UKNZAUS

People will try to live their lives through their kids in a few places around the world.. but I've noticed it a heck of a lot more here.

My eldest was picked out to train for competitive swimming because of his build, he didn't want to and although I would have been proud for him to compete at his age, I'm more proud because he said he didn't want to do it just yet. He wants to be able to enjoy himself while he's still a child and if he wants to swim for a team in a few years then I will support him - but I refuse to push him because he can gain a few medals. It's not just a Kiwi thing, I've seen it at kids soccer matches with the Pom dads screaming at their kids so please don't think I've picked on NZ'ers

lardyl

you haven't lived in NZ for long enough - come see the parents doing the sports "thing", especially as a coach of the "little darlings" and then you'll learn!

For example, 6-7 year old kids chanting from te sidelines at 5 to 7 year old kids the "4-0, 4-0" score so they break down in tears and the parents of the older kids (who are laughing at this) being, how shall I put it, not very supportive.......:curse:

Parents who are shall we say a little too competative, more so than I ever saw in the UK. Kiwis, SAFAs, Brits, etc all pretty much alike. Alhough some Kiwis from the more rural locations really do get revved up in my experience.

Don't get me wrong I love sport, I compete in leagues, I work hard/play hard and love that my kids can do three or four sports each week, unlike the UK, but this does have its effect on people and it ain't all good......

Kempster

I still don't see how it affects family life.

But maybe you've been out of the UK too long. I can't find a report I read the other week about the number of referees physically assaulted at schoolboy matches (and it is a huge problem) but found these two instead.

Do you just get 'chanting' or do you get the violence as well?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...sidelines.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rug...-children.html

Kempster

Found the one I was looking for

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-referees.html

CarolineSwan

well said.. life is what you make it after all . instead of scarying those of us that are in the process of meaking the move half to death and making us wonder if doing the right thing , why not let people make up there own minds on what nz is like

lardyl

I get chanting and the attitude from certain parents that this is OK. Even the coach seemed to condone it. It was not OK, I would say it had an effect on the other younger team and I find when I referee these "midgets" games that the "chat" between kids of 5 to 8 years has more effect than physical contact such as bad tackles, shoving, etc - it can really get the kids stoked up.

It shows an unhealthy aspect of the attitude to sport - if you make sport your be-all then it is just replacing one thing (say buying the best trainers/iPod) from the UK with another in NZ (say being the very best at x, y or z) - if the attitude of those coaching the sport or running the game is wrong, as Michelle suggested (and I know that her surf club ahs a different attitude to ours.......yes, I do know what she means as I live nearby) then this can affect the kids and family life....

Suppose you've witnessed all these things reported in the Mail? No, well then best to rely on that beacon of balanced editorial comment and reporting shall we? That's one thing that will not have changed in the 2 years I have been out of the UK.

Violence is all around and some happens in/around sport in NZ too.......

We had a football match between two of the poshest schools in Auckland about 6-8 weeks ago (from memory, it was widely reported on the radio) and there was some argy bargy involving the coaches during the game or at half time, they had been international or at least professional players - got a reasonable amount of time on the radio news....

lardyl

what an absolute load of tosh..............................

who's scaring anyone?

if you don't have enough confidence in your decision before you come here God help you once you arrive.......

really, please get out of a thread where people are able to speak freely about THEIR LIVES IN NZ, not your idea of what they should think, unless you want to contribute something to the thread rather than back up people who swan into the place throwing insults around........

CarolineSwan

this happens big time in the uk , infact there was a program on it recently. a thing i would say tho is those that do do well in sport/ dancing etc did start at a young age say from 3 yrs not those that start in there teens as by then they all find the wornderment of drink/girls/boys

i certainly wouldnt put that as a reason for hating a country as it isnt specific to nz

my nephew plays football big time and his dad is the coach so you can imagine the grief poor reece gets as his dad is more strict / pushy with him than others in his team , but you know it paid off as he has just been signed to motherwells boy team with rangers wanting him, so i would say the pushiness paid off as yea it was something reece wanted and without his dad pushing he may never have got it.. dont get me wrong i have seen really bad cases of this which i think are over the top

my opinion anyway

lardyl

Michelle does not hate NZ.........
I know as I play football with her husband and we talk about it.
Why does everyone come in here with blinkers on thinking that anyone who posts anything negative hates NZ, Kiwis or their life...
Sheesh........:curse:

Kempster

So because it's in the Mail it's made up is it?
I haven't witnessed the ones you've told me about either but I still believe the Mail more than I believe you.

Can you post your approved list of newspapers please.

CarolineSwan

the people that post in this forum that are purly just to scare people i.e omg dont come to nz you will get murdered there are lots of it in this forum i mean y try to scare people, i am dying to get to nz but when i read things like that i think omg is it safe to take my daughter there but you know what i stay in the uk it certainly cant be any worse than here. i am good friends with a kiwi who has stayed here for 5 years and he moving back in 2 weeks time so it cant be all that bad if he going back , he cant wait to get away for this place and cant say i blame him

lardyl

I'll take that as a compliment.......
What has the Mail to say about NZ or the coaching that I do in NZ - didn't relaise that I was covered in their objective, free-ranging reporting?
You can come over to NZ and speak to the parents from the team who witnessed it if you like.......BTW, is that all I am being dishonest about?

Kempster

The articles I posted from the Mail were about incidents in the UK. Maybe
you should read them before you comment and take your blinkers off.

If you give me a list of 'approved' newspapers then I'll make sure to quote from them in the future.

Scouse Dave

I don't hate it in NZ, but don't delude yourself (as the Kiwis do) that they aren't into the "stuff", because they sure as heck are. You get judged by the quality of the car you drive and the size of your section/house/TV - if anything, more obviously than when we were in St Albans. It amuses me really (probably because I DO have money) but I find it disconcerting at the same time. My neighbour, for example, is renting because they lost their house last year. They can't afford to buy again, yet he just paid $140,000 for a BMW X5.

Also, we were at a school "do" a week or two back. One of the kids was being a little shit pushing and hitting the others. I watched him have a go at my son two or three times, but as my lad was giving as good as he got, I left it. However, the little turd then had a go as our two year old girl, at which point my Mrs strode over to him and made him say sorry. Sound fair?

When she got back, this Kiwi guy who was standing next to me started laying into my Mrs about telling off HIS son! Yep - he'd been watching too, and had done nothing. So he kept on ranting at the Mrs, so I advised him to shut up - who wouldn't? He then launched into a whole diatribe about the English and must've told me a dozen times with his croaky voice that I didn't frighten him.

So he encapsulated rudeness, ignorance, bad parenting and racism. All in one. I regret it now, but I ended up chinning him....well, he was rude to the Mrs! :curse:

luvwelly

Look, this is the 'unhappy in NZ' thread...if you don't want to hear negatives, why not go to the 'Happy in NZ' thread.
I think it is hard to be happy in NZ if you are scrimping and saving just to survive ( I am not but I am not here for ever either) so my biggest piece of advice to wannabes would be make sure you will be financially comfortable here before you come (it's an expensive process) and don't fall for that old chestnut about not converting the dollars back into pounds....definitely do the conversion and realise what a bad deal you are probably beimg offered.
Oops I shouldn't post here because I am happy here.