Stormer999

Yeh us Brits have been talking about the weather for over 1000 years....nothing changes....

Persephone

I tried to Google how much 1ml of toothpaste would weigh but couldn't find it anywhere. And I can't be bothered to play around with an empty tube and find out for myself-maybe one day when I'm bored
Must make more of an effort to find it out as I'm going to the UK in December and need to know whether to stock up on the stuff whilst over there.

Heavenlyscent

We moved out to NZ in 05 and moved back again in 07. so many reasons but money and lifestyle were one of them. The move I do not regret in the least. If we had stayed it would have been financial suicide for us too and we may have been stuck there like many ex-pats, Horrific what a thought!

Stormer999

Thinking about this expensive bit...... If someone earning London city wages (inflated) moved out to the sticks and started earning bog trotters pittance......would they start complaining about the sudden expensive food.....

Heavenlyscent

I think they would complain about more than food being expensive!!!!

I had never in my life had to worry at all about money, until we moved to NZ, we swapped like for like in house, cars etc but every month we were eating into equity from the uk, we got to the point when enough was enough! I stil flew 6 of us home, brought back at 20ft container and flew our pets back too, so were weren't short. but we r back earning better wages, kids in uni and holidays abroad, it is getting harder but oh so much easier for us than NZ. I can eat out so much more too, but it depends what a person wants out of life.

bourbon-biscuit

But that says nothing unless we know what you earned in the UK and what you earned in NZ. We have pretty much tripled our earnings to live here (ie 3x NZ$ than GBP, though I should point out it took a few years to get to that) and I think you need a >2.5 multiplier for a comparable standard of living.

It's my crude observation that those of us who come out having had family incomes on the lower end do better than those who had family incomes in the GBP50k+. Would that tally with your experience?

Heavenlyscent

Yes we were both on good salaries in the UK, owned a 5 bed detached house. Had 4 children, 2 dogs and a cat. Our wages in New Zealand were a lot less than what we earned in the Uk. Glad to be back earning good enough wages to fit our lifestyle

lardyl

But didn't you upskill and get more experience - so you're comparing apples with pears.....?

Isn't the low wage NZ economy the main reason that people with prospects and opportunities very often leave NZ for Oz Europe and the US and why Mr Key spends his time bleating on about how we should be aiming to reach parity in salary with Oz? Or have I been living on another planet for the past 5 years?? Aren't many of the people who moved to Oz over that period low paid? Aren't they considered some sort of white/brown trash by Aussies now as they are there to take the low paid work?

I thought the idea of NZ=low wages was pretty obvious????

Anyway sitting next to a contract sparkie on the plane from Napier yesterday he told me he was on NZD 145k in the UK and can't ever see himself earning that money in NZ and he agreed that the benefits in terms of pension, holidays, sick pay, etc, etc are crap here but he loves it here and inspite of planning to stay 2 years has now been here for 8. I told him that now I would have been on GBP 150k plus benefits and I'll be lucky to make NZD 60k this year with no benefits at all other than working 10 hours a week.

Sounds like you and these other examples are the exception that proves the rule?

whitesand

I doubt whether there are many people come out here and triple their salary. Perhaps in a very specialised job, but most have to take a dive in salary. There are many Kiwis who are comfortably off, but those large salaries are not going to the migrants. It's more likely that folks have to dip into their savings. All in all, what is promoted by the immigration services is not what is recognised by employers, and for them migrants mostly fill the jobs they don't want. In addition over the past few years the jobs here have dried up considerably and that makes it even more difficult for those coming out.

I think Oz would be a much better prospect for anyone wanting to migrate now.

Heavenlyscent

I feel that New Zealand does not pay its professional people enough to have a good lifestyle. I am a qualified lecturer and did not earn enough money for the qualifications I hold. The employers do not appreciate the skills and professionalism that immigrant bring. Maybe one day!!!!!!!!

sheene

Absolutely. The whole 'you move to NZ for the lifestyle' blag is wearing a bit thin now. The disparity in salaries is not enough recompense for the privilege of wearing jandals.

waikatoguy

But .... the average NZ salary is $NZ50,000. The average UK salary is $NZ52,000. I'm not making that up. Those are the statistical facts. So NZ=low wages isn't that obvious at all.

waikatoguy

Lecturers are very poorly paid in NZ for skills they have. That's true. I never have understood why that is.

sheene

I remember doing statistics at school - the teacher took great delight in telling us that if a group of monkeys were left in a room with typewriters for an infinite amount of time, one of them would write the complete works of Shakespeare. Logically that is true, but it never washed with me. I prefer the standpoint, 'lies, damn lies, and statistics'.

lardyl

so Key's wrong and everyone who tells you that NZ needs to be more productive and be more attractive to high flyers is deluded on the basis of what you've discovered?
and all those clever upwardly mobile folks who do degree, etc then go overseas settle down and come home to retire are dumb because they can get paid more here and have a great lifestyle.........yeah right

I'd email Mr Key, NZ Trade & Enterprise, et.al. to inform them that our policy is wrong as the internet has told you otherwise and wait to see what happens.....I feel a broadcast to the nation coming on.

As I've said before your average is meaningless because it is an "average" and I'd add that the average income (from work alone forgetting the other income sources available) is very different to average salary. I pay MrsL about 20k p.a. to reduce the business tax bill and there are many many NZ small businesses that do exactly that. If you're unclear on that then go and pay an accountant a few bucks and they'll explain

Yeah I too studied statistics as part of my science degree and I'd agree that someone can make almost figures say what they want. There's an election campaign going they're all doing it.