Genesis

There has been much negativity about life in NZ of late..so much so that even my own belief in NZ was temporarily rocked. You cannot help but get drawn in by it sometimes.

Life can be very hard here, NZ has loads and loads of issues.....I think most people know of them. I have to say I was blissfully unaware of all the issues that prevail here before I came 3 years ago..I could write a book on them now!!!

However, inspite of all said problems life can be really good here. We are very content on the whole. NZ has problems that other countries don't have but it also has lots of positives that other countrie likewise do not have

The important thing is that if the 'good basket' weighs more than the 'bad basket' game on..if not people like Freckle, Nerine and Ian and Sharon will do the off...I would too. NZ is not all things for all people. Oz is agreat place, spent some time there in 1991.

If I did not have kids (who are all happy at a great school) I would be over there for a while..somewhere not too hot, Tasmania possibly.

For now NZ ticks all our boxes. Do your research REALLY well, Spid decided the sums (for now) did not stack up. Others have to look at the needs of their children, special educational facilities etc.

Research is the key. We got away with the minimum (I tend to be running on impulse a lot!!) BUT we made soooooooooooooooooo many (costly) mistakes.

Ask questions. Then more. Look at other options.

Whatever be proactive. Its the equivalent of end of Oct in the UK here. The open air pools have just shut..its warm enough to go for a walk in shorts and a tee shirt. There's much to enjoy about life in NZ if you have the right mindset and attitude.

Still very excited about being here 3 years on..infact its 3 years to the day tomorrow!!!!!!!!

Peace to all, everywhere.

irnbru14

Happy Anniversary for you for tomorrow

It is a bit of a learning curve when you get here, yes there are things I would have done differently (say, maybe buying a more sensible car for one!!) and trying to live at the same level I did back home, its just not quite so easy over here for many reasons, mainly that your kiwi dollar just doesn't seem to go as far as the pound did.

But as you say, its part of the experience of being here, and as long as good outweighs the bad, then thats the main thing

I am at my 6 month anniversary, which was Monday just past

hjmilligan

Well said Genesis,

I think we needed that,after all that's been said lately. People have different ideas of life. Each to thier own.

Happy Anniversary

The Bard of Wigan

Is it true that the fashion sense is appalling ?

Check this out from back in the UK.

http://thethoughtsofadirrrrtyoldman....-football.html

Sue

Happy Anniversary to you.

Just my thoughts but to me experiences shared, whether they be perceived as good, bad, positive or negative, benefit all. The better prepared we are for moving to a new country the better we will settle, and being prepared means looking at things from all angles.

crap coffee

Positivity:

I love walking to work past the beautiful harbour in brilliant sunshine - every day looking different

irnbru14

Yeah, its awful!!!

Genesis

Yes I think it is true!! Both for clothing (apparently..I know nothing of this..I always dress like a sack of shite thus blend in well!!!!) ..and certainly for home furnishings..some of the garish colours and styles of suites and interior decor you see in the property mags are way out of this world!!!!!!!!

But then again that's part of the charm!!!!!

Genesis

Totally agree..its just when iwe get personal with each other and engage in the 'we live in a way better place than you' type of thing..ie bitching about each other and the country the other lives in is of no use to anyone.

Negatives about NZ are JUST as important as the positives. Constructive critique helps, aye?

bourbon-biscuit

I'm rarely charmed by cities but I must confess to finding wandering along the harbour quite beautiful on our visit there last year- must put one in a positive frame of mind for the day

Genesis

I think Wellington is awesome..wished I could afford to live there!!!!!!!!!!!

Steve and Julie

We all moved here for a reason! You will no matter where you live, have good and bad things to say. UK has its problems to. Talking to friends and family by the sound of it, its getting much worse there, than when we all left. Food to has gone up, bills and petrol. Friends of mine have lost there jobs.
It takes time to settle in a new country, we are not living in the UK, you have to adjust to the way of life here, this is where we all go wrong. We expect NZ to be more like UK, well I left the UK, I am only to glad its not like that. Yes I do miss somethings from home, but over all am only to glad to be here. Sun, sea, sand, walks, so on. My life here is so different to what is was like in the UK.
You can understand the term "Whinging Pom" we all do it at times.
If a NZer was in the UK always moaning about some thing, I would tell them to bugger off back home then.

Well were all here for now, so enjoy it, lifes full of surprises, who knows whats around the corner????????

crap coffee

The Black Harp bar on the corner of Featherston & Johnston Streets in Wellington - a young (kiwi?) lad smiled (kindly) at me while I was taking photos

Batty

Great post Genesis and Happy Anniversary for tomorrow! We'll be here 3 years in June and yes I too know all the crap things that go on here and I too still want to be here. I think I'm really lucky to have that feeling of 'home' - the feeling that makes all my family want to stay where THEY are even though I never wanted to. So, no matter how crappy the Government is and no matter how expensive cheese is because it's home we just weather it.

It was from the 'old guard' on here - Debs, Sky, Nerine (albeit in a different guise ) etc.etc. that I knew to find a house that had heating and insulation. My Kiwi husband could only remember the long hot summers he'd had as a child until, after my constantly going on about it, he remembered that his sister once left a pet mouse on the windowsill overnight and it had frozen to death when she woke up the next morning

All the research in the World (IMO) doesn't really prepare you for living in another country. It's like people saying they've been to wherever for 2 weeks and they 'know' it - yeah right! You can't really know anywhere until you're living there day to day.

I wouldn't let anyone else's opinions cloud my judgement though. And I also wouldn't (and don't) surround myself with negative people. They drag ye down and suck the life outta ye. I've got a little thing that I go by - people are drains or radiators. A radiator (maybe not the best analogy in NZ ) might go cold but it warms up again whereas a drain .... just keeps on sucking away

kwprwn

Happy Anniversary for Genesis

Have just passed 2 years here myself at end of march and although waiting for Visa to move to Oz to join hubby who has job in western australia, we like it here and will no doubt come back in the future as we have no issues with NZ, owen lost his job in uk 3 months before we came here and couldnt get one doing what he did and got offered a job on the first monday we arrived here, so it was a great move for us even from the start.

Why we move is the fact that owen had the opportunity of a job offer near Perth, is a good career move for him and why not give australia a chance, we have no kids so nothing to loose, I see it as an opportunity to see more of the world (as never got to do an OE)

dawn