Stirk Family Wanted Down Under

The reality of moving to the other side of the world often comes at a very high price,

both to your wallet and the people you love the most,

but if you believe your family could have the future you dreamt of,

could you convince them it's a price worth paying?

For five years, Vivian Stirk has dreamed of moving Down Under.

When you see the lifestyle you can have, why can't we have the same?

But it could mean facing the toughest choice of her life.

I can't leave her!

-And after a week of dealing with high prices...

-It's not going to happen, is it?

..and high emotions, the Stirks will have to decide if New Zealand is a dream they can afford and share.

There's always going to be somebody in this triangle that is upset.

Every year, thousands of us move to New Zealand for a new start.

The more relaxed pace of life in this country of beautiful scenery and a population of only 4.3 million

are a powerful draw. But the reality of taking on such a huge challenge doesn't work out for everyone

and many return home missing their old lives.

The Stirk family want to find out if emigrating can offer them a better future.

They have one week to experience life in New Zealand

before they face a huge decision - whether to stay in the UK or to make the move Down Under for good.

Their journey takes them across three continents and 12 time zones,

spending more than 24 hours in the air.

It's the first time any of the Stirks have set foot in New Zealand

and the marathon journey has left them with mixed feelings.

-We've had about two hours sleep.

-If that!

A bit strange to start with, but I'm sure we'll all settle down soon.

I'm really excited. A little bit nervous as well, but looking forward to seeing the houses and the area.

Ahead is a week that could change their lives, half a world away from their home in Yorkshire.

Back in the UK, the Stirks live in the town of Cleckheaton.

They are Viv, a school administrator,

Darren, a telecommunications engineer,

and their three children - Daniella, a student midwife, 16-year-old Emma and 12-year-old Ben.

They are born and bred Yorkshire folk and have lived in Cleckheaton since they married 18 years ago.

-We're in-between Bradford, Leeds...

-Halifax.

-Halifax, yeah.

-We're only very small, aren't we?

-Yeah. You're five foot, I'm five foot seven.

-We're happy here, aren't we?

-Yeah.

It's OK. We've got everything we need round here.

-So we're going to move to the other side of t'world instead!

-Possibly. Yeah.

Viv's reasons for emigrating started out as a simple desire for better weather.

The dream materialised originally because I got very, very fed up of our English climate.

We do get some nice, warm weather, but it's just not consistent.

The Stirks are an active, outdoor family, so the Kiwi lifestyle could be perfect for them.

When you see the lifestyle that you can have out there, you just think, "Why can't we have the same?"

Not that I'm not happy being here, but you just think, "Could we possibly have that?"

While Viv's hopes have grown over the years, Darren has taken longer to come round to the idea.

-As the main breadwinner, he knows how big a risk they're taking.

-'I don't dislike it here.'

I'm going along with it to see if I do think that there's something there,

but from my point of view giving up the best job I've ever had and the longest job I've ever had,

that's something I really need to be sure of. I don't want to just walk away from that

and make the biggest mistake ever.

Despite the risks, Viv hopes that New Zealand can give their children a better life.

It's all right encouraging your children to do well at school,

go to university, but if there aren't the jobs there, then where's the future?

I'm hoping that I'm not wrong in saying that they might have a better chance over in New Zealand.

Both Emma and Ben are happy to give New Zealand a try.

I am excited about it all, but I'm really scared as well.

If I don't like it, but everyone else does.

I know how much it means to my mum.

It's just a new experience, so I'll decide when I get over there

and see what it offers.

Like, if it's good, then, you know, I might want to go,

and if it's not, then what are you wanting then?

Stay here.

But for their elder sister Daniella, it's a far tougher decision to face.

-Daniella's got a boyfriend of 3½ years. That's not easy to deal with for her or for you.

-No.

That is the massive concern now.

Daniella wants to train as a midwife and sees her career and future in the UK.

I want to stay here now because hopefully I'm off to uni in October. That's my career.

To move at my age

and start totally again, it's just... You're tied down here, really.

-She's been with Danny since they were 16.

