The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

People whom have read my threads before will know I was pretty excited about emigrating here

BUT after 9 months here and experiencing

An Earthquake
My rental house being burgled ,
The schools being so academically behind in there teaching process
My daughters mobile phone stolen whilst being looked after by the school, when we complained about the head master to the police we were reported as we should not complain about a man in authority !!!
A bully for a boss whom hated the poms, when I reported her I was ignored by management ,after the 4th complaint they investigated and immediately fired her for professional misconduct.

Now today my car was vandalized and bag stolen , by the way the police could nt be bothered to even come round and see me ,, Whats the point of complaining
Not to mention the bureaucracy we ve experienced
I ve just about had enough of New Zealand,
I have a beautiful house near to the beach with its own swimming pool.. But I just want to return home now,,,,
If I had read this thread it probably would not of put me off coming but for anyone thinking of emigrating to NZ,, It certanly is not easy, you need to have a good solid relationship broad shoulders ,alot of money as NZ is expensive , and a lot of luck

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Sorry to hear that. It isn't paradise for sure but you have likely been unlucky or it may be a post-quake Christchurch thing.
I got my car window smashed in the first 9 months in a posh Wellington suburb though....several years ago... so I'd almost forgotten that...you reminded me.
The 'deep pockets message' is very important...and sadly overlooked by too many, the risk being of trapping yourself here. Hope you haven't done that and that you can see a way through :fingerscrossed:.

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Really sorry it,s not worked out for you :( It,s a very important message to anybody reading it tho, This is not a cheap place to live. Good luck with what ever you decide to do

Neil

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Deep, deep pockets. Which amazes me that the forex subject gets virtually ignored. Your capital you come with will be the make or break in many cases. The kiwi is still well below 2 for 1. It amazes me that anyone is prepared to emigrate at these historically ruinous rates. $2.20 is more what it should really be..maybe even as high as 2.30..but 1.93!!!!!!!!????

How does anyone reconcile making a major exchange at this rate??? I think I would rather take my chances and stay in the UK. There is no way I would have cashed in my UK equity at these rates. I know I only got 2.64 in 2005 and in 2001/2 $3.80 was on the table but I knew that 2.70 was a 10 year median then thus I knew I got a good rate. But the rate now it akin to robbery. I guess if you want a new life that bad you will swallow it eh?

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Yeah life can be a real bitch eh? We have had some severe shite flow under our bridge in the 6 years we have been here and there are times when I utterly loathe this (IMO) corrupt, up its arse, insular tin pot country. We have been ripped off (big time) on a number of occasions, suffered at the hands of lazy, good for nothing builders, plumbers, lawyers, financiers and those that are supposed to look after our interests.

The main good things about NZ are that it is empty, has a good education system, good healthcare and my kids have a great life here (ours is not too bad either when you forget about the shite above!!).

Good or better luck for the future.

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Sorry to hear about your bad times. Honestly, I believe this place does not offer many opportunities for the Brits any more. There are many more exciting places in the world where there are better advantages than here.

Folks who still want to come here should look around at other options. It's not the great laid-back, open spaces, good quality life-style that many think it is. Over the past months I've heard so many hard luck stories like the above and they can't all be wrong or simply unfortunate.

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

The education system I would strongly debate,, My kids although in primary are behind as to what they were achieving in UK..
I work in the health care sector ,, A private organization (well known in the UK, thats why I decided to work there ) BUT belive me where I worked I would not put my dog overnight there let alone the old and vunerable of NZ .It mostly employs immigrants on work visa,whom can t speak english. Alot had no reference checks or even police checks done on them.. Needless to say I m leaving ,, I just hope my faith will be restored in the health system with my new job,
The open raciscism was a shock to us as well
Also get ready for the police ,, In NZ they are certainly a different breed than the UK ,The majority we ve met have strong attitude problems.
Yes the scenary is unique and takes your breath away however its not enough to keep you living here ,,
We have decided to give it another year but if I still feel like this we will take the bullet and the great financial loss and get the hell out of here
I don t want to sound like a winging pom but I m just trying to let people know about my experiances and feelings about emigrating here
My advice NZ is great for a holiday but the reality of living here is bloody hard::(

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Hi

Have you thought about trying somewhere else in NZ?

