Assanah

No? What are you hoping for? A substantial decrease in your standard of living? Cold nights in a damp house that will make your children sick? No money to leave NZ and visit your parents a last time before they die? I would say that most people move because they hope that they will be better off overall (not only financial but socially as well), not poorer with many hours of hard labour or living a lonely life far away from friends and family.

simonsi

Assumptions, assumptions....

Each migrant will have a different set of costs and benefits to weigh up in migrating, for instance "far away from friends and family" will certainly be a cost many are initially expecting. We were certainly expecting a change in our standard of living, both in its emiprical level (as assessed by us after some time), and in the components of life that make up a "standard of living".

Expat Kiwi

Why not, why else do people emigrate if not to want something better? There's a big difference between emigrating and running away.

It's usually a good idea to know in your own mind which you are doing. Sometimes there's only a few degrees of difference between being a refugee and being a migrant.

TommyLuck

Given the immense wealth of the few in London, bumping up the wage of the average Londoner, I think this is a poor comparison on the basis that the difference in national average wage in NZ and the UK is negligible.

To say "Londoners can still afford a little bit more than Aucklanders because they earn more" is also wrong because not all ex-pats are moving from London.

Some might be moving from somewhere like the South West of the UK where property and rent can be high, but the "average" worker earns less than the national average, to Auckland.


Frankly it all comes down to what we apportion to the value of how we live our lives - I'd be very surprised (and delighted) if I earned what I've earned in the last 4 years in London, in Auckland.

However, my to move to NZ is not for money, the money earned in London has simply given me the opportunity to make this choice. The reasons behind this choice is being made is this primarily gives my wife a better life than she currently has in London, depite the fact that as a household we'll be, I expect, over 50% worse off in terms of income as a family.

Money isn't everything and we will live perfectly happily in New Zealand without the extra, extra disposible income, because my wife will have her friends back (value/quality of life).

What use are decent holidays if your friends are on the other side of the world?

We'd both rather be surrounded by people we love than console ourselves in the fact that at least we can go on holiday to The Caribbean/Turkey/USA/Spain/Greece/India this year ...

I've been very clear in my own mind that if I ever moved to New Zealand it almost certainly wouldn't be to make money and funding travel would be challenging, to say the least. I'm very comfortable with this.

So yes, living in New Zealand will be "more expensive" for us in monetary terms, but we're thinking waaaaaay beyond the money here, it doesn't really bear comparison.

Bo-Jangles

Yes myself and a lot of others that have gone before you ,have been there, done that and still got the old t-shirts to prove it.

Thinking it and writing it down is one thing, actually living it is another. But never mind, she'll be right, eh?

Expat Kiwi

I wouldn't be. I think I would've gone stir crazy if I couldn't have got out every six months or so and touched base with the outside world, to make sure it was still there

Good on you for being willing to give it a try, even if you do end up wearing the T shirt it will be your T shirt and you'll have earned it.

TommyLuck

And I'll wear it with pride - it's certainly interesting how sarcastic and patronising some people are on here. Clearly you've not read, or probably ignored the reasons behind my move to New Zealand, so you can make a droll wise crack.

I enjoy a bit of banter but your sarcasm and patronising tone got boring a long time ago and it makes you look like a bit of a mug.


Without going in to detail as it involves morbid stuff like death and inheritance, the truth is it's likely that within 5 years we'll own a family home outright, so in this respect we'll be much better off.

In the event that we our home own outright, a plethora of possibilites are opened.

Owning anything decent without a hefty mortage in London is out of the question.

I certainly don't see a move to New Zealand as a cut in pay, it's a new era, it's different, it's an opportuity to do things, individually and as a family that are currently impossible.

I've been earning some decent corn in London, but you know what, it's not what I really want. What use is money if you don't have the time, or inclination to spend it as anything worth spending on like property, as it would actually put me in an even worse position.

Pom_Chch

Here here!

I do agree with certain people looking foolish on here (or a mug in your words Tommyluck!) I've been reading this thread for a while mainly because the title got my attention but I've now just decided to post. It really irritates me when people come on here bitching and moaning about why their expat experiences have been poor, really because of no one fault but their own (and certainly not NZ's fault).

