ladyofthelake

You need to read what is printed correctly. I said you sound bitter and unhappy, not that you are bitter and unhappy.
As you said in post 6 of this thread, this is a forum where we all have freedom of speech and I am just as entitled to my opinion as you are to yours.
By reading the rest of your posts, I stand by it.

DarrenP

I fully understand how the system works. I've lived in the US for seven years, and I'll still take the NHS option please. Healthcare in the UK, whilst not without its problems and waiting lists, seems to be more about preventitive care to me, whereas in the US it's more like wait til something goes wrong, then try and fix it. If you get something like cancer over here, If you manage to survive it will leave you completely buggered financially.

Amanda

Wow, thanks for all your responses.

There are numerous reasons for wanting to leave NZ. It is a lovely country and for the first couple of years we have been extremely happy, but then the novelty begins to wear off!!

Since moving here the cost of living has gone up immensely and although my husband has a very good job here, he could be earning alot more in the UK. The construction industry (he is a commercial manager) is booming and they are crying out for senior staff. The Construction industry here is very unprofessional, but that's another matter.

My children love it here and so far they are getting a good education, but I feel the curriculum back in the UK would be more broader. I am really worried about living in the right area to get them into good schools ( 1 is a year 7, 1 year 4 and the other is a year 2).

The scenery here is amazing but the actual built environment is ugly. They lack planning laws here and seem to put any building/signs wherever they like. I am really looking forward to see picturesque villages again.

Driving here is a nightmare. The driving standards are appalling. My Husband has had 3 people crash in to him here. The driving age is 15 here (some of the children look as though they should still be in nappies). Speed is their main concern and the louder their exhaust the better.

We have made a list of the pros and cons for staying here in some kind of logical manner and the list for returning seems to get longer for going back to the UK. My husband has already been offered various jobs. The actual move back with 4 children (the youngest is 1) will be a logistical nightmare. We have no family we can stay with and obviously will need to wait for our container to arrive before getting a rental. We will probably rent before deciding where to buy. My children are still in shock at the thought that they may have to share a bedroom....lol. We do have a lovely large house here, with a huge garden in a desirable part of Auckland.

We have indefinite visas, so will be able to return to NZ should we need to (although my husband says that if we leave he will not keep going back and forth!).

Anyway we have Estate Agents coming this afternoon to sign up with their agency.... Will see what happens.

Mandy.

callé

Hi Amanda
I was gone from the UK for more years than you can imagine, so I was really scared of some of the stuff I read but had to find out for myself as it is my country and my home. Happy to say we are very happy and safe feeling and yes there are lovely places here still (the people included, not only the countryside). Lots of people sadly dont realize that the whole world has its crime and problems and its more a matter of the heart and where you feel happy and comfortable. For the life of me I cant understand how anyone could hate this beautiful land. We are truly lucky.

theguitardoctor

Don't worry, you'll be exposed to all the bad stories when you return...there are plenty of them....old people's houses sold to pay for their care under govt order etc, people refused drugs as they are too expensive...you name it. All in all, every country will have problems to one degee or another...as I said, it's those which directly affect you that matter most.

nessie

Mandy

We returned from NZ in February this year because my husband could not get a job despite 20 years experience & qualifications etc. The whole work situation in NZ left him feeling very depressed so we put our house on the market to come back. OH had secured a job in the UK within a week of us making the decision and started 2 days after we got back.

We did not leave the UK because we hated it, more because we wanted to try something different. We noticed the same crimes, graffiti etc in NZ as we do here in Milton Keynes - in my opinion it is the same the world over.

We rented an unfurnished property here (arranged from NZ) and were lent the basics by friends or bought 'cheap and cheerful' just to get us through until our container arrived.

The children settled back into school as if they had never been away.