We did 3 years in ChCh and after experiencing both Earthquakes decided it was time to move due to jobs, social life etc etc. Before the EQs we were only going to remain on NZ for another year before heading back to the UK.

We have now been in Auckland for 6 months and love it and will be buying a house very soon something we never bothered to do in ChCh.

Just my thoughts, good luck :)

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

I'm not sure why you're sticking it out to tell the truth and I'm not sure that your experiences will be that much different if you move somewhere else in New Zealand - especially as with regards to education standards.

There are some issues that you've listed that are a factor in many people's reasons for leaving New Zealand, including mine. They're not going to get much better for the sake of another 12 months. So, instead of just marking time and hoping things will get better, start to look at your options. You don't have to go back to Britain, the reasons why you left it are still there and you run the risk of having to accept the lesser of two evils, or becoming a ping pong pom for want of a better description.

A lot of people make the move over here and find it suits them better than New Zealand does. There are also other countries to be explored, don't give up on your dream just yet.

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Irony is a wonderful thing.

If you don't like it go home.....easy as !!!

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Thank you for your advice and grammar lesson !!!! ,,justcol ,, There is always one on these forums
We are giving it a year, so we can build up funds to enable us to move on and also decide on a place to live

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

:thumbsup:

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Ignore him yjx1nt7, he's fresh out of both manners and toupe tape ;)

"you"?

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Mate. I am seriously not impressed and I really am a bit surprised and saddened about this from you TBH. Please read the previous posts by this person.

If you still have difficulty , PM with me .

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Sorry it's all gone to the wall for you. We bailed out of Christchurch at the end of June as my husband was offered work on the North Island. We could not afford to go back to England as we had run out of money after three and a half months unemployment in NZ. We would have had to go back on credit cards, it would have been so dicey. We did not have the emotional resources for a return move either.
It's terrible for you that you have to deal with the emotional impact of what's gone wrong on top of the emotional impact of emigrating.

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Bevs was not replying to you. Read her post again....she was replying to Justcol

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Thanks Grayling have just read message again..and jumped to conclusion before
I have deleted message

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

I have amended mine:)

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

We've been here 3 months and it's becoming obvious NZ is rip off central. We always said we'd give it at least a year, if there's any one thing that will break our dream of staying here it'll be the cost of living. Unlike most Brits that come out here, we're not professionals and we didn't make a fortune on our house. The money we made on our house paid for our move, we have a bit left as a get out clause, it'll pay for our flights and getting our dog back, nothing else. Moving here has been a great experience and I'd never regret it, we've done something hardly anyone I know has the balls to do. But it's no cheap paradise, it's bloody expensive, far more than the UK.

Maybe we'll head back to the UK, who knows, one thing I will say, moving to a different country is a fantastic experience and one I'll never forget or regret. I could have been back home having another photocopied year like the previous 10 years.

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

It seems you have certainly had an unfortunate time, however, outwith the earthquake, surely any of the above could have happened in the UK, or to a Kiwi moving to the UK. In fact being in NZ means that you missed the rioting.
You probably didn't have the house on the beach with the swimming pool back home either.

We are moving over in November and looking forward to it, and despite your thread being an attempt at putting people off of the country, I am trying to avoid that happening.
I have heard reports from friends over NZ at the moment and none of this has happened to any of them so my feeling is that you have perhaps been unfortunate and although I can understand that this may put you off the country, this wouldn't be the same for everyone.

I realise at time it will be testing and won't be a trouble-free paradise I am confident it will be a better lifestyle than much of the UK at present. You say that you need ' a lot of luck', it seems to me that you have had none at all.

I hope things pick up for you and you go on to enjoy the life that you moved for, fingers crossed things work out for us.....and in the meantime enjoy the beautiful house on the beach with the swimming pool, I would give my right arm for that just now. :thumbup:

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Not just NZ though, many people find the "grass is not always greener" when they lleave the UK, I certainy did.

