Your life in NZ vs UK
Jul 4th 2011, 1:30 pm
#46
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Re: Your life in NZ vs UK
I know what you mean, this is average commute time in Cairo, it's a bloody nightmare.Post some pix of the dogs please!
Jul 4th 2011, 1:33 pm
#47
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Re: Your life in NZ vs UK
Whilst I agree that insulation/double glazing/leaky homes etc are a huge problem, can I please please remind people that this is an earthquake zone. Your double skinned brick house would have collapsed and maybe hurt/killed someone. We have a wood frame house with a steel roof - not without its heating issues, but it has survived three very major earthquakes, and, one day, some other houses in NZ might need to do that too.
Jan, near Christchurch
Jan, near Christchurch
Last edited by Kija; Jul 4th 2011 at 1:37 pm.
Jul 4th 2011, 1:59 pm
#48
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Re: Your life in NZ vs UK
Browner.... thanks, I almost forgot to mention..... Houses.....
Many people like to say... you can buy a lovely big 4 bedroom house with lots of land really cheap.... well you can, but it may have similar materials of construction to a decent / quality building you can buy on the shelves of B&Q! So hardly, double skinned brick walls, thermally insulated, with double glazing, and central heating!
Take yourself back to 1970's UK, single glazed windows..... chipping ice from the inside of the window during winter... Well it is not quite that bad, but during winter, unless you burn copious amounts of wood (back to environmentally friendly NZ) then you will be very cold. My other half is sat on the sofa with a quilt wrapped around her... and we are in a 2008 property! A 3 year old house, and yet it still was not built with double glazing.....!
The last property we rented had damp rising all the way up the walls, to the extent that all the nice furniture we spend a LOT to ship over was runied after one kiwi winter. When I described the situation to my parents (in their 60's) they laughed and replied it sounds like your grandparents house when I was a kid - so 1940's!
Again, this is one of the differences of life in NZ.... not wanting to sound like I am having a go at NZ.... just highlighting the differences, and how many folk live here. There is nothing wrong with it, and many kiwi houses are very charming with bags of charecter.... They build the houses 'fit for purpose' and in some respects, the terrible disasters / quakes on south island support why they may be made of wood and tin roofs.
It is a different way of life here.... and that is all we need to remind ourselves of..... it is a Kiwi way of life, and we have to be respectful of that. Life is full of comparisons.... and many things compare favourably to the UK..... my key message is that it isn't all the work / life balance, low cost of living, cheap housing that many seem to believe..... I know I did, which may have lead to my dissapointment with certain things.
Do I regret coming to NZ..... maybe.... but would I have regretted not giving it a go..... definately..... and at least I can say I did give it a go, and have many fond memories of NZ. I am just not sure / convinced that NZ is a long term option, primarily due to financial reasons..... and long term financial considerations.
Many people like to say... you can buy a lovely big 4 bedroom house with lots of land really cheap.... well you can, but it may have similar materials of construction to a decent / quality building you can buy on the shelves of B&Q! So hardly, double skinned brick walls, thermally insulated, with double glazing, and central heating!
Take yourself back to 1970's UK, single glazed windows..... chipping ice from the inside of the window during winter... Well it is not quite that bad, but during winter, unless you burn copious amounts of wood (back to environmentally friendly NZ) then you will be very cold. My other half is sat on the sofa with a quilt wrapped around her... and we are in a 2008 property! A 3 year old house, and yet it still was not built with double glazing.....!
The last property we rented had damp rising all the way up the walls, to the extent that all the nice furniture we spend a LOT to ship over was runied after one kiwi winter. When I described the situation to my parents (in their 60's) they laughed and replied it sounds like your grandparents house when I was a kid - so 1940's!Again, this is one of the differences of life in NZ.... not wanting to sound like I am having a go at NZ.... just highlighting the differences, and how many folk live here. There is nothing wrong with it, and many kiwi houses are very charming with bags of charecter.... They build the houses 'fit for purpose' and in some respects, the terrible disasters / quakes on south island support why they may be made of wood and tin roofs.
