Originally Posted by majohnno

Hi Cricket.

Dont worry about it!..Weve just had 6 yrs in New Zealand.Loved it and miss it still and will most likely return at some point.

BUT having just been for a look see to Perth (our daughters there) and arriving back to UK, have been blown away by the contrast and the beauty of our England. We had quite forgotten the striking beauty of it all as everything was in bud when we left for Oz 3 weeks earlier.

I've heard all these 'parrot' statements so many times from expats awhilst in NZ.."Britains crowded".."too many people", "crime", "too many immigrants"..bla bla bla..yet my home county of Lincolnshire is one of the sparsest populated areas in europe...we went down the M1 and M42,M5 for the Cotswolds..what did we see??...miles and miles of beautiful,lush green pasture,trees,churches,hills,etc..I said to my wife "where is this overcrowded land that all the whinging Poms rattle on about!!".Density population is the answer...most of the 64 million are living in and around our major cities leaving millions of hectares and national parks untouched..

Crime??.NZ.population 4 million...has housing stock, 75% of which has been deemed by World Health Organisation as sub standard for habitation..second highest suicide rate in world,alarming migration rates of Kiwis LEAVING NZ!!, because pay is so poor (stats last year were around 7-800 a week!),3 police officers murdered in the past year, big gang problems,drive by shootings, drug culture,child abuse.

Do you see where i'm going?..it easy to "diss'' a place to justify leaving it.

None of the above would deter us from moving back to NZ because on balance ,there are so many wonderful and beautiful things about it and we know that these stats do not reflect the true NZ.

Expensive??..we just got back from Perth and we deducted that we would be better off living here.
NZ has such a massive disparity between what a kiwi earns and what his mortgage is,thus the haemorrhage of kiwis to Oz.
Great to have a lifestyle but you do need money to enjoy a decent standard of living.

When we told folk we were coming back there was a certain feeling, even unease and negativity amongst expats, as i feel such a decision ,in a way, challenges or even undermines their opinions and reasons for leaving UK.

As i have been through the mill of emigration and repatriation to the UK along with all the indecisiveness and uncertainty that such a decision entails along with the negative attitudes about UK, all i will say is that i have seen my homeland through new eyes and have not been disappointed..

Its so nice to visit old pubs for steak and ale pie and a nice pint of local bitter...just the prolific diversity of our wildlife..heritage,,stone walls, etc

"Rain!!"..what a precious resource.I've just been for a walk in the rain with my wife and cant beat that fresh earthy cleansing smell. We dont live in a 'green and pleasant land' without reason!!.

There are so many things that are unique and bond me to this great land.

I'm sure from reading your posts you will smile and feel you are home when you hit these fine shores.

All the best with your plans to return

Originally Posted by sans

My Granny got herself pregnant and had to get married ........If she were alive now, she'd be 108

Originally Posted by the troubadour

There is every likely hood of this being the case but a number hang in the required years to get NZ citizenship then cross the ditch to OZ.

Originally Posted by Bevm

And exactly how often does that happen?

In any case, it can be seen as evidence of good, too. The friend helping her seemed to have it together and be doing the best job she could in the circumstances. Excellent example of modern youth.

Bev

Originally Posted by Jules Europe

This seems quite strange, because I once looked at the points requirements to get into both AUS and NZ and AUS seemed to be easier.

Originally Posted by the troubadour

Changes are a regular feature to Australian Immigration laws sometimes as often as year to year but yes in recent times i do understand that New Zealand has got tougher.

Originally Posted by dunroving

Same here, we didn't find out until after she and my dad died, she was preggers with my dad when she got married at 15(!). That would have been back in the 1930s ... we had a lovely reunion with my uncle last summer (dad's brother) and he told us this funny story about how my dad figured it out when he was 10 ... my grandparents celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary ... and he did the maths (his 10th birthday was only 6 months away ...)

Originally Posted by dunroving

Some more positive news that the UK may be coming back from the dogs (economically, at least): http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...MC-Bltn=HEPAPA

Originally Posted by Danny B

All depends what you read I s'pose

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8061019.stm

Originally Posted by kericare

just go back and make yr own mind up