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Certainly sounds like you've had a lot of bad luck. Hope things pick up for you or you can afford to try somewhere else. Totally agree with the sentiment that NZ is pretty expensive too, people should consider that at the current exchange rate.

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

OP: I feel your pain. Emigrating is tough and what surprised me (and still does) is just how long "the process" can take. I think before I came out here I imagined feeling homesick and a bit unsettled for a year or so. I totally underestimated the potential severity and duration of culture shock. I suspect you are experiencing this, compounded by having had a bad run of luck. The reason I think this is because some of your former posts about life in NZ were very upbeat and chipper. Have a look at this page and see what you think: http://www.lossesintranslation.com/s...mmigration.php or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_shock

Emigrating is bloody tough, even without earthquakes and all the 'issues' you adn your family have experienced. Sorry for your troubles, hope in time you find a bit more peace, wherever that may be!

I'm not going to pick through your list of issues, I'm only going to comment on the education system here because that's something I know a good deal about and frequently see confusion about. When you move kids over from the UK it may appear the NZ system is 'behind', whereas in reality the focus and approach is different. This would never be a problem if your kids were born and raised here because when you look at international education measures NZ outperforms Britain http://www.pisa.oecd.org/dataoecd/54/12/46643496.pdf

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

So sad to hear about your rubbish time, seems you have had a lot of bad luck :thumbdown:

Before going back, perhaps seriously consider trying somewhere else in NZ, we have lived up on the Hibiscus Coast (Auckland) for a year and love it, havent been victims of crime (thankfully), met lots of nice people and life is good.
Can't comment on education as dont have kids, but it might just be worth a try before you throw in the towel? Just a thought anyway, it is a tough decision to make, best of luck :)

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

we fortunatley did not have the troubles you had but we moved from UK to Welly and hated it we lasted 17 months, we moved back home and struggled to find work we ended up coming back out here to Auckland not somewhere I would consider but I love the area I live in, I worked in health in Wellington and I am inpressed, (I worked previously 20 years in NHS), I now work for Auckland Uni in the med school and to be honest work mates are great but as a general member of staff we are 2nd class citizens regardless of your professional nature.
Schooling both here and in Welly was very good DS is being stretched (not the case in the UK). DS starts intermediate in Feb and the school looks very impressive. We miss the UK big time but we are going to give it 2 years until DS leaves intermediate to make a decision as I just cannot see myself staying here for the rest of my life.

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Obviously it touched a raw nerve and made you think of something other than the big house and the swimming pool. Why is it that sharing bad experiences and telling it like it is, is seen as an attempt at putting people off the country? :blink:

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Hi there

I read your posts with interest as we have been considering a move down to Christchurch for a while now. My partner is a geotech engineer and has been down there on a weekly basis for some time now. We have decided to move down as this split life is putting too much pressure on us all and, whilst we love Tauranga, are actually looking forward to an opportunity to live on the South Island for a while.

We have rented out our house here v easily but are having real problems frinding a decent property down in Christchurch (not suprisingly I guess). We are basing our decision on where to live on the schools and as such I was very interested in your comments about schooling down there. Which school have your children been attending?

I have visited quite a few schools down there and we are currently undecided between Ilam School (known for its programme of extending children) or a country one over in Lyttelton. After lived in Tauranga and being so used to the close proximity of water I'm not sure about living in town but on the other hand we are keen to find a good school for our children.

I'd be interested in any feedback you have on schools down there and hope that you manage to find something more suitable for your family soon.

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

You have misunderstood the nature of the opening post GS.83. There is no attempt to put anyone off moving here. The OP is simply sharing her true life experiences of her life in NZ so far. Perhaps you would gain understanding by reading her previous posts.


I don't know what the answer is for you yjx1nt7. I do know that you have worked very hard on behalf of other employees you have seen to be treated very badly & fair play to you for taking that on. I do hope your new job will be a better experience 100%

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Only me!!!
Still seems like Taupo is still a little slice of paradise, and we don't even have a swimming pool!
Sympathies to all who aren't so happy, but we love NZ.