Number one - complaining about being so far away from family/friends is simply ridiculous. You know NZ is 12,000 miles away before you move, that aint gonna change when you touch down in Auckland.

The poor housing - well known fact it's a problem in Auckland. Did you not research this before arriving so you can be better equipped to deal with it and have a little more knowledge on the matter?

Expensive food - same as before, did you not research this before coming to a different country. You would be a mug to assume that you will be getting the same deal on food in a totally different country across the other side of the world.

Poor public transport - Auckland is terrible for this, did you not research and plan for this either so that when you arrive you had enough funds to buy a car?

And if you came to Auckland to experience opera, shows and theatre then you have gone to the wrong place!!!

I have to agree with catchfire as well. It's obvious you have a problem with NZ/Auckland and are trying to score points Berlin vs NZ. What's deemed a good place to live in hugely based on opinion and individual circumstances. So starting a thread trying to "prove" that NZ is terrible expenditure wise just doesn't stack up I'm afraid.

And as people have mentioned before it's not all about money. For expats it's also about opportunity, adventure, broadening your horizons and getting out to see the world. This will face each and everyone one of us in different forms. Some will struggle financially, others will not. Some will have no problems with visas, others will. Some will live in an area they are happy with, others will not. The list is endless!

Essentially the bottom line is if you think you'll be better off else where then go elsewhere. I know money will be a deciding factor in this but surely if you're that unhappy you will find a way out. And close the door behind you...

TommyLuck

Pom_Chch

The uprising against the curmudgeonly, sarcastic and patronising posters begins ...


I certainly appreciate the details of the percieved downsides of New Zealand. It helps to be realistic about my move, nothing is ever perfect anywhere and it's genuinely useful to hear about the negative, or bad things that one might not think of.

However, the blatantly derisory comments are pointless as they rarely have justification and are therefore not helpful. And as Pom_Chch says, each immigrant has their own unique reasons and story behind the reasons for their move.

Expat Kiwi

Meh, so put me on ignore if my opinion bothers you that much

I also enjoy a bit of banter but as a new member your aggressive responses to some of the more respected people on this forum have been well out of order. I'm afraid I stopped taking you seriously when you fired a broadside at one of the moderators within a few days of joining and were hostile towards Justcol not long after.

In boarding school since the age of nine, travelled all over the world and your dad worked for Tesco. How did that work, mother had a good job did she?

You were beyond patronising when you said that New Zealand is best suited to people wanting the simple life, and money not being important to you. In the next breath, you're spouting on about waiting for a relative to peg-it so you can inherit and live mortgage free in New Zealand. I'm sorry but you sound like a fake, or an idiot, to me. But that's just my opinion and you already know what you can do with that.

I think you should take the advice already offered to you. Wind your neck in fella and take your "uprising" with you.

simonsi

Now that is out of order ...new members can offer sage advice, "more respected" can offer opinionated rubbish. Just because someone has been on here a while (measured in time, posts???) doesn't increase the quality of their posts.

TommyLuck

Nah, not my style simply ignore people, would rather tell them what I think, would rather do this face to face - as with Justcol - who I'm absolutely serious for meeting for a beer once I've arrived, but obviously the nature of a forum is such that that's not really possible.

Well done on your snappy research

Simple life; how an earth one can construe it as patronising when I'm the one moving to New Zealand is beyond me Clearly I value this point as a positive.

Surely living mortgage free would also be simpler?

As for the discussion with BEVS - moderator or otherwise, doesn't mean I can give my opinion on their comment. That's what online forums are built on.

I'm definitely not a fake, so an idiot it is

Seems like you like to bait people on here with insolent comments about New Zealand, but can't take the bait in return.

Expat Kiwi

Nah, I reckon you're a fake

TommyLuck

Whatevs

Expat Kiwi

Oh Heck I agree with you about that. Wasn't it you who brought us the "where will we next see Pinky2?@ thread? hardly your finest hour.