-I do see myself being with Daniella in years to come

and I don't think we'd still be together after this amount of time if I didn't think that.

I think people always frown upon us saying that sort of thing because we're so young.

-"You're only young."

-Only 18, 19. "You can't possibly know." But...

Who does know?

Exactly.

Both Daniella and Viv face a difficult choice and Viv knows just how much is at stake.

The reality is we could give up a chance of moving to New Zealand

because of Daniella's feelings for Danny. And the bottom line is

I am asking her to finish things with Danny if it meant that we could all be together.

But there's never going to be a happy ending, is there?

There's always going to be somebody in this triangle that is upset.

Emigrating would mean breaking other family ties. Viv's parents have passed away,

but the children are very close to Darren's mum and dad.

We are taking their grandchildren away, but I also think deep down they will understand the reasons,

that we want to try to see if there is a better future for us and our children.

I'm sure they will understand.

-But Viv's hopes will be for nothing if she can't share them with her family.

-If Daniella can't go,

we'll just have to give it up.

I can't leave her!

Here.

You all right?

I just can't leave her.

I want us all to go because I can't leave one of my children, no matter how old she is.

If it's what she really wanted to do then she should do it.

So...

But she won't if I won't go.

At this moment in time, it's all of us or nothing.

It really is.

Viv has a huge task ahead of her.

She has just a few days to persuade her family that life in New Zealand is worth everything they'd give up,

but if the reality doesn't deliver, it will mean the end of her dream.

The Stirks are visiting Auckland on New Zealand's north island.

It's the country's largest city with a population of 1½ million people,

nearly a third of the entire country. So there could be lots of work opportunities for Darren.

It's ranked among the top ten cities in the world for quality of life, but that comes with a downside -

house prices are the highest in New Zealand.

Home for the week is a three-bedroom apartment in Mission Bay, complete with shared sports facilities.

It should be an ideal base for the family, but will they agree?

-This is absolutely awesome.

-Amazing. It's a little bit embarrassing to where we live, isn't it?

Oh, it's absolutely gorgeous.

-It's just a world away from anything we've ever experienced.

-It is, yeah.

You've never get anything like this in Cleckheaton.

I think that's a definite yes, but thoughts soon turn to the week ahead and their huge decision.

My hopes for this week are to get more of an answer as to whether we could make this work.

And whether the children and Darren want it to work as well and whether it's feasible.

We don't want to get too carried away. We've got to be realistic,

but, yeah, it's looking good.

I'm feeling nervous and excited.

- So am I. - Cos it's something new.

I'm looking forward to all the different experiences to come.

I hope at the end of this week we can say, one way or another, that we could definitely live here.

Back in the UK, the Stirks share this three-bedroom family home in Cleckheaton.

They believe it's worth around £140,000 and have a total budget of up to £200,000.

However, that figure would also have to cover all their emigration costs

and they're being realistic about what they're looking for.

We're not looking for a bigger house. Maybe a bit more land - they seem to have a bit more land -

but the house doesn't need to be any bigger. Maybe an extra bathroom.

It's a struggle having three females in the house and one bathroom.

Today we're going to give the Stirks a taste of Auckland's property market.

We'll show them three options based on what they want ideally,

what they can afford and the real cost of property Down Under.

After seeing for themselves what's on offer, we'll reveal to the family just how much each house costs.

The first stop is in Gulf Harbour, a peaceful suburb popular with families keen on outdoor living.

At just over an hour north of Auckland's city centre, it would mean a long commute,

but being on the outskirts should help their budget stretch as far as possible.

This semi-detached property is close to the local marina and has great sea views. However,

what will the Stirks make of it?

Don't like it. It's not much of an area for sitting out as a family.

-It doesn't compare to the space we have at home outside.

-No.

We'd need to look inside and have a good look round before we completely say no.

That's not a good start.

Can the indoors lift the mood?

Kitchen, straight into the living room. With a Sunday roast, you'd have a smell all in this room.

It looks like open-plan living may not be for the family, but what about the decking area?

It's not very wide. It don't blow me away. Definitely not.