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Hi there - so sorry to hear you have had a crap time. You deserve a medal for enduring 9 months of it !!

I first came out to NZ in 1998. Things were very different then - cost of living way cheaper, petrol cheaper and it seemed your money went much further. Unfortunately it does seem that wages have stagnated the past 6-7 years and cost of living shot through the roof. In fact the OECD figures of GDP show that NZ has actually gone backwards in terms of average income & standard of living per capita since around 2004 (and currently 20% below the OECD average vs Aussie which is 20% above).

One thing to remember it is very hard to be an exapt in a new country. I've done it twice (NZ and Australia) and for me it takes a good 12- 18 months to settle in and feel sorted. It can be very lonely those first 12 months. Even with my OH second time round, as a couple, getting out and making new friends when you are older can be hard.

As some other people have suggested, perhaps you could look at moving somewhere else within NZ for a "fresh start" and maybe put a time limit on how long you will give it before leaving for either another country or back to UK.

Another thing to remember is that the cost of living has shot up everywhere - not just NZ.
Food apparently has also shot up in Australia the past couple of years, although when we lived there (to early 2010) we found food to be similarly priced or even slightly cheaper than NZ.
If you do think about moving on to another country - say Aussie - make sure you do your research and be aware that housing / renting costs in the big cities there are very high, particularly Melbourne & Sydney (although we did find everything else cheaper relative to income than NZ).

Good luck - things have got to take an upturn soon - can't stay bad forever and I'm sure your luck is about to change.

:thumbsup:

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

I m certainly NOT attempting to put anyone off NEW Zealand GS ,,In fact I feel NZ needs more professional people here to help their economy , ,
I am, in my short time here giving a frank view of how I feel,and what I ve experienced ,,
Is that not what the forum is for GS !!!
I DO realise how lucky I am for living by the beach and having a swimming pool, Alot of hard work was done in achieving those pleasures by the way BUT not all monetary things bring happiness

I hope my next thread will be more positive :fingerscrossed::
I stated that if I had read this thread before coming it would not of put me off..However
I know alot of ex pats whom would never think about returning BUT also others whos marriage has ended due to the pressures of emigrating
Some are returning because of the earthquakes,
Some due to the high cost of living and low wages ,
Some because they miss family and the realization of what they had in the UK was not that bad !!!
I really hope GS you have a more positive time in New Zealand ,
I ll be interested to read about you in 9 months !!!

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

We are basing our decision on where to live on the schools and as such I was very interested in your comments about schooling down there. Which school have your children been attending?

I have visited quite a few schools down there and we are currently undecided between Ilam School (known for its programme of extending children) or a country one over in Lyttelton. After lived in Tauranga and being so used to the close proximity of water I'm not sure about living in town but on the other hand we are keen to find a good school for our children.

I'd be interested in any feedback you have on schools down there and hope that you manage to find something more suitable for your family soon.[/QUOTE]

We have been here nearly 6mths in Chch and both of my kids are doing really well at school. They are 9 & 13 and go to Cashmere Primary & High schools. They were doing well in the UK and I was concerned about the effect the move here would have but they've taken it in their stride. I think it depends on the child ability as well as the schools rating. I would recommend both schools. We looked at Lyttleton as well and a lot of kids from round that way tend to move onto Cashmere High after the primary ones in the bays round there. Mt oldest has friends who live round that way and they have a school bus that does the rounds to take them to Cashmere High.

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Thanks Bourbon-Biscuit that was really helpful I gave it to my partner to read,,, Put a lot of my feelings in perspective ,, I really hope I get though this and can become more positive about living in NZ l

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Me too, opinions often change after the honeymoon period wears off.

Half of Australia lives by the beach and has a swimming pool, it's so passe and taken very much for granted. So I know it's not the be all and end all, there's a lot more to life than the material things.

Good luck to you, it will come right for you I'm sure it will.

