Canada -> New Zealand

2POSTS

13 years ago

Hi,

I would like to move to NZ in 2015. I've yet to convince my husband.

I know he agrees with me about leaving Quebec. Perhaps going to Ontario... maybe even British Columbia... but New Zealand? He thinks that is simply too far from everyone we know.

I have a cousin out near Auckland who loves it. His mother (my aunt) visited him and plans to retire there. When my cousin comes home to visit, we talk about New Zealand.

I love being Canadian. But I hate, hate, hate the cold. I'm not made for this climate. I'm also not made for British Columbia rain, and we do not want to move to the USA.

I think about all the places we could move. It has to be English, it has to be warm/hot climate, and it has to be developed. My husband is in IT and my cousins tells me there is a demand for IT in New Zealand.

We need to set some roots elsewhere than this freezing, oppressive, anti-english province. Somewhere our kids can grow up and enjoy life, and not always have to put on snow pants, mitts and toques, or scrape the car or driveway every morning. It's nauseating in the winter here.

I can start fresh anywhere in the world and never look back.

Is New Zealand the place?

See also

Sports in New Zealand - Guide
Living in New Zealand - 1 Reply
Looking at Moving to New Zealand... - 3 Replies
Trying to Move to New Zealand - 4 Replies
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Armand ViP

24785POSTS

13 years ago

@ RA Niazi : Could have been a more constructive comment i guess.

ramoorrod Member

1POSTS

13 years ago

Hi,

It is such a beautifull country if you are not after money otherwise Australia.. But NewZealand better in weather few people green all year around.

Will be wise decision for kids to grew up her'

Good luck

shailenfacknat New member

4POSTS

13 years ago

I am also in the verge of deciding to move to NZ. I really do not hhave anyone there but still i feel that I can accommodate and have a better life for my children. Anyway thanks for these hints guys.

BOSTON MAMA Contributor

132POSTS

13 years ago

ramoorrod wrote:
Hi,

It is such a beautifull country if you are not after money otherwise Australia.. But NewZealand better in weather few people green all year around.

Will be wise decision for kids to grew up her'

Good luck

Please explain, if you are not after money, otherwise Australia?
Does NZ not pay competitive wages?

BOSTON MAMA Contributor

132POSTS

13 years ago

RA Niazi wrote:
New zealand is not the best of places to move to.....haven't you read the topics on this forum?

u won't find a single person who likes nz

Why not Niazi? It looks like such a beautiful country. My husband is in LOVE with the idea of moving his family (our 4 and 7 year old) to Wellington for a better life than we have in the USA...especially the health of the air quality and food.

Wondering if you could tell me why you don't like Wellington

THanks,
Jennifer

chrisc70 Member

2POSTS

13 years ago

Hi there, I completely agree withyou! I am also in Canada born and raised in BC then moved to Alberta for the last 16 yrs. I am so sick of the climate here the unhealthy air that we breathe, and lousy food here. I have just convinced my husband we need to make a drastic change for our kids sake. So hes finally agreed to move and Yup New Zealand it is, i have visited there b4 and it truly is beautiful and a piece of Heaven on Earth.
Good Luck with your move:)

shoelim Member

13POSTS

13 years ago

Come to Auckland, a real multi cultural metropolitan city minus the crowdedness. Mild weather, heaps of outdoor activities, beaches, and the green forests. Lots of business and employment opportunities too in this largest city of NZ.

GuestPoster675 Guest

0POSTS

13 years ago

New Zealand will be not bad.

If your husband has good experiences in IT, I am sure he will find a job quickly. Average salary in IT is depending on company and experiences, but it is between $80K ~$100 average.

Weather is good, especially in Summer, but other weather, I can't say it is good. Winter is a bit chilling, and biggest problem in NZ is there are no 'Heating' system in house. You have to buy portable heater in each room otherwise it will freeze you in Winter.

People are not really nice. I used to live in Canada (Toronto), Holland (Groningen), S.Korea (Seoul), but I feel New Zealanders are very hard to get together. I can't explain exactly, but so many my friends who came from oversea tell me exactly what I am saying. They seem like not really willing to have conversation with someone who has different accent <_<

I am living in NZ because of my job (3D animator), but I am not sure how long I am going to live in this country. If I were you, I would definitely choose Toronto. If I compare my life in Toronto to NZ, Toronto was much better.