-It almost feels like living in a caravan.

-Yeah. It does look very chalet type.

The lack of outdoor space is also a concern, but does it have enough bedrooms for a family of five?

-Is this the master bedroom?

-I like this. Space-wise, it's good.

Much more space than we're used to at home.

-It depends how many bedrooms there are.

-Yeah.

This is a nice-sized room. For Ben, say.

It's got a lot more room than what he's used to now.

This is bedroom number three. Again, it's not a bad size, Darren, is it?

But if there isn't another bedroom then it's three again.

Convincing Daniella to emigrate could be harder if she has to share a bedroom as she currently does.

-It's a lot smaller than the one at home.

-Yeah.

-We have loads of stuff.

If this was my bedroom, I'd prefer it to my old one.

- It's a lot more spacious. - Yeah.

One option might be to convert the garage.

-This is...

-Big, innit?

-Yeah. I could set up a little gym in here.

You don't think it would be ideal for making another bedroom, then?

-Er...no. I think you'd spoil the house if you change this to a bedroom.

-Yeah.

It looks as if this house is simply too small for the Stirks' needs.

And it's missing the garden Darren wants.

But is it one they can afford with their budget of up to £200,000?

Ben, would you like to do the duty?

£190,000.

-I'm shocked.

-That is a hell of a lot more than I would have expected.

I'm a little bit stunned, actually, at how much that is.

But it's where you're living. If you want that view, you have to pay.

We'd have to have a fairly big mortgage and both work full-time. We'd need more money coming in.

I would consider being in debt, but not to live here.

That price tag has come as a real shock.

-It's not going to happen, is it?

-No, not from what I've seen so far.

Don't be too downhearted. There's a lot of things to see.

You're just learning not to build your hopes up, cos what's the point?

With so much riding on this week, it's a difficult start for everyone

and seeing the reality of living in New Zealand's most expensive city has cast a dark cloud over the day.

So could the next house help lift everyone's spirits?

-It's a three-bedroom, detached property in the Swanson area of West Auckland.

-What do you think?

Looks nice, actually.

That's much more encouraging. And with plenty of outdoor space,

it ticks one important feature on Darren's wish list.

-That's amazing.

-Oh!

-Yeah, I like... The surroundings are excellent.

-This is brand-new, this. It's literally just been done.

-I like it.

There's plenty of room there for sitting out on.

That's also positive, but what about the indoors?

-Right, what do you think?

-Nice size.

-Yeah. Nice size.

-Everything I've seen is open-plan.

-Yeah.

-Kitchen, lounge, all in the same area with a partition wall.

-That seems to be the theme.

-It's a big enough lounge, though.

-Yeah.

Let's see what we've got in here. ..Oh, a bedroom.

Liverpool!

-Weird, innit? Liverpool? Nice-size bedroom.

-Yeah, it's fine.

Another bedroom.

-These bedrooms look OK for Ben, but that other bedroom's not...

-Big enough for the girls.

-Not very big.

-Right.

-So...

We could be struggling for space.

Despite a good start, the lack of a fourth bedroom is a familiar problem.

-We would have to do the same thing that we've done at home and put...

-Two beds in.

-Emma, Daniella.

-They'd have to share.

-And we'd be in there.

And the children don't need to go too far to see what's missing for themselves.

This has the garden Darren wants, even without a fourth bedroom,

but if the price was right, could the Stirks be persuaded to squeeze themselves into it?

It's a shock. 192,000.

Yeah. I think the prices are definitely going up because of the area.

I think you are getting better value for money with our house than you are with this.

-I thought this were definitely doable.

-Despite its price,

this house was a definite improvement for the family,

but finding something in the right place with the right space is looking tricky.

Their final stop is further away from the city centre, in leafy West Auckland, a sought after area

for outdoor lovers.

-I like this. Idyllic.

-That looks absolutely gorgeous.

-A garden for Dad.

On paper, this house has everything the Stirks are looking for, with four bedrooms, two bathrooms

and plenty of living space, even for a family of five.

Wow.

