Trenchfoot

Something in another thread made me think again about our reasons for leaving the UK. I was wondering what factors influenced other people to leave (if they are now here) or considering leaving (if still in the UK).

I guess I'd better start if I am asking other people to confess all...

We left to escape the ratrace. I was commuting 2-hours each way to central London and was so stressed and knackered in the evenings and weekends that I just 'existed'. For the first year of my son's life I practically only saw him at the weekend (left before he got up, home long after bed time).

I was terrified that he'd end up in a school full of the sort of brain-dead oiks that inhabited the playgrounds in the evenings and weekends, smoking pot, smashing bottles and graffiting (is graffiting a word? If not you know what I mean).

I was hacked off with politicians that bullshit (I know this is a global phenomenon, it's just that here I don't feel the need to worry so much), migrants that didn't want to integrate (and in a small minority of cases wanted to blow people up but who couldn't be removed because of their human rights) and had come to consider the moral fabric of the UK was slowly being torn to shreds in the name of liberalism.

Blimey, that turned in to a bit of rant. I better go for a lie down

lapsed kiwi

lower population density, better climate, ability to live in a nice house in a nice coastal area close to the nation's main city
We quite liked England so it was a "pull" not "push" move for us

Trenchfoot

Yes, the better climate is quite a draw as well. Gives access to loads of outdoor stuff that England's weather unfortunately restricts a bit. Orewa's a pretty nice spot, rural enough to feel green but close enough to make Auckland 'commutable' - and it's got a helluva beach!

Genesis

Too crowded, too much crime ON MY doorstep, to much mortgage, too little at the end of each month, too smaller garden, too much violence in MY town centre, too many drugs and prostitutes likewise in our locale. I have no issue with prostitutes I just don't want them outside my house. They should work from a brothel that is NOT near any residential dwellings IMO. Too far to the coast. Too many issues in BOTH our careers. Had 3 kids and saw a better future in NZ. Mainly because of the aforementioned and not what I know now which is all very rosy, our kids deffo have a waaaaaaaaaaaay better time here than had we stayed in Northants. We now have the neighbourhood, 1 X career (as only ONE of us has to work now) country and house we could only have dreamed of in the UK. Whilst I appreciate the house may be not of UK construction methods etc it suits us well now and we are all content. NZ is full of problems as I always say BUT the isseus that ruined our lives in the UK no longer prevail EVERYDAY in our lives here in Palmy.

lapsed kiwi

Yes, I swam from it this afternoon - very nice too

sparkie down under

to be able to canoe without some prick saying, "Oi you can't do that here you know, I own this river you know, you oik, blah blah blah"

to escape the speed camera mad stealth tax - oops haven't we got them here

to escape the "you must have" culture

to be able to walk our dogs where ever we want - mistake I know but then we were innocents

to get away from the 220 days a year of rain

to be able to get into Aussie after 5 years
(oops did I say that out aloud. No doubt all the 'stick up their arses' will be up in arms over that last remark - just love lobbing in the odd grenade in a room and leaving)!

Oh and finally to get away from f***ing tories - and man have we got a right prick of a one now - (see above remark for those who are now red with indignation)

Browner_

Are you including the UK Labour Government of the last 10 years in that statement?

sparkie down under

WHAT !!!!!!!!!!!!

you doubt the genius, (Pause), of the architect of new labour, (clasp of hand - look to mid point), the mastermind of Britain's return to greatness, (wait for applause)

Well what can I say

j19fmm

We want to leave because we have more family Down Under than here, we love NZ, we reckon we're only going to live once,we don't hate UK or live in a grotty area. So we too are in the pull not push zone

Persephone

Very simple.
I met a kiwi and decided to take a risk in life, rather than look back with regrets on what might have been.
I didn't leave the UK because of any problems with the country as a whole and had never even considered living abroad at that point. I had visited NZ before making the big move to get an idea of what it was like and to try and get some impression of whether I would like to live here - I know it's not like actually living here but personally I wouldn't have moved here "blind" if you like
Anyway all is working out well and I feel I made the right decision [so far]

Sue

Coda

good point, little or no difference except a rebranding exercise. E.g. NHS terminology, School terminology, even their own party pamphlets have got rid of the trotsky overtones to be replaced with watered-down white middle class bunkum. I left the UK for pretty much all the reasons listed and NZ delivers on them all. Not as many people, better weather, more laid back. I really like kiwis and how they are laid back and not pushy. They don't blow their own trumpets (in contrast to brits)

whitesand

Having travelled a fair bit and lived in several countries, found it hard to return to the UK again. Somehow, once you return to the UK all those things you missed so much don't seem so important after all.

Wiz'n'Ton

Deffo a 'pull' for us too. We left the UK for adventure, and something a bit 'different' from our mates who were battling to buy a house, work, pay a mortgage and possibly have enough for beer at the end of the week. We do that 12000 miles away now instead

NZ seemed to offer lots, with little relative risk, and so here we are! 2 years in and doing very nicely thankyouverymuch

crap coffee

1) to get Away from Terrorism

2) to get Away from the Corporate Rat Race

3) to get Away from the Crowd

4) to get Away from the Pollution

5) to get Away from Rising Crime

6) to get Away from the grey, dreary and LONG winter

7) finally.... I was sick to death of sitting in traffic...

and No more.....

Coda

i relate to that on every single level. Commute to the city every day in London on the tube. Work for a corporation. Travel back. Life seems to be travel, work, travel, sleep at the moment.

Im suffering huge culture shock adjusting to british life, e.g the continual striving for the next best thing, whatever it is.