It is a different way of life here.... and that is all we need to remind ourselves of..... it is a Kiwi way of life, and we have to be respectful of that. Life is full of comparisons.... and many things compare favourably to the UK..... my key message is that it isn't all the work / life balance, low cost of living, cheap housing that many seem to believe..... I know I did, which may have lead to my dissapointment with certain things.
Do I regret coming to NZ..... maybe.... but would I have regretted not giving it a go..... definately..... and at least I can say I did give it a go, and have many fond memories of NZ. I am just not sure / convinced that NZ is a long term option, primarily due to financial reasons..... and long term financial considerations.
Jul 4th 2011, 6:05 pm
#49
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Re: Your life in NZ vs UK
Not sure why a 2008 house had single glazed windows, that's illegal here! And I love the "unless you burn loads of wood" comment. A bit like saying unless you put clothes on and live in a house you may get a chill.
Woodburners suit NZ, and the cleanburn ones are slowly arriving here.
The lack of building space in UK has seen new houses either built on flood plains or you look in your neighbours lounge from your kitchen window. Hardly ideal. A good idea to make sure you enjoy the same tv as the neighbours, you'll hear theirs through the walls in most semis.
Don't like living in Welly, Browner?....bloody move then!
Turkeys.....good on you, at least you gave it a shot and have the common sense to know what suits you or not.
In as you haven't guessed, I'm one of the ones that like it here.
Woodburners suit NZ, and the cleanburn ones are slowly arriving here.
The lack of building space in UK has seen new houses either built on flood plains or you look in your neighbours lounge from your kitchen window. Hardly ideal. A good idea to make sure you enjoy the same tv as the neighbours, you'll hear theirs through the walls in most semis.
Don't like living in Welly, Browner?....bloody move then!
Turkeys.....good on you, at least you gave it a shot and have the common sense to know what suits you or not.
In as you haven't guessed, I'm one of the ones that like it here.
Jul 4th 2011, 9:36 pm
#50
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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 91
Re: Your life in NZ vs UK
Not sure why a 2008 house had single glazed windows, that's illegal here! And I love the "unless you burn loads of wood" comment. A bit like saying unless you put clothes on and live in a house you may get a chill.
Woodburners suit NZ, and the cleanburn ones are slowly arriving here.
The lack of building space in UK has seen new houses either built on flood plains or you look in your neighbours lounge from your kitchen window. Hardly ideal. A good idea to make sure you enjoy the same tv as the neighbours, you'll hear theirs through the walls in most semis.
Don't like living in Welly, Browner?....bloody move then!
Turkeys.....good on you, at least you gave it a shot and have the common sense to know what suits you or not.
In as you haven't guessed, I'm one of the ones that like it here.
Woodburners suit NZ, and the cleanburn ones are slowly arriving here.
The lack of building space in UK has seen new houses either built on flood plains or you look in your neighbours lounge from your kitchen window. Hardly ideal. A good idea to make sure you enjoy the same tv as the neighbours, you'll hear theirs through the walls in most semis.
Don't like living in Welly, Browner?....bloody move then!
Turkeys.....good on you, at least you gave it a shot and have the common sense to know what suits you or not.
In as you haven't guessed, I'm one of the ones that like it here.
Anyone buying or renting needs to ask the questions about insulation etc, because the date the house was built doesn't guarantee the standard it was built to.
We're happy here though - just taking our time with the house purchase. Probably 95% of our friends are kiwis and a lot of them are in the building trade or have lived here all their lives. We've had some very good advice from them - so we're in no hurry.
One of my favorite things about the kiwis is their attitude when you approach them randomly. One English friend laughs at the fact that I'll wander up to a stranger on the beach and ask them what they're fishing for and what bait their using. They're very open and happy to share advice or information and they very much like it if you're just giving it a go.
My husband was fishing in a place very popular with one of the local maori groups and having no luck. One of them just came over and helped him out, moved him a few meters along, stayed with him for 5 minutes - and he was catching massive fish.
