Canada or NZ
Jan 12th 2012 | 12:51 pm
#16
Banned
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,088
Re: Canada or NZ
Cost of living is very high in NZ, which with low wages (not to mention long work hours and few public holidays) makes it hard to manage unless earning loads and loads. However lifestyle, especially for bringing up children is fantastic, scenery is beautiful and everything is very accessible.
But don't come to Christchurch, the quakes are not over - have had hundreds since the 5.8 and 6.0 on December 23rd, and GNS are now saying we're in for 'decades' of them. Lots of physical and psychological damage. It is not a good place to be.
How the country can afford to pay for Christchurch rebuild I don't know - Christchurch as a city is no longer insured (ie: city assets, and individuals can't even get insurance for a new car unless it's just to replace a previous policy, same with houses - have to take over previous owner's insurance, if you can), and with 11 000 homes written off, 9000 red zoners (have to leave homes and land can't be rebuilt) and 1250 buildings in cbd being demolished, thousands of kms of roads destroyed, hundreds of kms of sewage and water, I find it hard to conceive how NZ can manage to fund all this. Espeically if there's another natuaral disaster - loads of flooding and landslips over Christmas further north. Key has just got in for another 3 year term and is planning to sell off assets, so the country will be even poorer.
Since so many are leaving Chch (generally to Australia, Nelson, Tauranga and RAngiora) hosue prices in these places are going up fast.
WE did a recce to Calgary last October. It felt very busy compared to the very quiet pace of life here, but lots of opportunities for the children, and you can choose your lifestyle depending on where you live - city or smaller town. We liked the houses - the houses in nz are freezing cold, little insulation, central heating doesn't exist - our bedroom tends to hover between 6 and 13 degrees all winter, brrrr. Canadian houses are well built and lovely and warm, but cheap to heat). Many of the positives that we prefer in NZ to UK (eg: schooling, kids feeling safe and therefore having more independence) are the same in Canada. Cost of living cheaper, salaries higher, but you don't get much annual leave.
However there are no bears or coyotes in NZ which must surely be a positive!
But don't come to Christchurch, the quakes are not over - have had hundreds since the 5.8 and 6.0 on December 23rd, and GNS are now saying we're in for 'decades' of them. Lots of physical and psychological damage. It is not a good place to be.
How the country can afford to pay for Christchurch rebuild I don't know - Christchurch as a city is no longer insured (ie: city assets, and individuals can't even get insurance for a new car unless it's just to replace a previous policy, same with houses - have to take over previous owner's insurance, if you can), and with 11 000 homes written off, 9000 red zoners (have to leave homes and land can't be rebuilt) and 1250 buildings in cbd being demolished, thousands of kms of roads destroyed, hundreds of kms of sewage and water, I find it hard to conceive how NZ can manage to fund all this. Espeically if there's another natuaral disaster - loads of flooding and landslips over Christmas further north. Key has just got in for another 3 year term and is planning to sell off assets, so the country will be even poorer.
Since so many are leaving Chch (generally to Australia, Nelson, Tauranga and RAngiora) hosue prices in these places are going up fast.
WE did a recce to Calgary last October. It felt very busy compared to the very quiet pace of life here, but lots of opportunities for the children, and you can choose your lifestyle depending on where you live - city or smaller town. We liked the houses - the houses in nz are freezing cold, little insulation, central heating doesn't exist - our bedroom tends to hover between 6 and 13 degrees all winter, brrrr. Canadian houses are well built and lovely and warm, but cheap to heat). Many of the positives that we prefer in NZ to UK (eg: schooling, kids feeling safe and therefore having more independence) are the same in Canada. Cost of living cheaper, salaries higher, but you don't get much annual leave.
