Hi
We are pretty sure NZ is for us. We plan to come on / apply for a long term business visa first, so I can set up a company in NZ (got to pay taxes somewhere) and then go for residency at the end of 3 years.

Background: we are lucky to have some worthwhile money behind us and I have done more than OK in the (web based) business field before. We have had enough of the bureaucracy and petty mindedness of where we are right now (Portugal); I have given up trying to start a second business here because of the "No" attitude and really can say the country is great for a holiday but to live? Don't do it! Being required to apply for permits that do not exist and extreme interpretations by very sorry beaurocrats of the law have driven us to say "bye!".

I have some Internet buddies in NZ but want to get more of an open opinion on certain things, especially from fellow-Brits (though, I do not feel British as I have worked / lived overseas for many years). My wife is Asian and we have two young children. We live in a huge house right now with a lot of grounds and are looking to downscale to suburbia so we can see and hopefully make friends with our neighbours. We are currently isolated in that we live in a non-expat area and most Portuguese base their social lives on their families; nothing wrong with that but they do not realy socialize outside that so much. We also have experienced nasty racism here; I think mostly because of jealousy.

Ideally we are looking for suburbia, house property lots 1500 to 2000 sq m, plenty of neighbours, safety, streets our kids can play on, house price between 600,000 and 1,000,000. Near (not on) the beach is good (yes, I fear tsunamis having lived through one), walking distance to some facilities good, bike or long walk and taxi back distance to some good eateries good, not too far from a city (sorry, I feel the more rural an area the more primitive some of the people can be, plus we like resources) or major town. We would take the risk and buy a house soon after arriving even though we were on a 3 year visa; push comes to shove, we have to leave, we turn the keys over to an estate agent to sell with vacant possession.

So my questions are;

1) First, any negative issues about doing business in NZ, particularly relating to the authorities?

2) Which area? We like the look of Beachlands, Auckland so far. Though there is no train link to the city :-(. We are open but do not like cold winters. Also keen to avoid earthquakes as I used to live in LA and got caught badly in one once (visiting an office right at the top of a sky scrapper - never again); techtonics and I do not get on so well. Open to anywhere / any suggestions.

3) Any race issues? I do not want any more thanks.

4) Is the NZ residency good for Australia, in case we decided to move (no reason right now to suppose we would but I have a brother in Sydney)?

5) Any talk of tax rate hikes like are expected in the UK (another good reason for not living there)?

6) Are there low cost phone options for International / what is the broadband like?

7) Health care; I have not checked. I expect to be asked to take out private health care and can not blame the authorities for that. What is the deal regarding this and also the NZ NHS for us does anyone know?

8) Schools. I presume our childen will be welcome at state schools? Is there a process / cost for people on work visas?

9) Crime rates!!! I saw a report that NZ has a high crime rate, but my friends argue this. I understand about figures being misleading because, for example, you can not make a police report about a crime (you either need to be suffeing a crime or complaining about one) and everyone in authority here threatens you with a criminal libel suit if you file a criminal complaint against them (did not stop me), so the crime rates for Portugal are utter nonsense as they do not get reported. But what about crime in NZ, really, honestly?

10) Friendliness / making friends. How friendly is NZ and how easy is it to make friends. Having lived in a few countries my wife and I never had a problem before, but where we are right now people are friendly but do not easily become friends.

11) The law / human rights / freedom of speach. Anything fundementally different to the UK?