-It's huge.

-Is this the lounge? Goodness, me.

-Open-plan lounge again, kitchen.

But just look at that.

Even the views are bigger.

-It is perfection.

-That's huge.

-You can't hear the M62 from here!

That's Darren sold already.

-And Viv?

-I think this is probably the nicest house I have ever, ever seen in my life.

-Really?

-That I've ever been in.

-Yeah.

It's what I would say is my ideal home.

The living area has wowed everyone, but will the bedrooms impress?

Oh, wow.

-Ben's bedroom. It is a bedroom, but without a bed in it.

-Unless that's a sofa bed.

And this one. It's nice and big.

-It's just everything that we've wanted, isn't it?

-Yeah, if I could afford this,

-I'd sign on the dotted line right now. Seriously.

-It feels good. It feels right.

The Stirks seem to have found exactly what they hoped for with enough bedrooms

and two bathrooms, putting an end to the indoor morning rush hour!

And with a huge garden, there's something for the whole family.

-It's everything we've wanted in a house.

-It is.

-It's like it's been made to our specification.

-And put in the right place.

-It's just perfect in every way.

-Can't fault it.

-I don't want to see the price, do you?

-No.

This house seems to have rekindled Viv's hopes, but after seeing the hard facts of property prices,

is the dream house just that?

Ready? I don't really want to look.

Emma?

£319,000.

I'm not shocked. And I'm not upset.

I'm really glad that we've had the chance to look at this house.

If this is £319,000, there could be something within our budget.

We'd have to get a mortgage, but then...

It's Emma's turn to be disappointed. However, Viv's taken the positives from it and Darren has an idea.

- If all three of us were working full-time, then we could... - Am I living here as well?

-- I could never leave! - But it's nice to dream.

-Yeah.

I like the sound of that plan, Darren. Get Daniella to move and then afford the home of your dreams!

It's been quite a day for the Stirks.

The first property was just about affordable, but it didn't have the space, inside or out.

The second property was an improvement,

but still missing that fourth bedroom.

And the final house offered everything they wanted,

but at a very high price.

After a bumpy landing in New Zealand do the Stirks believe there could be a home for them Down Under?

Based on the properties we've seen today, our vote goes to...

-UK.

-UK.

-Unanimous.

-Yeah.

-Why am I not surprised?

-I'm not surprised.

-Are you surprised?

-Definitely not.

-I'm not surprised either.

-If you're going to move all this way, you want to be blown away by your house.

-You do.

-Or at least like it a little bit.

-Yeah.

A unanimous vote for home isn't the start Viv hoped for

and back at the accommodation, she's still taking in the day's events.

I don't think it's put me off in terms of still wanting to see how far we can go with this

because Auckland is an expensive place.

There are other options, other places where we can have a look.

And I think we need to give that a go.

I don't think we should give up just yet.

I am a bit disappointed in how they've reacted.

I would have expected a little bit more, if I'm honest,

and it makes me feel that they don't want to do this.

I think they are, um...

-Emma's just...

-They're thinking of my feelings a lot, I think, aren't they?

-Yeah.

Yeah.

And they don't want to let me down.

House prices in Auckland were a painful wake-up call for Viv's hopes of emigrating

and even though she's determined to stay positive, winning her family over looks harder than ever.

If her dream is to become a reality, it's vital that Darren can find good work opportunities down under.

In the UK, Darren is a telecoms engineer.

He earns around £25,000 a year

and knows the risks of leaving a relatively secure job.

The most important thing is to earn enough money to keep everything going.

Job satisfaction is a part of it, but it's not the total thing. I've got to think about wages as well.

To give this up, I would have to be sure that what I'm walking into is either the same or better.

With finances already looking tight,

finding the right job could be vital,

so today, Darren is visiting a large telecoms company in central Auckland.

General manager Ross Lockwood is on hand to meet him.

-Nice to meet you. Come on through and we'll have a chat.

-Thank you.

A good result here would be a big lift for Viv,

but with so much at stake, it's just one piece of the puzzle.