The House prices are the same here as when we left a year ago and although we have spent a lot shipping stuff back and forward, we still have enough for a deposit when we eventually decide to buy. Hope this helps.

theguitardoctor

It's good that you have Visa's as the problems you mention are prevalent in the UK, and you can backtrack if necessary

you mention...loud exhausts? ....everywhere in the UK, it's the Chav signature, speeding?...of course, there's no traffic cops now, all replaced by speed cameras, new buildings unsympathetic to their surroundings?.... yes, that too, massive influx of cheap labour from east europe pushing construction costs down?...not entirely a bad thing as housing costs are far out of reach of the average couple. At least your hubby is high up so he can get a good job, it's the tradesmen that are struggling now.

To be honest, the UK has some beautiful areas, but the average Joe and Joanne can't afford to live in them...£179,000 for a 2 bedroom cottage??? Out of our reach by £80K....

Hopefully the return will give you what you are looking for....good luck.

Amanda

Hi Nessie,

Thanks for your reply. Did you go back to the same part of the UK? My husband was working in Milton Keynes before we came here, although we lived close to Cambridge. Commuting was a nightmare for him, it took him 2 hours to drive each way. I have been looking at villages outside of Milton Keynes and they seem quite nice. Do you know anything about the schools or what sort of area I should look at. I need both a good primary and a secondary school.

Did you like anything about New Zealand?

My husband and I had yet another talk last night (that's all we seem to do at the moment) and we decided we might take a trip back to the Uk in October (despite the cost;there are 6 of us) to make sure it's right for us. We have also talked about Australia, but am worried that it will just be a larger version of NZ (at least it might not rain as much!).

Did you find it easy to find a rental over the internet? We were worried that rental companies might be reluctant to rent a property out if you are not yet in the UK and haven't got a job. My husband does not want to rush in to the first position offered. We would obviously have funds to pay for the rental. Just wondered about your experiences.


Thanks, Mandy.

nessie

Mandy

Yes we came back to the same area. My hubbie works in crawley but is mostly home based so commutes only once a fortnight. The children both went back into the same school with the friends they were with before we left. One of the reasons we came back here is that the schools in Newport Pagnell are fantastic (in my opinon). We have one at middle school and one starting comprehensive in September. The schools vary depending which area/village in MK you are looking at. If you have any specific areas you are interested in, PM me and I'll see what I can find out.

I LOVED New Zealand and had hubby found a job we would still be there!! For me, the pace of life, scenery etc were fantastic - but however nice the place is there are always going to be some negatives (e.g. crime) but, as I said, this is the same the world over. Having said all that, the most important thing to me is having a happy family and if coming back acheived that, I'm happy!

It wasn't to difficult getting the rental - we did it through an agency which means they need references of proof of income or proof of money in the bank - as OH had a job offer that was not a problem. You may find that if you have neither of these type of references a private rental may be better as they do not seem to do so many financial check as long as you can pay them one monts rent and 6 weeks deposit up front. Again, if you want details of a specific area, PM me and I'll look in the local papers for you.

Let me know if I can help.

Nessie

mumomonty

Well, probably 90% of people I know in the UK say the same: why would you want to come back, etc? However, althought about 50% of those say they wish they could emigrate, I think half of them are quite happy really.

It's your life so you should do what you feel is right.
There's good and not so good in both countries.
I've lost count of the kiwis (living here I might add, not on this forum living overseas) who say that NZ is 'going to the dogs'!
It's your life.

Roger

We lived in New Zealand for two years and came back in December. Really loved the place, friendly people, beautiful views, excellent climate (Hawkes Bay). Never felt homesick for the UK even after visiting the UK twice.

Just decided one day to come back as life became samey, had few interesting job opportunities (both experienced nurses), sick of being skint though we had a $60K mortgage and no debt. Life just didn't feel as rich - whatever that is. I suppose the aging parents didn't help either and we could no longer afford to fly back as our savings had ran out.

Been back eight months. Don't miss New Zealand though do the friends. Enjoying having money again (could have paid off half off that mortgage since we have both been working last few months). Looking forward to overseas travel (not something most Kiwis can afford). Friends and family nearby(ish).

