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Our experience moving to NZ 18 months in

Our experience moving to NZ 18 months in

Old May 28th 2019, 1:10 am
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Default Our experience moving to NZ 18 months in

Hello All,

Thought I might add this post to give others some perspective from my point of view after living here in NZ now for exactly 18 months. This will probably stir the pot a bit but I’m simply sharing my honest opinion on New Zealand coming from the UK, the process and how we find living out here.

Link to my previous thread about questions I asked pre moving here Some questions please

The flight over here was a total nightmare with a 2 year old, I would not wish that on anybody. People who have done this will attest to this! FYI we came from south England to Auckland NZ.

The good
  • Less materialism here, people don’t care what car you drive or about the brand of your clothing. Coming from the UK which seems totally materialistic this was a pleasant change.
  • Stunning scenery, a lot of people say it’s very ‘samey’ here but for me it’s pretty darn good especially the south island. Lakes, mountains, snow, beaches, forest etc
  • It feels safer, you do hear about crime but personally I feel safer here. I’ve never had any trouble while out socialising even at late hours and never experienced any direct hostility.
  • There is less road rage, people are chilled and don’t seem to rant and rage as much as back home.
  • Life outside of work in the free time that I do have is infinitely better than my life was in the UK. I go kayaking, kayak fishing, we do beach days, visit local parks and attractions and have the weather to do these things far more often. We lead a much more outdoorsy life here it seems. I’m often out mountain biking too.
  • Cleaner air.
  • Less people, even here in Auckland it’s way quieter than our home town in the south of the UK. Even a busy beach here is nothing and in fact quiet compared to the UK.
  • More family events, for free. Literally there is something on every weekend for kids- free fun days, music events, kids markets or play events in some form or another. We didn’t have this in the UK anywhere near as much.
  • Free swimming for kids, when the weather is crap you can swim and it doesn’t cost you 8GBP per child like it does in the UK.
  • Kids play parks everywhere and they’re amazing so great outdoor space to let my daughter run wild and play with other kids.
  • The politics, the government don’t seem so much like a bunch of plebs looking out for rich people out here (maybe this is just my face value opinion though)
  • Day car for our 3 year is practically free for 20 hours per week and the level of learning and experience she gets is WAY better than it was in the UK.
The bad
  • The industry I work in totally sucks out here. I work in construction and have tried now for 18 months get along with it but I’m frankly still shocked by the working practices out here and the unwillingness to accept innovation and instill changes for the better. All you ever hear is “we’ve done it that way for years” or the old “she’ll be alright”- No I’m sorry but if I can point out millions of dollars of savings and provide some insight into industry innovations or a better way of doing things and it’s totally ignored she certainly will not be alright. Having chatted to others in other businesses this seems like it’s an industry standard out here which frustrates many people.
  • I’ve found kiwis a very closed bunch, they’re very friendly to talk about the weather for 5 minutes or ask how the weekend was but in terms of striking any meaningful relationships it’s impossible. We’ve made every effort to but they don’t seem interested. The connections I do have are immigrants who likely find the same thing I do.
  • There is certainly a racist under belly here, I’ve seen it particularly at work when hearing kiwis talk about ‘us imports’ and that if we don’t like the 1920’s way of working in my industry then go "back home". I’ve often heard some people complaining about ‘imports’ taking Kiwi jobs etc. The fact is most who have worked doing what I do purely in NZ would not be able to operate in their job role back in Europe-the standard of work is just too sloppy and lack luster.
  • 40 hour working weeks, 20 days annual leave and having to take 10 days of that over Christmas is standard out here which means you’re practically at work all the time. Most people in Construction are also working 50 plus hours a week and only being paid for 40 hours. I did this the first year then decided it was just silly and not conducive to long term health and happiness. I’m not quite sure anybody out that doesn’t have a lot of money is actually living the NZ brochure lifestyle of ‘balance’ that we all hear about back home.
  • Housing- 90% of houses here are dated and damp during the winter months. Rent in Auckland is extortion- you’re looking at paying circa $600 per week for a dated rental that is damp during the winter months for a small family. No double glazing means condensation and mould which you’re constantly cleaning and battling with to avoid health issues. We’ve had 2 rentals now and both have been the same.
  • Food prices. Seriously someone is making a fortune somewhere in the chain here. Avocado out of season are $10 for 1 piece! We are quite frugal and buy on the cheap and our food bill is circa $250 per week. Others I know spend as much as $350 per week on food. I cannot understand this as all the fruit and veg and meat is grown or reared locally. That said the quality is definitely better out here.
  • Distance to family- This is obvious but it does get difficult even if you haven’t got that close a family back home. Factor in the lack of annual leave to go on holiday and lack of disposable income to buy additional leave and you’re stuck really.
  • Proximity to Europe, of course no 50BGP flights to Europe for a quick weekend away.
  • Culture and history- despite its natural beauty NZ is obviously not as diverse as the UK and Europe and doesn’t have all the history behind it. We took this for granted when we were in the UK and if we went home I’d be very keen to do more holidaying in the UK. Scotland for example contains much of the natural beauty that NZ does. Ireland, wales and the Lakes in England also contain so much beauty and then Europe is a short flight away.
We don’t regret coming here and we’re currently weighing up staying long term or going back home. Most of my gripes come from work really so I think if I did something totally different things would improve in that regard, even moving from Auckland I may find more balance. Moving to NZ has certainly opened our eyes not only to the bad things from the UK but also the good and has given us a better perspective of things in general- something we can take back if we decide to go home. I’d advise anybody thinking about doing it to give it a go 100%. If nothing else we’ll have a few years of this experience under our belt and we’ve managed to travel around NZ a lot which has been a great experience in general.

The only other driver for me personally is my career which frankly has just stagnated at best but honestly gone backwards since I’ve been here in terms of modern technologies etc, my fear is going back home I might as well put on my CV that I’ve been on a 2 year holiday and start back where I was perhaps 5 years ago in the UK.

Another thing, I personally did not find moving out here much of a bother in terms of stress etc. People always make this out to be a big deal and even just moving within the UK a big deal. I wouldn’t hesitate to move somewhere else in the world or home and doubt we’d find it that stressful, I think this experience has given us a strengthening of that resilience and welcoming of the unknown a little more.

Best regards

Last edited by WBHB; May 28th 2019 at 1:22 am.
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Old May 28th 2019, 4:13 am
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Default Re: Our experience moving to NZ 18 months in

I wonder if you might suit somewhere like Worksafe or one of the private safety companies, your experience would be valuable. Very good post.
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Old May 28th 2019, 9:28 am
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Default Re: Our experience moving to NZ 18 months in

Great post thank you. Can I ask what you do in construction if you don't mind me asking? We're in the early stages of emigrating from the UK and my husband is in construction too (Architect - MCIAT). I suspect he will have similar issues.
We're also going to be taking a 2 year old but fully expect that journey to be horrendous, so not surprised at that news ;-)
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Old May 28th 2019, 9:54 am
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Default Re: Our experience moving to NZ 18 months in

Originally Posted by WBHB
Hello All,

Thought I might add this post to give others some perspective from my point of view after living here in NZ now for exactly 18 months. This will probably stir the pot a bit but I’m simply sharing my honest opinion on New Zealand coming from the UK, the process and how we find living out here.

Link to my previous thread about questions I asked pre moving here Some questions please

The flight over here was a total nightmare with a 2 year old, I would not wish that on anybody. People who have done this will attest to this! FYI we came from south England to Auckland NZ.

The good
  • Less materialism here, people don’t care what car you drive or about the brand of your clothing. Coming from the UK which seems totally materialistic this was a pleasant change.
  • Stunning scenery, a lot of people say it’s very ‘samey’ here but for me it’s pretty darn good especially the south island. Lakes, mountains, snow, beaches, forest etc
  • It feels safer, you do hear about crime but personally I feel safer here. I’ve never had any trouble while out socialising even at late hours and never experienced any direct hostility.
  • There is less road rage, people are chilled and don’t seem to rant and rage as much as back home.
  • Life outside of work in the free time that I do have is infinitely better than my life was in the UK. I go kayaking, kayak fishing, we do beach days, visit local parks and attractions and have the weather to do these things far more often. We lead a much more outdoorsy life here it seems. I’m often out mountain biking too.
  • Cleaner air.
  • Less people, even here in Auckland it’s way quieter than our home town in the south of the UK. Even a busy beach here is nothing and in fact quiet compared to the UK.
  • More family events, for free. Literally there is something on every weekend for kids- free fun days, music events, kids markets or play events in some form or another. We didn’t have this in the UK anywhere near as much.
  • Free swimming for kids, when the weather is crap you can swim and it doesn’t cost you 8GBP per child like it does in the UK.
  • Kids play parks everywhere and they’re amazing so great outdoor space to let my daughter run wild and play with other kids.
  • The politics, the government don’t seem so much like a bunch of plebs looking out for rich people out here (maybe this is just my face value opinion though)
  • Day car for our 3 year is practically free for 20 hours per week and the level of learning and experience she gets is WAY better than it was in the UK.
The bad
  • The industry I work in totally sucks out here. I work in construction and have tried now for 18 months get along with it but I’m frankly still shocked by the working practices out here and the unwillingness to accept innovation and instill changes for the better. All you ever hear is “we’ve done it that way for years” or the old “she’ll be alright”- No I’m sorry but if I can point out millions of dollars of savings and provide some insight into industry innovations or a better way of doing things and it’s totally ignored she certainly will not be alright. Having chatted to others in other businesses this seems like it’s an industry standard out here which frustrates many people.
  • I’ve found kiwis a very closed bunch, they’re very friendly to talk about the weather for 5 minutes or ask how the weekend was but in terms of striking any meaningful relationships it’s impossible. We’ve made every effort to but they don’t seem interested. The connections I do have are immigrants who likely find the same thing I do.
  • There is certainly a racist under belly here, I’ve seen it particularly at work when hearing kiwis talk about ‘us imports’ and that if we don’t like the 1920’s way of working in my industry then go "back home". I’ve often heard some people complaining about ‘imports’ taking Kiwi jobs etc. The fact is most who have worked doing what I do purely in NZ would not be able to operate in their job role back in Europe-the standard of work is just too sloppy and lack luster.
  • 40 hour working weeks, 20 days annual leave and having to take 10 days of that over Christmas is standard out here which means you’re practically at work all the time. Most people in Construction are also working 50 plus hours a week and only being paid for 40 hours. I did this the first year then decided it was just silly and not conducive to long term health and happiness. I’m not quite sure anybody out that doesn’t have a lot of money is actually living the NZ brochure lifestyle of ‘balance’ that we all hear about back home.
  • Housing- 90% of houses here are dated and damp during the winter months. Rent in Auckland is extortion- you’re looking at paying circa $600 per week for a dated rental that is damp during the winter months for a small family. No double glazing means condensation and mould which you’re constantly cleaning and battling with to avoid health issues. We’ve had 2 rentals now and both have been the same.
  • Food prices. Seriously someone is making a fortune somewhere in the chain here. Avocado out of season are $10 for 1 piece! We are quite frugal and buy on the cheap and our food bill is circa $250 per week. Others I know spend as much as $350 per week on food. I cannot understand this as all the fruit and veg and meat is grown or reared locally. That said the quality is definitely better out here.
  • Distance to family- This is obvious but it does get difficult even if you haven’t got that close a family back home. Factor in the lack of annual leave to go on holiday and lack of disposable income to buy additional leave and you’re stuck really.
  • Proximity to Europe, of course no 50BGP flights to Europe for a quick weekend away.
  • Culture and history- despite its natural beauty NZ is obviously not as diverse as the UK and Europe and doesn’t have all the history behind it. We took this for granted when we were in the UK and if we went home I’d be very keen to do more holidaying in the UK. Scotland for example contains much of the natural beauty that NZ does. Ireland, wales and the Lakes in England also contain so much beauty and then Europe is a short flight away.
We don’t regret coming here and we’re currently weighing up staying long term or going back home. Most of my gripes come from work really so I think if I did something totally different things would improve in that regard, even moving from Auckland I may find more balance. Moving to NZ has certainly opened our eyes not only to the bad things from the UK but also the good and has given us a better perspective of things in general- something we can take back if we decide to go home. I’d advise anybody thinking about doing it to give it a go 100%. If nothing else we’ll have a few years of this experience under our belt and we’ve managed to travel around NZ a lot which has been a great experience in general.

The only other driver for me personally is my career which frankly has just stagnated at best but honestly gone backwards since I’ve been here in terms of modern technologies etc, my fear is going back home I might as well put on my CV that I’ve been on a 2 year holiday and start back where I was perhaps 5 years ago in the UK.

Another thing, I personally did not find moving out here much of a bother in terms of stress etc. People always make this out to be a big deal and even just moving within the UK a big deal. I wouldn’t hesitate to move somewhere else in the world or home and doubt we’d find it that stressful, I think this experience has given us a strengthening of that resilience and welcoming of the unknown a little more.