If the job news is good news, we've got a lot of talking to do

because we've still got other things to think about.

It's definitely a step in the right direction, but there's not just myself and Darren to consider.

We've got three children who also need to be a part of it,

so we'll just have to see.

So, Ross, how similar do you think the role of my job would be to the UK?

What you do, we have people who do exactly the same thing here,

remembering, of course, that originally, a long time ago,

the whole network here and the telephone exchanges were modelled on the British Telecom system.

-There's no British Telecom equipment left here, but that's how the network was built.

-OK.

While Darren talks shop, Viv and Daniella are visiting Auckland University of Technology.

Daniella hopes to become a midwife and if training in Auckland was an attractive option,

Viv's hopes of keeping the family together would get a boost.

Dr Judith McCall is a course lecturer

and Daniella is keen to find out if studying here could be right for her.

How competitive is it to be given a place?

It's, um... Probably a rule of thumb is we take about 100 to 110 first year students

and probably for every one of those places, we have four applicants.

But for young women who have a passion for it, a supportive family, they have OK grades,

they do really well in the programme.

Would you recognise Daniella's qualifications from the UK?

Yeah, what would get you entrance to university there gets you entrance to university here.

It sounds like the process of becoming a midwife down under is similar to home,

but has Darren heard any good news from Ross?

Subject to a whole lot of things that we'd run through in a minute,

I'd be prepared to consider you for a position here.

Now, we don't have a huge amount of business in Auckland at the moment,

but we have work and vacancies scattered throughout the country.

If you particularly wanted to come to Auckland, there'd be less vacancies from our perspective.

That's not an issue for me at all. I'm not too worried about where I come to.

That also sounds promising, but as the family breadwinner,

it's Darren's salary prospects that could be key.

What would I be expected to earn with my skills?

I've looked at the people that work in my organisation that have the same skills as you

and the minimum wage is £22,000 per annum and the maximum a person gets paid is about £30,000 a year.

-And the median is about £26,000.

-OK. Thank you.

We've arranged for you to go into the field with one of our project managers and see a roadside cabinet.

So Darren should be able to at least match his UK salary,

but emigrating without a pay rise might not work out if Daniella's university fees were to go up.

So it's about 7,000 a year for what we call domestic students.

For international students, it's a lot more expensive, over 20,000 a year,

-so it would pay to get residency.

-Yeah.

So it looks like Daniella could face high course fees

if she can't get the right visa to live in New Zealand.

However, she's trying to keep an open mind.

It does sound very promising to come here and reassuring to have that option,

but to already have the place in England, it puts another obstacle in my way.

And after getting hands-on with Kiwi telecoms, Darren has also had a lot to consider.

So has he seen enough today to vote for New Zealand?

Based on my experience today at work, my vote goes to...

..New Zealand.

I was a little bit apprehensive about what I would find,

but I'm looking at virtually the same thing as what I'm used to, nothing different at all.

I'm looking forward to going back to Viv tonight and telling her how well it's gone

because it's gone very well, better than I expected.

After a tough start, Darren's vote for Auckland is a huge boost for Viv

and a day at college left Daniella with plenty to think about,

but for a sport-loving family like the Stirks,

it's the Kiwi outdoor lifestyle that could be key to whether they move or not.

At home, life for the Stirks is all about getting up...

..getting out and getting active.

The outdoor lifestyle there is something that everybody raves on about,

especially Australia, but I think New Zealand would be similar.

-I'm looking forward to getting there and seeing it for myself.

-Yeah, me too.

So today, they're heading off to see what Auckland's great outdoors can offer them.

That's if Dad can get into his life jacket.

And Ben seems happy, even if Emma might be a fish out of water.

SHE SCREAMS I'm putting it down.

I'm going to fall in!

But for Viv, this is what she came here to find -

a chance for the family to enjoy being outdoors together and whenever they want.

The whole place is geared up for family life. It would be a lovely place to bring kids up.

I've noticed a difference in the children as the week's gone on.

They're all starting to really get used to being here.

-I'm already getting used to it.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

-It's nice.

