Campbells

Greetings friends,

Gee quite a thread going here! Thanks for the posts folks and interesting reading too.

It is clear to see that NZ is not everyone’s cup of tea as well as most of the communications here are with Brits (well hello, check out the name of the site!). Our situation is somewhat different as we are not comparing the UK to NZ but rather NZ to South Africa where we are currently.

I came to this country (from Scotland) 24 years ago and this place is going to the dogs and for us heading towards another Zims but that is another thread! I did reply to your other post Duncan re NZ police and it is very sad to hear that the UK police are changing and for me it is a sign of global deterioration of general moral values.

Not to get too deep with the whole thing folks but we (all) really are heading on a scary story if we don’t pull the brakes on and that’s why for us we really hope that NZ is what we hear. The posts & threads regarding the low pay etc etc is a concern but I do suffer from overdoses of determination which is currently motivated by getting my sh&%$ together and getting out of Africa so we can offer our wee lad (21 months) an outdoor life where we don’t book him into “kids World� by scanning our index fingers before going through huge security gates which is what we do at the moment (not all the time).

So yes we are hoping to crack a decent job & I am hoping to take over some contracts from here that I will be able to do in NZ to keep the wolf away. But all in all we have discussed this & our take is that if it means taking a less salary as a stepping stone so be it because you can not put a price on REAL freedom (all future potential NZ employers please ignore the last comment re less salary !). If we were earning huge $$ right now it would not make us happy. We are past the label dress code and having a wee one to focus on has changed our lives.

So if you are in NZ right now and think that your pay is crap but you love the outdoor freedom of NZ, from me here in SA, that’s worth a great tax-free bonus. If you doubt what I say hop up to North Shore and find a recent arrival from SA & ask them why they have moved to NZ.

Thank you all again for your posts and yes, we do hope that one day we will bump into to some of you in NZ and sigh, yup, we made it & even more so that are able to say that we love it and consider it home.

I wish you all happiness wherever you are and your situation. After all we’re all just people with different opinions living in different places doing different things.


Blah, blah, blah …………………� �€¦â€¦â€¦. Campbell.

Roger

I live in Havelock North, and work in Hastings. About 20kms from Napier in Sunny Hawkes Bay on the East Coast of the North Island. I agree with alot of the sentiments from all of the posters on the site. Havelock is a fantastic little town, immaculate, reasonable shops/pubs/restaurants and good quality (if not expensive by NZ standards) housing.

The weather is incredibly variable in New Zealand. 2 hours in a car makes a terrific amount of difference. Hawkes Bay has a climate similar to Bourdeaux with mild winters and sunny summers. It has been in the mid 20s to 30s all of January so far! Go down the road 90 K to Dannevirke and the average temperature is several points below.

Even with a milder climate the quality of NZ houses ensures that you freeze your butt off in Winter. We have a brand new house with heat pumps/air-con throughout. Even with this it is pretty parky. The wife loves her electric blanket and is obsessed with having it on a couple of hours before bedtime. Amazingly even if you live in the Southern Alps the houses are built the same way with just a wood burning stove!!

The Kiwis are very friendly to ex-pats. I have experienced no negativity. NZ is a bit over the top about race relations and 'Cultural Sensitivity' but I find Maori to be most pleasant folk though over represented in the lower socio-economic groups, though probably due to their easy going pacific island attitude to life. There are lots of expats here - Brits, Dutch, South Africans, Yanks, Indians, but probably more Poms in Hawkes bay.

There is crime, but not very apparent. The only theft that i have experienced is government backed thievery in the manner of speeding fines - 5 in 15 months, more that 20 years driving in UK. I know a newly arrived English doctor who had one drop on his door step for 3 days in a row! The is very little thuggery in comparison to UK but people are beaten up in the street as they are in the UK - but it is rare. I worked for 6 months in A&E here and only witnessed abuse once - translate that to everyday in the NHS.

Work opportunities and pay and conditions are my biggest gripe. I'm a nurse and there are far fewer opportunities for career, and it is fairly behind the UK. I'm entitled to 3 weeks sickness and just 15 days A\L and Public Holidays if I work them. Saying that I only work 4 days a week her rather than 5 days as a NHS Manager with overtime clinical shift thrown in the UK. Feel quite semi-retired at 42! Need the flexibility of P\T so we can travel about as 3 weeks only would limit us, particularly as the wife is intent on going to UK every year (flights cost a months salary!!!). Pay is $22 an hour which is pretty good for NZ!

My advice is that it is a great move as long as you are not too ambitious and can bring enough money to nearly buy your own house outright. We could never afford in a month of Sundays to live where we do without having brought a lot of equity. We haven't saved a penny and we both work, own our cars, have a mortgage of $70K. As a ball park figure I think you need about $250K minimum.

123

As a Brit living in NZ on and off for the last eight years I can relate to all of the comments made so far. Whether you enjoy your time here or not is dependent on your own aspirations. Pay is low compared to the UK but the cost of living is also low. My estimate would be to put the salaries and COL at 60% of the UK. So yes once here it becomes difficult financially to move back to the UK, you will lose ground.

