Steve and Julie

Is any one else thinking OZ would be better? Only just coming up to our first year here, but hubby got a job offer in Bris $150.000 over doubles what he earns here. Tempting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh the thought of the packing, Medicals.

Dustybin

[QUOTE=Steve and Julie;6550875]Is any one else thinking OZ would be better? QUOTE]

Nope..

kiwinow

Would you have to go through all the medicals again? Have you been here long enough to get NZ citizenship? Where is this wonderful job and can we come with you?

We recently did the reccie to Oz, but found that while I could earn lots more, Dave was offered the same for the most part. If you can get work in the mines you do great, but unless you go to Sydney or Melbourne the wages for middle income are similar generally. If you've been offered twice as much I'd seriously consider it because we found the cost of living similar to NZ.

However, yes we are tempted by the climate and lifestyle, not in the cities, but we've found somewhere in Queensland that might suit us and affords the lifestyle, house prices we can afford, beach and bush, and so we are working towards going in January.

hazeandsteve

Nope, not yet!
I'm off boarding Saturday morning, then round to a mate's Hangi on one of the lake's bays Saturday afternoon/night/Sunday.
The closeness of great stuff here dwarfs the attraction of the expanses of the big place over the ditch for us.

smurtaza

People from Australia usually consider moving on to Canada and US.

Canada is the best!!!!

CAN2NZ

Canada is best. Hi, I had to comment. I am from Canada. We live in New Zealand as really, I had always wanted to come, not because it would be better or anything like that. Now that we have been here for almost two years and been to OZ a couple of times, I can safely say, Canada is better without describing the measurement criteria. That is not to say we are not happy. But, I can say that the average Joe is usually better off in North America than anywhere else in my opinion. I have lived and worked in the USA, Britain, Bahamas and now NZ. We live well and would anywhere due to my professional credentials so while we do mind the cost of things, we live happily, however, we would live more comfortably perhaps in many parts of Canada. I think however that if one is not born in Canada it seems to take a long time to get in and something like 250,000 to 300,000 do move there each year. However, I like Rangiora and now that we have moved into the new house, planted some things and had more time pass, it seems that I feel at home and like it. I have found that now that time has passed, I don't miss my parents as much, we talk each week on Skype. I email my sisters, though I don't hear from them as much I try to contact them. I am used to it and I am at home.

However, on my measuring stick, Canada is better than either Australia or NZ for many people.

Genesis

My sentiments entirely, I enjoy the microcosm of NZ..Oz is awesome I spent time there..but way too big and too hot for us to live there long term. alas my life is not so exciting as the above as I have 3 little children to raise..full time houseman!!!!

So no, at present even with all the ever growing list of evils that prevail in this strange little country I wish to live nowhere else.

No other country could afford us the life we have here. All countries are full of crap just like NZ...the trick is to get the one where the crap does not touch you much dat to day and where the standard of living and the psyche of the country fits you and your kin...thats NZ for us.

NZ has given us the opportunity to change the things we can (that we could not in the UK) and to be more accepting the things we can't change.

crap coffee

What a load of all round crock.

garryhg

Just need to have a look at MOVING BACK TO THE UK site, the majority of people moving back to the UK are leaving Australiathink that speaks for itself..Jacky

southerner

No - not for us.

RobClubley

Nah, most of it is too hot and it's full of snakes, spiders and Aussies.

TeamEmbo

No. Too many snakes and too hot!
Copied this from an old Just For Fun thread - think Kev and Sarah posted it originally:

