kiwi_child

When I was your daughter's age and living in NZ, me and my mates all drank on friday/saturday nights, and of course, the guys did too. The big difference was though, that we would never have dreamed of doing the kind of serious anti-social behaviour that goes on all too often nowadays. None of my peers carried weapons or abused adults or the elderley, nor did we go around picking on other teens. We certainly weren't angels but we had some standards of civil behaviour that now seems sadly lost to many younger ones.

Much more than the drinking, I'd be far more concerned about the drugs issue esp some of the pills that are around, like P and eccys etc. The most the majority of me and my mates did was a little cannabis or hash. It was quite rare that anyone we knew took anything harder. Today it's all different unfortuantely.

Parents do sometimes supply the booze and monitor the situation. The rationale behind it is that they'd prefer their kids consumed alcohol at a safe place and at a safe pace. Street drinking (of which we did a bit) can be potentially dangerous for a number of reasons.

Genesis

Come and see us when you come to Palmy...you are probably thinking..why go to Palmy???? I must be about your age...48? Became a dad REAL late in life. Come and see the most boring city on earth..allegedly!!!!!!!

See you soon maybe? we are off to the UK end of June until mid August...I return under protest!!!!!!!:curse:

Mandie

i totally agree with you that the uk has got much worse over the past year.

I live in a nice area in the south of england far away from london and we hear quite regularly that someone has been knifed or beaten to death. friends of ours have been victims of 'happy slapping' where they got set upon and beaten up 'for fun'...how sick is that!!!

spoonguy

Its much easier to find bad stores when you pick from a population the size of the UK. NZ has the many of the same problems as the UK.

Guys i work with mentioned lots of underage drinking when they were growing up in NZ. Some of them knew people that'd go out for a night to get in to a fight.

One guy had some gang and drug problems which he managed to get himself out of and moved to the UK to get away from.

I wouldnt move to NZ expecting you wont find the same problems. If you move to the right area you may just not encounter them, much as you wouldnt in some areas of the UK.

simonmarkellis

For us there is the fear factor of saying something. Just down the road from us lives a family (I say family in the loosest term). It is a 4 bed terraced house, occupied by at least 7 people from varying ethnicity and age. The lady of the house wears a tag on her right ankle and all too frequently the police turn up because she's wondered too far from the house. Being a terraced house, the front garden is extremely small, yet they all seem to congregate in it at all hours of the day with the friends spilling out into the road, swearing, shouting, really quite un savoury behaviour, especially when your bringing the kids home from school. One of the kids, who it is quite obvious has been expelled from school and can only be 12 yrs old at most, quite openly smokes in the street whilst standing on cars, throws stones at windows and the other day managed to get the police, ambulance and fire service there all at once as he proceeded to set light to himself in the garden.
When you drive up the road, they'll stand in the road and glare at you as you try to go past. If the wind is blowing in the right direction you can smell the drugs and stuff there smoking. The police don't do anything when they turn up, so how as an individual do you deal with this. If you challenge them, you get abuse and the potential for possible violance and criminal damage to property.

This sort of behaviour is happening far to much in the UK and is one of the reasons why we are going. You can't look someone in the face in the UK without the fear of what might happen, the wrong look, the mis-interpreted gesture or word.

Fortunately i've just accepted an offer on my place, so hopefully it won't be long now.

Am Loolah

That sounds awful Simon, where in the UK?

Runaway

I really appreciated your post, excellent points. I am missing the UK and to be honest, struggling to settle. But your message has reminded me why we left and the reasons we chose NZ. Hopefully, a change of government will save the UK (a country in fast decline, I believe) but all the same, it is good to be in a country which values its citizens and morals.

mickey_d

Run the buggers over then, they won't do it again

dreamfish

except for those two teenage girls stabbed by her mother in Stretham, Ely yesterday and of course the Soham murders, and then there are the huge numbers of deaths on the fenland roads. Its becoming a very miserable place to live around here. Every day there is report of a rape, murder, stabbing, cars found in ditch, abducted prostitutes or youth 'foolhardery' - its terribly disappointing

spoonguy

And in new zealand they have news about a 15 year old boy indecantly assulting 7 and 8 year olds at a Christchurch school.