-It's going to be a shock when we go home.

-Cleckheaton?

-Cleckheaton.

The family all have their own favourite sports and Emma's is gymnastics.

Once safely back on dry land, she has come with Daniella to see what facilities Auckland has to offer.

Finding a connection to Kiwi life could make emigrating a lot easier to bear.

Now seeing the gymnastics, I feel like there's a lot more out here for me.

Before, I didn't really feel like I'd connected with anything because I hadn't really done much,

apart from going to see the houses, but now I'm feeling a bit more confident and excited about it all.

But if we moved over here...

..and couldn't really afford it and it all goes wrong

when our life at home is quite comfortable at the moment...

It's a lot to put on the line.

The girls know just how much is at stake if the Stirks were to emigrate,

but could the benefits make the risks worthwhile?

The icing on the cake for a family who love rugby league most of all

is a chance to watch New Zealand take on Australia.

So having sampled the lifestyle, will they vote "home" or "away"?

Based on the lifestyle of New Zealand compared to the UK, our vote goes to...

ALL: ..New Zealand.

Everyone's voted New Zealand.

It's been a really good game of rugby and with the added bonus of being able to be nice and warm.

It's perfect, really. Everything about it is absolutely spot-on.

It's nice not to wear five jumpers, isn't it?

A taste of the local lifestyle had exactly the effect Viv was hoping for

and a unanimous vote for New Zealand was a big step forward.

But with so much hanging on their finances, can they find a way to make the numbers add up?

Getting the right price for their UK home in Cleckheaton will be vital if emigrating is to be affordable.

The Stirks believe it is worth £140,000,

but will two local estate agents agree?

A nice living room. A good focal point for the house, really.

Modern kitchen, very light, very airy, opening on to the garden which is excellent. It's a nice room.

A very good-sized garden. They've landscaped it. It's very nice.

They obviously spend a lot of time out here.

Again very well decorated. Two sharing, I presume it's a teenagers' bedroom.

The space isn't massive, but they've got the best use out of it.

So what will be the second original bedroom they're using as the master bedroom,

utilising the space of the room there with the fitted wardrobes, just exactly what you need.

What I'd expect from a third bedroom is this.

I don't think anybody would want any more from a third bedroom. It's not a boxroom by any means.

Overall, excellent family house. It's been extended, so you've got a lot of space downstairs.

Within half a mile of the M62 which is great for commuters. A good residential area.

My valuation today, as an asking price, would be 125,000

to probably achieve around 120.

In my opinion, in the current market, this house is worth 125,000.

For a quick sale, you'd probably be looking at 115.

-Hmm.

-That's a long way under...

-Less.

-A lot less.

-Not good, is it?

-No.

-With the work that's gone into that house and the extension, I'm quite shocked.

-Me too.

It's amazing how your feelings can just come down so much, isn't it?

You want to go to New Zealand to better your life, but the way things are going, you'd be making it harder.

Those house valuations are far less than Viv and Darren had hoped for.

Once again, finances are looking like they could be key to emigrating.

We've provided a comparison of the family's cost of living at home and in New Zealand

to help them work out if they can afford to live down under or not. First, it's the weekly shopping.

-It looks quite expensive.

-Milk's expensive.

-We go through a lot of milk.

-Meat's about the same.

-Yeah.

Lager's slightly more expensive. Wine's similar.

So in the UK...

..101 a week.

125.

That's nearly £25 a week more, isn't it?

-And we don't go shopping just once a week, do we?

-No.

There's little bits and bobs - milk three times a week, bread sometimes every day.

That's not the best start, but it's the family's mortgage payments that could be crucial.

They've based them on a £200,000 mortgage with a £60,000 deposit.

-And the repayments would be £804 a month.

-£804 a month.

-Yeah.

Right, but ours is 210.

That's what we're paying now, what our house is costing us now.

Their monthly mortgage has just gone through the roof

and that's without including the cost of relocating.

Looking at these figures now then,

we would actually be about £634 worse off living in New Zealand,

-so do you think this move's affordable?

-No.

