indiaNZ

Dear Friends,

I landed NZ on 22nd May 2001 and just like other fellow Indians, I had hardships & difficulties in settling down, BUT, being positive, determined & dedicated, I accepted the challenge. I started thinking @ long term benefits, and being an Architect, I started observing NZ from a different perspective - “What NZ has to offer us NOW & in the FUTURE” and How do we compare NZ with India in terms of LIFE.

Here are few of the things/facts which I am amazed about:- (I request, after every point, pause & compare it with India)

MAPS: In NZ, they have maps for every city which are dead accurate and of course not to mention, those are free. The accuracy is such that you will not have to ask anybody for the address/destination.
ROADS, FOOTPATHS, FLOWER BEDS: The roads are as smooth as silk and allows you to speed upto 120 km/hr, absolutely no potholes. Paved & tarred footpath with a green belt alongside with flowers in flower beds. NZ has one of the largest no. of plants & flower species.
BUSES: Buses are clean with hydraulically operated doors, drivers are friendly and you push a button to indicate you want to stop, always on time, if the bus is 5 minutes late, the driver apologizes. If you don’t know which bus to catch, ask any driver of any bus, he will guide you, if he doesn’t know, he will call the control room from his walky-talky and ask them. Bus stops are designed and aesthetically pleasing!
GRAPHICS: Excellent graphical signs to keep you informed.
DAILY NECESSITIES: Buses - 69$ / month, travel as many times a day as u want on any buses in Auckland
For 115$ / month, travel as many times a day as u want on any buses in Auckland & suburbs.
Petrol - 1$ / litre, can you imagine getting petrol at 1 rupee a litre in India!!
Electricity - 120$ / month, for a 4 bed house, family of four, with all the electronic gadgets possible, like Heaters, showers, microwave, oven, fridge, water heater, electric blanket, TV, video games…
Grocery - 150$ / week, for a family of four, you can get your weekly food supplies (veg & non veg)
MINIMUM WAGES ACT: Act to which every employee is protected to get a minimum wage of 7.7 $ / hour.

CODES: They have codes (rules & regulations) for everything, building, licence, food, restaurants… whats more the government being so strict, u get quality in everything. For example, if u buy a house, the builder provides or has to provide 6 years guarantee, by law.
CARS and HOUSES: NZ is known worldwide for its highest no. of cars & house ownership. Tell me, isnt this a dream in India, to own a car and a house of our own?
Cars cost you 500$ - 50,000$, well don’t convert into rupees, once you start earning in dollars, its just 50,000 rupees for you, damn it! Even maruti costs us atleast 1 lac.
Houses - 3 bed with good amenities costs you 1.5 lakh $, ISNT IT CHEAP?
INTERNET, PHONE, MOBILE, ATM’s: Internet is so cheap - 20$ / month - unlimited hours (no telecom charges).
Local Phone calls are free.
Incoming calls on mobile - FREE
ATM cards, u can draw cash from any of the banks ATM.
NON POLLUTED: As every vehicle has to have a WOF (warrant of fitness) which is to be renewed every 6 months, all the cities are literally pollution free and you are sure that you are inhaling air and not obnoxious chemicals & gases.
CIVIC SENSE: Civic sense is obvious from the clean city, no rubbish on the roads, absolutely no smoking in buses, people stand in a queue, no pushing each other, everyone has a good traffic sense, it’s a pleasure to drive.
SAFETY GRILLS: No safety grills anywhere, your house or your shop or your office, so you feel like you are living in a house and not a prison.
STAMPS: Stamps are stickers, you don’t have to use your saliva to stick it.
WEATHER PREDICTION: They predict weather which is 90% accurate, you can plan your day based on the prediction, isnt it great?
INFO CENTRE: There are visitor info. Centre in every city, where they give you info an anything u wanted to know, they also provide you brochures, booklets and maps for Free.
GOVERNMENT: One of the main concerns, isnt it?
All the govt. departments are very helpful, just call them and they give you all the info. Needed. Send you documents & forms by post, for anything you asked for - no follow ups or begging necessary.
Their uniforms are clean, buildings are architecturally designed. Overall maintainance of any city or the country as a whole is amazing. Can you imagine - they are not corrupted, they don’t ask for money.
PENSION: After a citizen turns 65, he is considered to be retired and govt. pays them pension (to every citizen).
COMMUNITY CARD: Citizens earning below 17,769$ / year, gets this card and he pays less on medical costs.
REGISTRATION: Every trade, professional has to be registered, for e.g, a plumber, mason, electrician, architect, builder, doctor, teacher….. else he cannot practice, so ultimately you get a good value for your money and you are rest assured that your job will be well executed.
SAT-SUN: Sat-sun holidays for you to enjoy with your family, friends & relatives. (and in India, we don’t have time, always busy)
PEOPLE: People are friendly, warm hearted and helping, old people are not only young at heart but physically fit, we feel energized just by observing them or meeting them. Everybody is health conscious.
WORK IS WORSHIP: No matter what kind of work you do, be it working in a restaurant or petrol pump, postman or a bus driver, you are respected as much as a professional. We just have to remove all the cobwebs & MB’s (mental blocks) from our mind.
NO HORNS PLEASE: You will be lucky if you hear a horn from a vehicle.
DRAINAGE SYSTEM: Friends, storm water drainage system is so systematically planned, that there is absolutely no water clogging on roads.
UNINTERRUPTED SUPPLY: You don’t need to get frustrated @ the power cuts and the scarcity of water, enjoy uninterrupted supply.
FLIES & MOSQUITOES: What are they? I think they don’t qualify for immigration to NZ.
PARK RESERVES: Huge park reserves in NZ, even in the busy city area, to maintain the ecosystem as well as a bonus to citizens to enjoy nature, take a walk/jog, and kidz to freak out.
CURRENCY NOTES: All the notes contain plastic content which makes the notes crispy and non tearable, so no worries and the coins are in abundance.
PURE WATER: You can directly drink the tap water, its so pure.
STAY YOUNG: make your dream come true, because of the cold climate, people stay young & healthy. (just as the food is preserved in a fridge)