If you are looking for a high flying career this is not the place to be. Schools expect "donations" for a number of things and racism between Maori and European Nzers is evident and both dislike the large number of Chines immigrants.

There is a lot to dislike but there are also many good things. We can all sit and write a similar critique to the one that started the thread about any country from the US-Uk to Australia.

I am not too happy here. The main thing is the distance and therefore expense in travelling anwhere. In the UK you can jump on a plane and go to many different places cheaply. here you cannot. For UK citizens that is the major change. For SA citizens I think yo will adjust more easily as in that respect it is not too disimilar from your country.

I would say take a look at Australia first if yo have a career that means you can find work easily. New criteria for citizenship means you will have to stay here 5 years to get a passport. Australia you have to spend two out of the first 5 years including one of the last 2. Aussie residents can work in the NZ but not vice versa. My wife is a Kiwi so my choice was predetermined but it may be more flexible to get Aussie PR then come to NZ.

DMAN

I haven't posted for a while here, before I moved to NZ I found the site very useful, it gave me a good idea of different peoples experiences (good and bad) and I picked up some good advice from people wiser than me. I had however started to find the site becoming very negative and picky. I still read the topics and this seems to be a fair and open thread.

I've been in ChCh 1 year now, and all is good, have seen no crime, no racism, apart from at Asians, and have found Kiwi's and Maori's so much more helpful than back in the UK. There isn't so much of a jealousy thing here, and people don't have a motive here, they can either help you or they can't. One of the best things I ever did was move here, we have made some great friends, Black, Brown, White and find it so much an easier place to actually "have a life" rather than living in the UK.

I don't miss anything from the UK, I found the winter in NZ to be cold here in the mornings - yes, but I would much prefer to have a winter with sun, than 4 months of greyness in the UK with sideways rain and fog.

We arrived with $400K cash and only clothes and photos. We sold the lot in the UK, wanted to clear down the years of building up rubbish and have a clean fresh start.

You have to do your research though, too many people come here, thinking NZ is the answer to their problems, when it is only those people that can solve their problems rather than sometimes just running away from them.

NZ does have it's downsides - definitely, and they have been covered really well by others in this thread - wages are a big factor, fashion isn't all that, food is quite expensive, but apart from that if you do the research and are willing and ready to make changes in your own life then it's a great place to live. Research the type of house you want to live in, research the schools, phone them up, research the type of car you want, pick up the phone to companies in your similar job area and talk with them. NZ employers and people love talking, word of mouth is a big thing here.
Work out the value of your assets, make a Plan B, and don't start tying up your money until you know you like it.

You have to come to NZ for the NZ values, this isn't a new and improved UK without the bad bits, it's a different country in its own right. English is the main language, we drive on the same side of the road and Britains were here 200 years ago, those are the main similarities.

If you're a shy person in the UK and don't make many friends, well you'll have to try a bit harder here as you are new, whereas if you like meeting new people you'll love it. YOU, have to change, not drastically but you have to have your eyes and ears open, and make some friends as soon as possible.
You have to change to fit in here, this country can't be great for everyone, it is what YOU make it.

This is a different country, this is not Utopia.

123

[QUOTE=DMAN]
"I've been in ChCh 1 year now, and all is good, have seen no crime, no racism, apart from at Asians"

No racism apart from at asians? Then there IS racism. As my wife is of chinese origin I can tell you it happens all the time. Christchurch has a worse reputation than Auckland in this respect.

DMAN

[QUOTE=123]

123..

I know that there IS racism, that's why I put the phrase "no racism, apart from at Asians" what did YOU think I meant...

If I had not seen any racism, then I would have put "No racism"

I didn't know that Christchurch had a worse reputation than Auckland thoug in that regard. Have you lived in both Auckland and Christchurch ?

Deb+Chris

I think the first story was very much how we found living in New Zealand. It was quite scary actually because I could have written it myself!! I disagree with the scruffiness part though, I always found New Zealand a very clean, smart place (we were in Dunedin, but travelled around a lot), but the rest of his story was spot on for me.

I am just thankful we had the money to get back.

