We found it difficult at times to find information we needed when planning the move. A lot of websites are run by the NZ Immigration Service, which like to make NZ sound like a wonderland of clean-green-ness, just like Lord of the Rings (at least the first bits, in the Shire).
Needless to say, they present a slightly biased view.
Luckily, there are a couple of forums which are absolutely essential IMHO for anyone wanting to move to NZ.
The first, EmigrateNZ, has a huge amount of information available. Once you register, get familiar with the search function, and you’ll most likely find that there are twenty previous posts covering just the issue you want to find out about. If not, guaranteed there will be another member who can help you with the info you’re after.
Keep in mind though that EmigrateNZ is fairly UK-centric, and, IMO, posters tend to have either a “grass is always greener” or a rose-coloured glasses point of view. Makes sense considering they’ve committed to a move to the opposite side of the globe. Be thankful you’re only crossing the Tasman.
The other forum, ExpatExposed, is worth a read to hear the “other” side of living in NZ. It seems to be a gathering place for NZ immigrants who are a bit, let’s say, underwhelmed with NZ, and are pissed off about it, and want the world to know why.
However, if you dig around a bit, there are some interesting discussions on the realities of life in NZ. After you’ve been living here a few months and are still getting used to the wierd and wacky ways of Kiwis, it’s heartening to know there are others feeling the same way. Good for a giggle.
Observer said
What’s so hard about moving here from Aust? I think you guys need to harden up or go home! Honestly, of course living in a different country will be different to home, isn’t that why you decided to embark on an adventure and try something new? Heavens help you if you ever move somewhere totally different like Italy, Japan or Chile!
LissNZ said
You made the smh.com.au website, you must be mad stoked as eh cuzzy bro. Pity I came to your site to check what all the fuss is about.
Talk about poor form. True story.
Ni Ni Ni in NZ said
Ah, you too are seeing through the Clean Green Lie?
Glass (broken) everywhere, grafitti (tagging) all over the place, loud smelly cars in unusual proportion for a country that is Kyoto lie-protocol hugging. Tax: way over 30% if you are more than just making it (i.e. actually HAVE any skills), which they hand out at the back door to the Tree Lords (not of the Tolkien Ring, but the local Crime Ring variety). Handout not enough, they need to ‘borrow’ stuff, shoot up on P (or import it), grow Cannabis (on their HOLY land) and get laughable sentencing if ever caught.
The Clean Green Lie, a book in seven weighty tomes, coming to a publisher near you.
Scott said
Try moving to the Uk if you want to see a backward society …
Paul_Bags said
LALALA. I’m ashamed to live with such a bunch of xenophobic tossers. I just don’t know what to say. Sorry guys, apparently your not aloud to enjoy our country frankly and openly and with a bit of jest, instead you must pass on the immigration spot to someone who will swear at and attack newcomers for their troubles.
Frankly, I like seeing this country through someone else’s eyes once in awhile, takes the serious edge off of things. Lighten up NZ.
Aotearoa Mum in UK said
Thought I’d jump on the band wagon and say WELL DONE! I simply love the name of your website and your little blogs picked up by national websites/newspapers have catapulted it into the stuff of legends. I am a Kiwi living in the UK for the second time and find myself comparing/complaining about all the things that are annoyingly different- you just can’t help it, can you?!! I have to remind myself every now and then to just enjoy it & have fun, which you are obviously doing as well. Shame other people have taken it so heavily to their hearts – keep up the blogs and I will check in on it every now and then – perhaps even start one over here?!
Sasha said
You want a true story checkout deaths and marriages int he NZ Herald!
Vintagehori said
I’m not too fussed about the web site to be honest. what i love about living here in my slice of paradise is the freedom to do and say what you want when you want. I’ll admit our country has its share of problems but compared with others wére not doing too bad. A former work mate of mine summed it up for me one day while him and i talked about social issues and the state of the country. Me being Maori in my mid twenties and him white south african in his late 40′s he said ÿou know,making reference to the front page of the nz herald, your country can’t be too bad when the front page story on nz biggest paper is about the death of a dolphin. i thought about what he had seen working as a police man in his beloved SA and thought shit he’s right I love Nz and if others don’t cool thats fine with me. Like my dad said to my sister when she moved to aussie for work, if its not what your thought or you flat out hate it, homes only a flight away. words i think most people should live by. Peace
Chris said
As a Kiwi living in Germany, I can appreciate that it ain’t all roses when living elsewhere. On the beer front, just thank God you are not living in America! Oh, give DB the swerve and buy Montheith’s!!! However, talking of beer, I thank God I am living in Germany.
Enjoy Auckland. It is infuriating, annoying, congested but in a few months, you will have a half a dozen gems on your list of places to be / things to do. It has taken 12 months in Hamburg, but I pretty sorted for fun now.
You should have paid homage to Oz in the name of your website though, although feesh and cheeeeeeps probably has too many e’s to work.
To other Kiwi’s reading. Harder up yourselves! Auckland sucks, until it sucks you in. RotoVegas is great to spend lots of money and have a great time in, but to live there you have to wait for your nose to ignore the smell.
Aussie Aussie Aussie said
Oh look at all the whinging Kiwis. Harden up guys its a bit of a pisstake honestly. Haha.
DantheKiwi said
You guys are a fucking laugh with this ay. ha good on ya mate.
