Zen1

I am a naturalized Kiwi having lived here since I was 6 . My mother is British, father is Dutch and I remember how it took years for Mum to adapt to the new country whereas Dad fell in love with it at first sight. Of course NZ has changed a lot since 1971 for the better I think and Mum would now never move back to her homeland. For the outdoor person like myself NZ is as good as it gets I believe but I am curious about the reasons NZ appeals to other potential immigrants . Is it the lifestyle, the relative isolation from the worlds trouble spots , the scenery , the people or what?

Look forward to your views.

Pollster

Everything, mate, everything - the fact I can walk my dog on the beach at sunset and see the red reflected off the snow on the mountain - that no one is ever stressed - that people have time to talk - that everyone is friendly - that the roads are so empty - the kiwi attitude to life - the sheer space - the beautiful scenery - everything.

PP - this thread is not for you!

podgypossum

me say nothing...tongue firmly staying behind my teeth

glhall

Lots of places have nice sunsets. No-one ever stressed???? Then why has there been so much discussion here lately about the amount of anti depressents being issued to kids and adults. Time to talk..and complain - just listen to the talk back radio. plenty of complaints about a terrorist refugee?? who has cost the country about a 1/4 million in legal aid to try and keep him in the country while ordinary tax paying kiwis wait in line for surgery and work for wages that are lower than a snakes backside. Everyone friendly - Im sure we all believe that Pollster. Just look at the crime rate here - no better than anywhere else. I agree about the roads being empty - but they need to be, theyre narrow and built to such a poor standard. Kiwi attitude to life is 'she'll be right mate' - Trouble is its not always so. Yep i heartily agree the scenery is great- lots of greenery, bush ,beaches & snow never far away. What I cant understand though is that youre talking about New Plymouth????

PS. Im glad youre enjoying it here. We need more people like you.

Graham

sven37

We want quality in life, not quantity...

Admittidly, we did look for English based, not because I don't want to learn another language, it just makes life easier for work etc....

I also hoped to find somewhere with a gaurenteed Summer, but still had seasons...(couldn't cope with Australias heat...

Hubby wants outdoors, mountains especially.....he's bored of Ben Nevis and Snowdon, and Everest is way out of our reach!

Want the kids to learn to be happy, not that money makes them happy!

Don't know if we'll ever get there now they upped the anti, but gonna kep trying.....

glhall

You can certainly have a good quality of life in NZ. If you like mountains & outdoors move to the south Island youll love it. Wages are low here though , depending on what you are qualified in of course.
Aussie isnt hot everywhere. melbourne is on average only 2-3 degrees hotter than where I live now (hamilton NZ) and hamilton is cold and dismal most of the year IMO.

NZ is a good country. Im leaving because Ive had too many years of complaining about paying tax to support political nonsense like the Treaty of waitangi claims, Im sick of a prime minister with no testicles, and I also want some different scenery. I think the future for my children will be much brighter in Oz also.

I hope things work out for you. NZ will welcome you and i think you would enjoy it here.

graham

Jack The Lad

Just out of interest when did you leave the UK?

How would you rate the standard of living, crime, climate, politics ect. with what you left behind in the UK?

Why OZ and not back to the UK?

I am not being funny I am just curious.

Zen1

It all depends what you want - New Plymouth has some of the most stunning scenery in the entire country from Whitecliffs to the white capped splendour of Mt Taranaki where I have slept the night in the crater after watching the sun sink silent orange into the Tasman sea .
House prices on Ohakura where I lived just south of NP for a year, have now rocketed up for very good reasons I think .

Centurix

I love NZ, first time I went there the taxi driver who picked me up switched off the meter and drove me around Aukland for an hour showing me the sights. He took me up to one-tree-hill and showed me the one tree.

Brilliant place.

Zen1

I see that The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side phenomenon is alive and well - optical and perceptual laws alone will make the grass at a distance look greener to the human eye than the blades of grass perpendicular to the ground. The "truth" of this metaphor can also be observed often enough in the countryside when a cow or a horse is trying to get at that juicy green grass just on the other side of the fence. And since people are equally dissatisfied with their lot in life, it should not surprise anyone that modern individuals continually evaluate supposedly better alternatives for themselves :lecture:

Zen1

I also happily see that there are a few glass half full individuals who do appreciate the obvious advantages of living in this country. And whoever said our Prime Minister doesn't have balls begs the question of whether the obseqious Blair has any either .....



http://www.almostaproverb.com/saddam/BLAIR-BUSH.jpg

glhall

Im a born and bred kiwi. I was in the UK for a year or so while traveling in my younger days, I lived in Perth too for a year and loved it. The UK doesnt do it for me but it was a great experience at the time and its also the door to all the other places I went visiting. Im a person who much prefers the heat to the cold. Graham.

Jack The Lad

Thanks for the reply

It sounds like you have travelled so you obvisouly now what you are after

Good luck in your new life

Pollster

OK, so my rose tinted specs are firmly in place BUT...


I am looking at all this from a UK persepective, so when Kiwis talk about stress ( at least round here) it is at levels that people in the UK could only dream of. Depression? - same as in the UK people get a bit down, go to their doctor and bingo, here is a load of pills - up go the statistics ( and before you jump on me I fight depression every bloody day without pills because life is what you make it so I know what real depression is like and feeling a bit miserable is NOT depression.:lecture

Complaining? Human nature - but the most moaning I have heard here so far has been from a couple of Brit expats - in fact hubby and I comment on just how upbeat and bloody enthusiastic the Kiwis are.

Refugees? Bad health service? Been that done that at a scale NZ-ers wouldn't comprehend.

Crime? Maybe in bigger towns/cities but round here there seems to be very little (mostly car thefts).

The main roads are in excellent condition here (all over the country) and seem to be maintained and repaired where neccessary at a faster rate than in the UK- AND the bloody highway isn't closed for eight weeks while a load of fat men scratch their arses - yes there are ungraded roads but they are not used excessively and, personally, they add to the charm of the place.

She'll be right, mate attitude? - Rather have that then the pessimistic, doom laden, miserable outlook I came across time after time in the UK - at least people smile here! She'll be right is better than knocking every single thing about something.

Yes there are not so good bits about NZ - the pubs are going to be closed Good Friday and Easter Sunday for a start , wages are low, cost of living is (relatively speaking) high, and central heating is non existant.

Why oh why do people insist on looking for the bad in everything? There are plenty of good things in the UK, in OZ in NZ, in everywhere.

And before you ask, we moved to NZ because we didn't want to live in London Burbia any more and we wanted a bit of an adventure.

Those who don't like NZ, fine, piss off and leave paradise to those of us who appreciate a good thing when we see it

Jack The Lad

Well that told him