nelsonpom

Well said, money can become an obsession and I for one didn't move to NZ for financial reasons. Don't let life past you by just get on with it and make the most of what you've got

whitesand

Not everyone comes to NZ with lots of cash to spend. Some only have a reasonable deposit for another house. So it's rather unfair to think that all Brits are cash rich. Perhaps some have made it too well-known that they got a good price for their UK property and may have been taken advantage of by eager estate agents, but this is not the case now with houses prices falling in the UK. And they are falling no matter what the hype says.

As to the weak pound and high dollar. It's no use feeling smug that the rate is great for Kiwis going back to the UK. No country can survice long with an over-priced currency, especially one that needs tourism like NZ. Where are the tourists coming from if the dollar is too high? How long can folks keep their jobs that depend on tourism? Who will buy the houses if folks cannot afford to bring their money in? Think how much the exporters have to pay with this over-priced Kiwi dollar. No, nothing to gloat about here.

Genesis

Correct. The overvalued kiwi is shafting the country. It is not a good look and long term (if the kiwis value remains high) it will damage the economy. Unfortunately with interest rate hikes in the pipeline it could get stronger and a hung parliament in the UK could further weaken the old quid. Bad, bad, bad. Naughty dollar.

pestman

again just dont see the $2 for one pound thing being that big of a tourism buster as again its stil 2 for one!

sell an average house in the UK and you still can get an average house here in NZ at that conversion.

Job loss from lack of tourists is more down to lack of money the world over and not becuase its 2-1 for the pound! heck its not just propped up here by visits from the people of the UK!

NZ is so small so isolated that in the end we will become an Aussie state and for me all I reckon is important is getting more in line with them than worrying about what the bloody UK rates are doing or how much poor old Mr smith n jones is going to loose on his hard earned pound not conversion!

Genesis

Highly doubtful we will become an Ozzie state in the near future OR distant, waaaay too much rivalry going on. Not going to happen in this generation. Re the kiwis value it will impact tourism as everything is 25% more as the kiwi is overvalued agin all currencies not just the pound. If people do come their cash only make 75% of what it would have made ergo the tourism business is missing 25% of its income. Look at the following example. Some one who has earmarked 10k GBP on a dream NZ hol will only be putting 20k NZ$ into the economy at the current rate. A year ago it would have been closer to $30k going back into NZ tourism coffers. So it is impacting and it will continue to do so until it finds a more realistic value.

Stormer999

Tourism UK to NZ will be hit as hard as the Euro has done to GBP. Brits now look to travel to none Euro countries as buying in the usual haunts, Spain, Greece, Italy etc is so, so costly. The likes of Turkey are reaping the benefits as are the Brits that travel there. The other winners are of course the Brit holiday resorts. Tourism NZ is your biggest export with 2.1/2 million visitors every year, luckily the Rugby cup will help out 2011, however with the GBP/$NZ staying poor the situation will be bleak for 2012.

Genesis

Tourism to NZ is worth 9 billion $s a year. More or less what our dairy market is worth. Anyone who thinks it ain't going to take a hit at the current forex rates is quite an optimist. It will be interesting to se what the figs are in a few months time.

Stormer999

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8612287.stm

pestman

yep NZ does need tourism agreed.

But lets face it the world changes so NZ will need to go with the flow and adapt.

In the end wether its this lifetime or my daughters or their kids the aussie/NZ join will happen and for all of the reasons you state above.

What if tourism cuts in half? would NZ cease to be here? I think not I reckon we will do just fine and adapt.

Maybe i'm dreaming who knows but once things get to the doom and gloom no tourist point i'm sure the powers that be will sort it out.

Time to start digging up the land for all the gold and stuff we have here that might help a bit if we can get past the greenies dont ruin the land crap!

Genesis

Well as usual I was wrong! Apparently I have heard today that tourist visitor numbers are up. Bang goes my theory on the kiwi's strength having a negative effect on tourism. I'll get my coat.

owen

Woah there cowboy, before you go, I believe although the numbers may be up, they consist of low spending back packers. Because graduates can't get the jobs they want, they are loaning up and travelling waiting for the jobs to pick up. The higher spending ones I suspect aren't here.

Genesis

One hopes yer right cos that makes me less wrong. Which would be nice. I am afraid if have come round to all this talk of even at 2 for 1 you are up on the deal..and buy one get one free. Sod it, its only cash aye. I'd like to bring 50% of Kates money over now and get it behaving properly in the interest dept. Alas Kate still has her heels firmly stuck in the dirt. Onlt time will tell if she is right. Honestly whatever I am kind of past caring now. I have seen the light thanks to the comments from fellow posters.

AndyR

Thats what we did bringing over all our money a couple of weeks ago.

Better to be earning $125 per month interest sitting over here than earning 12quid in 1 year back in the UK!!!!