Hi Rachel..

The cost of living is very reasonable in New Zealand, and if you're lucky enough to get a job with all the unemployment over there...I think you'll find the monthly salary's very competitive compared with lets say Ethiopia (not south Ethiopia of course)
It's the boredom that's the main problem.....sheer boredom.... and of course the bears (really dangerous). The neighbours were very cold too! I don't think one spoke to us for the first 3 months we were there, and when they did it was just to warn us off about our kids playing on their land.
I put a large part of us immigrating to New Zealand down to the split up of our marriage... as well as being a major contributing factor to my wives mental breakdown.
I don't think the move to New Zealand had anything to do with the way my son turned out, although he was a model pupil when in the UK. Prison has obviously changed him now....but we still love him and are planning to visit him once he is regarded safe enough to take visitors.

May I recommend a book entitled My Hell Down-under (not sure who the author is) for some more information