wanting to move to New Zealand

[80cmills]

Hi

I just want to say on a positive note that we moved to nz in July 2011 from the uk. And we have never looked back. We just love it here.

Yes the older houses are cold but with extra heating you can manage it. Plus the winter months aren't that long. Also if you buy a house pre 2002 the government are giving grants to help with the cost of insulation etc.

Food prices- yes at some times of the year certain fruit and veg items are very expensive. All this means is that they are out of season. So just shop seasonally and then there are not really any problems.

I have replied to you tread as I don't want one persons view to be the only one posted.

If you want to ask any questions I would be more than happy to answer them the best I can.

[relocatella]

Originally Posted by dodgerodger

I was unable to get a job in my desired field because I didnt have NZ experience which is completely BS; my wife was also unable to get a job in her field for the same reasons.

Repeatedly talked down to and talked behind our backs because we are American and even though kiwis love all things American they just seem to hate people from America.

Do you think if you and/or you wife had found a job in your field things would have turned differently? Maybe the jobs you found did not pay as much as a job in your field would have. Maybe with this extra money you would have been able to go skiing and enjoy all the outdoor activities you had imagined doing once in New Zealand? Also maybe because you were not in your work field, you were not as comfortable at work as you are usually. It is not easy to enjoy a job and make friends with your colleagues when you don't feel you should be here.

I genuinely wish you that soon enough you will be able to put the bitterness behind you and that you will be able to consider your years in New Zealand as an experience rather than a wrong story!

[MrsRose]

I have never understood the whole "yeah, but it's a dry heat" thing. Why do people think that 120 degrees (48 degrees C) is ok so long as it's a "dry" heat? Have you ever been in an oven? Ovens are dry heat too. I don't care if it's dry or humid...anything over a hundred degrees is HOT!
Basically, it's like the difference between a sauna or a steam room. Neither one of them is any fun after a few short minutes. Lol

My husband and I have lived in this dry, dusty desert our whole lives, and we can't wait to experience Nz's ocean climate!

[bdl123]

"New Zealand is pretty much a 3rd world country compared to countries like the US, Canada and the UK and its political policies continue to keep it this way".........

I'm sorry for butting in on this argument but I find the above statement utterly ridiculous. I assume you've never been to a 3rd world country if you comparing NZ to one.

We have electricity, running water etc...we import & export & maintain a sustainable food supply!!!!! It's a shame all 'other 3rd World Countries' aren't as developed!

Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum

[dodgerodger]

Originally Posted by bdl123

"New Zealand is pretty much a 3rd world country compared to countries like the US, Canada and the UK and its political policies continue to keep it this way".........

I'm sorry for butting in on this argument but I find the above statement utterly ridiculous. I assume you've never been to a 3rd world country if you comparing NZ to one.

We have electricity, running water etc...we import & export & maintain a sustainable food supply!!!!! It's a shame all 'other 3rd World Countries' aren't as developed!

Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum

You quoted me correctly so you should know that I compared New Zealand to other 1st world countries.
New Zealand with it's overpriced leaky houses, it's salary to livable ratio, its political policies is what I am basing my opinions off of and I am not alone in this.

New Zealand is considered to be among the 1st world countries by many but at the bottom of this list; some would consider it a 3rd world country but compared to other 3rd world countries New Zealand would rank among the best.
New Zealand is either the worst 1st world nation or one of the best 3rd world nations.
I have actually been to other so called 3rd world countries so I do know what I am talking about.

[toojoon]

Originally Posted by anski

I am not sure when you arrived in New Zealand or when you left but you really paint a very grim picture of New Zealand.

From your statements you obviously do not have an accurate picture of life in New Zealand currently. New Zealand is certainly not in the dire financial position you state.

Living in the South Island is very different to the North Island. Most people (whether they want to or not) decide to settle in Auckland (North Island) simply because of economics. Most of the best employment opportunities are here & that
should be the most important fact to consider when moving anywhere but especially to a new country. Moving to where there is a small population unless you have a job skill that is hard to fill by local labour is nothing short of committing financial suicide.

There are many people that would love to live somewhere other than Auckland BUT unless they are comfortably retired they sensibly choose not too.

As for people coming & leaving that really is no different to many other countries, I have lived in no less than 10 countries & I certainly never left any country with my tail between my legs. Every country I have lived in has had some positive aspects, but we can all nit pick & find fault. As for comparing NZ with a third world country, that is completely laughable. If you had ever visited a third world country you would see why.