Most of the problems mentioned were London based, of course other places have problems too but London doesnt represent all of the UK. The population and situations in such a large city are unique.

I'm not saying that the UK doesnt have a lot of problems, but you wont notice the good points until you find out you dont have them any more. I think NZ is a great place but you need to move there because you like NZ, more than because you dislike the UK.

simonmarkellis

I live in Belvedere, Kent, London Borough of Bexley.

Genesis

I miss loads about the UK..who would n't after 44 odd years. Still, time to move on..you only get one shot and I am glad I have chosen the 2nd part of my 'play' on a different stage!! Where are you Runaway? While I love it here it has been very hard for me in many ways, becoming a househuband, giving up a career, giving up being the bread winner, missing stuff, etc, etc...BUT I have so many things here I could never have in the UK. The beach and skiing at my doorstep..SPACE EVERYWHERE..and the perfect environment for kids. No traffic, zero stress (outside my family tryst!!) and just a wonderful house in a perfect neighbourhood!! Its as good as it gets here. I really feel like I belong..never felt like that in the UK.

Genesis

I would imagine that many expats who return back to the UK were those who ran scared from it initially and moved away for negative reasons.[/QUOTE]
#

I moved to NZ because I was sick of the over crowded way of life, everything expensive, hoodie type, yobby, violent culture that was taking over. NHS in trouble, endless gridlock and personally I saw a nation in the midst of turmoil.

We considered, parts of europe, OZ, Canada and NZ. Been to all before except Canada. Chose NZ in the end. Because we could and I was sick of the UK. I had no idea what life would be like here permanently........just thought it had to be better than the UK. Thankfully I was right. Even with all NZ's problems..and it has a raft of them. They just don't impact upon me like the UK ones did, irking me on a daily basis.

I just wanted out of the UK. NZ was the best choice, we love it and I doubt if I ever would willingly return to live..unless 60 million people leave first.

Am Loolah

#

I moved to NZ because I was sick of the over crowded way of life, everything expensive, hoodie type, yobby, violent culture that was taking over. NHS in trouble, endless gridlock and personally I saw a nation in the midst of turmoil.

We considered, parts of europe, OZ, Canada and NZ. Been to all before except Canada. Chose NZ in the end. Because we could and I was sick of the UK. I had no idea what life would be like here permanently........just thought it had to be better than the UK. Thankfully I was right. Even with all NZ's problems..and it has a raft of them. They just don't impact upon me like the UK ones did, irking me on a daily basis.

I just wanted out of the UK. NZ was the best choice, we love it and I doubt if I ever would willingly return to live..unless 60 million people leave first.[/QUOTE]

We left because where we lived in the UK was not right for us. We had a very limited social network and although I loved my job it wasn't nearly enough to keep us there. My Hubby & eldest child wanted to stay in the UK and just move areas there, which would have been way cheaper and way easier, I was of the opinion "In for a penny, in for a pound." If we were going to move and start over, what difference to make it a big move?!

Hubby (Kiwi) is finding it hard here, he's bored and finding fault with lots. The kids are finding it "cool, awesome and sweet as" so we're happy if they're happy. And I am soooo content with the whole deal it's sickening! Except for racism, which is my bug bear as can't understand why everyone can't just "get on?" (It's the Fairy side of me, Peace, Love and Happiness?!)

By all accounts we should be one of the stats that don't make it here in NZ as it wasn't really a unanimous decision, more my nagging, but I'm confident it'll prove to be right in the end. Now, where's that fingers crossed smiley?

(Oh, and our kids are out on their bikes to school, shops, we are on the beach, walking, cycling - and we are lazy so it just goes to show it does rub off and they do have more freedom!)

Am Loolah

Do you work for the Daily Mail perchance?!

I only ask as it's the second time you've mentioned it in this thread?!