I do miss horse riding though, I used to have a horse and ride most days - so I've lost my best pal and my stress buster all in one go. Horses are cheaper to buy and keep here, but there are fewer places to ride. Not impossible though, but something to consider if it's something important to you when you come over - especially since livery doesn't exist out here.
Jul 4th 2011, 9:47 pm
#51
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Joined: May 2002
Location: Christchurch NZ
Posts: 179
Re: Your life in NZ vs UK
Not sure why a 2008 house had single glazed windows, that's illegal here! And I love the "unless you burn loads of wood" comment. A bit like saying unless you put clothes on and live in a house you may get a chill.
Woodburners suit NZ, and the cleanburn ones are slowly arriving here.
The lack of building space in UK has seen new houses either built on flood plains or you look in your neighbours lounge from your kitchen window. Hardly ideal. A good idea to make sure you enjoy the same tv as the neighbours, you'll hear theirs through the walls in most semis.
Don't like living in Welly, Browner?....bloody move then!
Turkeys.....good on you, at least you gave it a shot and have the common sense to know what suits you or not.
In as you haven't guessed, I'm one of the ones that like it here.
Woodburners suit NZ, and the cleanburn ones are slowly arriving here.
The lack of building space in UK has seen new houses either built on flood plains or you look in your neighbours lounge from your kitchen window. Hardly ideal. A good idea to make sure you enjoy the same tv as the neighbours, you'll hear theirs through the walls in most semis.
Don't like living in Welly, Browner?....bloody move then!
Turkeys.....good on you, at least you gave it a shot and have the common sense to know what suits you or not.
In as you haven't guessed, I'm one of the ones that like it here.
The problem is that even now some aluminium double glazing companies still don’t use thermal breaks in their frames, which means that the frame will conduct heat through it, and very effectively too! When I started ringing around for quotes (three years ago) to replace our glazing, you wouldn’t believe how many companies didn’t know (or care) about this. This is typical of NZ in many ways, instead of going all the way, they are content to make a product that is cheap, but ineffective. Yes it does satisfy the building code, but in name only, and is about as effective as a chocolate fireguard.
The building code (new housing standards) are better here now, but come on, the knowledge has been available for years, re insulation, proper double glazing, damp proofing…etc, but why hasn’t NZ used it? “well this is how we’ve always done it…”… and my favourite “stop whinging, toughen up!”.
I firmly believe that if it wasn’t for the fact that NZ now has so many expats living and working here, and all of most of whom are somewhat better informed (or experienced) when it comes to such matters of sensible heating and insulation benefits; well I think they would still be fitting greenhouse glass to new houses! The very fact that “we” have our say, yes we “whinge” a bit, helps push the boundaries a little.
Jul 4th 2011, 11:36 pm
#52
Just Joined
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 1
Re: Your life in NZ vs UK
Ran an up market pub,restaurant.,B & B
Was making it pay, partner worked in I.T.
Holidayed in Europe(mainly France) for long weekends and a month in Thailand in January each year
Got sick and tired of increasing rent,rates and other associated business costs, partner saw his particular job as going nowhere.
NZ from October 2008
Run a medium size motel well away from any main roads, so still feels village like, partner works in I.T. for major power supply company, loving all the new challenges.
Business makes far more profit than the pub in England, and partner earns much more here.
Holiday in NZ in summer (long weekends) Take a month in Northern Hemisphere in NZ winter, California last year and Europe, Egypt and Thailand this August
We can actually save money here as well
The house is an old villa in the motel grounds, was cold and uninsulated when we arrived, it now has full insulation and 4 heat pumps, I wear shorts and Tee-shirt all winter.
Overall much much better in NZ no thoughts at all about ever returning to England, we might move to Thailand for a few years but NZ is now home.
Jul 4th 2011, 11:47 pm
#53
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Location: Queensland, Australia
Posts: 1,010
Re: Your life in NZ vs UK
What is important however is the design and they way in which it is constructed
Is all masonry susceptible to damage or collapse in large shaking?