-Definitely not?

No.

Oh, dear. I'll have to start doing the Lottery, see if I'm lucky in that.

As much as Viv might want this,

it looks like moving to New Zealand could be a serious financial risk for the Stirks,

so based on the numbers, how will they vote?

-UK.

-The UK.

I'd love to live here. There's no doubt about that. It's a beautiful place.

The weather and the lifestyle is fantastic, but you've got to be able to afford it as well.

-We're not rich enough, are we?

-No, we're not rich enough.

-Poor northerners.

-Poor northerners.

Never mind.

Despite putting on a brave face, the figures look hard to argue with

and once again Viv's dreams hang in the balance,

so will watching messages from home put an end to them for good?

There are messages for everyone, so the whole family have decided to watch them together.

Hi, everybody. I hope you're having a great time out there.

-Hi!

-Hiya from Mum's house.

Hiya, Daniella, Emma, Ben, Darren, Viv.

Out of the three of them, I would say Daniella could cause a problem.

She'll want to please her mum and dad, but also her boyfriend

who she's been going out with for three years which is a long time.

I were married at 19. It's the same age as what Daniella is now.

I love my family

beyond measure.

If they do go, I would miss them so much.

I know I'm not going to be happy, but I've just got to accept it and hope they have a nice life

and everything turns out nice and well for them.

Their going would leave a void that would be impossible to fill.

I think we'd be bereft, wouldn't we?

-Sorry.

-SHE SOBS

It's a prospect that I don't really want to contemplate.

Hello, everyone. I hope you're all having a good time.

I hope you're enjoying it.

I'm missing you a lot, Daniella.

I don't want you to go, really,

but that's completely up to you, obviously. I can't stop you, but...

I'd really miss you if you went.

I'd like you to stay, but the decision's yours.

Don't come to any hasty decisions.

And just enjoy it while you're out there.

You can understand where they're coming from.

Their views and opinions are natural, aren't they?

You don't want to sound selfish by saying you've got to live your life for yourself, but you have.

Hmm. Do you think any of them will lend us any money?

I really don't know.

Seeing the people they love was a reminder for the Stirks

that the real cost of emigrating isn't counted in dollars

and having fallen for the lifestyle, they know how much New Zealand could offer them as a family.

So with their week over, will they vote with their hearts or with their heads?

The week has been absolutely fantastic.

There's been a couple of emotional times,

but generally, for me, it's been very fulfilling.

It's a lovely place.

It's just a perfect place to live...

if you could afford it.

We've come here ten years too late. There's a lot of obstacles

that wouldn't have been there ten years ago that are there now - financial and personal.

I did really hope that Daniella would come round to our way of thinking.

I honestly do believe that she's shut her feelings off since we've been here

purely because Danny's in her life.

I came with an open mind,

but deep, deep down I am more pointed to the UK because of everything that you have got to lose.

If they were nine, six and two, that would be different,

but they're teenagers and they've got their own plans now to a point.

There's no way I could ever leave Danny, like...

I'm happy where I am.

I can't see myself with anybody else.

So it does change things, obviously.

It's been an eye-opening week for the Stirks,

but will emotional and financial costs end this dream or has a taste of life down under convinced them

that the biggest gamble of their lives could be worth it?

Based on our week in New Zealand, our vote goes to...

-..New Zealand.

-New Zealand.

-UK.

-Three to two, we're outvoted.

-Yeah.

So why did you choose UK, Ben?

This is a beautiful country, but I'd just miss family too much.

I can see myself living here because it is a very nice place,

but I'm still a bit undecided and, like you said, go with your heart and my heart says UK.

Why have you chosen New Zealand?

In my heart, I do feel that if we really wanted to give it a go, we could find the perfect property.

And I have enjoyed this experience so much that it's going to be really hard, I think, for me to walk away.

I really do.

There are no easy answers in choosing a future that's right for your family

and after experiencing the highs and lows of emigrating, the Stirks still have some thinking to do.

But with Viv well and truly won over, I don't think this story is quite over yet.

We wish them all the best.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd