Genesis

I dearly love my new (well 3 year old) life in NZ, came here just gone 45 years and it has delivered to me and my young family EVERYTHING we expected and more besides. As they say we are well stoked!!! Or as in the good ol' east end of London, well 'appy me old china.

We no longer suffer any of the shite we did in the small, nay tiny part of the UK we dwelled in prior to jumping ship. To all intents and purposes we are utterly content.

HOWEVER..what DOES worry me is the way NZ is going. There is little faith in the present administration, the police, the welfare system, dare I say it even the NZ NHS is up for a slap (we have personally been very impressed with our local health board).

Gang problems are escalating and NO ONE seems to know how to pull off peace betwixt the many rival factions. The justice system is a joke here in NZ (no change from the UK) and all the other negative points of NZ sometimes weigh heavy on the mind when one looks to the future for our wonderful children.

Inspite of all the above NZ is our home and as said we are very, very content here. Would wish to be nowhere else at present. But it could all change. We will no doubt be seeing a new head boy or head girl the helm of NZ Limited very soon.

Will they steer the tiller of the good ship Kiwi into calmer waters or into a maelstrom of even more departures unto OZ?

Your thoughts??

southerner

I don't think anything is that different from 2 months ago, or 2 years ago even. Sure, there has been plenty of media reporting of certain crimes recently, but I don't think the gangs have suddenly got worse, or crime rates have gone up in general.

So my answer is "Nothing".

Genesis

I speak of the incident at the weekend where a gang attacked a house with apparently NO connection to any other gang. That has never happened in the past (apparently). The tit for tat attacks betwixt gangs appear to be escalating (if you chose to beleive the media) and the no smacking law has sent NZ into the abyss of 'PC world' and left Labours reputation in tatters (apparently).

The health system has suffered some awful publicity in the last 3 years as have the police..some REALLY bad stuff.

This is just my tiny view in the past 3 years, I do feel that NZ is on a slippery slope. I love it here and have no intentions of going. Everywhere has problems I am just highlighting some of them that have been in the fore of late.

Woodlea

I'm sure those back in the UK will say the same or worse about the NHS, crime, violence etc. Maybe Genesis it's because we're getting older!! Personally my biggest concern is the Oil price and why don't they do something about Mugabe. The useless UN has condemned him, whoop-de-do, that'll scare him. I think the Yanks should send in a crack suicide squad, no not like the one in Life of Brian!

Genesis

You are right I am getting old, thus becoming an even bigger moaning git and we have it soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cushy here in NZ compared to other parts of the world, can you imagine living unders Mugabe's rule?? Re oil prices, I am not a rich man by any means but I would be happy to have the oil price hikes if all the gang members became peace loving charity volunteers..but that ain't going to happen...neither is cheap oil!!!!!!

Just trying to put some honest perspective on the stuff in NZ that isn't right and appears to be getting worse..just wanted a chat about how others felt.

Love it here and would never ever dissuade anyone from coming to live here.

I love NZ dearly, far more so than I ever felt affection for Blighty..not knocking there either as a whole country..wonderful place UK...just a bit too overcrowded for me!!!

Yummy_Mummy

Ahhhh nice thread Genesis

I think its good to see people's opinion on this subject, as i must admit that the Gangs do concern me a little. (hubby just shouted ALOT!)

The crime, Government problems, Health Care problems and the lack of justice occur in many places in the world, so thats not too exclusive to NZ! lol

It is not going to put me off going to NZ as the way i see it is that if you stay away from it, generally you never get to see it... Unless it turns up on your doorstep!

I am sure that the positive points outweigh the negative ones.