Cheers for your new life
Daniel

nzjade Member

3POSTS

13 years ago

#10

... if you don't mind the green, fresh seafood, organic outlets and laidback life style where it snows in some parts of the country otherwise it's just cold and dry hot summers by the beach and away from the rest of the world ... then yep NZ it is!

Don't worry about Australia they're too much trying to be like the US where as we kiwis just kick back and relax ...

Hope this helps.

gourav Active member

89POSTS

13 years ago

#11

RA Niazi wrote:
1- I know many ppl from uk, France, SA etc who have been living here for more then 5-6 yrs but are not able to make single friend!

2- Wages are really low in NZ as compared to other countries.

3- Wellington is very very windy. Most of the time its raining with very very strong wind. If sun comes out, it juss gives u SUN BURN.There is a hole in ozone layer in NZ, so sun juss burns ya out really bad.

4- Most of the markets shut down at around 6 in evening. Pubs/clubs are open though.

5- Houses are not centrally heated. There are heaters in houses but not centrally heated like in UK and USA.

6- Cigerattes are really really really expensive lol.

7- Socializing is big problem in NZ. Local ppl dun socialize with expats most of teh time. But i heard tat it is only the problem in north island. Expats in South island are happy, they make friends, develop relations but there are not much jobs in south.

8- Due to severe weather, you cannot actually go to beach. Beach is very small, not actually a beach.

Bt tehre are good things about NZ. Like its awesumely beautiful. Very quiet place if u want to bring up family. Big drinking country, ppl drink a lot. PPL will smile at you, say morning n stuff (but tats it, no friends no relations). PPL are very down to earth.

U wont have any problem, keeping an eye on ur hubby. Its hard to get gf here lol

Agree to most of the things but one thing, Socialising depends on you not on others I am in Auckland and dun have that great English but still most of the contacts and friends are Kiwis...

nzjade Member

3POSTS

13 years ago

#12

In order to make friends you have to be a friend.

Cyrix New member

6POSTS

13 years ago

#13

Hi,

I think RA Niazi is being very polite. NZ is a place where dreams come to die. I am so shocked that I have yet to accept my fate here.

Like most immigrants I assumed NZ was just sheep,green pastures and nature. Sure, there is a lot of that but it is in no way a developed country. In fact I have extensively traveled in the "3rd world" and I can safely say that anywhere in Eastern Europe, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan,India etc is far more developed than NZ. It is also much cheaper and more organic in living. NZ is a big fraud and I have honestly not seen so many poor white people anywhere. You routinely see hobos lying around, mentally disabled people also seem to be on the rise and this I was informed was due to huge alcohol and tobacco abuse not to mention that "legal" synthetic chemicals that are sold as legal highs.

I am a very qualified IT sales specialist and have an amazing work history yet I struggle to secure an interview. I finally realized why, I was to daunting a prospect for tiny kiwi companies. When I toned my CV down I got interview calls.

If you are in IT then do not come here unless you are a programmer or network specialist. Even then you will be behind the rest of the world and the tiny exposure you will get here wont count for much later on.

Another lie is healthcare, it isnt actually free. And it sucks. Doctors cannot treat anything beyond the common flu and their best friend is panadol.

If all of this is not enough for you to reconsider then think of the soaring prices here. Saudi Arabia is a desert and has cheaper dairy products than NZ where it is all grown. Kiwis are always told fairy tale reasons for why they are being screwed so much and they believe it too. SO they think its because the country is small and that means higher prices. Bullsh@$!

To make it even worse, you will probably end up losing 20-30% of your income to tax. And what do you get back for that tax? free heatlcare?NO free welfare services for new immigrants?NO...a developed infrastructure?NO...its just one big scam.

My advice...and I say it with a heavy heart is to buy a ticket and make that investment in a short trip before you decide to move. I wish I had done that. I would live anywhere in the real world rather than this tiny island outpost in the twilight zone.

stumpy Laos Expert

18028POSTS

13 years ago

#14

As a NZ citizen who left the country over 40 years ago I do agree with Cyrix.

The trend seems to be that the grass is always greener elsewhere than the country you are presently wanting to leave.

You need to do a lot of research before you decide which country you want to head to.

There are many Kiwis heading to Australia to live and work as the average wage there is $300 a week more than NZ.

Regardless of which country you choose you must always have a bail out plan in case things do not turn out as planned.

In my experience it seems that most people do not have enough financial back up to leave and so are trapped.

People think that they can just arrive in a country and expect to find a job even though they have no qualifications. Most countries have high unemployment and so there is an immigration process which has to be gone through before you can even consider a job. NZ has a reasonably strict immigration process.