Immigrants. Have you been to Auckland to play spot the white face!

However really miss living near the sea - will move closer.

In retrospect we found life quite expensive in New Zealand. Houses cheap - not when you look at the salaries. Just as expensive in comparison.

Hope to semi-retire to NZ at age 60. Just November to April though, you can keep it in the Winter with the freezing houses, wind and rain. Would be working to 68 in NZ and not affording to go anywhere.

See your back off Guitar Doctor. Remember your experiences in Wellington (poor choice of city we lasted 2 days before moving to Hawkes Bay). Better luck next time.

I really do not keep tabs on the Forum just checked the web address was the same prior to recommending it to a friend off to Oz (in retrospect should have gone there but...)
Roger

krizzy

I talked to a friend in England I've not talked to in years the other month...I asked if anything had changed in 7 years..and she said no...if you came home tomorrow it would be like you never left...same old faces...same good and bad days...
All my family are still in England and not one would leave it to move here...everywhere has its problems...if I leave my home and go just off Cape.. its like a war zone...dirty homes dirty people..run down...nasty...

A lot of things that are bad in England...are bad everywhere else...I hope you are happy whatever you do.....

HiddenPaw

I thought the whites were the immigrants!

Jude J

Hi Mandy,

Just been reading through and wanted to pass on an experience I had with UK schools. Before moving to NZ we moved back to Hampshire for 9 months from Yorkshire where we had been living for a year.
We didn't go back to the city where we lived before because we knew the city schools were mostly bad, I'm talking some of the worst schools in the country. We got a rental in an expensive suburb after reading the reports on the school in its catchment area.
We got settled in and took the kids, then aged 14 and 12, to register them in the school. They were both really excited about joining the school after going on the tour with the head teacher. A couple of days later we got a letter saying that due to the already overcrowded classes they would not be offering a place for my 12 yr old. We took it to appeal and lost. We were offered a place in a school not far from where we lived but it had such a bad reputation that we didn't want her to go there even if it was just for 9 months. Having no other option, she ended up in a private school.
Then we were unable to register at a doctors surgery because they had too many patients on the books!
My point really is there are beautiful places in UK with good schools but if there is a way try and find out the class sizes and availability.

Hope it all goes well for you back home. Sorry your parents aren't more positive about seeing their grandchildren. Maybe they are worried you might change your mind and will only be excited when you are there in the flesh!

theguitardoctor

Hi Roger,

Sorry to see it didn't work out for you. Admittedly I went through a lot back in 2003/04, and looking back I blamed NZ for what effectively was my (now ex) wife's doing. If she'd have kept her job instead of throwing the towel in after one day (I posted to say it was NZ's immigration policy that forced us back....as ever I was making excuses for her behaviour. Nz had nothing to do wth it....she caused our return), we'd have been fine. Having gotten out of the marriage I can see clearly back to all that went on (people had tried to tell me).

I won't be heading back to Wellington necessarily, although it wasn't so bad. I slated it because I had been caged there with no way out (waiting for shipment to arrive so I could turn it back around to the UK), thus it felt like a prison at the time, so I blamed everything but the real cause. I actually preferred further North (Taupo, Rotorua, Tauranga BOP area), so would prefer to settle there if I do get back. I've been back in the UK for 2 1/2 years or more now, and there's nothing here....I have my friends, but all my family live abroad (Europe and USA). I can't get onto the property ladder at all. I'd sooner struggle and have a place than not have a place and have no chance of getting one. If I do, the Govt would probably posess it and sell it to look after me in old age anyway......

The retirment age is more like 70 here now, and most people can't afford to stop then, they keep working part time. I don't think they actually raised it by law, but it's not far off.

It's good that you are happy here anyway, I was at first, but after this time back "home", I can't really see any reason to stay put. If nothing else I can give NZ 2-3 years, get my PR and choose for my future.

all the best, Rich