NZ vs UK - not all it's cracked up to be. Is it just me?
Nov 12th 2012, 4:38 am
#16
---
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,994
Re: NZ vs UK - not all it's cracked up to be. Is it just me?
Fair enough but act on it soon because pregnancy can sometimes put a stop on travelling earlier than you anticipate 
NZ isn't going anywhere and your family is so young that even if you do end up ping ponging it won't cause the angst that moving older kids can do!
NZ isn't going anywhere and your family is so young that even if you do end up ping ponging it won't cause the angst that moving older kids can do!
Nov 12th 2012, 4:42 am
#17
BE Enthusiast
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 526
Re: NZ vs UK - not all it's cracked up to be. Is it just me?
Sorry but hazeandsteve is right ... Not enough research done.
Sounds as if you never even visited the place before you moved... Just moved because a mate had.
You must stop comparing things with home (not easy I know). This is NZ ... it is what it is!
Sounds as if you never even visited the place before you moved... Just moved because a mate had.
You must stop comparing things with home (not easy I know). This is NZ ... it is what it is!
Nov 12th 2012, 5:44 am
#18
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 968
Re: NZ vs UK - not all it's cracked up to be. Is it just me?
I'll try to keep this polite...
Sounds like you didn't get too much in depth research done, or most of your points would've been known to you before you headed out.
I did write more but just deleted them. If a terraced house is a positive, then you're probably better off not here.
Sounds like you didn't get too much in depth research done, or most of your points would've been known to you before you headed out.
I did write more but just deleted them. If a terraced house is a positive, then you're probably better off not here.
That sort of response may have been helpful.
Yours wasnt.
Nov 12th 2012, 6:06 am
#19
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: In a large village called Auckland
Posts: 5,249
Re: NZ vs UK - not all it's cracked up to be. Is it just me?
Many of us arrive here without jobs, not really knowing how much we're gonna earn and a vague idea of the rents, with some semblance of a plan that we can make it work by living more simply and pulling the belts in a 'little'.
The novelty of a 'simpler' more frugal life in which you are working harder for less money might seem romantic to some in the short term, but when it is a relentless task to make ends meet in poorer living conditions than you are used to, it ain't no fun.
I find it really sad that those that struggle find little empathy here these days and your judgement and character will be brought into question for even suggesting that things are less than rosy.
Nov 12th 2012, 6:24 am
#20
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,787
Re: NZ vs UK - not all it's cracked up to be. Is it just me?
Another way of writing this response would have been to agree with the OP on most of their points, agree that NZ can be expensive, its remote, housing is crap and its often very difficult for people to judge this purely by performing remote research.
That sort of response may have been helpful.
Yours wasnt.
That sort of response may have been helpful.
Yours wasnt.
Nov 12th 2012, 6:27 am
#21
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,787
Re: NZ vs UK - not all it's cracked up to be. Is it just me?
We never visited before we emigrated either!!!
Nov 12th 2012, 6:36 am
#22
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,787
Re: NZ vs UK - not all it's cracked up to be. Is it just me?
Been here 5 years took me a long time to settle and make friends most of my friends are British, kiwis are friendly but never made a good friend of one yet!!
yes houses are crap unless you
have a spare million dollars or get a new build.
My husband earns more here but money dont seem to stretch so far but we do have more of a social life.
I miss Europe and holidaying every year abroad, only been back to the uk and holidays in NZ
But I'm settled to stay at the moment, my parents have passed away and no need for me to go back to the uk now so no pull there, but if your close to family in the Scotland I can see why you want to go back. Me I'm glad I'm the other side of the world from most of mine that are left
yes houses are crap unless you
have a spare million dollars or get a new build.
My husband earns more here but money dont seem to stretch so far but we do have more of a social life.
I miss Europe and holidaying every year abroad, only been back to the uk and holidays in NZ
But I'm settled to stay at the moment, my parents have passed away and no need for me to go back to the uk now so no pull there, but if your close to family in the Scotland I can see why you want to go back. Me I'm glad I'm the other side of the world from most of mine that are left
Nov 12th 2012, 8:38 am
#23
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: permanently locked down
Posts: 733
Re: NZ vs UK - not all it's cracked up to be. Is it just me?
I'll try to keep this polite...
Sounds like you didn't get too much in depth research done, or most of your points would've been known to you before you headed out.
I did write more but just deleted them. If a terraced house is a positive, then you're probably better off not here.
Sounds like you didn't get too much in depth research done, or most of your points would've been known to you before you headed out.
I did write more but just deleted them. If a terraced house is a positive, then you're probably better off not here.
