Perth VS New Zealand
 

Has anyone else migrated to Perth only to find things didn't work out as expected? We had 2 years there and things went from bad to worse, we have since moved onto New Zealand to find things have turned around for us fantastically.

Don't get me wrong, we liked Perth alot but financially it was a disaster. We had problems getting work and although we had visited before we migrated, we really did not cope with the heat day in and day out in the summer.

Perhaps our expectations were too high?

Wellington, on the other hand, makes us feel that we have at last reached a place we feel happy in. The kids have settled (we had problems in Perth with both children), we both secured jobs within days and it looks as though an offer on a house here is going to go without problems.

I am not running Perth down, had things gone better, perhaps we would still be there, hindsight is a wonderful thing!?

Re: Perth VS New Zealand
 

I must be going blind because no one has attacked your post?



:D :cool: :beer:

I'm waiting!

Re: Perth VS New Zealand
 

Why would they? New Zealand is a far nicer place to live.

Re: Perth VS New Zealand
 

Never seen your fair country but the point was the Pom refugees coming to Perth should have at lest had the odd woof.

:D :cool: :beer:

Re: Perth VS New Zealand
 

I have been to Nz a fair bit and I would say that it is a nicer place to live than Oz in many regards but only if you are one of the lucky ones who can make it work. Its economic future is bleak and that will have a big impact on the ability to enjoy life. Beautiful place - one of the greatest - but so are a lot of places with poor economic security and a bleak future.

Sad, but there it is.

Re: Perth VS New Zealand
 

You really have no idea do you Wilf?

"New Zealand was one of the fastest growing economies in the OECD last year, expanding by 4.4% in calendar 2002, initially on the back of net exports but latterly as a result of robust domestic demand growth.
Ongoing momentum in domestic spending should see growth in the year to March 2003 come in at 4.4%, which is expected to be the peak for economic growth."

Re: Perth VS New Zealand
 

You would like to say where NZ was in OECD rankings in 1980 and then where NZ is today? I have watched NZ tumble down the OECD economic rankings over the last twenty years until it is grouped now with such countries as Mexico.

From a recent speech by Michael Cullen, NZ finance minister:

"We need to set ourselves a goal of being back in the top half of the developed world in terms of per capita GDP – a position we have not occupied since 1970. "

In your enthusiasm, you have missed the point completely. Blips are good, and much needed, but sustained improvement is what NZ needs, and that is what it lacks. NZ's economic future is very bleak indeed and were it not for tradition, I do not think it would even be considered a true first world country for much longer.

Beautiful place, but economically - a bleak future.

No, the economic future in NZ is good. It has buffeted itself from the ravages of 09/11 et al & has stabilized growth levels while other countries have seen theirs plummet.

Educate yourself by visiting this site
http://www.treasury.govt.nz/

"New Zealand's economic performance improved significantly over the 1990s. From mid-1991 the economy grew strongly, with particularly strong output growth over 1993 and 1994.

The slowdown in key Asian trading partners during the latter part of 1997 and through 1998 took a toll on economic activity. Together with a drought that affected large parts of the country over the 1997/98 and 1998/99 summers, the "Asian crisis" caused the economy to contract over the first half of 1998.

Since then the economy has experienced broad-based growth, including two periods of above average growth. The first occurred in second half of 1999 as the economy came out of recession with annual average growth peaking at around 5%. The economy slowed markedly in the first half of 2000 as some of the factors supporting growth in the prior period unwound. However, the economy regained momentum, with a combination of two good agricultural seasons, relatively high world prices for New Zealand's export commodities, a competitive exchange rate and a robust labour market contributing to strong income flows throughout the economy."

Furthermore,

Net debt has fallen from 49% of GDP in 1992/93 to 14.5% in 2001/02

Net worth has increased to $18.3 billion in 2001/02 and is projected to reach $40.7 billion in 2006/07.

New Zealand achieved an operating balance surplus in 1993/94 and has remained in surplus since then.

Core Crown operating expenses have been reduced as a percentage of GDP from over 40% in 1992/93 to 31.1% in 2001/02. Expenses have been controlled with output budgeting, accrual reporting and decentralised cost management.

New Zealand experienced a substantial improvement in inflation performance during the 1990s relative to previous decades. Annual inflation as measured by the Consumers Price Index (CPI) remained below 2% from the December 1991 quarter through to the September 1994 quarter before rising to around 4.5% in mid-1995 as the economy experienced rapid growth. Inflation subsequently fell to -0.5% in the year to September 1999 and then rose again over 2001 as the currency depreciated and oil prices increased. Over the last two years inflation has averaged around 2.5%.

Annual CPI inflation was 2.7% for the year ended December 2002 and 0.7% for the December 2002 quarter. The underlying drivers of inflation appear to have switched in 2002 - with a stronger New Zealand dollar helping to ease the rate of tradable inflation pressure, while strong domestic growth has led to an increase in non-tradable inflation. In terms of components, the food, housing and household operation CPI groups made the most significant contributions to overall inflation during 2002.

Look son your figures are weak evidence when you read them. I have many friends and rellies in NZ and the real picture in NZ is more like this description:

Learn from Kiwi Experience
Distant observers often see us more clearly than we see ourselves. Heard much about the "miraculous" New Zealand economy lately? Freelance journo Murray Dobbin in Vancouver has recently slammed (National Post 15/8/00) the 15 year free market experiment by NZ's economic rationalists.

Calling it an unmitigated disaster resulting in immense suffering among ordinary Kiwis, Dobbin lists such horrors as the highest youth suicide rate in the developed world; the increasing need for food banks; the increase in violent crime; the bankruptcy of half the farms; and the diminishment of healthcare, education and other social services.

Sound familiar?

Not relying only on these social indicators of an unwell economy, Dobbin looks at the very measures or performance indicators that “ec-rats� would use to define economic success: demolishing the "debt wall," wooing foreign investment, increased domestic productivity, and spectacular new economic wealth, new jobs, and so on.

The balance sheet looks bleak; the experiment has failed.

The debt of 1984 was NZ$22 billion; after liquidating crown assets, it still doubled by 1994 to NZ$45 billion; today it is back to NZ$22 billion through an even greater sell off of state assets.

The disparity between the wealthy and have-nots increased, with the top 10% of income earners measurably increasing their share of total income and the lowest 10% losing 21.6% of their 1984 income. More than 50% of the total working population, says Dobbin, had lower real income in 1996 than in 1984.

Business News 31 August 2000


You have much to learn, but do learn it from afar. I hope for your sake you have not already invested in NZ, you sound desperate for your stories to be true.

So why is NZ known as "the land of the long white dole queue"? and why do so many leave for Oz for better prospects?

You do meet many a Kiwi in Australia , must say I do find them a far better class of people than your average Aussie .

:D :cool: :beer:

Bit I dont understand is why so many NZ's are in OZ??

And the saying "will the last one to leave (NZ) turn off the lights."

Beautiful tho, all of our UK visitors who got to NZ too fell in love with the scenery.

Allergic to money, and jobs other than cab driving and fruit picking? Fans of John Farnham? They have found out where Michael Barrymore wants to live?

Or, because NZ's economic and, even more so maybe, social future is bleak? A divided land (the Maoris - not like the downtrodden Aborigines but confident and getting more so) with a bleak future of high unemployment (especially for young people) and bored youth with drug problems.

I would not be investing my future in NZ, let us put it like that, and it is a bold person that would.