However there are no bears or coyotes in NZ which must surely be a positive!
goodluck
Jan 12th 2012 | 12:59 pm
#17
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 1,348
Re: Canada or NZ
Not the only reason, there would obviously have to be more to it
Jan 12th 2012 | 1:45 pm
#18
"In cruce vincam"
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 3,233
From: Mill Bay, Vancouver Island
Re: Canada or NZ
I live on the West coast of Canada and my brother lives on the west coast of NZ. We both love where we are and have lovely standards of life. I think it depends what you're after from where you live. I like the slightly more "consumer/commercial" aspect that I think Canada has whereas my brother likes the slightly more "laid back" lifestyle he enjoys. We are both happy with the respective education systems for our children. We both enjoy a good standard of living (brother is a Head of Department in a secondary school and his wife is a doctor). We run our own business. Neither of us plans to move to the others' respective country any time soon. I think we're both just grateful for the opportunity to have moved from the UK to enjoy another lifestyle and approach to life.
Each to his own; one size doesn't fit all.
Each to his own; one size doesn't fit all.
Jan 12th 2012 | 8:27 pm
#19
Thread Starter
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 15
Re: Canada or NZ
Hi all
Thanks for your replies. I guess what we're after is a nice place to bring kids up. The UK is getting worse. We wanted NZ after recommendations and two months working there myself, but I'm now going to struggle to sell it to the wife. Being a long thin island you're never that far from the east coast fault line. Canada appeals as an alternative due to its proximity to family in UK and english speaking (lazy Brits). The weather (or at least the stereotype of the weather) appeals with snow sports. I just want the kids to grow up somewhere they've a future and safety and security.
Thanks for your replies. I guess what we're after is a nice place to bring kids up. The UK is getting worse. We wanted NZ after recommendations and two months working there myself, but I'm now going to struggle to sell it to the wife. Being a long thin island you're never that far from the east coast fault line. Canada appeals as an alternative due to its proximity to family in UK and english speaking (lazy Brits). The weather (or at least the stereotype of the weather) appeals with snow sports. I just want the kids to grow up somewhere they've a future and safety and security.
Jan 12th 2012 | 9:00 pm
#20
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 55
Re: Canada or NZ
What is it you do for a job?
The answer is easy if you're tossing up between chch and Canada, Canada hands down, chch is a no go, end of, forget it. There are other options in nz but by the sounds of it, you want to be close to family in the uk, and moving to nz is something someone does if they want to be as far as possible away from their family. Nz is extremely isolated, I'm not bagging my birthplace but it's a reality and unless you or your wife are lawyers/brain surgeons/drug dealers you'll find it bloody hard to save for your trip back to the uk.
My wife is Irish and we are going to Ireland in June (the two of us, two kids and a baby) and we have got a great deal for $8888 return, add our spending to that and we're looking at 15-20k all up. Whereas if we were living in Canada we could do it for easy half that, or even better meet the family in the states somewhere.
Anyway, I'm rambling, just so I'm clear, don't go to chch! It was a lovely place full of great people, the lovely place is cracking up and the lovely people are getting fed up and reluctantly moving away.
The answer is easy if you're tossing up between chch and Canada, Canada hands down, chch is a no go, end of, forget it. There are other options in nz but by the sounds of it, you want to be close to family in the uk, and moving to nz is something someone does if they want to be as far as possible away from their family. Nz is extremely isolated, I'm not bagging my birthplace but it's a reality and unless you or your wife are lawyers/brain surgeons/drug dealers you'll find it bloody hard to save for your trip back to the uk.
My wife is Irish and we are going to Ireland in June (the two of us, two kids and a baby) and we have got a great deal for $8888 return, add our spending to that and we're looking at 15-20k all up. Whereas if we were living in Canada we could do it for easy half that, or even better meet the family in the states somewhere.
Anyway, I'm rambling, just so I'm clear, don't go to chch! It was a lovely place full of great people, the lovely place is cracking up and the lovely people are getting fed up and reluctantly moving away.
Jan 12th 2012 | 9:40 pm
#21
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 471
Re: Canada or NZ
the other issue is whilst the pound:nz peso buys you a larger sum... when youre earning nz peso it hurts because of its worthless buying power 
Jan 12th 2012 | 10:49 pm
#22
Thread Starter
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 15
Re: Canada or NZ
What is it you do for a job?
The answer is easy if you're tossing up between chch and Canada, Canada hands down, chch is a no go, end of, forget it. There are other options in nz but by the sounds of it, you want to be close to family in the uk, and moving to nz is something someone does if they want to be as far as possible away from their family. Nz is extremely isolated, I'm not bagging my birthplace but it's a reality and unless you or your wife are lawyers/brain surgeons/drug dealers you'll find it bloody hard to save for your trip back to the uk.