August 31st
>>
>> Just got transferred with work into our new home in, Queensland!! Now
>> this is a city that knows how to live!! Beautiful sunny days and warm
>> balmy evenings. What a place! I watched the sunset from a deck chair on
>> the veranda It was beautiful. I've finally found my home. I love it
>> here.
>>
>> September 13th:
>>
>> Really heating up. Got to 35 today. Not a problem. Live in an
>> air-conditioned home, drive an air-conditioned car. What a pleasure to
>> see the sun everyday like this. I'm turning into a sun worshiper.
>>
>> September 30th:
>>
>> Had the backyard landscaped with tropical plants today. Lots of palms and
>> rocks. What a breeze to maintain. No more mowing lawn for me. Another
>> scorcher today, but I love it here.
>>
>> October 10th
>>
>> The temperature hasn't been below 35 all week. How do people get used to
>> this kind of heat? At least today it's kind of windy though. But getting
>> used to the heat is taking longer than I expected.
>>
>> October 15th:
>>
>> Fell asleep by the pool. Got 3rd degree burns over 60% of my body. Missed
>> 3 days of work. What a dumb thing to do. I learned my lesson though. Got
>> to respect the ol' sun in a climate like this.
>>
>> October 20th:
>>
>> I missed Kitty (our cat) sneaking into the car when I left this morning.
>> By the time I got to the hot car for lunch, Kitty had died and swollen up
>> to the size of a shopping bag and stank up the $3,000 leather upholstery.
>>
>> I told the kids that she ran away. The car now smells like Wiskettes and
>> cat sh*t. I learned my lesson though. No more pets in this heat.
>>
>> October 25th:
>>
>> The wind sucks. It feels like a giant f***in blow dryer!! And it's hot
>> as hell. The home air-conditioner is on the blink and the AC repairman
>> charged $200 just to drive over and tell me he needed to order parts.
>>
>> October 30th:
>>
>> Been sleeping outside by the pool for 3 nights now. Bloody $300,000
>> house and we can't even go inside. Why did I ever come here?
>>
>> November 4th:
>>
>> It's 38 degrees. Finally got the ol' air-conditioner fixed today. It cost
>> $500 and gets the temperature down to 25, but the bloody humidity makes
>> the house feel like it's about 30. Stupid repairman. I hate this stupid
>> f***in place.
>>
>> November 8th:
>>
>> If another wise arse cracks, "Hot enough for you today?" I'm going to
>> f***in throttle him. F***in heat! By the time I get to work the car's
>> radiator was boiling over, my clothes are soakin f***in wet, and I smell
>> like baked cat!!
>>
>> November 9th:
>>
>> Tried to run some messages after work. Wore shorts, and sat on the black
>> leather seats in the ol' car. I thought my f***in *rse was on fire. I
>> lost 2 layers of flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs and my
>> f***in *rse. Now my car smells like burnt hair, fried *rse, and baked
>> cat.
>>
>> November 10th:
>>
>> The weather report might as well be a f***in recording. Hot and sunny.
>> Hot and sunny. Hot and f***in sunny. It's been too hot to do anything
>> for 2 damn months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next
>> week. Doesn't it ever rain in this damn f***in place? Water rationing
>> will be next, so my $2,000 worth of palms just might dry up and blow into
>> the f***in pool. Even the palms can't live in this f***in heat.
>>
>> November 14th:
>>
>> Welcome to HELL!!! Temperature got to 41 today. Now the air-conditioner's
>> gone in my car. The repairman came to fix it and said, "Hot enough for
>> you today?" My wife had to spend the $2,500 mortgage payment to bail my
>> *rse out of jail for assaulting the stupid f**ker. ***** Queensland!
>> What kind of a sick demented f***in idiot would want to live here?
>>
>> December 1st:
>>
>> WHAT????? This is the first day of Summer???? You are f***in kiddin.

Ian & Sharon

That's because more people move to Australia in the first place

Australia works for some not for others, bit like any place in the World.

For us, now this might sound a bit strange so bare with me!

Brisbane = like living in Auckland with the sea always near, coupled with the relaxed easy going manner of the people in Rangiora and having the wages (+ more) that I had working in the UK.

In 18 months I have seen one grass snake and no other creepy crawlies, but I often sea dolphins when fishing at the bottom of our road

As for the weather, tbh I got burned more in Rangiora than any place I have ever lived, Brisbane does get hot and I don't like the heat that much which was a concern prior to moving. But, it does not get as hot as people make out, summer it get to between 28-32, the odd day will be more. We did have a 41 degree day in January, we were at the beach and just moved to the surf club, but saying that as I have said we have only been here for 18 months, this summer might be hotter.
Winter here is brilliant, constant 22-25 blue skies. Again it does get cold of a night and with no form of heating at all we just close the windows and put a jumper on............job done.

As I've said it works for some but not for others, we did like NZ but unfortunately could not make it work financially, I was worried about our future as we could not put adequate money aside for a pension. Another bonus here is your employer by law has to contribute 9% of your total wages to a super fund (pension)

Anyway, I've been as honest as I can

Ian

Steve and Julie

Hi Ian

Thats our worry, not now but the future. Not enough income to pay into a pension. We have spent a packet of poly tech courses for our daughter and she cant even get a job here, in the line of work she wants to go into. NZ is lovely but wages are so low and we want to be financially more secure.

Ju

garryhg

I couldn't say Australia wasn't for us,simply because we havn't been there to judge it for ourselfs...2 years ago I would have said New Zealand wasn't for usthings change in life...My moto is now.."NEVER SAY NEVER"....Jacky