Best regards
Good post and shows again that it has nothing to do with the country really and the little things can make the difference for each individual. It's the same everywhere and no matter if you move to the UK from New Zealand, from the UK to Portugal or any other country, each case is different and it's the first impression that stays. How people judge a place also depends where they come from and I know a guy who recently returned from Auckland and said the exact opposite. For him most of your good parts were better back here and most of your bad parts were better in NZ. It's really the location within the country that counts and not the country itself. If it's about family and other personal issues, that's a different story.

Last edited by Moses2013; May 28th 2019 at 10:03 am.
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Old May 28th 2019, 1:36 pm
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Default Re: Our experience moving to NZ 18 months in

Really useful post - thank you for sharing. With regards to working hours etc - do people still feel there is a better work life balance. I hear this alot and that is one of the pulls to move to NZ and the fact that life feels slower and less steessful- however, it will be a slightly longer working week and dropping nearly 2 weeks holiday a year - on paper it does not sound it?? What have been peoples experience of work/life balance?
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Old May 28th 2019, 5:46 pm
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Default Re: Our experience moving to NZ 18 months in

I'm sorry but this old chestnut needs to be buried six feet under! In my experience (myself, my husband and friends) the work-life balance is not better in NZ. I worked 8 til 5 plus commute (same as UK) My OH works 7.30 til 7 plus commute. He often works weekends and gets one day off for two worked. I have a friend who leaves home at 6.20am and is home about 7.30pm each day. This is not unusual. All that stuff on Wanted DownUnder about finishing early to take the family to the beach etc is hogwash unless you work part time. In my humble opinion (and experience) people work as long hours as UK. Yes, you might get invited to a sausage sizzle on a Friday but frankly most people just want to go home and get on with their personal lives. The only people I knew who enjoyed out of work socialising were those working for international companies who seemed to support expat staff well, e.g. US companies. ( Should I now stand back and wait for a barrage of abuse? Sometimes I wonder why comments on this forum attract so much anger. I keep telling myself to stay away!)
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Old May 28th 2019, 8:56 pm
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Default Re: Our experience moving to NZ 18 months in

Originally Posted by Scheck
Great post thank you. Can I ask what you do in construction if you don't mind me asking? We're in the early stages of emigrating from the UK and my husband is in construction too (Architect - MCIAT). I suspect he will have similar issues.
We're also going to be taking a 2 year old but fully expect that journey to be horrendous, so not surprised at that news ;-)

I'm a Civil Engineer, office based. We actually bumped into an Irish Architect while holidaying at Christmas up north- he had exactly the same gripes as it happens. You may be surprised with the journey, my advice would be expect the worst and hope for the best. The airline staff were so helpful though which made it more doable.
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Old May 28th 2019, 8:57 pm
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Default Re: Our experience moving to NZ 18 months in

Originally Posted by Moses2013
Good post and shows again that it has nothing to do with the country really and the little things can make the difference for each individual. It's the same everywhere and no matter if you move to the UK from New Zealand, from the UK to Portugal or any other country, each case is different and it's the first impression that stays. How people judge a place also depends where they come from and I know a guy who recently returned from Auckland and said the exact opposite. For him most of your good parts were better back here and most of your bad parts were better in NZ. It's really the location within the country that counts and not the country itself. If it's about family and other personal issues, that's a different story.

100% agree, the family and friends thing is a universal problem in my opinion but the other things are subjective and I also agree that every single country you go to has some issue or another that won't sit well with you and you'll always compare things to your home country.
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Old May 28th 2019, 9:07 pm
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Default Re: Our experience moving to NZ 18 months in

Originally Posted by JaneRiley
I'm sorry but this old chestnut needs to be buried six feet under! In my experience (myself, my husband and friends) the work-life balance is not better in NZ. I worked 8 til 5 plus commute (same as UK) My OH works 7.30 til 7 plus commute. He often works weekends and gets one day off for two worked. I have a friend who leaves home at 6.20am and is home about 7.30pm each day. This is not unusual. All that stuff on Wanted DownUnder about finishing early to take the family to the beach etc is hogwash unless you work part time. In my humble opinion (and experience) people work as long hours as UK. Yes, you might get invited to a sausage sizzle on a Friday but frankly most people just want to go home and get on with their personal lives. The only people I knew who enjoyed out of work socialising were those working for international companies who seemed to support expat staff well, e.g. US companies. ( Should I now stand back and wait for a barrage of abuse? Sometimes I wonder why comments on this forum attract so much anger. I keep telling myself to stay away!)
I'm with you totally on this, the balance thing you see on those TV shows and the UK's perception of the 'balanced lifestyle' is total and utter BS unless you come over with so much money you can get away with working part time (unlikely given house prices and the cost of living out here).