I'd certainly prefer to rent many a terrace house in the UK than the un heated and damp rentals I stayed in here prior to buying, that's for sure.
Nov 12th 2012, 8:47 am
#24
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: permanently locked down
Posts: 733
Re: NZ vs UK - not all it's cracked up to be. Is it just me?
Another way of writing this response would have been to agree with the OP on most of their points, agree that NZ can be expensive, its remote, housing is crap and its often very difficult for people to judge this purely by performing remote research.
That sort of response may have been helpful.
Yours wasnt.
That sort of response may have been helpful.
Yours wasnt.
Nov 12th 2012, 8:55 am
#25
HAPPY AS...
Joined: May 2006
Location: Taupo
Posts: 1,068
Re: NZ vs UK - not all it's cracked up to be. Is it just me?
Ouch.......
Nov 12th 2012, 10:15 am
#26
Just Joined
Joined: Mar 2011
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 14
Re: NZ vs UK - not all it's cracked up to be. Is it just me?
David, I honesty think you have answered your own question. Sunshine and the opportunity for a yet unborn child to have NZ citizenship are not good enough reasons to remain here.
You are both about to be parents, one of the hardest jobs in the world. You need all the support you can get during those first years, especially your wife, and it does not sound as if either of you have found it here yet. If you had, things might be different.
Write a list of things in life that are really important for you at this time, and take it from there. And if you are still confused after that, go with your gut instinct.
I can't help but feel you have already made a decision but are looking for direction as to whether it's the right one.
Best of luck with whatever you decide to do. I know it's hard.
You are both about to be parents, one of the hardest jobs in the world. You need all the support you can get during those first years, especially your wife, and it does not sound as if either of you have found it here yet. If you had, things might be different.
Write a list of things in life that are really important for you at this time, and take it from there. And if you are still confused after that, go with your gut instinct.
I can't help but feel you have already made a decision but are looking for direction as to whether it's the right one.
Best of luck with whatever you decide to do. I know it's hard.
Nov 12th 2012, 4:07 pm
#27
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,285
Re: NZ vs UK - not all it's cracked up to be. Is it just me?
Hi,
I wanted to get other people's opinions on their new life in New Zealand vs their old life's in the UK. Before I begin, this is my opinion. Everyone is different and I don't want to offend anyone. I am just wondering if my experience is the same as other people's or are we alone.
My wife and I moved here 14 months ago from Scotland. I had an engineering job in Scotland and was earning around $60,000. My wife was cabin crew for a local airline and was earning around $28,000. We had a 3 bed victorian terrace in Dundee on the east coast of Scotland. I worked around 37.5 hours per week. My wife worked around 30 hours per week. Our family lives in Dundee and we used to see them regularly.
Due to the economic climate I felt my job wasn't very secure and we began to explore options about moving overseas. A friend of mine had emmigrated to New Zealand a few years before and he was living in Christchurch and I had obviously heard about all the work going on as part of the rebuild so I contacted him to enquire if there was work out here. There was and after a few months and a couple of interviews I was offered a job and we moved out here.
I am working in a similar engineering role as I was back home, although I am working 45 hours a week. I am being paid around $90,000 though so with more hours comes more money. The thing is though, I was always told the work life balance in New Zealand was better than in the UK. I am working a day extra every week more than I was working back in the UK. I also get less holidays than I did in Scotland and more of my holidays here are determined by the company. I have to take 2 weeks at Christmas here whereas I only had to take 4 days leave at Christmas when I was at home. That only leaves 2 weeks leave for the rest of the year which isn't that much.
The cost of living here in Christchurch seems to be very high in comparison to Scotland. We are living in a 1 bed flat in the city which is only 25% cheaper than our 3 bed victorian terrace in Dundee. The quality of housing here is poor and a lot of houses don't have double glazing or any sort of heating. They are also lacking in insulation which causes damp in the properties.
Fuel is only around 10% cheaper here than in Scotland. Second hand cars are a lot more expensive, although they do seem to last longer because they don't salt the roads.
Food and alcohol is a lot more expensive than in Scotland. A 15 pack of beer will cost around $35 compared to around $20 in the UK. Food prices are very dependant on what's in season. Recently tomatoes were $12/kg! Peppers (capsicums) are around $3 each. You can pick up a 3 pack in Tesco for $4!
If you want to go for a pint you are looking at paying around $8-$10 a pint. In Scotland I would be paying around $5-$6 a pint.
New Zealand is a beautiful country and I can see why people move here. It is a giant playground and because of the better weather people spend more time outdoors than they would back in Scotland. The thing is though, all the things we do here, we could do back home. Tramping, mountain biking etc. We feel that having more sunshine just isn't enough to want us to stay here. Scotland is also a beautiful country with lots of beautiful places to visit. It does rain more often but you just learn to deal with the rain.
