kt0157

OK. Let rip. What are the downs to emigrating to NZ. What don't you like? Want to come back? Why?

How easy is it to get a job?

Exchanging driving licence? Easy?

Signing up to a doctor?

Getting car insurance? How expensive?

Getting credit cards? Do banks whine about local credit history?

Qualifications recognized by Government/employers?

Phone service good? Broadband availability?

K.

jueinnz

Sorry but ...honestly...I couldn't moan about any of the above!!!!

We could purhaps moan about the standard of driving!???
juliet

sky

No apart from slow expensive broadband I can't complain about the above either ... least of your worries

pixi-dust

Love everything - don't hate a thing!

DH got a job extremely easily - he was offered a lot and we had our pick.
Driving licence is easy - you just take a written test ( multiple guess)
Doctors - just walk in and register
Car insurance - we did it through our bank and got discounts for having everything done with them. I tried doing it individually but it worked out way more for us
Credit cards - bank didnt even ask about credit history.
Phone service and broadband have been really excellent.

The most stressful bit for us was before immigration - once we arrived the stress completely vanished.

kt0157

There must be something.

I've just gone through a horrible experience emigrating to Canada and don't want to repeat the disappointments. I've spent a few months in NZ before as a tourist, so know what it's like in general. Driving standards, yeeees, interesting, hoons, donchyaluvem. Bookshops. Ha! Apart from those downers, what would I have missed?

K.

jueinnz

There is plenty to moan about but very little that you can do about it...mainly based around government policies and pratices, much the same as any other country. So whats the point in getting worked up and moaning?

"she'll be alrite mate!!!"

Am Loolah

Bookshops? Please explain.

kt0157

You haven't noticed? That the word "bookshop" rarely indicates that a sensible number of books are actually for sale? That outside of the big cities it's very hard to find a decent bookshop?

I went into the Geraldine Bookshop once and couldn't find any books. I asked where they were and I was told that the wire mesh box outside (containing a dozen second-hand paperbacks) were the books. Erk!

K.

kt0157

Ah. One might say the same of Algeria or Iraq yet I wouldn't be applying there for permanent residence.

Specifics? Anything particularly a shock for a Brit? E.g. not allowed to wear a loud shirt in a built-up area in the hours of darkness? Canada is riddled with such laws (one poster on the Canadian forum got fined for allowing his kid to paddle in the pond in a city park "without a permit").

K.

Am Loolah

I've only been to NZ on holiday and didn't have time to think must buy a book! Too busy with the and we have to see this, that, go here, there etc!! Having said that reading is one of my passions and know from this site to bring all my books with me.

Why are they so expensive?

Can't you buy on Amazon?

What about the 2nd hand market/car boot sales etc?

Is there no WHSmith/Ottakers or equivelant? If not, why not? Too busy enjoying the great outdoors?

kt0157

Don't know. GST?

No Amazon in NZ. Have to buy from Amazon US and then have the books sent v e r y s l o w l y from America. Scientific American takes THREE MONTHS to turn up in NZ!

Never tried.

Whitcoulls is the nearest equivalent. Nothing like as extensive as Ottakers would be (like-for-like size of town).

K.

pixi-dust

Ok there is something - I hate the sandflies!


for books-
There are great libraries. I joined our local one - I live in a tiny place, and there is still a great choice.

Also fishpond.co.nz

And lots of secondhand bookshops
Some friends ( you know who you are!) did a book swap - welll thats not strictly true - she left a huge bag of books which Ive worked my way through and I swapped nothing

sky

Yes it's got all the same issues here that any country would have and you'll find lots you prob don't like. Everyones experiences are different and I suppose at the end of the day it depends on things like do you have children, how much money have you got to bring, will you be working in the proffessional industry or trades etc etc stuff like that

Budowsky

Great! Im in the mood for a whinge.


I've been living in NZ for five years now. Good times and bad times.

My complaints about NZ are as follows

1) Small town syndrome.
2) The Haka. If I never see another f'cking haka in my life : Too soon.
3) Rugby. Ditto. Sooooo glad England won the world cup, it would have been unbearable.
4) Friends. My best mate is English. What does that tell you?
5) Right hand turn rule. Don't ask - I can't begin to explain how sh'te it is.
6) Helen Clarke. One ugly hombre. A set of knashers on her even Hanibel lector would be proud of
7) The weather. I thought I was coming to a warm country. Wrong! We do have some beautiful weather though.
8) The houses. See above. Freezin' in winter.
9) Lack of culture.
10) PC culture in overdrive. Got diverse opinions? Best not come and start speaking yer mind you pommie b'stard.
11) The small job market. It's ridiculous
12) The average wage of 30K a year is a joke.
13) Pubs. None existent pub culture.
14) Parochial and inward looking. Let's ignore everything happening out there in the real world - we live a million miles a way - who gives a toss?
15) Humor. Don't even bother - taking the piss is totally misunderstood here.
16) Boy racers.
17) Isolation.
18) Mates. It's way hard trying to make friends here. Kiwi's are what I would call superficially friendly. Friendship on a deeper level is a tough one to achieve. The majority of my mates are English, French, Argentinian, and South African. Dunno why - its just the way it seems to be.
19) Unsophisiticated. Chardonnay is a dirty word.
20) The news....er what news? Boring, boring, boring!
21) Clean green reputation. This really really gets up my nose! I see it everyday, people chucking shit in rivers, dropping litter on walking tracks and poluting the environment. The only reason NZ is clean and somewhat green is cos no-one lives here!




And to give it some balance. Here is what I do like

1) A flat class system. It doesn't matter who your parents are, what school you went to, and how you pronounce your vowels.
2) Outdoor activities. Great for ski-ing, scuba diving, surfing, tramping, fishing, sailing etc
3) Low crime rates. Inner city Manchester it aint.
4) Cafe culture in the cities. Love being able to get a decent coffee.
5) Good nightlife - bars, restaurants in some cities...
6) Well organised. Everything runs on time.
7) People are generally quite friendly.
8) Low population density. Want to get away from it all and people. No problems!
9) Good road for motorbiking
10) Top scenery
11) Decent health care system, but apparently pricey.
12) Any country which bashes the ozzies can't be all bad.
13) Social security system. Yeah we have the dole here too.
14) No nuclear fuel.... Im sort of divided on this


And that is about it!

Paradise on earth it's not. But where is?

newkiwi

seeing as its a whinging thread, things i dont like about nz are:

its isolated
tv is very very bad
banking fees are expensive
houses have no heating
people can be parochial
difficult to form meaningful friendships with kiwis, easier with fellow immigrants (but there are loads of those)
roads are small and windy, takes forever to get anywhere
economy is small and scope for professional development less than say aus or uk
elections every three years so 2/3rd of the time nothing happens, as politicians jockey for votes prior to election year (no tax cut this year, lets wait and see if we need a white rabbit out of the hat next year if were behind in the polls)

but by far the worst of this place
NZ IDOL .....arrrgggghhh


but there are loads of positives, and looking at the list its not so bad if thats the worse you can say about a place.