Also maybe NZ needs a Government who will crack down on all these happenings and install a better judicial system to deal with these criminals.

nomads

My opinion for what its worth is that as we get older and we have taken a leap to another country that sometimes the same problems from our country of birth rear their ugly head and we wonder what we have done jumping ship. I sometimes feel that the years are slipping by so quickly that soon it will be too late for me to jump ship again to another country. We sometimes see problems that aren't there in case they suddenly appear (does that make sense!!!) Sorry not good at expressing words!!! I don't see us ever going back to Blighty, but never say never about staying here either. For now, we are content to be here and the wife has even talked about retiring to sunny Spain - but then she may change her mind again at some point. Maybe if these things are worrying you Genesis it is time to move within New Zealand to a less (how can I put this tactfully!!!) violet part of New Zealand. Have you considered moving South or is that not a possibility with jobs etc. I am not saying that South is not violent at all just maybe a slower pace of life and not so rushed etc. Hope that helps somewhat.

luvwelly

Now we are more settled, maybe we are all just reading the local press too much - I am a firm believer that 'ignorance is bliss' where crime is concerned...coupled with sensible precautions though........oh and don't come unless you can be sure of being able to afford to live in a reasonable area. Wages are very low here so there is a lot of 'hidden' social deprivation among the 'detached' wooden sheds.

In my local cafe...the shock horror talk is always about another finance company having gone bust...there doesn't seem to be any Investor protection here so that's another one to add to the worry list too...don't put all your house sale proceeds in one NZ basket while waiting to buy here and definitely don't buy savings products from Finance Companies...at least 12 have gone bust in the year I've been here.

It's been said before...NZ is not paradise by a long chalk...it has the highest rates of lots of stuff per head of population for OECD countries for things you wouldn't expect such as child abuse, murder, asthma, damp houses......I could go on....ask yourselves why exactly do you want to come all this way? You are pretty stuck once you get here as well....everywhere is so far away.
Maybe the milder weather is worth coming for but not if you won't be able to make your house warm and dry internally. Weigh up the pros and cons..including how will you feel when your kids go on their OE back to Europe?

A Kiwi told me recently they wouldn't be happy to live here if they didn't have the financial means to go elsewhere if they so desired.....have you ever heard a Brit say that about the UK? No probably because it is so much easier to escape on just a holiday.
Alternatively, stop reading the doom and gloom press and be happier!

Genesis

Hi, I think you have misinterpreted my remarks. I am very content here in Palmy and very few if any of the problems I commented on touch my life in Palmy. I am very, very content here and have no desire to move anywhere, NZ has many of the problems the UK has, I moved here because I love the country, I can relate to it and its people...well more than I could in the Uk.

We have lives 10 X better than we had in the UK, we have endless space, mountain views, for me the house of my dreams in a kind of neighbourhood I could never afford to live in UK side. We work 33% less than we did in the UK and have way more disposable income inspite of earning a joint salary of around $80k...so not really high rollers. In the UK I earned alone the equivalent of $87500k (at a rate of 2.5) and we did not have such disposable income.

My negative comments re NZ were about the country as a whole..not any particular part of it.

howden40

DRUGS. DRUGS AND MORE DRUGS

When we first arrived in Jan 08 it really felt as though their was a murder every day for awhile mainly in Auckland or Rotorua area, then it settled down. I don't think murders/crime is on the increase it's just advertised more. Unfortunately no matter where you live you will have a certain amount of crime, but hopefully it will not be on your doorstep.

I feel a contributing factor is the way we raise our kids (or don't in some families), kids expect to be given what they want, being parents we try to meet expectations and when you can't the kids become disappointed, personally even if I could afford what the kids wanted I still wouldn't buy it.

Main contributing factor in my opinion is 'Drugs', a lot of crime is to pay for drugs, you rarely heard of them when I was a kid - the 'little weed' was all you really heard about. Personally I have always been of the opinion that once you take a drug you have to experience the effect wether it be good or bad but with alcohol you can stop when feeling you've had enough (even though some of us don't).

Just my pennies worth
Pauline

brussels_sprout

One good thing about Mugabe's Zimbabwe :- i could be a millionaire there

Browner_

Great post , totally agree with ALL of that

southerner

I think your inclusion of murder was a typo - but would be interested (and astounded) if you can show otherwise. Maybe I'm being picky but its a serious point, there are people thinking about moving to NZ and that little bit of info could be incredibly important to those who don't have access to other sources.

Like do they want to move to the murder capital of the world?

Browner_

I think you are right about drugs, and this article today would appear to reinforce it.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4597018a10.html

Browner_

The statement related to OECD countries only, and apart from USAand Mexico NZ may well have the highest murder rate.