……………the list is exhaustive.

These are but some of the things/facts which I think every one of us dreams about or craves for. Don’t you think so, if the country provides you such facilities, every citizen will be happy, he performs well at work and ultimately the country prospers!!!

Also, last but not the least, you will be earning 20 times more than India. Think of yours & your children’s future, NZ universities are recognized worldwide.

I agree that initially one has to struggle but think of living in one of the most beautiful country in the world, and settling here shouldn’t take too long. In India, I think a person never feels he is secured or settled and by the time a person is stable, he is retired. Also even if a person is secured he has to live up with the dirty politics, corrupted government, polluted environment, potholed roads………….& so on.

Hey folks, to be very clear, I am not against India, personally for me, I like India, Indian people, culture, tradition, spirituality, just that I hate the govt and the current state of India, no facilities for the citizens, corruption, professional exploitation……………… (u all know it). And the bottom line is even if you had heaps of money what about the quality of life?

As you must have heard of other people’s experiences, that few have gone back to India, few are frustrated, few are still not getting jobs in their fields……etc, I think that at the end of the day, what counts is your positive mental attitude and few other things I believe, counts are:-

Every failure is your milestone on the journey to success. What the mind of man can believe, he can definitely achieve it. Everyone has problems. Those with positive attitude turns their failures into success. We are what we think. You can change your world Believe in yourself and have faith in the Almighty. So friends, this is my experience of NZ, those who are thinking of migrating, think carefully, prioritise your goals, gather dedication, determination and loads of positive energy & JUST JUMP!!!

Your suggestions, feedback are welcome.

Paresh

Being of indian origin (albeit) from the UK (born and bred) so really british, i am intrigued by your analysis. One thing you didn't mention was food. My mum is going mad at the fact that i won't eat traditional indian food as won't be abel to gte any chappati flour, spices, etc etc etc. the list here goes on. Any advice?

Gill and Rob

What a fabulous post. I hope I can always appreciate what we describe about NZ. We came from the UK and still marvel at what we have found here.
Cheers
Gill

ginaf

Hi Paresh, I am absolutely certain you will be able to get your ingredients, we have had some fab homemade Indian meals in N.Z made by friends and there are plenty of both regional and speciality food stores in Auckland. Auckland is a real foodie capital and although it won't be as readily available as the U.K it is there.

They might know some specific names of shops on here.

http://www.foodlovers.co.nz/forum/index.php?0

Gina

Paresh

Cool. Thanks Gina. I'll let my mum know ;>)

P x