We are also starting to feel that it is just too far from home to stay permanently. We went home for a friends wedding in May and it cost us $10,000 for 3 weeks. There is no way we could afford to do that every year so we would maybe only manage to get home every 2 or 3 years. We would love for some of our family to move here but everyone is settled there and not everyone is earning enough money to be able to come out here every year.
We also miss having concerts or plays or shows to go and see. There isn't a lot coming to the south island. We did go and see mumford and sons last week and it was amazing. It would be nice to have more things like that here.
My wife has struggled to pick up work since coming here and that has also been difficult. We have met some new friends but that has also been more difficult than we first thought. All our friends are expats. We find Kiwis, as friendly as they are when you initially meet them, are very reserved and private. Maybe this is just our experience or maybe this is just Christchurch, I don't know.
My wife is now 4 months pregnant and we are at the point where we are not sure whether to stay here or go home and be closer to our family so we have support for the baby coming. We would love for our baby to get citizenship here so it had options when it was older but we don't want to sacrifice our happiness in the process.
Are we the only people who feel like this? Have other people been through similar feelings/emotions when moving here? How did you get through it or did you decide that it wasn't for you? We were just surprised because we had heard so many wonderful things about NZ before we came and when we got here it wasn't the same as we thought it would be.
Thank you in advance for your comments. I look forward to hearing all of your experiences and how you dealt with the massive changes involved in moving overseas.
David
I wanted to get other people's opinions on their new life in New Zealand vs their old life's in the UK. Before I begin, this is my opinion. Everyone is different and I don't want to offend anyone. I am just wondering if my experience is the same as other people's or are we alone.
My wife and I moved here 14 months ago from Scotland. I had an engineering job in Scotland and was earning around $60,000. My wife was cabin crew for a local airline and was earning around $28,000. We had a 3 bed victorian terrace in Dundee on the east coast of Scotland. I worked around 37.5 hours per week. My wife worked around 30 hours per week. Our family lives in Dundee and we used to see them regularly.
Due to the economic climate I felt my job wasn't very secure and we began to explore options about moving overseas. A friend of mine had emmigrated to New Zealand a few years before and he was living in Christchurch and I had obviously heard about all the work going on as part of the rebuild so I contacted him to enquire if there was work out here. There was and after a few months and a couple of interviews I was offered a job and we moved out here.
I am working in a similar engineering role as I was back home, although I am working 45 hours a week. I am being paid around $90,000 though so with more hours comes more money. The thing is though, I was always told the work life balance in New Zealand was better than in the UK. I am working a day extra every week more than I was working back in the UK. I also get less holidays than I did in Scotland and more of my holidays here are determined by the company. I have to take 2 weeks at Christmas here whereas I only had to take 4 days leave at Christmas when I was at home. That only leaves 2 weeks leave for the rest of the year which isn't that much.
The cost of living here in Christchurch seems to be very high in comparison to Scotland. We are living in a 1 bed flat in the city which is only 25% cheaper than our 3 bed victorian terrace in Dundee. The quality of housing here is poor and a lot of houses don't have double glazing or any sort of heating. They are also lacking in insulation which causes damp in the properties.
Fuel is only around 10% cheaper here than in Scotland. Second hand cars are a lot more expensive, although they do seem to last longer because they don't salt the roads.
Food and alcohol is a lot more expensive than in Scotland. A 15 pack of beer will cost around $35 compared to around $20 in the UK. Food prices are very dependant on what's in season. Recently tomatoes were $12/kg! Peppers (capsicums) are around $3 each. You can pick up a 3 pack in Tesco for $4!
If you want to go for a pint you are looking at paying around $8-$10 a pint. In Scotland I would be paying around $5-$6 a pint.
New Zealand is a beautiful country and I can see why people move here. It is a giant playground and because of the better weather people spend more time outdoors than they would back in Scotland. The thing is though, all the things we do here, we could do back home. Tramping, mountain biking etc. We feel that having more sunshine just isn't enough to want us to stay here. Scotland is also a beautiful country with lots of beautiful places to visit. It does rain more often but you just learn to deal with the rain.
We are also starting to feel that it is just too far from home to stay permanently. We went home for a friends wedding in May and it cost us $10,000 for 3 weeks. There is no way we could afford to do that every year so we would maybe only manage to get home every 2 or 3 years. We would love for some of our family to move here but everyone is settled there and not everyone is earning enough money to be able to come out here every year.
