Have to say sometimes I really have to lusten for certain words to make sure.

Do you love it? Yes, most of the time

Are you better off? Considerably.

What do you like better about Australia than New Zealand? Wages (50% increase). Even with high cost of living much better off. Also more job opportunities.

What do you prefer about New Zealand to Australia? Ski fields and mountains

Are you working in Australia? Yes

Was it easy to find a job in Australia? Yes

Have you bought a property in Australia? Yes

If so how much Stamp Duty did you pay? Cannot remember - actually rather not remember!

Have you bought a car in Australia? Yes

Are cars cheaper in Australia than New Zealand? Not sure

Do you see your move as permanent? Yes

Are you returning to live in New Zealand? Never. Honestly cannot see NZ ever attracting me back - have high climate standards and good weather is a huge driving factor for me (actually find Sydney too cloudy - tempted to move to Perth if only I could convince my wife!!)

If so When?

Was moving to Australia a stepping stone to further afield like UK, USA or Europe? No

My three-year-old son sounds like a kiwi for some bizarre reason. He asks for fush fungers for dinner

If you're sick of hearing about it
a. Stop reading it
b. Stop stirring it by asking loaded questions so you get the answers you want.

For the benefit of people who may be interested to know more than you're prepared to let them know about I'll say the following.

Why is it only outsiders (for want of a better word) that have this them-and-us attitude about the relationship between New Zealand and Australia?

Our two countries are family, literally. There are so many Kiwis living and raising families in Australia that its part of part New Zealand anyway so what's the big deal? We're like two trees that have intertwined and grown together over time. Look at our two flags, that should tell you how close we are. We're two parts of the same whole and mates not enemies. Stop being so darned territorial!

Movement between us is no big deal, people come and go as they need to and not all stay permanently. Many Kiwis come here to earn money when work is tight back home, stay for a few months and then flit back to NZ when the opportunities come back. Far better than going on the benny and the exchange rate at the moment so earning Oz dollars makes this a very attractive proposition. Back in 80s Britain this would've been called getting on yer bike - Norman Tebbitt style. You do remember him don't you? Here we get on the plane and follow the work.

You mentioned stamp duty but forgot to say that new arrivals here can claim first time buyer relief on the purchase of their home and didn't ask how people feel about that. Mostly people just deduct the cost of stamp duty from the house we're buying and haggle over the difference. Others have mentioned tax benefits so I won't go over these again.

I love my house here, its half as big again as my last home in New Zealand. They were both fairly new and built around the same time but this one is far more modern and is of a far higher spec. Its got fantastic insulation, high ceilings, a mighty powerful air conditioning system and catches the afternoon breezes on the upper floor like a dream.

As for cars I prefer the Australian system to New Zealand's. Here the roads aren't flooded with cheap secondhand Japanese imports of dubious provenance. If I'm buying secondhand I like to see things like accurate speedos, servicing log books, cabin signs in a language I can read, and an owner's manual is a big bonus. I also like to be able to check to see if it was an insurance write-off at some point in the past.

I like that all drivers here must have third party insurance and that I don't have to get a WOF every six months and can afford to get my car serviced properly instead. I hate that I have to pay CTP plus comprehensive insurance because can't see why Comp doesn't include CTP

You see these things are a lot more complex than you give them credit for.

Will admit to the GST being higher & the fact that GST is added to every utility bill etc also.
They would apply GST to the air people breathe if they could,

They were NOT LOADED

I was merely asking why Kiwi's had moved & what found different between the 2 countries. Why is everyone so sensitive about the topic?

Oh very intelligent reply!

I have been told that currently cars are cheaper in NZ by visiting Aussies seeing cars for sale. I do not profess to know car prices. Except I remem.ber in the 1970's cars & household appliances were much cheaper in Australia than they were in NZ & many Kiwi's used to buy small appliances whilst visiting Australia to take back to NZ with them

Thats funny because many people find other accents amusing including South Africans!

Thank you for your honesty.

Calm down I am an Aussie, but it seems that both the Kiwi's & the Aussie's have chips on their shoulders & that applies to sport also. Always interesting to hear one nationality sling off about the other!

Amazulu has observed that luxury cars are cheaper because NZ has no luxury car tax. Apart from that exception, I don't see any evidence that cars are cheaper in NZ.

I just want to moving there (Melbourne) within 1 week time . First reasons was because i liked it when i went holiday over there. I want to have mortgage in NZ but so afraid to loose my job, Or if i quit the job, i may not be able to get the same job in Auckland to support the mortgage. While in Melbourne, i can see there is an opening for at least 1 job every weeks.

regarding Nature, landscapes as well as clean air and water, there is no competition, New Zealand is the winner and i am proud of being an NZ Citizens .

But for job security i just cannot deny anymore that Aussie offer better opportunities. Even the support for working class is getting better in Aussie especially if you have babies.

Car and car's maintenance are expensive in Australia, but the petrol pretty good deals compared to NZ that has been for 2.10 per litre at the moment.

This is my opinion based on what i gathered from many sources.

To sum up, I love New Zealand, but now is getting more and more expensive. The hardest part is to find the same job with same wages if i quit the current job. But it is very hard (Maybe the market too small in Fabrication and manufacturing).

I hope in the future NZ will have stamp duty and taxes for someone that buying 2nd house or buying house for investment. I see that without these taxes, the affordabilities for someone that want to buy first house is getting fade.

Stick a fush in it bro.

Not sensitive at all.

The question about stamp duty just made me think. I assumed the reason you asked was because it's lower in NZ.

So I checked, and now I see there is no stamp duty in NZ...and I can see why you asked!