isv

It is this way in the UK because the government are happy for it to be so. Ditto the shear numbers of illegal/off-the-books employees - the gangmasters provide dirt-cheap labour for the farmers so that they may stand some chance of deliverying on just-in-time supermarket contracts. The government turn a blind eye because if they didn't the supermarkets would claim that prices would have to increase.

Its the same all over the UK. Big business gets its way because they have to be 'competitive' they claim. The IT industry is awash with 'cheap' Indian labour who get fast-track visas because businesses claim there is a shortage of local talent at 'the right price'... total bollocks particularly as I know plenty of people laid off and replaced by cheap Indians.

Joe consumer is happy - after all everything is so cheap! They simply cannot see the long term effects of this. In this respect I must say I have a lot of time for the French who, amongst other things, will not allow supermarkets to dominate over local/small retailers nor allow competitive pricing measures such as 'loss leaders'.

If it is any comfort I have recently been working on a project for Waitrose and from all I've seen/heard they would appear to be the only supermarket in the UK with an ethical approach to both suppliers and customers. They get the best produce in return (and are the best supermarket by far for meat). You do pay more for your food there as a result but I'm happy to do so.

Now... I'm not sure which, if any, NZ supermarkets are as evil as their UK peers... but I do suspect some of them are making cracking profits out of the average NZ consumer.

BTW - I'm pretty sure Tesco invested in The Warehouse a few years back... could this be a sign of things to come???

Alan.

PRinAuckland

Hi there,

I know people have posted about this on here before, but there seems to be a varying opinion. We're thinking of buying the following items to bring over with us, as we've looked on the net and they're so much more expensive:-

* Decent Double American-style fridge freezer
* Decent TV Projector & Screen
* Decent Amplifier
* Decent AAAA Washing Machine
* Decent AAAA Dishwasher

You can pick all of the above up for around £2,700 in the UK, then the shipping / insurance prices are on top of that (about another £700 maximum), and there will be no warranties if they go wrong. However...looked on an NZ site the other day and the fridge alone was like $5,000NZD, and the washing machines from $1,000+. This was supposedly a 'cheap' site. It seems to me that we're better of getting it here in the January sales and bringing it with us, what do you guys think?! Are we missing some fabulously cheap shop online that does them for the same price as the UK, or are white goods really this ridiculously priced over there?!

Cheers

Pompey_Paul

But what is the alternative......we are already over regulated by Europe! the last thing we need is Blair and his corrupt cronies embarking on another round of NANNY REGULATION they have already destroyed our market economy!

I have to say at this time i trust terry Leahy more than Tony Blair.

My answer........pull out of Europe / Abolish CAP and free the markets.....

expomm

Of course its not cheaper to live her in NZ what else is it linked to than wages the bottom line is that wages in NZ are terrible compared to equivalents around the world. As a plumber/heating engineer I am seriously struggling to keep my head above water - and thats after 4 months. - I think its inevitable that we will end up back in the UK. what shocks me most about NZ is that my quality of life has dropped drasticly when we thought it would improve. The way i see it his country(nz) is in serious trouble - there are 600 people leaving a WEEK, its obvious why- no money here. I can fully understand the comment from the person who said they left due to no money no job and no future, i can really see why that would be true. my personal opinion is that this is one of the most expensive places ive ever been in comparison to wages, my friends inbali indonesia have a better quality of life compared to what they earn.........

Jeeper

I'm not sure anyone will argue with you over the fact wages are cr.ap in NZ.
Some people i'm sure are doing very well but chances are if you want decent cash....you'll be looking outside NZ - just like most kiwi's themselves (myself included) have.

expomm

you hit the nail on the head - sad thing is i really like this country it is soo beautifull and coould be an epic place to live if a few problems are addressed.
The fact that people leaving was a topic on campbell live last night is not a good sign though the way i see it the future is pretty bleak here at the mo but i really hope i'm wrong.

Gill and Rob

You will need to take care bringing new goods over. I understand you will be charged GST (Goods and Services Tax) on "new" goods.

