Genesis

Gave me a 'new' life
Gave me one I could not have in the UK
Gave me stuff I could NEVER have had in the UK
Gave me empty beaches
Gave my kids so much more than I reckon they would have got in the Uk
Gave me no waiting when I go for hospital visits
Gave me a far better quality of life in most repects
Gave me adventure and a refreshing genesis..hence my BE name!!
Gave Kate the career she always wanted but could not get in the UK
Gave me the chance to be a 'kitchen bitch' or stopathomedad as they are in the UK
Gave me LOADS and LOADS to moan about!!!!!
Gave me views of mountains from my back garden which is native bush

Justcol

The chance to work for myself
I'm just an ordinary working class bloke but I now have this as my back garden. I'm very lucky

Batty

Made me braver. e.g I was a passenger in a 'burn out' car at speedway a couple of weeks ago If you only knew how much a scaredy cat I am you would know how big a deal this is.

Gave me room to develop my creative side

To be honest I don't care if it ever does anything else for me - those two things are immeasurable to me.

Bo-Jangles

Gave me noxious weeds
Gave me more bills to pay
Gave me a vicious and vindictive boss
Gave me more work
Gave me grey hair
Gave me a credit card and an overdraft
Gave me a stray cat

Genesis

We got a stray cat too.
I too had a shite boss
Have lots of white hair..that would've happened anywhere
Got me the biggest single fiscal loss I will ever make in my life..or so far anyway

crap coffee

being a single girl forever.

lost my big (upper) chewing tooth by wrong dental treatment in my early 20's here.

wrong choice for my uni study and & career - it would have been different if we didn't live in Welly or NZ.

also gave me a fab career at the same time but who cares. I didn't like my Kiwi boss. He is so MEAN - my soul hurts.

lost contacts with my extended families & school (real) friends - I've been always lonely since then.

high power bills.

barnsleymat

It gave me a reason to get fit

Beer n Food is so pricey I decided to eat, drink n smoke less and exercise more, I now eat very healthy as we cook most our food and I run 5.5 miles a day. Lost a stone since starting in Xmas day. Well inside the BMI thingy now and my asthma has nearly gone.

Justcol

and it started out as quite a cheery thread

Bo-Jangles

Gave me a Onecard and Flybuys.
Gave me a reason to avoid the shops (so not worth the effort)

Stormer999

theghostofdustybin

More freedom
more money
bigger house
nicer car
split screen kombi
daft dog
and a underlying knowledge of earthquakes which i never knew I needed.

shirl

Gave me

Courage and Strength in the face of Adversity (earthquakes)

Not to take my old friends for granted when kiwi ones are so hard to make

How to be frugal with power in winter and how to rug up

Never moan about family again when you don't get to see or hug them for years on end

It also taught me that although we have a lovely new huge home far better than what we could get in the UK that this does not make me happy, I would rather be in a shoe box and wake with a smile on my face!

Also it has made me appreciate History and what we have back home and walking a land where our ancestors roamed, defo going to join the National Trust when I go back and really appreciate what is there. Never really gave it a second thought until we came here.

Gave me a boss with Parkinsons Disease who blamed all his mistakes on me through his decision to keep working when clearly he should have retired due to ill health. (I might add that I only found that out after I had accepted the job!) Then I got alienated by other staff who had far more compassion for the boss than I did as he had been there since time immemorial.

Taught me about Nor Westers and how hot they are and make me tetchy. Never even considered from which direction the winds came in the UK lol!!!

Taught me to have patience with the internet connection.

Made me realise I don't have to paint rooms on a whim just because I was fed up of the colour scheme and could pop down B&Q and buy a cheap tin of paint. I have been here 4 years and still the same colours on the walls!

Taught me that to have wide fitting comfy shoes or boots I would have to spend a small fortune ($200/300). Wish I had slim feet !!

I am trying to think of positive ones, hang on......

Taught me how to be a good cook and make stuff from scratch

Taught me how to be a good veggies grower and look forward to harvesting my wares and something I hope to do again back in the UK.

Taught me how to buy clothes that are classical and will last years rather than buy stuff just because I wanted it or it was in fashion.

NZ also gave me a chance to reconnect with my sister who has been here over 40 years and who will go back to her old life and friends once I have gone back home, but I thank God I got to spend at least 5 years of my adult life getting to know her again.

Hanmer Springs and Queenstown and Wanaka are places I love in NZ.

Driving to Nelson via the Kaikoura Road and the lovely scenery

Value who and what is back home as life can end in a heartbeat through nature or anything else and when you are so far away it can be heartbreaking.

Assanah

NZ gave me a new appreciation for Germany
....taught me what boredom is
....taught me how important friends and family are
....made me start tennis and kite surfing
....allowed me to visit Australia
....taught me what it means to work under bad managers
....showed me that I have no tolerance for slow people that stand in the way (not on the roads and not in PaknSave)
....taught me that I like to work in an efficient manner and that I have no tolerance for laid-back I-give-a-f***-attitudes
....showed me how great it is to live close to the oceans with beautiful beaches
....taught me to appreciate nature and decent weather
....taught me how to live on a shitty salary
....taught me that changing your surroundings won't make you happy

Genesis

Hmm, I agree with some of what you got. Strangely for me on the last one coming to NZ did give me a general feeling of contentment that I never had in the UK in 45 years. I am one of those fickle, shallow individuals that ARE very much moved and affected by my surroundings. In the UK my surrounds were shite (although I lived in a great, old house) the area was dire.

In NZ I live in a newish equally lovely home but in an awesome wonderful (IMO) neighbourhood, end result is contentment. Well more than I had in the UK.

Bo-Jangles

... let me relive my childhood of the 1970s, being cold in bed and having a hot water bottle and an electric blanket.