Emigrating to NZ from the UK to farm - Observations and advice?

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
As this issue risks hijacking @JP1 's thread at https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index...see-agriculturally.122200/page-8#post-2582254 I thought I'd start this thread specifically to seek and offer advice for anyone contemplating moving from the UK to NZ to farm.

We bought our freehold in 2001 from Lafarge Aggregates subject to a development clawback which expires in 2021. Once that happens we intend to cash the farm in and go to farm in a country that wants farmers (NZ).

If you have made the change yourself what information about NZ or advice on the process do you wish you had at the time? What pitfalls are there to look out for?
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
At heart I'm a beef boy but I've worked cattle and sheep, milked cows and run small and large scale arable.

My ideal would be a hill or mountain farm for the scenery and sheer quality of environment with enough relatively flat land to keep me happy in beef. I'd probably share farm or let out the higher land for someone else to run sheep on.

I could easily see my days out here but I'm looking for a better lifestyle and location.
 

BAC

Member
As this issue risks hijacking @JP1 's thread at https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index...see-agriculturally.122200/page-8#post-2582254 I thought I'd start this thread specifically to seek and offer advice for anyone contemplating moving from the UK to NZ to farm.

We bought our freehold in 2001 from Lafarge Aggregates subject to a development clawback which expires in 2021. Once that happens we intend to cash the farm in and go to farm in a country that wants farmers (NZ).

If you have made the change yourself what information about NZ or advice on the process do you wish you had at the time? What pitfalls are there to look out for?

If your intending to milk then would check the market as I think there's is worse than ours currently
 

multi power

Member
Location
pembrokeshire
At heart I'm a beef boy but I've worked cattle and sheep, milked cows and run small and large scale arable.

My ideal would be a hill or mountain farm for the scenery and sheer quality of environment with enough relatively flat land to keep me happy in beef. I'd probably share farm or let out the higher land for someone else to run sheep on.

I could easily see my days out here but I'm looking for a better lifestyle and location.
Okay so the plains are not going to be for you, something more high country but that would be sheep ground I would have thought
As for living and working and doing business the kiwis are friendly pleasant and very easy to deal with
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
At heart I'm a beef boy but I've worked cattle and sheep, milked cows and run small and large scale arable.

My ideal would be a hill or mountain farm for the scenery and sheer quality of environment with enough relatively flat land to keep me happy in beef. I'd probably share farm or let out the higher land for someone else to run sheep on.

I could easily see my days out here but I'm looking for a better lifestyle and location.
Why wait 5 yrs,? put it on the market now.

Put your own clawback on it, dont wait around
 

tanker

Member
Once that happens we intend to cash the farm in and go to farm in a country that wants farmers (NZ).
Don't think that's an absolute given but certainly I think the work/life balance is a lot better out there.It's not for everybody mind,I know a few who're out there for good,I know some who came back in fairly short order,a touch of homesickness in some though I know one family were unhappy at the education standards in the schools for their kids out there..
 
Don't think that's an absolute given but certainly I think the work/life balance is a lot better out there.It's not for everybody mind,I know a few who're out there for good,I know some who came back in fairly short order,a touch of homesickness in some though I know one family were unhappy at the education standards in the schools for their kids out there..
Work life balance isn't a country wide thing or a specific industry thing it's a personal thing. Does matter what country your in.

I know plenty people at home who have a much much better work life balance than people I know over here.

Changing your country/continent/hemisphere isn't going to change that it's your approach and attatude that needs changing.
 
As this issue risks hijacking @JP1 's thread at https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index...see-agriculturally.122200/page-8#post-2582254 I thought I'd start this thread specifically to seek and offer advice for anyone contemplating moving from the UK to NZ to farm.

We bought our freehold in 2001 from Lafarge Aggregates subject to a development clawback which expires in 2021. Once that happens we intend to cash the farm in and go to farm in a country that wants farmers (NZ).

If you have made the change yourself what information about NZ or advice on the process do you wish you had at the time? What pitfalls are there to look out for?

Just pm me with any questions if I can help I will.

From what you said about looking for a hill block if your looking down the south island especially but in the north island as well just be prepared for the distance things will be away from you. These are things that can totally be missed when your on holiday out here but when it comes to the crunch and your living in a place that is 45 mins from the nearest town of any size it may strick home.

Having lived in both islands I've definitely out down roots up north. South island was awesome but after the traveling around every day off thing wears out you begin to realise how isolated you are. Add that with a wee bit of homesickness and your dream could be a nightmare.
 
Just pm me with any questions if I can help I will.

From what you said about looking for a hill block if your looking down the south island especially but in the north island as well just be prepared for the distance things will be away from you. These are things that can totally be missed when your on holiday out here but when it comes to the crunch and your living in a place that is 45 mins from the nearest town of any size it may strick home.

Having lived in both islands I've definitely out down roots up north. South island was awesome but after the traveling around every day off thing wears out you begin to realise how isolated you are. Add that with a wee bit of homesickness and your dream could be a nightmare.
You make it sound like Invercargill is the end of the world!:rolleyes::whistle::LOL:
 
Isolation will be the biggest problem, so selection of area will be important, I was born and raised in Southland 1 hour NW of invercargill not quite the middle of no where but pretty close. It rains slightly more that every second day. Went to uni at Lincoln and found that Canterbury was a much better area to live, closer to all sorts of facilities and rains about half as much as Southland.

Have found a sort of farm that might suit that will not be to isolated but has hills of the small variety as NI hard hill and station country would probably be a bit isolated

http://www.farmlandsrealestate.co.nz/index.php?listing=TU10774
 

JP1

Member
Livestock Farmer
Isolation will be the biggest problem, so selection of area will be important, I was born and raised in Southland 1 hour NW of invercargill not quite the middle of no where but pretty close. It rains slightly more that every second day. Went to uni at Lincoln and found that Canterbury was a much better area to live, closer to all sorts of facilities and rains about half as much as Southland.

Have found a sort of farm that might suit that will not be to isolated but has hills of the small variety as NI hard hill and station country would probably be a bit isolated

http://www.farmlandsrealestate.co.nz/index.php?listing=TU10774
Is it me , I couldn't see how big that farm was?
 

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