Having said all this I do love NZ, it is a lovely country, and love going back each year for a holiday, but would never consider working back there again.

gourav Active member

89POSTS

13 years ago

#15

stumpy wrote:
The trend seems to be that the grass is always greener elsewhere than the country you are presently wanting to leave.

Haha True but ROFL comment Totally agree. But I personally love the country. May be a luck or hard work, I guess no other country could provide me such an opportunity of transitioning from an ordinary International student to Permanent resident earning 10 times what I was earning in my own country all just in 13 month

I am almost satisfied what I am getting here and what NZ has to offer to me, I guess it all depends on your personal choice.

Some choose money, money, money and money + consider themselves non immune and a prey of most dangerous diseases and depends on government for cure.

OR

Some enjoy the calm, Green, friendly, beautiful ( no doubt ), welcoming environment that keep them healthy and wont let them to look for health benefits :p

I agree that there are majority of poor people and hobos here but I also believe that people become pretentious with money and that is why NZers are quite friendly and welcoming

Lastly I am not denying any of your fact, it just how you see glass half empty or with half beer

gourav Active member

89POSTS

13 years ago

#16

WombatFred wrote:
gourav wrote:
May be a luck or hard work, I guess no other country could provide me such an opportunity of transitioning from an ordinary International student to Permanent resident earning 10 times what I was earning in my own country all just in 13 month

Congratulations, it sounds like things are going well for you in your first year after graduation here in paradise. I hope you achieve what you truly deserve. Please give us all an update in 5-10 years. What do you do for a living, btw?

Thanks bro, Well I am an IT professional, now 2.5 years old to this country. Well at this moment while looking 5-10 years ahead, I don't see
myself in this country where Tax is high, Less salary and slow economy But currently I am enjoying and liking what I have.

WombatFred Active member

44POSTS

13 years ago

#17

gourav wrote:
Thanks bro, Well I am an IT professional, ...

Professionals don't use the term 'bro' or 'ho' or other ghetto words. Just a tip.

gourav Active member

89POSTS

13 years ago

#18

WombatFred wrote:
gourav wrote:
Thanks bro, Well I am an IT professional, ...

Professionals don't use the term 'bro' or 'ho' or other ghetto words. Just a tip.

LOL , Crap :p. I am professional at work only...
Expat-blog is just for leisure and to help others..

I don't follow professionalism on leisure activities, Again depends on personal choice, Some wants to be a mannered Robot all the time
and some wants to see the beautiful crap things

stumpy Laos Expert

18028POSTS

13 years ago

#19

gourav.

My glass is always half full. I am an optimist not a pessimist.

I have lived and worked in many developing countries over the last 50 years, have put up with all sorts of problems and people in that time. And have always left wherever with a smile and a good name.

gourav Active member

89POSTS

13 years ago

#20

@Stumpy I apologize sir

stumpy Laos Expert

18028POSTS

13 years ago

#21

@gourav.

Apology accepted and no offence taken.

Gurbrinder Aulakh Member

1POSTS

12 years ago

#22

Indeed NZ is the best match given your needs and requirements

stumpy Laos Expert

18028POSTS

12 years ago

#23

Indeed NZ may well be the best match for your needs and requirements but you still need to go through the process to see if you qualify for a visa or PR.

plent2d Member

17POSTS

12 years ago

#24

I am from the UK and have lived here 11 years. Besides property being out of most ordinary peoples price range NZ is a great place. Most Westerners love it here .. not too hot and not too cold (even in winter here in the Nth island). I actually work in the health field so can't really relate to the negative comments about the service here. You pay a small(ish) fee once registered to see your GP otherwise very similar to the 'free' NHS health service in the UK. There are lots of ex pats Canadians, Brits, Aussies etc here so you'll feel right at home. There is fantastic natural scenery right on your doorstep and as NZ is 2 Islands the sea is everywhere. NZ'ers live an outdoor lifestyle and it is great for BBQs, beach life, surfing, fishing, boating etc.

No heating lol...harden up. I have only worn my overcoat once since i arrived here and that was when i went skiing.

Feel free to ask someone who adapted to living here very easily.

GuestPoster675 Guest

0POSTS

12 years ago

#25

Try Austalia....Brisbane. That is your best bet.You will love it there and your hubby will make double the money than in NZ. Additionaly, it is tropical and fantastic lifestyle. One of the best schools in Brisbane is Genesis Christian school.

Good luck.