ladymoose

We live near Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. The thing that appealed to us about Canada over NZ was the vastness of the place. I'd already heard that there were cultural differences across the country not to mention weather differences. We figured that if we didn't like our bit of AB, we'd try another bit - or else move entirely to another province and try there! We thought we'd eventually get it right! Not sure if NZ offers that sort of flexibility? Haven't been there, so can't really judge, but maybe that's something to think about. Good luck with your decision

Avid

I was going to pop on here and argue the pros and cons of New Zealand but, to be honest, it's an impossible task to summarise an entire country in a few sentences.

Anyway, without knowing a lot more about the OP it would all be generalizations....

Still...if making lots of money and being near friends and family in the UK are important then NZ isn't a good choice.

On the other hand, New Zealand isn't as similar to the UK as one might imagine, and does have plenty of 'outdoor adventure'. I'm not sure about this 'sense of isolation' stuff...I never felt more secure at night back in the UK knowing that mainland Europe was only a few hours away!

Anyway, as a generalization...if the OP has young kids and likes the outdoors then there's nothing wrong with New Zealand....

Howard1944

Judy, I disagree, there are many opportunities to make money in Canada, more so than in NZ.

My Dad spends 6 months in Florida, not a fancy Trailer but it suits them well, they live quite comfortably for their needs, he was retired from city of Toronto, and we all know they don't over pay their workers.

My Niece, at 30, makes over $80,000 a year driving a Bus, and yes, she puts in long hours, She is also buying a House.

She rents out her basement for $500 a month, pre pays her mortgage, spends one week on a last minute cheap trip down south.

Opportunities are here, but frankly there are few people willing to make the sacrifices.

I have great admiration for some ethnic groups who fill a house, support each other so some can take on additional earning opportunities, within a few years, they all own homes.

We came in the late 50's, that is how we all did it back then, and we did not have 3 TV's, and the kids had jobs after school and gave some monies to their parents.

People complain about our Weather, it is not so bad, go play in it, learn to skate, at least you are not constantly worried about poisonous snakes, or bugged by swarms of insects, or worried about getting shot while you sleep.

Calgary is damn tough to get ahead because of current living costs, but a lot of lads are making a lot of cash in the fields.

R I C H

I think we'll agree to differ on this - when I emigrated it was to provide me with the quality of life I was looking for. If that meant more cost or inconvenience for friends/family to visit, then that was a compromise I had to accept. Living on the east coast might save $'s in travel costs, but wouldn't have made any sense in terms of the opportunity and lifestyle I wanted - if you're going to the time and trouble to emigrate, then make sure it's the right decision for you, not other people.

live to ski

NZ was our back-up if Canada didn't work out for us. (Oz out of the question as Mr L2S isn't a fan of the heat).

When I was speaking with recruitment consultants in the UK before we came out about interviews in Canada, they all said "no contacts there" (we're both in engineering) but all tried, straight-off to convince us about going to NZ or Oz instead.

Most engineering recruitment consultancies had either contacts or offices in NZ and Oz, and said that they could get us both jobs pretty much wherever we wanted.

This sounded too easy for my liking so asked around a bit. Turns out that NZ especially is desperately short of workers in their 20s because they all go to the UK to make some money and travel Europe. Hence they are desperate for other junior staff.

Ironically I now work for a Kiwi engineering firm in Vancouver (coincidence, found the job myself) and they are keen to send me / us to the head office in NZ for a years secondment next year, so we'll get to see for ourselves what the difference is.

I can still get a bit of cabin-fever in Vancouver

bugg_tb

A big thanks to all who have responded to this posting, there are some very interesting comments. @Avid, it's supposed to be pretty vague that was I was hoping to get a wider range and more personal stories instead of people telling me what they would do in my shoes and it seems to have worked.
What I would like to know with Canadians, our postie at work says the winters are nicer in Canada because they are cold but they are much drier, I think she's from Calgary, is that a fair comment or a load of rubbish ?, the biggest stumbling block I believe between Canada and my Mrs is the cold, which i can't see a way around at the moment without dragging her back out in the middle of winter

Thanks a lot

Tom

Steve_P

It would be a fair comment for the prairies i.e. Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

It would also be fair to say that in the B.C. interior that would apply.

Coastal areas and areas close to the great lakes it is going to be more humid.

Here is a link to Environment Canada's Climate Normals website pick a city enter it and you'll get all the weather averages for that location, and here is Calgary as an example.

Cheers
Steve

Howard1944

Cold is Cold, but we dress for it, Gortex Not Woolies, all homes have very effective central heating systems, the main draw back to winter is Freezing Rain, Snow you can play in, freezing rain can be damn dangerous.

I would often run 10 miles in minus 20 weather, you just wear the right gear.

howardk

we have lived in NZ and canada twice although we are english and there are just too many differences....you only get to know a place by living there....ggod luck...

Howard1944

WWhat he said.

JAJ

I am always surprised when people say this as there are parts of Australia that don't have year-round extreme heat.

Canberra and Melbourne have temperate climates - both can get pretty hot in summer but it's usually a dry heat (not humid). Same goes for Adelaide, although it is hotter there in summer.

Tasmania has a fairly mild climate.