Just because a building is constructed in brick or stone, it is not necessarily a danger. If brick masonry is properly attached to a backing frame, as it is in most residential construction, it can behave well as can masonry blocks filled with concrete and strengthened with steel rods. Brick masonry restrained by a concrete or steel frame, if properly designed, can also behave well and it has been used effectively throughout the world, including Christchurch.
Just because a building is constructed in brick or stone, it is not necessarily a danger. If brick masonry is properly attached to a backing frame, as it is in most residential construction, it can behave well as can masonry blocks filled with concrete and strengthened with steel rods. Brick masonry restrained by a concrete or steel frame, if properly designed, can also behave well and it has been used effectively throughout the world, including Christchurch.
Jul 5th 2011, 8:44 am
#54
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Re: Your life in NZ vs UK
There is no slower way of life here..... you simply work more hours, for less pay!! and as admirable as it may be in certain industries.... using Number 8 Wire Philosophy.... Hmmm not so sure the global markets relate to that.....
As for clean and green - most kiwis drive around in 20 year old V8's that are probably the least efficient and environmentally friendly cars you can find. I pulled up at the lights over the weekend, and a guy pulled up next to me with a vintage Datsun with no bonnet or wings.... takes the whole lotus light weight / power to weight concept to a whole new level. The country is not as clean and green as I imagined.... and it is only because it is a country the size of UK with less than 10% of the population that it appears that way.
I don't want to sound down on NZ - I love it in so many ways..... but the slower way of life / work life balance / clean green..... are all the things that netted me in the first place. This is just not the case for many expats I have spoken with.
NZ is undoubtedly a beautiful place, and a majority of the kiwi's are lovely people (although not as friendly as I had imagined). The secnery is stunning, there is access to some of the most stunning places on earth here.... and the time you do have free (when it is not raining) is definately enjoyed more outdoors than when in UK. I am sure for some, this far outweighs the material things that I may be comparing to.... but at the end of the day, financial viability and security are a fundamental to many families, and I don't feel this is sometimes considered in sufficient detail before making what is a very expensive move.
I second comments about folk making the move with young families - I have ultimate respect for you all..... and know that for many of you, the move has been for your children..... which is about as selfless as you can get. Hats off to you all
As for clean and green - most kiwis drive around in 20 year old V8's that are probably the least efficient and environmentally friendly cars you can find. I pulled up at the lights over the weekend, and a guy pulled up next to me with a vintage Datsun with no bonnet or wings.... takes the whole lotus light weight / power to weight concept to a whole new level. The country is not as clean and green as I imagined.... and it is only because it is a country the size of UK with less than 10% of the population that it appears that way.
I don't want to sound down on NZ - I love it in so many ways..... but the slower way of life / work life balance / clean green..... are all the things that netted me in the first place. This is just not the case for many expats I have spoken with.
NZ is undoubtedly a beautiful place, and a majority of the kiwi's are lovely people (although not as friendly as I had imagined). The secnery is stunning, there is access to some of the most stunning places on earth here.... and the time you do have free (when it is not raining) is definately enjoyed more outdoors than when in UK. I am sure for some, this far outweighs the material things that I may be comparing to.... but at the end of the day, financial viability and security are a fundamental to many families, and I don't feel this is sometimes considered in sufficient detail before making what is a very expensive move.
I second comments about folk making the move with young families - I have ultimate respect for you all..... and know that for many of you, the move has been for your children..... which is about as selfless as you can get. Hats off to you all
I guess im lucky to be in the south island, well i see it that way, and find the people to be really friendly etc, though ive been told this part of NZ is a bit of an exception. Ive good job prospects ahead of me, so ive been told, how much i can make i guess is up to me.. Im finding im being more outdoorsy because i have to be as im kinda on my own.. I'l see how it goes for a while but im the mean time im enjoying my time here.. I have plenty to say but i think i may get shot down in flames..
(Oh, my dads name is Edward Thomas Wes.......)
