Thread: New member moving to NZ later this year

@LostYank welcome to the forum and Ultimately NZ

Yes South island is the pick but North island big city is where the jobs are

NZ is very different from Montana as you will know
It's pretty hard to be more than a few hours from the sea here
On the west coast you can hunt at high altitude and still watch the sun set over the Tasman sea
Sub tropical island climate is not too hot and not too cold
Yes no snakes and poison spiders but lots of ways of getting drowned and broken here

Fill your baggage with MVA scopes and sights

Welcome! Bring everything you can. Prices in NZ will make your eyes water. If you're a saltwater angler, consider donating/joining Legasea, a recreational fisheries pressure group. You will learn that we have an exceptional fishery, but it is under constant threat.

Originally Posted by LostYank

Sadly, it's the same story where I live. Nice little mountain town that used to be relatively cheap. We've been "discovered" and now rents are comparable to what I see listed in the urban areas in NZ once you factor in currency conversion. Good for our property value, bad for the community.
@10-Ring I've been lucky enough to experience some of the trout fishing out that way. I'm excited to do more of it.

Thats a shame. Ive had my sights set on Montana or Arkansas if I ever decided to move to the states. My husband is from Arkansas. Still the inflation and house prices there don't seem as bad as NZ cities from a glance.

Welcome aboard.

Coming from one of the big hunting states in the US, the biggest shock to your inbuilt game conservation mindset will be finding all our game animals on the 'All are Pests:must be shot or poisoned to return NZ to some mammal free nirvana pre human arrival' weird mindset within the bureaucracy of many of our government departments.

We still have our work cut out attempting to teach those types that many game animals here are a resource. And those of us that are lucky enough to live rurally often treat bush/forest/rough areas as our larder.

Welcome to the forum, what kind of Archery you do?

Welcome to the forum. I'm based in Wellington so if you end up here I can point you in the right direction. I'm planning to hunt Montana this Sept and have just booked my flight to Missoula.

Welcome to the forum.
As I was a migrant to this country 16 years ago, these are a few of my advices:
As mentioned above, eBay does not exists here. Jump on www.trademe.co.nz for having a good grasp on the prices of things here, from cars to houses to anything else you could think of.
Although our gun laws had quite some revamp you may look into bringing in a hunting rifle ( and or a shotgun).
You can apply in advance for a visitors firearm licence valid for up to one year.
It will get you going from the first day.
You will need somebody to sponsor you ( and probably to keep your guns in a safe while you are getting things sorted out when you first arrive). But if you are going to stay for more than one year you might have to look to see if you can apply for a normal firearm licence while on a visa.
If you decide to not complicate yourself, just bring a bow and some fly fishing rods and be done with it. Most good bugger you will hunt with will be more than happy to have you use his rifle under direct supervision.
You can study our new complicated gun laws if you feel like it. Just google nz gun laws .

Bow hunting will be easier. You just have to apply for a free permit online valid for four months for the area you intend to hunt.
A good gps with a nz topo map is a must. An epirb or Personal Locator Becon also a good thing to have or hire .

Regarding river fishing , you can apply for a national licence for one year on the fish and game website. You will have to pay for that one.
Same thing for duck and game bird shooting.( only a few months season)

You can bowfish koi Carps in the waikato river below Cambridge in summer days all you want and for free.access is not always easy though.

Hopefully that will help you to get a clearer vision of what to expect.

If you are based in Auckland, I will be able to show you a few hunting spots in the kaimais ranges a couple of hours south.

That's a great response Friwi!

Sing out if you end up in Wellington, @LostYank. Happy to provide some space in a gun safe if you need it. There are others round here who can help you more than me on where to find deer, but at the moment I am happy to offer help on where to find good beer and good food.

I was well looked after when I moved overseas, so happy to help doing some local legwork if you even need it. Just ask.

Thanks for all the helpful responses. I greatly appreciate it.
@199p I will absolutely reach out if we end up in Wellington (our preference between the two, but we are not independently wealthy and need to work). Please reach out in regard to Montana. I've been here a long time and messed up enough hunts to have learned a thing or two.
@akaroa1 Snakes, spiders, bears, mtn lions, etc never bothered me too much. I've seen the terrain out there, looks a good bit more intimidating than any black bear I've ever encountered.
@MB I'm actually familiar with LegaSea and will most certainly be getting involved.
@JessicaChen Yeah, not all of Montana has experienced the same growth, but where I live rents are even more expensive that what I'm seeing in Auckland online. It's crazy. This all happened in the last two years. Home prices have gone up more than 50%. Arkansas is still pretty damn cheap. I know a Tasmanian down that way who can tell you all about it.
@XR500 I imagine there will be a great deal I'll have to learn about attitudes toward game animals and management. It's a very different place with very different circumstances. Already the idea of year-round big game hunting is a little mind boggling to me.
@Inder I'm a bit of a hack with a stick and string, but there's no better way to hunt elk in Montana. Rifle season on public land is an absolute madhouse, and I like talking to them, which you can do during archery season. I shoot a Matthews compound.
@cb14 Please reach out and I'll help in whatever way I can. Missoula's a good bit further west than where I live, but I can certainly put you in touch with some folks.
@Friwi Thanks for all the helpful insight. I am planning to try and become a licensed firearm owner in NZ but I realize that this will be a long and complicated process. I've already begun working on the visitor's license.
@yeah_na_missed I will definitely give a shout if we end up in Wellington. Thanks for the generous offers.

Originally Posted by JessicaChen

Thats a shame. Ive had my sights set on Montana or Arkansas if I ever decided to move to the states. My husband is from Arkansas. Still the inflation and house prices there don't seem as bad as NZ cities from a glance.

Your husband?

Originally Posted by Black Rabbit

Your husband?

Shock! Outdoors people can be female or even gay

Hi,
is the fellowship from Edmund Hillary Foundation? If so which category your wife in, the entrepreneur or? Congratulation! If your schedule is in the end of this year, I may will think about a good Springfield 1903 30.06, and lots of ammo. Just kidding, do ` mind
Some outdoor stuffs are cheaper in States than NZ, boots for example. If you are home studio person, enjoy movies on big screen #70 plus, then the 4k TV price in NZ as far as I knew was bit of high.

@Black Rabbit. I though the .06 was a uniquely American obsession. I remember an Aussie gunsmith friend, who knows far more about firearms than I ever will, ridiculing the American love for what he called an "inferior platform." That said, I have both a 30.06 and a 25.06. I love the 25.06. Best deer rifle I've ever owned.

My wife is an Edmund Hillary Fellow, though not in the "congratulations" category. She's one of the ones looking for funding, not one of the ones doing the funding.

Originally Posted by LostYank

@Black Rabbit. I though the .06 was a uniquely American obsession. I remember an Aussie gunsmith friend, who knows far more about firearms than I ever will, ridiculing the American love for what he called an "inferior platform." That said, I have both a 30.06 and a 25.06. I love the 25.06. Best deer rifle I've ever owned.

My wife is an Edmund Hillary Fellow, though not in the "congratulations" category. She's one of the ones looking for funding, not one of the ones doing the funding.

Yeah, there always will be some debates...for everything. I like old guns since those are part of history. Anyway, wish you could get funding soon, and kickoff your plan. May I ask what project or field you wife proposed to EHF?

Welcome mate. Moved here 4 years ago. Awesome countrey to live in. Luckily the shooting sport is growing so I stay busy