Pompey_Paul

INMHO it looks like a lot of the "Doom and Gloomers" have very relevant points to make ....they dont emigrate to NZ and go to all the effort involved with that and want to to not like it......they have done their research and found its not the paradise that they thought it would be.........they really do us a favour by posting these problems, dont forget that they are actually there in NZ doing it whilst for most of us we are on considering the move or going through the process.

Myself i have accepted that the COL is much higher the wages are much lower so i will prepare myself on that basis and am grateful that people on the forum are giving me the benefit of their "hard won" experience.

keep doing your research and prepare yourself ...... i am sure you will be OK

chay and kerrie

come on you lot lets all stop this now.lets just say if you wanna make it work and i dont at least you have bloody tried your best and if it has then well done .my family and i are hoping to be out in NZ by July next year and we are going to give it our best and follow our dreams, to make a better life for us and our 2 boys
Kerrie and chay

Andrew Cross

Hi all, I must admit when we thought about moving to NZ I thought my life would be rosy. I am glad that people take the time to tell how it really is and now I am going over there with a different attitude and with the full knowledge that it will be hard and I wont be loaded. Better that than arriving and expecting more and being very disappointed. Just gotta work hard and earn those bucks to feed and clothe the family just as we do here. Just hope the sun shines at least thats for free...

Sue

jrsuk73

just to say when I replied to this thread, it was not meant to offend anybody. we are going to NZ with not a huge amount of money both my wife and I no that we will have to work very hard and long hours to make ends meet, but that is no different to what we do in the UK. If this is what it takes to allow our children to stay as children then it will be worth every pain staking hour.

We have never for one moment had rose tinted glasses. We are certainly not moving with any great expectations.

We can fully understand that its not easy, as we've hit rock bottom in the UK and had to build ourselves up from ashes. We feel for those of you that are missing your family, sadly for me (Helen) I will not have that luxury, I lost my Mum 11 yrs ago aged 53 and the longing never goes away to do the small things in life that are taken for granted. What keeps me going is that I know my mum would have been very proud of us as a family and would of supported us in our quest to NZ!

Jon & Helen

Markk

Hi Paul,
I agree that they have valid points to make, and it's good that we are made aware of the potential pitfalls of our move. It's the way some of them do it that bothers me.
Cheers,
Mark

mumomonty

I'm another of the 'negative' posters. All I can say is I notice that you didn't take the so called negative views on board.
Deb is saying that it's a diff kettle of fish if you've emigrated here recently. In the last 4 years the cost of living has gone through the roof. Most people here politely ask why you're here and not in Oz as 600 peeps per week leave. Before you ask why I'm here, a) none of yours and b) each to their own and we all have our own reasons. It's not as easy as just packing a suitcase and heading off back home.

Rascal

Pompey_Paul and others, thanks for your kind coments about us 'doom & gloom" merchants, I am sure all of us out here going through hard times, are not deliberately trying to be doom & gloom merchants but to actually post life what it is really like.
We have sat on that side of the world, looked at the glossy pictures, visited NZ, fell in love with its mountains, beaches and scenery etc and dreamed that life in NZ would be as idylic as its pictures. I for one, would love to say, yes, its brilliant out here, the wages go a long way, we have money left over, it isn't cold in winter, it isn't cold inside the houses and all the other rosy thing so many want to hear..but I prefer to say things as it really is.
Uk house prices shot through the roof, NZ followed. What hasn't increased however in NZ much is the salaries. Food shopping is the same as the Uk here or in some cases you pay more here, power bills are expensive too. In winter the houses ARE cold believe me, in order to be warm, expect HIGH monthly power bills..families coming out here with little capital and one salary will probably struggle financially, its ok sitting 12k miles away and saying thta it doesn't matter as quality fo life in NZ will be better..becuase when you get here and finding it hard to even buy the very basic of things for your children, you wonder where the quality of life is. It is heartbreaking watching the kids go without all the time and forever having to say NO to them when they want ice cream, sweets, treats etc...its times like that when you really sit down and ask yourself....have you really done the right thing in bringing them here?
I know the answer for myself, but only you lot coming out can and will decide that for yourself, a few years into living here and see your debts increase in order to survive, life is not as easy as you may think.
But good luck to you all anyway and I do hope NZ fulfills all of your dreams and you are able to survive and be comfortable with your ingoings and outgoings.
All the best to everyone.

ElizabethC

[QUOTE but to actually post life what it is really like.
. [/QUOTE]

For you.

Rascal

& and many other families surviving here too. lol Ones that I know of personally! Sorry I didn't make that clear in my post did I?

Jeeper

Exactly - do the homework - you'll find cost of living is high in proportion to wages.
Either accept it and go or don't accept it and don't go.
Please don't go and then whinge about it.
By all means post it for others to learn from but 'keep it real' and lets get rid of this whinging tone. "oh I flew 12,000miles to be here and left my family blah blah blah and the kiwis should be nicer to me for it."
CRY ME A RIVER!

ElizabethC

Absoluty Kel.

Rascal

No-one expects the 'kiwis to be nicer to me because I have come 12k miles etc"...
Just to 'be nice' would be a start.

Gill and Rob

Nobody forced you all to come 12,000 miles to NZ, it was your own choice. COL might be high and salaries low, but THAT'S NZ. What did you all expect? An England down under?

Personally for us we have found NZ to be an excellent move. We did our research and came with an open mind. We knew we would have tough times here, EXACTALLY as we had tough times in the UK.

Just to make it clear, we didn't come out here with loads of money, I work a fairly ordinary job, but we have a great life and a great lifestyle. We budget as we did in the UK. Somethings here are cheaper, others more expensive. You learn to shop and eat like a kiwi, buy whats on offer, eat local produce and buy kiwi brands - rather than paying a fortune for UK brands.

Gill

Rascal

We shop at Pak n save, NZ's Cheapest, am I missing something? Does Pak n Save HAVE UK brands?? If they have, I must have missed them or maybe, I dont buy them because UK brands (when you find them) are TOO dear!
Dont assume because we are Brits therefore our shopping bills are high because we buy Uk foods. I for one dont. I buy Pams products at Pak n save or cheapest on offer, and I still cant get my bill down either..

Jeeper

Well I don't know who you're dealing with day to day but kiwi's (and ozzies)are considered to be very friendly people. I have to say i'm suprised that you are finding otherwise.....kiwi's are so laid back it's ridiculous sometimes.

The say home is where the heart is.
I find Kiwi's to be very friendly but then i'm from NZ.
I found the biritsh to be very rude and inconsiderate when I was there. But perhaps because you're form there you found otherwise.