Rob said
Been to NZ– it is a beautiful place and the people are friendly but having grown up in OZ and now living in the US, I found on a recent visit that it is still very “countryish”- which in itself is not bad– but there is no escape to Apple Stores, HDTV, News Channels++, vast varieties of great organic foods and international wines… one could go on. In Southern California where I am at the moment, I have everything in the world at my fingertips and at prices far below NZ ones. So, Kiwis– great place but get over the fact that it is NOT Heaven– and neither is Melbourne ;-)
Kai said
Particularly some people on ExpatExposed are from my point of view a bit besides the reality. As someone said – moving to a different country and then expecting it to be a 1:1 copy of home doesn’t quite work. Also coming to a country and not properly investigating if qualifications are accepted beforehand is at least partly people’s own fault (I’m by all means aware that some of the registration boards in NZ are slighty out of the mind and besides reality themselves).
On the other hand you’ve got the marketing people of Tourism NZ and Immigration painting an unrealistic picture of tropical NZ and a paradise in the South Pacific. Well – don’t believe glossy marketing is all I can say (that’s a good general life skill I suppose).
At the end of the day – make an informed decision, everyone. And NZ is def. not the right place for everyone.
Nick said
I’m kind of torn here.
On the one hand, some of the thin-skinned responses to your postings pretty much make your point. I’m an expat Kiwi, and there’s nothing like leaving New Zealand to make you realise just how smug, parochial, complacent and self-congratulatory NZ culture can get.
On the other hand, having lived in various parts of the UK and Canada over the last 20 years, I can say the following with some confidence:
(a) everywhere else is also parochial, self-congratulatory, complacent and smug in its own special way
(b) every move to a new place, especially another country, seems to involve a stage in which you feel pissed off with the locals, local ways of doing things, and want to compare the new place unfavourably with your home country or the last place you lived. I’ve noticed this in myself, and I’ve also noticed it in the foreign students I teach and the immigrant colleagues I work with.
Usually this is followed by a second stage in which you learn to enjoy the place you’ve moved on its own terms.
And, if you move back home, I can almost guarantee you that you’ll spend at least a year pining for the last place you left: in this case Auckland!
It’s got more to do with human nature, I think, than the intrinsic merits or demerits of life in any one part of the world.
Baz said
Nah, mate. If you want to know what kiwis are really like, try http://www.trademe.co.nz and got to the community message boards. There you will find an accurate image of the retards and ignoramuses spread the length and breadth of our wonderful land. True story.
imported kiwi said
maaaaaaaaaaaaaate….. you’re a duckheed!!
Kate said
Man, some of the kiwis posting on here need to get over themselves! I’m an Australian who moved here for study, and I found it hard. But I will also add to that that I found moving to China easier. When I first came to NZ, I was snubbed because of where I came from, and have never experienced such rudeness for the simple fact that I grew up in Tasmania. Yes, Australians can be ignorant about NZ, but it seriously goes the other way. I’ve frequently had to explain where Hobart is, and that it is indeed twice the size of Dunedin, to which I get responses like, “Oh, I thought it was just like Gore”.
I am well aware of my country’s shortfalls. And I am also aware of New Zealand’s wonderful parts. But I’ve been here long enough now to know, it’s not all good and pure. I agree with virtualmajik, the xenophobia here disgusts me at times, particularly in the job market. “you’re just not kiwi enough” shouldn’t be an excuse not to hire an otherwise perfectly qualified person, and yet it seems to do for a few organisations.
Aaron said
Good on ya guys. Living overseas its nice to see some pointed humor. Hell im suprised you have bought up the sex pucks of puss or that VB is cheaper in NZ than Aussie.
Rod said
Kiwis are a fantastic bunch of friendly people. So what if smug appear smug or whatever. There are no more welcoming people in the world, and when it comes to new zealand accommodation, property owners look after you like lost relations.
Farrars said
Hi,
we found the uk2nz.co.uk forums really helpful before we emigrated here from Germany. We love it in NZ and cannot imagine living anywhere else :0)
Denis said
Nick, the condition you mention is known as culture shock and it affects nearly everyone to greater or lesser degrees when they go to live overseas. I even suffered from it terribly when I RETURNED to Australia [where I was born] after years away, and I left, never to return except for the occasional completely necessary visits like funerals. I find, amongst my New Zealand friends, that those with the most tolerance for the Aussie-style Kiwi joke [and aren't there some beauties?] are those that have lived for sometime overseas themselves. The thinner-skinned Kiwis provide the effect that Aussies are looking for. They play right into the Aussie’s hands. Their peevish reactions are just too wonderful to see. My advice is to loosen up a bit, laugh along with the Aussies and if you can, counter with a Aussie joke, and pretty soon, relationships between Aussies and Kiwis will improve. Oh and by the way, Australians tend to pronounce the sound /|/ as in ‘ink’, as it appears in most English dictionaries. Kiwis pronounce it as schwar, as in the last syllable in ‘answer’. I’m afraid my keyboard won’t allow me to type the symbol for schwar, which is an inverted lower case e. If you are unsure, read the wikipedia article on New Zealand English.
janine said
I love your blog. I’ve moved to australia from NZ. I’ve also lived in Europe for a number of years.I left NZ for all the reasons you mention & much more. You should visit South Auckland to see the real “soul” & “glory” of NZ.
Keep up the good work!
Irena said
Nice site! As a fellow member of the BMMC, I am only too aware of the possibility of the same sad circumstances happening to me video I will visit your website again. photo, Keep it up!!
Felice said
Hi! I hope I get the opportunity to meet you sometime this year xxx Perfect site, i like it! porn wood, erot, Shrug.
Rick said
Hi Kate,
As a fellow former Hobart native across here now, I am struggling a bit with fitting in and being told how hard I will continue to find things here because I am:
1. too Australian,
2. didn’t play rugby or go to school with so and so
3. too Australian, and
4. too Australian.
The simple fact is, I like it here. My wife and I just brought a house here in Auckland.
By the sounds of things, we should look at forming an Old Hobartians Associaton here in Auckland.
Cheers,
Rick