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

And a vast number of us over here rarely see the beach and still dream of access to a swimming pool that isn't filled with tribes of school children.
Wherever you are life is definitely about far more than the material stuff, its far more about peace of mind and feeling settled somewhere.......

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

No not at all, I realise it is not all about that. I have a lot of sympathy for the OP, I was just pointing out that these problems could have occurred anywhere and the UK has its problems of its own.
Knowing people in NZ who have never experienced these problems I would say that this situation is not the norm and there were no mentions of any positive experiences in the OP.

I know it will not be all about nice houses with swimming pools as I will be unlikely to live that life anyway, but I also know that it will not all be about crime, bullying bosses etc..... everywhere has its ups and downs and I don't expect NZ to be any different. :unsure:

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Apologies for the context in which you have taken my post and in which I way I must have written it. I suppose my comment in putting people off the country was due to it being purely a negative post when I was thinking surely there must have been some positives in there.

I'm sorry things haven't worked out the way you wanted and it does seem that you have had a very unfortunate time, I would just hope that your experience is not the general experience people have of NZ. I am prepared for ups and downs but not prepared for downs, downs and downs which concerns me slightly.

I really do hope things will pick up for you and I am sorry that I cannot offer more advice, I suppose that my situation will be different as moving over to work and take it one step at a time, rather than giving up my whole life in UK, having to sell a house etc and making the move permanently, with the decision I would never return. For that reason I suppose I may have been slightly ignorant in my views.

I will be more than happy to share my experiences in 9 months time and hopefully it will be positive, one thing is for sure, it will be different from my last 9 months, and I can only echo what you in that I hope your next thread will start out more positively :fingerscrossed:

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Fully agree that Europe and the UK are going to be tough places to live in the next while. Talking to friends this afternoon, one an expat Swede and the other a Kiwi we thought that NZ should be a better spot for our kids over the next decade.
However, the fact people you know in NZ are still here means that their experiences, whilst valid, are not an entirely fair representation of the situation here for all people moving here from the UK. Many people I know have come and gone even in the best of times when the pound was high, they had cash and there was plenty of work in NZ.
If I were you I'd be thanking the OP for their opinions as they represent the other possible outcomes.
Way back 5 or 6 years ago, part of me wanted to shut the "negative" posters up as their experiences and views went against the "happy clappy" view that was so appealing and affirmed our decision to bring our young family to NZ. However, with hindsight, I am really glad of the debate on this board.

I for one have encountered several of the issues that the OP mentions. I know many other people who report similar things, very poor management, blatant racism (involving Pomms, islanders, Maori, "asians", etc, etc) along with a resistance to accept and embrace new ideas.

However, there are ways to overcome some of these problems, particularly the workplace ones - as it's so easy to set up your own business here. That's what I had to do.

Anyway I wish both you and the OP all the best and that your adventures in NZ work out happily.

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

Thank you GS,,
I wrote this thread the day my handbag was stolen and car was vandalized and to me it was like a smack again in the face,,
I have now calmed down,,
Looking back honestly and talking to my friends we have experienced alot of bad luck since arriving,, However I have now found a better job with a more professional organization,, My partner has also settled with a reputable engineering company . My kids DO love it here::
Yes,, it has been the hardest time of my life adjusting and having to cope with our personal experiences of New Zealand,, And yes this could of all happened in the UK,,
But what you need to know is that you become very vunerable and frustrated the first few weeks or months after the initial high of being in New Zealand. Due to the fact ,, you don t know how things work or where to get the simplest of things,, So everyday things that you would just do or take for granted in the UK take twice as long or you just can t do or pay over the odds for.. That has been an issue with every Ex pat I ve encountered ,
Sometimes these frustrations can build up and can grind you down that some days you just have enough and want to return to the familiarity of what you know
Iwish you luck GS

Re: The worst 9 months of my life in NZ
 

As a matter of fact, NZ has the highest swimming pools per capita ratio in the world. ;)

Edit : According to some sites, and then others say Oz ... not important ... carry on ... as you were. :)