Any help appreciated.
Cheers
Jurg

Thanks

1) I am not talking about a TradeMe NZ specific site; I never said that. My existing web business is worldwide. Your presumptions I do not know my business or do my research are ill-founded. I do have a NZ market web business in the back of my mind for maybe down the road, but that is just a muse. Actually, a large number of my customers are in NZ from my existing e-site, but it does not matter where I am located really, to an extent. It is more a matter of where I chose to pay taxes (company and income). I would not pay it where I am now as they get in the way of business; hence the question; I do not want to go somewhere and pay taxes where the officials then use that money to afflict me earning money; you know "Computer, it says No" mentality. BTW I consider TradeMe a sitting target for someone (maybe even me) as I consider their charges very high. I believe it was started by a Kiwi who sold out for mega $ to an Aussie, who now needs to charge high $ fees to pay off the loan. So I would not be so dismissive of anyone looking to set up in competition to them. Happy TradeMe nuked eBay in NZ but I do not think they are that secure.

2) I was not talking about the entry qualifications for a 3 year business visa; I know about these and they are not an issue. What I was asking regarding doing business was in respect of bureaucracy; do officials make it their policy to say "no" automatically and get in the way or actually follow the middle road and interpret the law like professionals?

Thanks to all. Some of your input has put me off, but not enough. Maybe I should look at Aussie though I am not keen on what they do in the world for sure. I like the NZ Government's attitude of stay at home and mind your own business; don't do dirty business on other people's door mat.

I would now certainly buy somewhere at least 20 meters above sea level and built on rock not shale. Having endured a nasty quake in a tall building and the Phuket tsunami, I do not want to put myself and my family in that kind of harm's way again.

I am really surprised about NZ's high crime rate, truly; very sad.

Shame about Beachlands, it looked real nice. I see the train system around Auckland is not that developed, but maybe I should look around a 15 minute walk away from the stations; any pointers for a nice area (again we are after circa $800,000 property, 1500 sqm, safe streets, community spirit)?

You all say about making friends is up to me / us, which of course is true, but in terms of generally friendliness where are the Kiwis in relation to Brits, Americans and Aussies? Do you say "Good morning" to strangers, ever? Do you know all of your immediate neighbours? Do you have BBQ's where most of the people are from your street? Can you go to your neighbours and them to you in times of trouble? Would you leave your kids with the family next door readily and visa versa?

Thanks :-)

Re: Some questions about NZ
 

Hi & welcome :)

You certainly have lots of questions, sorry I cant really be of much help.
I am still in the UK and married to a Kiwi, have been to NZ a few times so can honestly say the friendliness was fantastic, there thats one question!

There has been threads on here about what research people have done & some book recommendations (sorry cannot do the link). If you sift through the threads on here you will probably find answers to most of your questions.

Welcome again
Dewb

Re: Some questions about NZ
 

Answers above....

Re: Some questions about NZ
 

Ok thats a lot of information you are asking for!! :rofl:

Have you been out to NZ, a trip out here may allow you to see for yourself and how you feel about Auckland etc before making what is a big commitment. Getting your own real feel for NZ as a country would make a big difference to you.

Both Welly and Auckland are fairly cosmopolitan, depending where you live of course and there is Christchurch to consider in the South if you are looking at city living.

Broadband in NZ is not quite up to speed with the rest of the world yet, but they are working on it...slowly!!

NZ has its problems, it is a small island nation at the end of the world, you need to understand how remote you will be from friends/family back in Europe. It is a poor country in places too, and yes there are gang problems in some areas, as well as usual issues with grafitti and boy racers.

The locals are generally friendly, you need to get out there and be positive about being here, I found if you show that you love it here and are genuine about being in NZ then you will get a good response, dissing the country and saying how bad it is will not be a good plan ;)

Some things can be seen as being a bit behind the times or uniquely NZ, you will find shopping choice is much more limited on most things than in Europe and remember the nearest country (Aussie) is more than 3 hours away. The outdoor life here is very much a normal, most of my colleagues seem to be off ski-ing and snowboarding at the moment and same happens with tramping/hiking and sailing and stuff during summer months.

And the coffee (especially in Welly) is fabulous :rofl:

Good luck with it all, it is a fab place to live but you need to work out if it is the right place for you.