As for the USA having better economy at the moment, I was there in September & shortly will be living there again for a spell, but from my observation there was & still is a lot of problems there. Many people are homeless or unemployed & their is a wide gap between the very rich & the poor.

NZ provides free public hospital care for all, & even provide free emergency health care to visitors from certain countries yet I would not even get a free band aid in America.
My American friend received emergency room treatment here for free when he had a stroke, he was amazed they did not ask for any payment. Tell me where this would happen in America?

I just had to reply to the comment abouyt FREE HOSPITAL CARE. New Zealand does have a welfare state so it tries to provide free education, free hospitals etc, but don't be deluded. Sometimes there are LONG waiting times to get into the hospitals. Emergency Rooms in some places are overloaded or under-staffed. Even education is not really free....There are all sorts of fees and costs involved.

I'd recommend the NZ government website for factual advice about requirements for working in NZ.

[anski]

Originally Posted by toojoon

I just had to reply to the comment abouyt FREE HOSPITAL CARE. New Zealand does have a welfare state so it tries to provide free education, free hospitals etc, but don't be deluded. Sometimes there are LONG waiting times to get into the hospitals. Emergency Rooms in some places are overloaded or under-staffed. Even education is not really free....There are all sorts of fees and costs involved.

As of June 2010 32% of the New Zealand population had private health insurance.

http://www.healthfunds.org.nz/pdf/Fa...%20oct2010.pdf

Yes there are waiting lists for the rest of the population requiring treatment & the time frame is dependant upon your condition.

Conditions requiring urgent attention are given priority over non urgent as is the case of most countries providing free medical treatment.

Cardiac conditions are treated immediately.

[NZ32]

Originally Posted by dodgerodger

You quoted me correctly so you should know that I compared New Zealand to other 1st world countries.
New Zealand with it's overpriced leaky houses, it's salary to livable ratio, its political policies is what I am basing my opinions off of and I am not alone in this.

New Zealand is considered to be among the 1st world countries by many but at the bottom of this list; some would consider it a 3rd world country but compared to other 3rd world countries New Zealand would rank among the best.
New Zealand is either the worst 1st world nation or one of the best 3rd world nations.
I have actually been to other so called 3rd world countries so I do know what I am talking about.

NZs nominal GDP per capita now exceeds many european countries including the UK. As of 2012, GDP per capita of selected countries is as follows:

NZ: $40,454
UK: $38,891
Italy: $33,942
Spain: $30,150

For link just google "gdp by country nominal past and future"

Not bad for a 3rd world country is it to be ahead of a supposedly advanced country like the UK on a GPD per capita basis.

I have sympathy with some of the immigrants who come to NZ and struggle financially. However, that does not mean that everyone is in the same boat. Most of my family and relatives in NZ are doing very well for themselves. Certainly salaries offered in NZ in my field are now as good as or exceed those in the UK or Europe, in know this because I am regularly approached and recieve regular updates regarding job opportunities all round the world in my field.

So in summary, there are well paid jobs in NZ if you work in the right field and you are good at what you do. I am sorry on the behalf of NZ to those immigrants who do not find these or miss out in any way. This may be because they work in the wrong field or they may just be unlucky. But just because you (and some other) immigrants have come to NZ and struggled (no disrespect) does not mean that everyone will, because we're not all in the same boat.

[topcat83]

Originally Posted by anski

...Cardiac conditions are treated immediately....

I can vouch for this. My husband had a minor heart attack when we were in Dunedin. He was on a bed with a heart monitor on him in the time it took me to drop him off at the emergency door and return after parking the car. They had him booked in for an angiogram the day after, and a quadruple bypass the week after that.

Compare this to the similar situation 15 years ago in the UK (which was ironically in the hospital that he worked in) - We had to pay for a private angiogram two weeks later or wait indefinitely on the NHS waiting list.

And we have had a couple of minor procedures done on the Health Service here too - both in a private clinic and within 2 months of being placed on the waiting list.

So yes - there can be waiting lists for non-urgent treatment. But if it's life threatening then I cannot fault the service.

[anski]

My husband had both his cardiac procedures done in a private hospital & I could not fault the treatment.

However on 3 occasions since he has required hospital treatment & in all instances the ambulance was here within minutes, he was rushed to Auckland City Hospital & had immediate tests & specialist care.

I have also experienced immediate treatment when I fractured my shoulder & had x rays a MRI & course of injections at Greenlane Orthopaedics clinic over the past 4 months. I have always been given appointments & last time I arrived early & was seen immediately
So sorry but I cannot fault the free health care.