simonsi

Yes it is, that is why I objected to your response to that post. I´m all for treating ther posters with respect and looking at all viewpoints.

Arthur Daley

Great post especially if you are considering OZ.
It has certainly generated some passionate replies.
I still love NZ and think it is a great place to live..........if you have money that is. Sadly, ones financial situation dictates your happiness wherever you live in the world and NZ is no different.
When you are considering moving from NZ (as you probably are) many expats decide to focus on the negative rather than hang on to the positive. I was the same when I was considering returning to the UK.
Australia may be a long term option for your family but you wont know until you give it a shot.
Many Kiwi's however do return home from OZ when they have made their fortune........maybe they miss the weather.

cappuccino

For me NZ is like a relationship gone bad - I still 'love' the country but an no longer 'in love' with it

Woodlea

And then we'd see you moaning on some forum about the bloody traffic, cost of living, foreigners - whatever, your glass will always be half empty Browner eh?

Catchafire

Take it easy Gen, you are getting a little hysterical there brother. NZ is what it is. A small country, isolated, expensive, small population, weak regulation, third class politics, blah blah blah

Where is NZ headed? Down the drain? No. I could look at any western country these days and I am sure there will be similar disaffected people living there. There is a lot to complain about.

The New Zealand I live in is a great place. Not because I have rose tinted glasses on, we had our share of knocks. But this is where my wife and I have decided to build our life, we had our kids here.

Do I worry about my kids growing up here? No. Why, because it is up to me and my wife to ensure our kids grow up in the best environment we can create for them. We love NZ, not because we came over with a shed load of money, but because we started with literally nothing. But here we are and we are doing OK. I am proud my kids are Kiwi's, because it is them that will make a difference to this country.

ExKiwilass

Apart from the P bit sounds like nothing has changed We've always lost people to Oz, we've always had dole bludgers, nothing changes under the sun. Everything you wrote could have been written 20 years ago.

If it's any consolation, there are often similar threads in the Canada forum from people who aren't happy there. Grass is not greener etc. and who knows what tomorrow brings?

AH30

The world is a different place now than it was 3 years ago. The east is rising and the west (UK/Europe/USA) is declining. NZs future lies in taking advantage of this fact and also NZ does not have as far to fall as the UK/USA/Europe etc and I also think these countries may be a little complacent about their place in the world in the years to come and I think their living standards may decline below that of NZ in the coming decades. Just look at their unemployment rates, countries in europe going bankrupt, the decline of the pound to it's lowest in living memory. All these factors paint a very bleak future for these countries.

I'm in the oil industry. 5-10 years ago all the worlds oil mega projects went to UK/US/European engineering/construction companies. This doesn't happen anymore, if you look at all the mega projects in the middle east, they are designed and constructed by eastern countries such as India and Korea. That's hundreds of billions of dollars not going to the UK/US/European economies.

What's going to happen if the UK loses it's banks, and north sea oil declines. How is it going to maintain it's status as a high income country and how is it going to keep 60 million people happy?

These are all questions that need to be answered as I can already see it happening.

NZ must take advantage of new realities and being relatively close to these new emerging economies in the east.

Yesterday I listened to a speech by Obama on his UK visit. He said that the rise of the economies in the east did not imply a decline in American/British influence in the world. But how could it not?

alanmacc

Jeez looks like I hit a few raw nerves across the country there did i not??

My response was not to have a dig at any individual as stated on several occasions this is an open forum, I was merely expressing my dismay with the amount of people who live here and seem to dislike the place so much yet dont seem to make a concious decision to leave and before i get the barrage of complains and moans yes I fully understand the cost to move back to the UK, hence why i have not been back on holiday as it is too bloody expensive to get there.

I never once said that my research skills were better than anybody else's and I am well aware that regardless of the mount of research you do it still does not prepare you for the 'real life' a bit like having a baby really ..........

The whole "English" comment was made in jest to try and put some humour into the post and lighten it up a little rather than it coming across like "forum police" it was never intended to be a policing post, it was merely to give another point of view.

And as Jan mentioned, thank you Jan, we live really close to the Darfield fault line hand have felt almost every aftershock since September last year but still call this place home even with all its faults.

Sooo if i managed to offend some people sorry........... ok it was not a heartfelt apology .. get over it eh!!! hahaha

Try to take it easy on me or i will need to go into hiding in fear of revenge

Jan n Neil

And, as we know, there's rather a lot of those under Canterbury

Jan

Genesis

I did not mention dole bludgers. I said Moari were overly represented in unemployment. Totally different thing. We have not lost people to Oz like we do now..apparently. And nothing changes?? I thought progress and improvement were the order of the day? NZ has seen NO growth since the early 2000s in terms of fiscal well being. This issue is important to those who are cosidering NZ or Oz. I know which one I would go for if I had the choice. And before anyone says "piss off then" Kate and the children are all very happy and I have everything I need and want for nothing here in NZ. BUT if I was still in the Uk wondering which country to chose right now it would be the bigger on the left.

Browner_

Better half empty than totally empty.

If you come to forums, dont you expect to hear other peoples opinions?
If you come to a forum, surely to either want to give your opinion (or moan if you like) or you want to listen to someone elses opinion (or moan).

If you dont like that there aint much point being here mate is there.

Or do you like to come just to hear the happy clappy people say good things so it make you feel better about your own position?

Catchafire

On the face of it, Australia has a much stronger economy. It it a bed of roses there? I seriously doubt it.

All the social problems you have mentioned, exist there as well. P=ICE (huge problem), gap between Maori and Pakeha would seem hairline, compared to the vast chasm between aboriginals and white Australia. Road toll....about the same (http://www.caradvice.com.au/2852/roa...getting-worse/). Guess what? People top themselves there as well.

So all these issues you have raised are not unique to NZ.

And in the industry I work in, Australians come over here to work, go figure.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Genesis

But not as many come here as go there eh? It is not an issue of happiness because that is from within I beleive. This thread is about irksome issues that prevail here. Of course there are issues in Oz..about 80% of koalas have gone!!!!! There used to be millions..now maybe 100,000..and why..because man is wrecking their habitat..sounds like they have issues too eh? But who cares about koalas? Its about more money, a life in a faster lane, better opportunities et al..Oz will be the winner in those areas until hell freezes over..maybe a wee bit longer?

Catchafire

Ah, the crux of the matter.

I run two business here, my life feels at times like it is going a million miles a hour, I have created opportunities here just with my smarts and hard graft.

Genesis, do you mind if I ask what you do?

Bellasmum

I hear you Genesis. Are you OK ? Your posts suggest that you have been going through a tough time recently.

I have a lot of family, friends and work colleagues living in Aus and they paint a story that suggests to me that the Aus that I lived in for quite a few years is no more. My advice to you if you are thinking of going to Aus is to make sure you have a job before you leave.

My brother is a customs officer and he tells me that Kiwi's who are flocking to Aus without jobs are really struggling to find work and as they run out of money they are homeward bond.

Hope life gets brighter for you, all the best.