Gary
Jul 5th 2011, 9:03 am
#55
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Re: Your life in NZ vs UK
Go'on spill the beans! 
You can't please all of the people all the time but you should have the courage of your convictions. Often we stand alone with our thoughts on a subject for fear that nobody will support us, when in truth there's likely plenty more people thinking exactly the same thing and not saying.
I like to hear what newer folks think of it here and whether it's living up to their expectations.
You can't please all of the people all the time but you should have the courage of your convictions. Often we stand alone with our thoughts on a subject for fear that nobody will support us, when in truth there's likely plenty more people thinking exactly the same thing and not saying.I like to hear what newer folks think of it here and whether it's living up to their expectations.
Jul 5th 2011, 9:06 am
#56
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Re: Your life in NZ vs UK
I have plenty to say but i think i may get shot down in flames
Jul 5th 2011, 9:52 am
#57
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Re: Your life in NZ vs UK
You take a city such as Auckland with one million people and put it anywhere else in the world. Would it honestly have THREE District Health Boards, all inventing the wheel and doing their own things? Would it not have joined up transport, park n rides, some encouragement and alternatives to using the car to get from A to B.
Would it have FOUR separate city councils, separate council offices, different rubbish collection services, managers of this and that; plus another regional council over the top. Now granted they've seen the light but we have to now spend untold millions of dollars to fix it up and put it all back together again.
Today, we're told, if we want a transport system we'll have to pay $6 a time to cross the Harbour Bridge FFS!
Jul 5th 2011, 10:38 am
#58
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Re: Your life in NZ vs UK
I feel that way too Billingham, you would think with only 4 million people to look after that they really could organise things better. It should and could be a model country. Honestly, the whole function of government and local bureaucracy is massively inflated being way too big for such a small population. There's too many friggin' chiefs and their entourages with fingers in the pie and clipping the ticket.
You take a city such as Auckland with one million people and put it anywhere else in the world. Would it honestly have THREE District Health Boards, all inventing the wheel and doing their own things? Would it not have joined up transport, park n rides, some encouragement and alternatives to using the car to get from A to B.
Would it have FOUR separate city councils, separate council offices, different rubbish collection services, managers of this and that; plus another regional council over the top. Now granted they've seen the light but we have to now spend untold millions of dollars to fix it up and put it all back together again.
Today, we're told, if we want a transport system we'll have to pay $6 a time to cross the Harbour Bridge FFS!
You take a city such as Auckland with one million people and put it anywhere else in the world. Would it honestly have THREE District Health Boards, all inventing the wheel and doing their own things? Would it not have joined up transport, park n rides, some encouragement and alternatives to using the car to get from A to B.
Would it have FOUR separate city councils, separate council offices, different rubbish collection services, managers of this and that; plus another regional council over the top. Now granted they've seen the light but we have to now spend untold millions of dollars to fix it up and put it all back together again.
Today, we're told, if we want a transport system we'll have to pay $6 a time to cross the Harbour Bridge FFS!
Jul 5th 2011, 10:41 am
#59
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Re: Your life in NZ vs UK
The main problem is simply that salaries, let alone other employment-related benefits, are so, well... POOR. There seems to be little national discussion as to why this is the case.
I am currently applying for jobs in NZ and am resigned to the fact that I'll be earning around 50-60,000 dollars rather than (currently) pounds. Having said that the currencies could be at parity by the time I get there, so that will be ok
I am currently applying for jobs in NZ and am resigned to the fact that I'll be earning around 50-60,000 dollars rather than (currently) pounds. Having said that the currencies could be at parity by the time I get there, so that will be ok
Jul 5th 2011, 10:45 am
#60
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Re: Your life in NZ vs UK
I know that is tongue in cheek, but the pro-nz lobbiers are a vile bunch at times ie when utopia is questioned. They must be working for the government and are worried at the amount of people leaving - strange that, people leaving utopia in their droves. The frustrating thing about New Zealand is that it has such an opportunity to be a lovely country.