Amanda

Has Anyone on this Forum returned from New Zealand and regretted it?

We are in the process of returning to the UK later this year, but everything seems so daunting. After being in NZ for 4 years I find myself scared to return (which seems ridiculous after spending 32 years of my life in the UK!). I think alot has to do with the media and how they portray the UK. I know there must be parts of the Uk that are still nice. We are thinking about returning to live in Buckinghamshire/Oxfordshire.

When I told my parents we were returning to the UK, their response was "Why would you want to come back to this Cr@p hole?''. Not very supportive I know and I am bringing 4 of their only grandchildren back (whom they have not seen for 4 years!).

Any advice, knowledge of these areas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Mandy.

utookmylove

Hi Mandy,
Your parents are correct, however i have never been to oz so i could not say what that was like.
However england over the last few years has become a joke, I am not going to bring my children up here we move out of britian by the end of the year, and i can not wait.
I think that you should listen to to the media and you parents because it is a crap hole.

It depends where in the uk you live as well i have friends who lived in bucks and have moved up north because they have said they no longer have any rights really anymore they are the minority in there area which is fair enough.

Also the crime has soared and i am no longer prepared to raise my family where they are not safe i know you do get bad bits all over the world but england as a whole has become a horrible place to live.

KiwiDollie

Hi Mandy

My children and I are returning to the UK after 6 months in New Zealand. My husband will be staying on in New Zealand for a while as we have decided to separate.

I found lots of things in New Zealand that I thought would make me happy - fewer people, wide open spaces, slower pace of life etc but I missed so much about the UK that it just didn't hit the spot for me.

My children's education is very important to me and to them and in NZ it was just not enough for my son to turn up to school every day and copy out of text books or off the blackboard (he's Yr 12), he felt like he was just wasting his time and not learning anything. My 12 yr old daughter in Yr 8 found life much easier but again was spending most days colouring in and doing maths way behind what she was doing in the UK.

We all have our own reasons for moving countries, lets face it it's a huge undertaking and none of us do it lightly. I'm so happy to be going home. New Zealand is a beautiful country, that's not changed. But, I have realised that for me the UK will always be home. I'll have to come to terms with the things that I don't like about it, but I know now in my heart that I can't change where I belong.

People have said to me that New Zealand is a better place, the UK is going down the pan blah blah blah....... it is an entirely personal decision and I wish you the very best of luck whatever you decide to do.

You and only you know which is the best place for you. Listen to your heart.

eurotramp

First..Amanda lives in NZ and not OZ and second..only because you think it is a "crap hole" does not mean it is one for everybody
I meet the most friendly and helpful people here and I love the nice country side with all the nice villages..."crap hole" for you...lovely for me

Nice Guy

Hi Amanda

What a bummer for you!

Why not get your citizenship and try Oz on the way back, you never know it may be more to your liking!

Good luck whatever you decide and wherever you decide to re-start your life, at least you tried and good for you!

Hi KiwiDollie (cool name by the way!)

What a bummer for you!

Couldn’t agree more, it’s a personal decision to move and to move back, don’t know the circumstances of your separation but the best of British/Kiwi luck to you and your ex-partner.

utookmylove

OOOOPPPS so sorry its nz not oz my mistake!!!!!!!
Also trampy this is is forum where people have freadom of speech, yet again ppl seem to think unless you agree with them, you are not allowed a view.

tramp i just said my opinion ok it does not match with yours and yes england does have nice countryside but i hardly think everyone wants to sit and watch the country side go by everyday i am talking general stuff. in towns and citys mate i dont see any country side in a city with crime and all the crap which is going on so trampy i am allowed a view as it is a forum however freedom of speech in england is another valid point if you are hard working tax payer you dont get one!!!!!!!!!!

eurotramp

First..for you I'm still Eurotramp...and second..were have I ever said that you not allowed your own view...for gods sake....I only mentioned that your view is not necessary everybody's view....can you not read ..

utookmylove

No mate not as clever as you ha bloody ha

eurotramp

Whats eating you up....
maybe its really best you move to fabulous Spain...you will be up for a surprise..what do you think why all the houses have metal bares all around the first floor windows .
Somebody like you will probably be never truly happy any were

Oh well....

utookmylove

Hi,
dont start on me because i made a view to someone and you corrected me because you like grass crunching in the countryside but i have a view if you dont like it write your own with out the digs idiot

utookmylove

And by the way
1) long working hours in the uk
2) taxes
3) mr blair
4) the kids rule the system now with there crappy rights
5) bloody nhs
6) house prices
7) people who only want there own opinions noted
8) weather
9) crime
i could go on and i know it happens everywhere but england really is taking the biscuit but im sure you will disagree

theguitardoctor

Hi Mandy,

I returned from NZ in 2004, and am working my way to get back again. Everything I thought I loved about the Uk was prominent when I came back, but after 2 1/2 years I can't wait to leave again. The UK does have some great parts and some things here are also very good, but the way the next generation of adults is growing up, leaves me thinking that the country will be on it's knees before long. No one has respect for anyone or anything here now, whether they be nationals or immigrants. I guess my area is worse than others, but I'd need a lottery win to get on the property ladder or rent somewhere nicer as with business rents and electric etc, we are spending £400 a week just to live in a bedsit over the shop we rent for my lady's business. I'd keep something of a bsae in NZ and just have a long holiday here if I were you...then after a month you can really decide. I wish I could have done that, but my NZ experience was taken from me against my will (ex wife's fault). This time at leas I know what I can do to safeguard against failure (I split up from her!!...ha ha). Anyway, you'll make your own choice, but I'd recommend an extended visit back here first.

Good luck, Rich

eurotramp

No point really then to tell you that it is not that much different in other country's
By the way..in how many different country's have you lived jet..

ladyofthelake

You sound a very bitter and unhappy person. You can change your surroundings easily enough, but can you change the person you are?

JAJ

Did you get your New Zealand citizenship before you left?

If not, then at the very least you should get an Indefinite Returning Resident Visa (RRV) before you leave. It will give you the right to come back to New Zealand should you change your mind later on (many people do).

But there are still some significant limitations with the RRV:
- no rights in Australia
- if you have children born in the UK they will have no New Zealand status
- if you return to NZ later on, you will probably have to wait 5 years for citizenship as the transitional arrangements from the 2005 law change will have been closed.

If you're scared to return, why not give New Zealand some more time before deciding (and get your NZ citizenship while at it).