We also miss having concerts or plays or shows to go and see. There isn't a lot coming to the south island. We did go and see mumford and sons last week and it was amazing. It would be nice to have more things like that here.
My wife has struggled to pick up work since coming here and that has also been difficult. We have met some new friends but that has also been more difficult than we first thought. All our friends are expats. We find Kiwis, as friendly as they are when you initially meet them, are very reserved and private. Maybe this is just our experience or maybe this is just Christchurch, I don't know.
My wife is now 4 months pregnant and we are at the point where we are not sure whether to stay here or go home and be closer to our family so we have support for the baby coming. We would love for our baby to get citizenship here so it had options when it was older but we don't want to sacrifice our happiness in the process.
Are we the only people who feel like this? Have other people been through similar feelings/emotions when moving here? How did you get through it or did you decide that it wasn't for you? We were just surprised because we had heard so many wonderful things about NZ before we came and when we got here it wasn't the same as we thought it would be.
Thank you in advance for your comments. I look forward to hearing all of your experiences and how you dealt with the massive changes involved in moving overseas.
David
Nov 12th 2012, 4:57 pm
#28
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: Christchurch at last!
Posts: 1,149
Re: NZ vs UK - not all it's cracked up to be. Is it just me?
I think you have made up your mind and just need people to agree with your decision, so go with it!
The Court Theatre have excellent productions - we recently went to see The Slapdash Assassin there. There is also improv comedy there every Fri/Sat night. I don't have too much of a problem with buying what's in season - this can make food extremely cheap such as avocados at 59c compared with Tesco at $2.
You are getting 50% more pay and working an extra 7.5 hours a week which is not bad.
However, I totally get that it is not working for you. Maybe you would have felt differently if you weren't expecting your first child? Anyway, there is no shame in saying 'it's not for us' but please don't become one of those people that think that they have to totally slate the country to justify leaving it (you're not one of those yet! ).
Best of luck with your new family and enjoy the positives until you get on the plane back to Scotland.
The Court Theatre have excellent productions - we recently went to see The Slapdash Assassin there. There is also improv comedy there every Fri/Sat night. I don't have too much of a problem with buying what's in season - this can make food extremely cheap such as avocados at 59c compared with Tesco at $2.
You are getting 50% more pay and working an extra 7.5 hours a week which is not bad.
However, I totally get that it is not working for you. Maybe you would have felt differently if you weren't expecting your first child? Anyway, there is no shame in saying 'it's not for us' but please don't become one of those people that think that they have to totally slate the country to justify leaving it (you're not one of those yet!
).Best of luck with your new family and enjoy the positives until you get on the plane back to Scotland.
Nov 12th 2012, 6:21 pm
#29
grumpy bugger
Joined: Sep 2011
Location: out there...... somewhere
Posts: 368
Re: NZ vs UK - not all it's cracked up to be. Is it just me?
Curious to know why people feel they have to justify their decisions one way or another.
Does it really matter, it's just part of life and what makes you who you are. Stay or go entirely up to the individual circumstances and personalities.
New topics for threads please, maybe ponies, inside leg measurements, proposed changes to the marketing of sweet breads, anything please.
Nov 12th 2012, 6:32 pm
#30
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 696
Re: NZ vs UK - not all it's cracked up to be. Is it just me?
I think you have made up your mind and just need people to agree with your decision, so go with it!
The Court Theatre have excellent productions - we recently went to see The Slapdash Assassin there. There is also improv comedy there every Fri/Sat night. I don't have too much of a problem with buying what's in season - this can make food extremely cheap such as avocados at 59c compared with Tesco at $2.
You are getting 50% more pay and working an extra 7.5 hours a week which is not bad.
However, I totally get that it is not working for you. Maybe you would have felt differently if you weren't expecting your first child? Anyway, there is no shame in saying 'it's not for us' but please don't become one of those people that think that they have to totally slate the country to justify leaving it (you're not one of those yet! ).
Best of luck with your new family and enjoy the positives until you get on the plane back to Scotland.
The Court Theatre have excellent productions - we recently went to see The Slapdash Assassin there. There is also improv comedy there every Fri/Sat night. I don't have too much of a problem with buying what's in season - this can make food extremely cheap such as avocados at 59c compared with Tesco at $2.
You are getting 50% more pay and working an extra 7.5 hours a week which is not bad.
However, I totally get that it is not working for you. Maybe you would have felt differently if you weren't expecting your first child? Anyway, there is no shame in saying 'it's not for us' but please don't become one of those people that think that they have to totally slate the country to justify leaving it (you're not one of those yet!
).Best of luck with your new family and enjoy the positives until you get on the plane back to Scotland.