Robert

benultimate

im a kiwi living in london for my second year looking to return to nz end of 2006, londons cool to spend a few years and the uk is alrite, but in terms of the potential lifestlye it simply doesnt compare to home. it seems like you poms go over with no real cash-then get shocked by the fall in income? do a bita research mate! its not difficult to jump on line and price out essentials-rents/food/clothing and like incomes. if life is all about money and material gain and living in a ultra high tech economy stay in the uk or atleast dont move to nz. easy. but if your willing to take a cut monetry levels you have the chance to gain a great lifestyle of outdoors, of beaches, skiifeilds and pretty decent weather-somewhere id only be keen to raise a family(bloody long way off!). if moneys tighter dont live in akl or wellington, theres plenty of other spots-but for the most part of the 4M back home lifes pretty sweet money wise, people dont just scrap by, most people expect a few holis a year, my generation expect to own homes but mayb have to work an xtra year or two, and generally its not quite as bleak as say the english weather! i can see why u guys wanna get out so bad...its a pretty av bita land here! good luck and cheer up you winging poms (kiddin)

Lenmil

New Zealand is a very expensive country, wages are very poor. Lived in CHCH for a year and it sucked us dry. Best scenery i have every seen, BUT YOU CAN'T EAT IT CAN YA! and that is the problem. House prices are just daft (as anyplace) and as long as you like chopping wood and trying to light it when wet.....freez due to poor house constuction when it snows. Yes it snows! Just check out my old posts. Still we all miss it to be honest. The UK is over crowded and nasty. If i had plenty of money we would go back, but not otherwise.

Buzzy--Bee

Yeh I reckon our 18 month sojourn to NZ a few years ago put us about £40,000 back in our lives than if we hadn't gone.........

turkeytickler

That is interesting to know (the bit about waitrose) - however, as part of the JLP i presume they have a price match policy? from my experience, they are slightly more expensive that the competition is as much as they stock more upmarket goods, but comparing apples with apples so to speak, if there is a difference it is negligable - compared with the uk/nz difference at least..

being a partnership (are they still??) i guess means they have less profit motive?

turkeytickler

this is one of the reasons my wife and i wanted to give nz a try - to escape the "me me" attitude in the UK - but i have to say the recent petrol price rises and the hoards of punters in the Warehouse have left me to conclude people over here are just as fickle and selfish - myself included i have to admit but by necessity.... only difference is, in the uk we have (a) thepurchasing power and (b) the supply to meet the demand

there is also an element of misrepresentation - kiwi's do tend to overstate the cost of living argument.... granted people should do their homework but the proof of the pudding is often in the eating (yum).

deedee

I Will.Farming employs over 10% of NZ's population.The farmers in NZ for the last five years have earned more money from farming than any other place in the world, like for like.The same set up in the UK would earn us about 170% less for about 500-900% the cost!One case of the wages are greener on the other side of the ditch.
Turkeytickler, great name by the way , i do agree with you in that people are the same the world over.The me me thing is here, its only that as a proportion its tiny compared to the UK with its millions of people.
The conclution i've reached is the problems are the same where ever you are, only these increase with the rate of people and are more noticable,or not as noticable in small town NZ.As pressure rises due to the cost of living increases the f##k you attitude gets more popular, and i think many migrants on here forget there are a lot of very poor people in the UK.
Its not all doom and gloom in NZ, many people like it here, it wouldn't be what it is if everyone and his dog came to live here.

chez

deedee spot on!

Batty

Yeah, I'll echo that.

Benultimate - there's LOADS of Kiwis I've spoken to who are struggling. I don't hold it up as an example of how bad New Zealand is in this regard. It's just the way things are here. I don't have bad wages and I live in Auckland, married to my Kiwi husband and I love it here. But, a colleague of mine told me the other day that he'd been under a lot of pressure with bills mounting up and he'd cashed in somes investments (he didn't say but I took it to mean an insurance policy) to take the heat off. And, he's not badly paid either but he's got four kids and his wife doesn't work. I don't whinge - I have nothing to whinge about thankfully, but scenery doesn't pay the bills and you can't go skiing if you can't afford it, so a little tolerance for something that hasn't affected you personally can go a long way.