tom1000

Hi I came accross this forum while looking at articles on the recent quake and wondered what it is that keeps all you expats living over there? We had considered a move a few years ago but after reading about the cost of living and substandard housing as well as the earthquake issue we thought it was not somewhere we would be happy. It seemed like such a long way to go from friends and family to find things such a struggle.
Anyway just wondered what was the pull to NZ and did it turn out as you hoped?

BEVS

Oh really. Wonderful timing if I might say so.

If you are not planning on coming over then why the question.

What's the pull of where you live now mate ?

MrsFychan

husband got job offer.

been here since Jan 2012 for me and the kids and after this weekends Mother Natures disco might not be for much longer

Snap Shot

It was a man.......i.e. my husband.

At the end of August we will have been in NZ for two and a half years.

Today's earthquakes brought back panicky memories of Christchurch March 2011.

My husband has relatives in Auckland, so that's a sort-of reason to stay for a bit longer. His 78 year old mother is going blind and recently had her driving license rescinded due to poor eyesight. His sister is married with 3 kids and also lives in Auckland. He would like to see his nieces and nephews more often i.e. two or three times a year, not once every five years.

Also, nothing is going to happen overnight (except more tremors). We haven't finished decorating our house. We would like the local property market to catch up with us.

Some people (who have never emigrated) think you can return from an emigration just like you're returning from holiday.

M_and_M

Hahah well said

tom1000

Sorry did'nt mean to ruffle feathers. I was just ineterested to know how things are over there. My wife and I still discuss making a move after we spent 4 weeks there a few years back. This was obviously just a holiday and know that working and living somewhere are 2 different things.

People say make sure you do your research before you go and my research involves asking people who already live there, why they live there. Sorry if people find that offensive.

cappuccino

Yes it's good to do research Tom, but today of all days "why do we stay here" is a question a lot of us are asking ourselves. This has been a very unsettling few days with all the earthquakes many of us have been experiencing.

If you have specific questions, use the serch feature at the top.

Snap Shot

It doesn't take much to make an ex-pat, 'come over all emotional'. I should know !

Especially now. I'm sorry but you might as well ask a survivor of a serious car crash what is was like because you've never been in a serious car crash.

Persephone

Hello Tom
Welcome to BE

Research as much as possible is the best advice when it comes to emigrating.
It was not your question as such that was offensive, more the timing. Earthquakes are frightening, worrying and unpredictable. I'm sure all of us have what happened in Christchurch at the back of our minds when big ones occur. You never know whether there'll be more and when they'll come, it's an extremely stressful time.

Please ask any questions you want, we are a friendly lot But please just bear the above in mind.

Catchafire

My "sub standard" 1960's house did not even bink in the face of 6.5 earthquake, I live in Renwick, which is uncomfortably close to the epicenter.

So what keeps me living here? Well I could bang on about the amazing outdoor life style we have, the absolutely different and rewarding working life we have here compared to being a IT corporate whore back in the UK, or the fact we are raising two young children here and see it as the best place to do so.

But in the end, you are still in the UK and I am over here. I am living my dream, you are still dreaming yours.

kiwigeordie

Hi Tom. I'm a long timer having emigrated to NZ 27 years ago. I can only comment on life in NZ by making comparisons based on trips back to the UK since being here - the last one 7 years ago.

On that trip I found the UK a depressing place - generally speaking - with most of its manufacturing gone. It seemed as though it had turned into a huge warehouse for overseas goods being moved by foreign trucks and a seemingly endless vista of fast-food outlets. The evidence of which were the discarded cartons lying about the streets.

I come from a mining village which had the guts ripped out of it by pit closure (thanks Maggie). Talking to one local ex-miner in his late 50's, he said the only job he could get was delivering pizzas.

There was a high level of security everwhere which didn't inspire a feeling of relaxation and every second person we spoke to seemed to be East European.

On arriving back in NZ (we still use our UK passports with permanent residence visas) the Immigration officer in the airport said, "Welcome home." We breathed a sigh of relief.

Earthquakes? Sure, we're not called the 'Shaky Isles' for nothing but, Christchurch apart, most shakers cause little damage and are over in seconds. Many people don't even feel the aftershocks which are so loudly trumpeted by the media.

Life here is not idyllic but you have to weigh-up what you want out of life. For our part, NZ has given us opportunities we could not have had in the UK.

If you have relatives you simply can't be without, that's one factor for staying. If you're not someone who is prepared to take a chance - that's another. After all, NZ was originally settled by people who took great risks in getting here and put up with severe hardship when they arrived in order to make a better life for themselves. Compare that with the modern immigrant who is never more than 24 hours from his/her origins.

Pete

Stormer999

Tom,
We have been in Chch now approx 1.1/2 years. We came after a lot of investigation and leaving very few relatives back in the UK. We wanted to live a different lifestyle of open air, less peeps, less traffic and in a country that controls it's own destiny and if a serious crisis ever came about has the resources to feed its own people.
I sit here putting this to "paper" 11.15 in the morning in the depths of winter. The doors and windows are all open and the sun is streaming in. The washing is drying out on the line and the cat is basking on the deck. The outside shade air temp is 10C but it is the sun strength that matters. (equivalent to Northern Spain). I have learned to not leave the house without sun glasses everyday and now remember that making eye contact with passing strangers is acceptable and wishing them "Gidday" is expected.
A good friend on NI told me a long time ago...." If you come to NZ and can make your own entertainment you will be OK. If you want to be entertained then stay where you are".
We spent all day yesterday trying to find a shop that sells wallpaper with no luck! Thats NZ.
I'm for staying here thank you....

Tom1983

I've now been in my current job here down under for 21 months, this is the longest job i've had during my 6 year career so far
Back home, the longest was 18 months, soon after it was redundancy after redundancy. I had enough of being made redundant in the IT sector and wanted somewhere there was less chance. This opportunity has been perfect

Yes i've complained about a number of things in this country, so what I'm a Brit! It's something we're experts in. I don't like this deposit issue, I detest the driving standards in this country, yes the place is a rip off and I admit we are considering returning to England.

But the big factors of keeping us here is population, job security and there's no pa, no I won't bother going into a rant on the last decade of what's happened in Britain.

davros1984

PA?

I'll reply to this later, no surprises we share a lot of commonalities with what you said, r.e. IT/job security/deposits/housing - will reply properly later.

Tom1983

It was going to spell pathetic davros

But I decided to stop there as it would have gone on a long rant thread

I have to stop, take a deep breath and sing "What a wonderful world" by Louis Armstrong to calm myself to normal mode.