ArekDeBoss

We have moved to Canada recently at that age but found Canada " difficult" in many ways.
I don't have a problem with finding relatively well paid job in my profession ( veterinarian) but health care in Canada although free is sub par and quite outdated in comparison to the UK.
So how does the healthcare system looks in New Zealand accessibility mostly?
At that age it's something we need to think about.
And what is the situation with property market since Covid hit?
Any advise highly appreciated.
regards
​​​

Bo-Jangles

It's fine in main city centres, but that's not really where we want to be in our 60s and 70s. I don't know how older folks cope elsewhere; we've been scoping out places we might like to retire to and high on our priorities are ease of accessibility to a hospital and within a bus route or easy walk to beach and shops. It's bloody hard to find somewhere that ticks those particular boxes.

BEVS

I tend to agree. The village where we are has one of everything but not so practical if somewhat unable to get around .

ArekDeBoss

What is the accessibility of specialists? Waiting times? Telemedicine?
thanks

Bo-Jangles

A lottery depending on location - having read your 'Canada is a Scam' post, I really don't think NZ is for you. Certainly the grass is not any greener here.

Moses2013

You are right and it's often a lottery wherever you are in the world. I read the 'Canada is a Scam' post and the same issues could be found in any country depending on the individual. Right now is not a great time to move either as prices have increased across the globe and people are losing jobs. The public hospitals in Ireland have long waiting lists too, but those who don't want to wait have always used CBHD. Unfortunately this is no longer available in the UK, so fewer options means longer waiting lists.An EU healthcare option, no longer available in the UK due to Brexit, was growing in popularity on both sides of the Irish border, figures have shown.

The Cross-Border Healthcare Directive (CBHD) allows EU patients to arrange health treatment in most other European countries and claim back some costs.

Reimbursement is considered for both private and state-funded treatments.

More than £50m was spent reimbursing CBHD patients on both sides of the Irish border over the past five years.

It was particularly popular among cataract patients in the Republic of Ireland, about 2,000 of whom travelled to Belfast on so-called "cataracts buses" to have eye surgery in private clinics in recent years. However, since the Brexit transition period ended on 31 December 2020, no new applications for help with costs for treatment after that date are being accepted from UK patients under the directive. It means less choice for UK patients at a time when waiting lists are lengthening and NHS services, even urgent cancer surgeries, have been significantly curtailed by the pandemic.

Who knows how the situation will be if Covid continues, so be it Canada, NZ, UK etc. better is relative and it can always change.

ArekDeBoss

Have you been to Canada?
​​​​​have you lived here for ANY period of time? If so than its fantastic, you can objectively compare and give some valuable advice. If not then is it fair to say your opinion doesn't really matter since you don't know me at all?

christmasoompa

There's no need to be so defensive. I think the point is that many of the things you don't like about Canada are things that are frequently mentioned in the NZ forums as being negatives there too.

LegalEagleTX

Actually NZ is not like anything in your post 'Canada is a Scam' and I have no idea what Bo-Jangles or christmasoompa is talking about. NZ'ers on a whole are not racist, lazy or unprofessional. They aren't insecure, rude or obnoxious. Almost completely the opposite - so if that is what you dislike most about Canada, you would like NZ. As a vet you would earn fairly well in NZ, but things are very expensive. Especially housing at the moment, and post COVID it has got worse. As for the NZ health system, I never really used it too much, but when I had an accident and needed a hospital stay it was fantastic and free including the physiotherapy afterwards.

christmasoompa

Neither are Canadians. But I never said all of the things in his post. One of his complaints about Canada was the cost of living, and that's certainly a common complaint in the NZ forum.

LegalEagleTX

Not according to the OP. And have you lived and worked in Ontario?

Yes, but the majority of his post is about is about the nature of the people. One line in 15 is about the cost of living.

christmasoompa

Yep.

It might well be, I was simply saying that B-J was making the point that NZ could be like jumping out of the frying pan and in to the fire on other things. Certainly if cost of living is an issue in Canada, I'd be inclined to agree with B-J and can't see how moving to NZ would help, but I'm only going on what I've read in the NZ forums over the years.

christmasoompa

No, ever even visited NZ. Perhaps you've misunderstood my post, when I said 'I think the point is……….', I meant 'I think the point that B-J is making is………'

Mine was simply a post trying to clarify that and asking the OP to not respond in such a defensive manner to somebody who was just trying to help, regardless of where they've lived and worked.

LegalEagleTX

I see. I think if the OP's main issue in his "Canada is a Scam" is high cost of living, then yes NZ will not be a better place for him. But if his main beef is the people, which it appears to me to be, then he would really like NZ. Most countries are seeing costs, especially housing, become really expensive. Principally driven by historically low interest rates. To the OP's defence, for someone to jump on that one post of his and to say "NZ is not the place for you" is not helpful, at best, and is antogonistic at worst.

Bo-Jangles

Yes, I have been to Canada; no I haven't lived there for ANY period of time so I guess my advice is not worthy but when you put it out there that 'any advice is highly appreciated' you didn't ask for any qualifications.

I live in Auckland and in my very humble opinion reckon that Vancouver (where I have been ) is probably the one place in the world that I consider to be most like Auckland. There's really not that much difference except we don't have anything like the same public transport system (we just have cars and more cars). There are a lot of similarities to be found between Canada and NZ; tourist towns / villages like Niagara on the Lake would eb equivalent to Arrowtown in NZ and Whistler would be something akin to Queenstown.

Taking your words from your list of dislikes about Canada:
1. Racism bothers you; it bothers me and believe me the racism towards Asians, Maori and Pacific Islanders in NZ is shocking.
2. The rivalry between little old Canada and it' bigger / brasher neighbours in the USA bothers you - then you will be equally bothered off by pissing contest between NZ v and it's bigger neighbour Australia
3. Healthcare - whilst it is free to a point here , you will pay to see a family doctor (which does make access easier) but getting specialist appointments is a long wait, even if you can get referred and waitlists like everywhere in the world will be growing longer by the day due to COVID.
4. Prices of everything here is expensive compared to wages; food, tomatoes, cucumbers, mobile phone plans, clothing, furniture, housing - everything
5. Jobs - the same mostly about who you know and connections; not skills, not experience, not professionalism
6. The cost of seeing a vet is astonishing - my cat recently had blood and urine test and blood pressure ($680) so you probably point 4. might not be such an issue for you.
7. Kiwi's can be very insecure and threatened by 'skilled / educated' foreigners who have different ways of doing things
8. Many Kiwi's think they are the best at everything, they also think that they are hard working and friendly when in reality they often are not. They don't know what they don't know and really don't appreciate being told how things are done elsewhere.
9. Work methods and ways of doing things in NZ can be at least 10 to 15 years behind the UK.