Re: Some questions about NZ
 

1) First, any negative issues about doing business in NZ, particularly relating to the authorities? - NZ actively welcome inward investment. Depending on the amount you can invest this will assist your visas and permits.

2) Which area? We like the look of Beachlands, Auckland so far. Though there is no train link to the city :-(. We are open but do not like cold winters. Also keen to avoid earthquakes as I used to live in LA and got caught badly in one once (visiting an office right at the top of a sky scrapper - never again); tectonics and I do not get on so well. Open to anywhere / any suggestions.
As has been said, if you don't do tectonics NZ is not really the palce to be! Most places can / do have earthquakes and /or are subject to volcanic activity. Anywhere on the coast will be subject to local and remote tsunami risk. You can check the government and local council web sites for risk assessments, and maps of the risks. Basically (and I'm no expert) an earthquake in the region diagonally from Hawkes Bay, through Wellington to Fiordland is about 10-50 times more likely than volcanic activity in Auckland or earthquakes in ChCh

3) Any race issues? I do not want any more thanks.
This is NOT utopia. I don't know of anywhere in the world where there are no race problems. There are issues here with indigenous people feeling disenfranchised and under-privileged. Equally they and Pacific island immigrants do form a large percentage of the lower socio-economic groups and this causes friction and issues

4) Is the NZ residency good for Australia, in case we decided to move (no reason right now to suppose we would but I have a brother in Sydney)?
Getting a visa or residents permit for New Zealand does not grant you any privileges for living or working in Australia, not even for visiting. As a lot of people were using New Zealand as a three year springboard into Australia to avoid stricter immigration rules, the length of time required to get citizenship is 5 years after permanent residency starts. In practical terms you should reckon on being here at least 6 years before gaining NZ citizenship which then allows you currently to live and work in Australia with no restrictions (though I don’t know what the rules are regarding pensions etc.)

5) Any talk of tax rate hikes like are expected in the UK (another good reason for not living there)? New Zealand did not get caught as badly in the credit crunch as the UK or US, partly due to the Australian Banks that operate here, so they will not have the level of national debt going forward that the UK/US governments have (they are talking of paying it off in not years but generations! – yikes) therefore NZ taxes should not be as badly impacted longer term, however as a smaller nation the fluctuations in currency, and trade will impact more strongly so no-one can forecast what future government requirements and therefore taxes might be. For above average earners taxes roughly equate but you would have to get tax advice for small businesses for a better view

6) Are there low cost phone options for International / what is the broadband like? Broadband and telcom charges here are high by international comparison. There is little or no ‘all you can eat’ broadband, and speeds are restricted to ADSL 2+ with no plans for VDSL or better currently. Telecom call charges are higher internationally but local calls are generally free

7) Health care; I have not checked. I expect to be asked to take out private health care and can not blame the authorities for that. What is the deal regarding this and also the NZ NHS for us does anyone know? Health care is charged at a subsidised rate for example a visit to the doctors is about $20-30. Accident care is covered by a national insurance , ACC. Emergency and non elective treatment is also free (Edit: Elective treatment is also free but can have long waiting lists). Health insurance cover is available and is pretty reasonable compared with the UK. Access to specialist care outside the major three cities is more limited as you would expect.

8) Schools. I presume our children will be welcome at state schools? Is there a process / cost for people on work visas? Children can attend state, or private schools or something in between (I think these are called integrated). You are expected to pay ‘donations’ each year for even state schools and these can be many hundreds or thousands of dollars. Schools are listed by a decile rating which is determiend by the average wages of the aprents of the pupils at the school / in the area. The higher the decile the richer the parents, the less funding it gets the more you have to 'donate'. It would be niave to ignore the indirect link between decile of the school, the expectations of the students and parents and the eventual educational results. Private schools charge accordingly. If you have a work visa for under two years the fees for state schools will be higher