PJM

I agree with that Deb & Chris have said. I arrived in July 04 and over the past 6 mths my rose tinted glasses have fallen off. There does exisit a hostility to Poms not by all but it can be sensed and in fact it is sometimes very obvious. It must be said that I can understand how Kiwis must feel. In general we sell our houses in the UK and convert the pounds to dollars. With the profits we are able to buy a nice house in the best part of town and nice cars and also all the other nice things. I have(not by all) experienced at work a definate resentment. There are a lot of hidden costs, Medical and dental treatment must be paid for along with pre-scriptions. Education comes at a cost. Most school uniforms have to be purchased from the School along with books, excessories and other expenses. My son 17 and daughter are way ahead of there colleagues. We have found shopping to cost about the same as the UK without the luxury of choice. Gas and electricity is costly, TV including SKY is rubbish. Wages are way below the uk average and a 2 class system is evident. Poverty can also be seen daily with a visit to one of the local retail outlets, Beggers and buscars outside, car windscreen washers at traffic lights. It is on most occasions the Moari people who I have found to be on the whole very friendly people who carry out these activities. Driving out here is legal at aged 15 and car insurance is not legally required, consequently teenagers roar around everywhere in bangars with huge noisy exhausts. Road death rates are high. I work with a variety of young tradesmen who are all keen to move away from NZ and travel to Europe and Australia. Most older Kiwis have children living and working out of NZ. If you are not careful the UK accent is an invitation to be ripped off, before laying out for something make sure you are being changed a fair price. The imigration levels have fallen off drastically which is why the points have been reduced. The imigration process is extremely costly and there are a lot of hidden extras.
We are considering the move back to the UK which will involve a great upheaval and more expense. However we have come to ralise that the UK has a lot going for it.

Deb+Chris

Well, thank goodness you can get back then because I've heard some horrible stories from ex-pats who just can't afford to. It's scary and I'm glad we dashed back now because we can now save like mad to get back what we've lost and have some chance of getting back on the UK property ladder.

One thing that makes me laugh is that some people will say that the kiwi's don't wear shoes because they are so easy going and laid back... I would say they're too skint.. I saw people walking in snow with no shoes, that can't be easy going and laid back can it?.. poor things, can't afford them that's why.

It's very easy for some 'rich' expats to bang on about NZ being the glorious paradise and wonderful lifestyle isn't it? but when you are a normal family, having a mortgage and children, then NZ will just wipe you out day by day.

My other half was told to play down his accent a couple of weeks ago when he went to take the car for it's WOF, basically, we were being lied to by the garage (my hubby is a mechanic), and when my hubby told someone about what a rip off lying toe rag the garage owner was, he was told it was because he was English... nice.

And what you said about the younger kiwi's is totally true, we met so many people who's kids had scarpered for either more money or a more exciting lifestyle than NZ could offer them.

No matter how much upheaval and expense you will face, I would say get back as soon as you can because you may leave it too late.

123

DMAN

Sorry DMAN it just seemed that you had dismissed it as unimportant. Maybe I was reading too much into it. Sometimes in reading a post you misunderstand the tone. Apologies.

For all the bad things here I do have to say most the Brits I know here are happy. Many are casino workers who came out when Sky City opened. I was one of them and though I have to admit most of these people are financially better working here than in UK Casinos.

Still it cannot only be the money. Didn't people here know what the salaries were before they came here? Why such a surprise?

I don't love NZ by any stetch of the imagination though it seems no worse than the UK. I have lived in a dozen counties over the last 15 years and to be honest I find the UK a liitle bit backward in many things. From my experience travelling I think it is more of a persoanal thing than a problem with the country. all countries have there downsides. There is no paradise except the one created in peoples minds.

Lenmil

We leave on the 9th Feb to go back to the UK. But every thing we read on here is all true. The wages here are just too low and the cost of living is way too high. We have to leave as we have not sold our house, if we don't leave we will be stuck here with NO MONEY and only one of us working. We just can't survive here plain and simlpe. We tried it and we will miss it as Christchurch is beautiful and the local area, but you can't eat it can you. We have seen poverty, racism towards others as well as to us. You look like a kiwi untill you open your mouth. Now i am from Newcastle and its a big city and a little rough, but i never talked to outsiders like they do here. We may come back but i will have to have a lot of money to do so. In under a year NZ has broke us financialy and we go home with no money no job but at least its home. Take care and good luck to all who try. Do not work for any thing less than $30 an hour, i get $17 and i am expected to support a family of 4 on that. No way!!!!

Deb+Chris

We were loaded then Lenmil cos my OH was earning $17.50/hr to support a family of four!!

Not funny is it? just a bloody joke if you ask me. They have you down on the priority list, get you over, kick you in the bollocks and send you home.

I hope you can sell your house quickly.. our friends are in the same position, they have had to leave their house in Dunedin and have gone back worrying about it.... nightmare.

You are right though, at least you will be home, surrounded by people who know you and give you some respect.

Best of luck.
Debs

Lenmil

Thats exactly how it is with us, and yes it aint funny. A big kick in the bollocks that's for sure. But there are so many in the same boat its scary. Ah well i hope more have the sense to read these posts and think HARD. Thanks for your kind words Deb.

PJM

I must be minted 17.00 hr plus 1 dollar for tools. I have tried to get on with my fellow workers but some just don't want to make the effort. Its like banging you're head against the wall, I can sense the resentment. I have 2 sisters who will stay as luckly they have 63000 and 78000 per annum dollar incoms . They still however accept the fact that people are resentful of what they as POMS are able to buy. I think we have all but decided now to return and will have the house valued this week.
It was good to hear that I am not the only one.

Lenmil

Can i ask you a question, do you think that if these Kiwis were working in England would they get treated like you do here. I get the feeling its no.