I was even sold this in the interview with my employer, they totally sold it as the great balanced lifestyle and I have not seen that one bit. Like you the people I know and the people I work with (which includes other companies and contractors) all work close to 50 or 60 hours per week and 99% are paid for 40 hours even those in other industries. Even 40 hours sucks to me.

If you combine that with the 20 days annual leave with 10 days at Christmas shut down (usually mandatory at most firms out here) then your 'balanced' lifestyle soon becomes a pipe dream when you factor in perhaps a 30 minute commute each way to the office.

This may be more of an Auckland issue as I have nothing else in NZ to compare it to at the moment.

Our firm also has regular socials and I made every effort last year for the first 12 months to go to them in an effort to connect with Kiwis and other expats to little avail. This year I stopped bothering as these events seemed futile and ate into my already lowered family time.

Hopefully this doesn't cause anger, it's just the reality here in Auckland take it for what you will. If you are from London working a high stress job 60 hours per week and you come here you might well find it is more 'balanced' here but if you've come from a run of the mill 37.5 hours back in the UK you'll be in for a serious shock.
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Old May 28th 2019, 9:09 pm
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Default Re: Our experience moving to NZ 18 months in

Originally Posted by UktoNZ19
Really useful post - thank you for sharing. With regards to working hours etc - do people still feel there is a better work life balance. I hear this alot and that is one of the pulls to move to NZ and the fact that life feels slower and less steessful- however, it will be a slightly longer working week and dropping nearly 2 weeks holiday a year - on paper it does not sound it?? What have been peoples experience of work/life balance?
That is hard to answer as each person's mileage is different. It depends on what you came from and what you go to. It will depend on locations & it may depend on occupation.

For myself and my husband the work life balance - whatever that really means - is not better in NZ. It was far better in the UK.

As an example someone that comes from a UK city with a UK commute and arrives to an NZ city with less traffic commute and easier access to beaches , that may be enough for them to feel the deal was a good one.
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Old May 29th 2019, 4:06 am
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Default Re: Our experience moving to NZ 18 months in

Originally Posted by WBHB
I'm with you totally on this, the balance thing you see on those TV shows and the UK's perception of the 'balanced lifestyle' is total and utter BS unless you come over with so much money you can get away with working part time (unlikely given house prices and the cost of living out here).

I was even sold this in the interview with my employer, they totally sold it as the great balanced lifestyle and I have not seen that one bit. Like you the people I know and the people I work with (which includes other companies and contractors) all work close to 50 or 60 hours per week and 99% are paid for 40 hours even those in other industries. Even 40 hours sucks to me.

If you combine that with the 20 days annual leave with 10 days at Christmas shut down (usually mandatory at most firms out here) then your 'balanced' lifestyle soon becomes a pipe dream when you factor in perhaps a 30 minute commute each way to the office.

This may be more of an Auckland issue as I have nothing else in NZ to compare it to at the moment.

Our firm also has regular socials and I made every effort last year for the first 12 months to go to them in an effort to connect with Kiwis and other expats to little avail. This year I stopped bothering as these events seemed futile and ate into my already lowered family time.

Hopefully this doesn't cause anger, it's just the reality here in Auckland take it for what you will. If you are from London working a high stress job 60 hours per week and you come here you might well find it is more 'balanced' here but if you've come from a run of the mill 37.5 hours back in the UK you'll be in for a serious shock.
Its because (IMO) your living in Auckland.