9) Crime rates!!! I saw a report that NZ has a high crime rate, but my friends argue this. I understand about figures being misleading because, for example, you can not make a police report about a crime (you either need to be suffeing a crime or complaining about one) and everyone in authority here threatens you with a criminal libel suit if you file a criminal complaint against them (did not stop me), so the crime rates for Portugal are utter nonsense as they do not get reported. But what about crime in NZ, really, honestly?
Crime rates here are comparable with the UK but tends to be more localised. There are gang issues in some locations. In rural locations crime rates are lower. Although the rates are about the same the feeling here is of lower crime

10) Friendliness / making friends. How friendly is NZ and how easy is it to make friends. Having lived in a few countries my wife and I never had a problem before, but where we are right now people are friendly but do not easily become friends. Depends on you. This is a topic in it’s own right. Some have found loads of good friends here, others just the opposite

11) The law / human rights / freedom of speech. Anything fundamentally different to the UK? Pretty much same as the UK. Rights of the Maori need to be taken into consideration. Legal issues with their roots in the early years of colonisation are still being worked through. Of course NZ is more neutral than the UK and more remote so the threat of terrorism is very low. Kiwi media tends to be a lot more direct not to say blunt in their approach. However there is a bit of a ‘tall poppy’ syndrome here, and Kiwi’s are quite self effacing. As a visitor and guest it would be wise not to criticise or take the NZ lack of arrogance as a sign they don’t care about ‘Gods Own country’

Re: Some questions about NZ
 

[QUOTE=Cuirassier;7847810]Hi
1) First, any negative issues about doing business in NZ, particularly relating to the authorities?
I think NZ is probably one of the best countries in the world for entrepreneurs and it always rates near the top in various surveys in this regards. However it's a small market too so the scope for making money is limited. The difference between NZ and European bureaucracy would be stunning

2) Which area? We like the look of Beachlands, Auckland so far. Though there is no train link to the city :-(. We are open but do not like cold winters. Also keen to avoid earthquakes as I used to live in LA and got caught badly in one once (visiting an office right at the top of a sky scrapper - never again); techtonics and I do not get on so well. Open to anywhere / any suggestions.
Auckland isn't an earthquake prone area, although the whole country is full of volcanoes and has frequent earthquakes but it doesn't seem as active as California or Japan. Beachlands would be an expensive taxi-ride from most eating areas. I don't think Tsunamis are a big risk for Auckland either

3) Any race issues? I do not want any more thanks.
Genuinely race issues I don't think so. Certainly less racism than in most of Europe

4) Is the NZ residency good for Australia, in case we decided to move (no reason right now to suppose we would but I have a brother in Sydney)?
You will need a NZ passport first, and then it only gives you limited residency in Australia - NZ passport holders aren't entitled to Australian PR anymore.


5) Any talk of tax rate hikes like are expected in the UK (another good reason for not living there)?

6) Are there low cost phone options for International / what is the broadband like?
Skype. Broadband is totally usable by the majority of people, only extreme users would find it limiting

7) Health care; I have not checked. I expect to be asked to take out private health care and can not blame the authorities for that. What is the deal regarding this and also the NZ NHS for us does anyone know?
Pass

8) Schools. I presume our childen will be welcome at state schools? Is there a process / cost for people on work visas?
Pass

9) Crime rates!!! I saw a report that NZ has a high crime rate, but my friends argue this. I understand about figures being misleading because, for example, you can not make a police report about a crime (you either need to be suffeing a crime or complaining about one) and everyone in authority here threatens you with a criminal libel suit if you file a criminal complaint against them (did not stop me), so the crime rates for Portugal are utter nonsense as they do not get reported. But what about crime in NZ, really, honestly?
Statistically a bit higher than the UK, but also I think more localised. I think the average person living in the average suburb comes into contact with crime less than most people in Britain.

