicles to be registered and operated. NZTA has also published a dedicated whitelist of applicable vehicles. Under certain conditions LHD vehicles can be exempted from the general RHD rule and are assessed on a case-by-case basis. 

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9 hours ago, DocRob said:

When I left Germany some years ago for my tiny island in the Atlantic Ocean I had similar feelings. I was not concerned at all, maybe because we had just one container :D, but maybe and there might be more truth in it, because it was the right decision and it was made.

Whish you luck with the customs (PITA-potential) and that you keep your coolness through the whole process.

Cheers Rob

Container #1 positively had - by far - the biggest PITA-potential, but thanks to our highly experienced relocation provider (and two years of planning) it passed customs without any problems. They did a marvellous job on ponting out potential pitfalls during the entire planning process. Definitely money well spent. Also, community experience from German emigrants plus a little help from my Kiwi friends was priceless. 

The true PITA was the precedent paperwork, eventually comprising three crammed LEITZ folders - for a single container. Maybe you can imagine our relief when we got news all was fine, because "irgendwas ist ja immer".

 

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During my 18 trips to NZ since 1992, I too observed that travelling to NZ is indeed a bit like travelling back in time. But I love it just like that.
And yes, many of my long-time Kiwi friends are constantly complaining "how dear everything is". Same here in Germany, by the way. 
During my very first trips to NZ, I was constantly wondering why some food prices were fluctuating that heavily from one week to another...
NZ is different. And that's a good thing. Period.

In the overall picture, and when being viewed from a German perspective, the overall living costs in NZ and Germany are fairly comparable. But it's true, you shouldn't go to NZ for a cheaper living. It's a wonderful country with wonderful people, and we decided NZ will be the perfect place "to do the next step". Both in business and in life per se.

I hate to say it, but I've never been to Australia...

 

 

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1 minute ago, Ivan Ivanovich said:

 

I hate to say it, but I've never been to Australia...

 

 

It won't be very expensive, there are deals all of the time.  BTW...  we have our big model show in Queensland in August.

 

Worst thing about NZ are the working man's wages.  In many cases it's better to live on the dole I am told by the many Kiwis I work with.  Many Kiwis have immigrated to Australia just to find work and an affordable lifestyle.  I would say that at my workplace, Kiwis outnumber Australians.

 

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5 hours ago, GazzaS said:

It won't be very expensive, there are deals all of the time.  BTW...  we have our big model show in Queensland in August.

 

Worst thing about NZ are the working man's wages.  In many cases it's better to live on the dole I am told by the many Kiwis I work with.  Many Kiwis have immigrated to Australia just to find work and an affordable lifestyle.  I would say that at my workplace, Kiwis outnumber Australians.

 

I can recall a good many discussions with friends and locals about the "academic brain drain" or loss of skilled labourers. A business partner and very close friend of mine who emigrated from Germany a decade ago, has had his own fair share of brain drain. A few years ago, he had huge problems to hire qualified staff. Even when offered identical wages, they preferred to cross the ditch from east to west and declined the job offer accordingly. The grass seems always greener on the other side. But if going abroad/crossing the ditch is the only way for trained and motivated people to make a decent/better living, who am I to blame them?
 

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5 hours ago, GazzaS said:

I would say that at my workplace, Kiwis outnumber Australians.

 

It sounds like my Workplace as well, probably Transport / Logistics? 

Half of our workforce is from the Sub-Continent, and a good many more are from Aotearoa. If you can get here and can drive, are physically fit and have common sense there's plenty of work.

Young Aussies don't want to work. I'm a Driver Trainer amongst other tasks, and this year I must have had half a dozen young Men train with me for their first day and then just not bother to turn up for the second... too much like hard work. 

 

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18 minutes ago, Wumm said:

(...) Young Aussies don't want to work. I'm a Driver Trainer amongst other tasks, and this year I must have had half a dozen young Men train with me for their first day and then just not bother to turn up for the second... too much like hard work. 

Seems like a common trend in many countries. The same for too many young Germans - they just don't want their hands to get dirty. 

Old German folk: "Real work ennobles.
Young German folk: "Thanks, but I'd rather be a commoner."
 

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45 minutes ago, Wumm said:

It sounds like my Workplace as well, probably Transport / Logistics?

 

You'd be correct. 

I think too many ppl here have no idea just how great it is to be Australian.

 

Gaz

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22 minutes ago, GazzaS said:

You'd be correct. 

I think too many ppl here have no idea just how great it is to be Australian.

 

Gaz

Too bl**dy right...

One of our Subbies is from India originally. He has 2 other guys in trucks driving for him as well, and drives Uber on the weekends. Last year he got married here, and went back and had a 2 day 2nd Wedding celebration for the whole Village. He's the model for how self belief and working hard can grant you limitless opportunity.

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On 12/14/2018 at 3:14 PM, Ivan Ivanovich said:

Greatest concern so far: not being concerned at all/lacking any sign of nerviness. 

Think of it as Providence. Things are going well, because it's meant to be.

Have a good trip, and may this new chapter in your lives be all you hope for.

S

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And when you get there post a few pics of your new place and the country side, I for one would LOVE to see it, I have heard nothing but GOOD things about Oz and NZ, I hear it is spectacular , from the people to the land to the food.......

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Hope you enjoy NZ Ivan, it is a lovely place. Have had some lovely visits to my relatives over there and the scenery is unbelievable. Like Scotland on steroids.

They don't always help themselves with regards to the brain drain though. My line of work in Medical Physics barely exists in NZ due to what seems to be some bizarre hang-ups back to the Rainbow Warrior and 'nuclear' issue. Basically if you need a diagnostic nuclear medicine or PET image in NZ you're gonna end up going to Sydney or Melbourne as it just doesn't really exist there. They have radiotherapy but not the diagnostic imaging you need as a precursor to treatment. I've never got a straight answer as to why but it just seems a backwards mindset. 

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I guess I'm lucky then. There's a radiology/PET/CT/MRI department only 10 minutes from my future office and 35 minutes from where we'll be living. But you're right. The PET infrastructure in NZ is by no means as developed and dense as we're used to it in Germany, UK, France, etc.
 

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