We moved to Marlborough, after two years in Auckland and the pace of life slowed way down. Smaller community, everyone is less stressed, kids make great inroads to help making friends. Plus the weather is awesome.
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Old May 29th 2019, 9:47 am
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Default Re: Our experience moving to NZ 18 months in

My standard of living on a day to day basis is lower and more stressful here than in the UK. Husbands work has also been more stressful here than in the UK and last year made him physically unwell that they were thinking he possibly had MS but luckily it turned out just to be stress. Took him 9 months to get another job which has meant a drop in wage and holiday entitlement but health is more important.
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Old May 29th 2019, 10:16 am
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Default Re: Our experience moving to NZ 18 months in

Originally Posted by UktoNZ19
Really useful post - thank you for sharing. With regards to working hours etc - do people still feel there is a better work life balance. I hear this alot and that is one of the pulls to move to NZ and the fact that life feels slower and less steessful- however, it will be a slightly longer working week and dropping nearly 2 weeks holiday a year - on paper it does not sound it?? What have been peoples experience of work/life balance?
In my personal experience I'd say the work/life balance is better here for me and my family. I guess I'm one of the few that say this ?

In general I work more hours per week on average here but due to a completely different shift pattern which is basically 2 days, 2 nights (12.25hrs each) then 4 days off, there seems to be way more time for family and in my opinion that time off is served much better since I can count on the weather more and there being more to do closer to home at at little to zero cost.
My commute here is double the distance than it was in the UK, however the time it takes me to do that commute here is very similar than the UK due to the high traffic issues I experienced.
There is also the difference in effective 'work' that I do here which is measurable here. In the UK, my shifts were 7, 10 or 12hrs long and I'd generally be at my desk working, talking on the phone/mobile/emails for most of that shift with manager and senior managers breathing down my neck at every opportunity, nothing bad but you always felt you had to justify every decision there.
Here, my shifts are all 12.25hrs long and I 'work' only 50% of that time actually on duty doing my job. Unfortunately for the other half, I still have to be there and maintain situational awareness just in case I have to step in or assist, but it is rare that I have to do that. There is always two people doing my role as it is too mind numbingly difficult for one person to do it non-stop so we share the role 3hrs on duty/3hrs standby, then repeat and the standby time is there for you to clear your head, eat/drink/ stretch the legs, have a chat, read documents/emails.....all code for buying stuff on the internet really. We have management in the next room but barely do we need them and they are so laid back they'd fall over given half the chance. We rarely see an senior management unless they have a meeting at the office and bring us morning tea or lunch. It is soooo much more chilled out working here in NZ its funny. I love work here, the team members are awesome and management great. Technology isn't the best and could be way better....probably 10 years behind the UK but hey,so what. At least I can tell my colleagues the stuff they'll be able to do with a phone and the IT when they catch up in the mid 2020's
My only gripe is the pay is worse than the UK even though my role here is a step up and has way more responsibility. I continue to argue that we should be paid more and management are slowly starting to listen but changing anything here takes an age.
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Old May 29th 2019, 10:41 am
  #14  
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Default Re: Our experience moving to NZ 18 months in

Originally Posted by WBHB
40 hour working weeks, 20 days annual leave and having to take 10 days of that over Christmas is standard out here which means you’re practically at work all the time. Most people in Construction are also working 50 plus hours a week and only being paid for 40 hours. I did this the first year then decided it was just silly and not conducive to long term health and happiness. I’m not quite sure anybody out that doesn’t have a lot of money is actually living the NZ brochure lifestyle of ‘balance’ that we all hear about back home.
Thanks for sharing.

I have never heard about this being reported abroad, I visited the museum in Nelson a few years ago and there was an exhibition of all the con tricks that local businesses used to run to tempt workers to move there from England because for a few months per year they were desperate for workers to harvest their agricultural produce - this was mid-20th Century. The people that fell for it were paid well for a short while but unemployed for the rest of the year. At least it was sunny there so that makes it all right yes?

I have come to the conclusion that the idea of a better 'work-life balance' has been misunderstood by British people as meaning spending less time at work and more time doing what they want. My experience is that it means spending more time at work but when you are there you have to make f-all effort.
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Old May 29th 2019, 10:57 am
  #15  
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Default Re: Our experience moving to NZ 18 months in

Originally Posted by escapedtonz
My only gripe is the pay is worse than the UK even though my role here is a step up and has way more responsibility. I continue to argue that we should be paid more and management are slowly starting to listen but changing anything here takes an age.
I suppose it depends what you do and everyone thinks they should be paid more:-). The reality is that with Globalization, some jobs can be done from anywhere and what benefits would a business have staying in NZ and so on if pay and taxes are higher than other places. Even in the UK I feel that wages are very low in certain fields and I earn far more in Ireland than back in the UK. But again every experience is different and I'm doing a different job than back in the UK several years ago.
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