BucksBoy

I'm with Barnsleymat, STAY IN KENT !!!
Pretty much everything here is overpriced, this coupled with low wages and high property prices can result in a pretty miserable existence. Sure you can have a great view and walk on any one of a thousand beautiful beaches but after a while you realise that this country is mind numbingly dull.
You'll find the people very friendly and find it nice that total strangers look you in the eye and say good morning. After a while you'll realise that this is actually very superficial, in reality the locals won't like you very much and will resent your wealth, knowledge and experience. They all feel threatened by non kiwi's, have a ridiculously inflated view of their country's role on the world stage, are unbelievably ignorant, can't drive but think they can and love to drink drive, drink hunt, and drink boat.
You'll be told about the 'world famous' kiwi ingenuity, this is what the rest of the world call COMMON SENSE!
You may experience the 'tall poppy' syndrome, if you start to do well someone will do their best to 'cut you down to size'.
Your neighbours will love to pick up the phone to the council for any infringement you may unwittingly make, kiwi's can't do confrontation and prefer the cowards way.
The media here is a joke, get sky for news other than the price of milk.
Beware of the gangs, they are plentiful,cross them at your peril !
Beware of bad motorists with no insurance, its optional here.
If you buy a house to renovate you'll probably have a stroke the first time you buy any building materials so be careful !
If you have a dog and are looking forward to walking around clean green NZ with it forget it, they're banned from the vast majority of the nice bits.
Schools are NOT free you will be pressured to 'donate' on a regular basis.
Make sure you and your children have perfect teeth, dentists here are thieves.
Emergency services rely heavily on amateur volunteers with varying degrees of ability, don't have a house fire or heart attack when the all blacks are playing you'll have a long wait !
Every visit to your GP will cost you, around $50 is not unusual.
Feel free to ignore all of the above, just remember what I've written when the 'honeymoon' period is over. I've been here nearly 8 years and am getting out next year. Can't wait!!

BEVS

Mod Note:

I have moved this post from a new poster's intro thread to a thread of it's own. I have deleted the exact same post made into another intro thread started by a new poster.

Whilst we are all entitled to have a right old moan and a bit of a rant , it is not OK at all to pop up into a conversation , particularly one started by a newbie, with the thought to deliberately alarm and frighten.

Having said that, to make that move across the entire world with hopes and dreams , only to find disillusionment is not something to be ignored because that could happen to anyone for oh so many reasons.

We none of us walk in each other's shoes after all.

OP of this thread. Please take on board what I have written.

I note you have made some rather large sweeping & uncomplimentary statements . That's OK, although open to challenges, as it expresses your own personal feelings about your move to NZ. However, I want it noted that this is just your view and not necessarily the truth for anyone else.

Woodlea

Must be in the North Island

bearskin

You might find it odd to say that I agree with just about every point you have made there - one of the best summaries of the 'bad points' about NZ I have read - but that I would still rather live here than in the UK.

NZ clearly is not perfect, but I prefer living here to the UK by a long stretch. I guess that in simplistic terms I'm saying that: read that list, then make one of the 'bad points' about life in the UK, and the UK one would be heaps worse.

However, it's not as straightforward as that. People are individuals and there are numerous factors that will have extra effect on how their life is in either of two places.

Woodlea

However hardly any of that applies to here in Canterbury.

barnsleymat

Bucksboy has pretty much summed up life in NZ, probably with a bit more anger than we feel. All in all a pretty accurate rant especially the bits about the dullness, dog walking, costs and motorists.

Stormer999

Sorry but this is only your opinion and one that I totally disagree with. The BE site was extremely helpful with getting us to a new life in NZ and I will always be eternally grateful for the unbiased opinions we gathered metered to the posters general demeanor. Canterbury (minus the straight roads !) offers us everything we hoped to find and thankfully we have made good honest friends with plenty of peeps...yes including the natives! We waited nearly 3 years before we were sure we had made the right decision on our move and then sold off our UK house. As I have said before I made a list of pros and cons ref NZ/UK and time to time revisit that list...nothing has changed.
So no a return is not on our books and would we do it all over again...your bloody right we would..

barnsleymat

This site is all about opinions and the above is mine.

Stormer999

Absolutely and I respect that though I am glad that peeps can get independent views otherwise there would have been a missed opportunity for us.

RobClubley

You have some points I think, though they are put in a very general, sweeping and abrasive way

Being a happy migrant is more down to you and your attitude than the problems in the country you've moved to. IMHO.

Sally Redux

Just dropping in because so many of the points on the list were like my experience of Los Angeles. Although perhaps not suitable for a 'welcome' thread, they are not extreme either. People being superficially friendly became really difficult. And I was truly shocked when my neighbour reported me to the city council before mentioning a word about a blocked gully running behind our properties to me directly.

Persephone

Some of the points are valid but expressed in a combative way I feel. Also not suitable for a 'welcoming' post which is the main issue.

Interestingly, I do sort of understand where the OP is coming from. Having lived in the USA for nearly two years now and disliked it intensely, I can understand the concentration on all things negative and inability to see any positives. The frustration of living somewhere you really don't want to be, feel trapped in and have no affinity with becomes all encompassing.
We move back to NZ very soon

Snap Shot

That's how I feel about NZ. Yet, you are looking forward to coming home to NZ.

However, as much as I reckon to like America I know I couldn't live there. I understand you're only there because of your husband's job. The two years is coming to an end and yet I remember the beginning and completely relating to how you felt.

Is that nearly two years already I thought.

I can't go back (in time, to Britain.) But I can go forward, and see it as a future option, to Britain.

All will be revealed in Time. (Anyone remember the play, 'Time' from the 1980's that had songs by Cliff Richard ? No ? OK.)

Tom H

It's hard to argue about the housing quality and the standards of driving in New Zealand. If you're a cyclist in Canterbury, watch out - especially if wearing lycra.

I could relate to this post earlier in the year. Spending time doing charity work and helping the less fortunate changed all that, oh and changing jobs. However, living in Canterbury probably doesn't help so I can't compare much. I think the OP may be up in Auckland???

Fooferfish

If nz was exactly like uk? Why would people move here ?