My wife is Irish and we are going to Ireland in June (the two of us, two kids and a baby) and we have got a great deal for $8888 return, add our spending to that and we're looking at 15-20k all up. Whereas if we were living in Canada we could do it for easy half that, or even better meet the family in the states somewhere.
Anyway, I'm rambling, just so I'm clear, don't go to chch! It was a lovely place full of great people, the lovely place is cracking up and the lovely people are getting fed up and reluctantly moving away.
The answer is easy if you're tossing up between chch and Canada, Canada hands down, chch is a no go, end of, forget it. There are other options in nz but by the sounds of it, you want to be close to family in the uk, and moving to nz is something someone does if they want to be as far as possible away from their family. Nz is extremely isolated, I'm not bagging my birthplace but it's a reality and unless you or your wife are lawyers/brain surgeons/drug dealers you'll find it bloody hard to save for your trip back to the uk.
My wife is Irish and we are going to Ireland in June (the two of us, two kids and a baby) and we have got a great deal for $8888 return, add our spending to that and we're looking at 15-20k all up. Whereas if we were living in Canada we could do it for easy half that, or even better meet the family in the states somewhere.
Anyway, I'm rambling, just so I'm clear, don't go to chch! It was a lovely place full of great people, the lovely place is cracking up and the lovely people are getting fed up and reluctantly moving away.
Jan 12th 2012 | 11:12 pm
#23
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 55
Re: Canada or NZ
Oh right, I wish I had some of that experience behind me. I'm contemplating a PLC course to give me a bit more to add to my resume. For the record, you'd have no probs getting a job in nz at a 65k plus type salary with all the trimmings. Just not in chch. Did I mention don't go to chch?
Jan 13th 2012 | 1:24 am
#24
Thread Starter
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 15
Re: Canada or NZ
Bonesyhead - I keep an eye out through seek.co.nz (other websites are available!) so see quite a lot of 'traffic'. I spent a lovely couple of months in Chch in 2007 but the pictures I've seen recently are truely shocking. Quite like (reading up on it) Taranaki and The Bay's (Hawkes and Plenty) but no knowledge of industry etc. Hope it will be as easy to get a job in Canada as well.
Jan 13th 2012 | 2:10 am
#25
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 207
From: Perth WA
Re: Canada or NZ
Jan 13th 2012 | 5:45 am
#26
Grumpy Know-it-all
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 8,928
From: Calgary, Alberta
Re: Canada or NZ
Don't agree, Alberta has a very high rate of job growth and the property prices have yet to reach the idiotic levels seen in Australia.
Jan 13th 2012 | 5:50 am
#27
Grumpy Know-it-all
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 8,928
From: Calgary, Alberta
Re: Canada or NZ
I have to say I always laugh when people say that about Calgary, I hear this a lot from people who've moved in from rural Alberta, or Saskatchewan or Manitoba, talking about the "big city".
The whole greater Calgary area only has a population of 1.1 million and it has one of the lowest population densities of a major city in the world, in fact I think it's the lowest in North America.
I think there's a total of perhaps 60km of six-lane highway in the whole of the prairie provinces, about half of which is in Calgary.
The whole greater Calgary area only has a population of 1.1 million and it has one of the lowest population densities of a major city in the world, in fact I think it's the lowest in North America.
I think there's a total of perhaps 60km of six-lane highway in the whole of the prairie provinces, about half of which is in Calgary.
Jan 13th 2012 | 5:55 am
#28
slanderer of the innocent
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 6,695
From: Vancouver, BC
Re: Canada or NZ
yeah, but NZ's biggest city is the size of Calgary and it's not ChCH. It's all relative.
Jan 13th 2012 | 6:53 am
#29
Pea Brain
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 6,005
From: TBD
Re: Canada or NZ
Why would you laugh at someone else's perceptions, especially if they've experienced Calgary first hand?
Jan 15th 2012 | 6:21 pm
#30
Thread Starter
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 15
Re: Canada or NZ