10) Friendliness / making friends. How friendly is NZ and how easy is it to make friends. Having lived in a few countries my wife and I never had a problem before, but where we are right now people are friendly but do not easily become friends.
Depends on you and the people you meet really

11) The law / human rights / freedom of speach. Anything fundementally different to the UK?
Not really, heavily based on English law with a bit thrown in because of the Treaty etc. Probably more freedom of speech than many countries. Less politically correct too.

Re: Some questions about NZ
 

[QUOTE=sr71;7849536]umm sorry to disagree but

How likely is it that a damaging tsunami will hit Auckland?
There is about a 50% chance within the next 50 years that Auckland will be hit by a
tsunami originating from a large earthquake off the west coast of South America (see
diagram). Wave heights of up to 4 metres could occur in the outer Hauraki Gulf. This
represents the most likely damaging tsunami for Auckland

In Auckland, earthquake shaking capable
of causing liquefaction damage has a return period of more than 500 years, or a
10% chance of occurring in the next 50 years.
http://www.arc.govt.nz/albany/fms/ma...%20Hazards.pdf

http://www.arc.govt.nz/albany/fms/ma...i%20Hazard.pdf :ohmy:

Re: Some questions about NZ
 

Would you be thinking of offering services or goods for sale via the internet? Just make sure you do plenty of research, because internet shopping and services are so far out of touch here, not for the want of some trying in some quarters. Trademe has pretty much NZ sewn up and there is huge reluctance among the populace to trust anything else.

A rather large venture; 'Ferritt' which was a reasonable attempt at an online shopping mall, had something like 80 major retailers on board and some serious investment poured in from Telecom over a fairly long period, heavily advertised on TV etc. It went nowhere and they pulled the plug eventually.

The Warehouse (arguably NZs largest retailer) has only just recently put a toe in the water and started to sell selected goods, such as DVDs CDs and books online.

There's one Insurance company that has been heavily advertising as being the first in NZ (oh sorry The World) to offer on-line life insurance policies, you know save money cut out the middle man, we keep your premiums down etc. They've recently changed their advertising to say 'we realise not all of you have access to the internet, therefore we will now sell our policies over the phone'. :rofl:

New Zealand just doesn't seem to get it, if it's on Trademe that's good enough, why do we need anything else?

Re: Some questions about NZ
 

If it's any consolation Australia is just as bad, perhaps worse in some cases. 20 million + people and no decent online stores.

Re: Some questions about NZ
 

Thanks for your input on that Bo. Thats a bummer for me as I am the Ebay Queen. If I need something...I shop online.
I will have to adjust to how life used to be:ohmy:

Re: Some questions about NZ
 

In which case have a look at trademe, it probably does most of what you want.

Re: Some questions about NZ
 

Or go onto Briscoes website and download a copy of their "mailer", whadda ya mean you want to ACTUALLY buy stuff online?? :rofl:

Re: Some questions about NZ
 

I wouldn't get too tied up about trains. Auckland has a very good bus system and using this will open up more options for where you live. But also, you need a car to enjoy living in Auckland - or anywhere in NZ for that matter. Have a look at maxx.co.nz for typical journey times

Re: Some questions about NZ
 

I would now certainly buy somewhere at least 20 meters above sea level and built on rock not shale. Having endured a nasty quake in a tall building and the Phuket tsunami, I do not want to put myself and my family in that kind of harm's way again.


Thanks :-)[/QUOTE]

Hi,

Ill tell you what, if you manage to find that within 15mins walk to a railway station you would be the luckiest man in NZ, just ask all the rich men whose houses are falling down cliffs

Re: Some questions about NZ
 

[QUOTE=Cuirassier;7853984]Thanks

1) I am not talking about a TradeMe NZ specific site; I never said that. My existing web business is worldwide. Your presumptions I do not know my business or do my research are ill-founded.


Sorry for butting in here, just read through all the threads and felt insulted for those who had replied to all your questions by your above comment! :huh: It comes across as quite argumentative and i'm not sure anyone had made any presumptions about your business? I'll climb back into my box now.......:o