[Cardiff Irons]

1. The rest of the world is 25 hours flying time away.

2. Immigration is controlled.

3. You will probably enjoy a more healthy and active lifestyle which will make it more unlikely that you will need to use the public health system.

4. You will see the same products in every supermarket and therefore it doesn't matter which one you go to.

5. There are not many people, not many cars and the scenery is superb.

6. People will tell you how lucky you are to be going to New Zealand.

7. You do not have to spend time on the internet because there is so much to enjoy outside the house.

8. There are less people, less cars and if you're lucky you might be able to take a ferry to work.

9. You will pay one third of your salary in tax but there will not be a multitude of hidden taxes.

10. You will not live under the threat of terrorism.

11. You can still call somebody on the other side of the world and you'll both laugh at the time difference.

12. You will probably enjoy a more healthy and active lifestyle which will make it more unlikely that you will need a surgical operation.

13. You will enjoy learning and exploring new towns (and their pronounciations) and geographical features.

14. You may learn to live a less consumer driven lifestyle, heck you may not even need a credit card.

15. There are some wonderful rental properties and the lower house prices may mean you won't need such a big mortgage.

With full respect and a knowing nod to bpk, with his half full and empty glass. :nice1

[wilson182]

:)

[willsken]

:nice1

[xanctus]

This is hillarious!
Wonder if there is going to be NZ better than US, Asia, Africa n so on...and vice versa!

[Moorf]

:nice1

[Avalon]

7. You do not have to spend time on the internet because there is so much to enjoy outside the house.


Knew there was something I was doing wrong :laugh

[Singel]

:clap

[marcia]

:raebanana :laugh

Nice one!

[StevieD]

Touche matey, nice one!! :laugh

[zardell]

:nice1

Julie

xx

[Natalieb]

13. You will enjoy learning and exploring new towns (and their pronounciations) and geographical features.


This is the bit we are looking forward to most, no more Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the rain for the weekend - :raebanana

Natalie

[Caroline and Dave]

Couldn't agree more.:)

Well done

Dave and Caroline

[speckythecky]

Sign me up and let me in -

if only it was that easy - spent last night and all day today filling in forms and writing reference letters for myself (to get someone else to sign)

[StevieD]

John - ssshhhhhhhh dont' let them know ;) :nice1

[smitjo]

:laugh :laugh

[kimandgareth]

10. You will not live under the threat of terrorism.




This is one of our specific reasons for wanting to come to NZ - who wants the threat of terrorism for their families right on their doorsteps :no

This is a really lovely thread - makes us all realise how blessed we are to be on our way (or already there!) to such a wonderful country :raebanana

[benandclare]

:nice1

Will hear how it really is for folks who have moved on Sunday as a guy we met on our honeymoon is back in the UK after 4 years for his holidays so he's calling by for coffee , so have loads of questions for him :yes :yes

Ben

[Leccy-Lee]

1. The rest of the world is 25 hours flying time away

:raebanana LOL i love that, its not strictly true ofc, but i like the idea, part my reason to get to NZ is to leave the major world far-far away, and leave it to the news reports.

[Croft]

This is one of our specific reasons for wanting to come to NZ - who wants the threat of terrorism for their families right on their doorsteps :no

This is a really lovely thread - makes us all realise how blessed we are to be on our way (or already there!) to such a wonderful country :raebanana

I'm on the opposite side of the argument there I'm afraid k&g. Terrorism has not been a factor in our decision whatsoever and, while I don't mean to be harsh here, statements like this have a faint whiff of cowardice to me (which I'm sure you're not). Please don't jump down my throat - it's just how I feel when I read statements like that.

Before anybody says anything, both my wife and I have been and may in the near future be in positions where we are in direct danger. I made that decision consciously and aware of the dangers, but I believe that I am playing my part in making the world a safer place, Other with different viewpoints may disagree.

I have enjoyed reading both of these threads!

[able]

I don't feel under threat from terrorism either but anyone who decides to get their family away from what they perceive of as dangerzone is hardly showing "a faint whiff of cowardice" :no. They're being sensible.

[willsken]

Can't see wanting a safe place for your family is cowardly either. Anyone willing to make the massive move to the other side of the world, whatever their reasons is actually very brave IMHO. :yes

[bpk]

Hey guy

You were unpatient to wait for me..I was exactly thinking of 15 reasons why Nz is better than EU. But they are totally different than what you wrote.
I am busy now, but I will come to your post later

[Carol]

Hey guy

You were unpatient to wait for me..I was exactly thinking of 15 reasons why Nz is better than EU. But they are totally different than what you wrote.
I am busy now, but I will come to your post later


Can't wait!
:yes


Balance........a beautiful thing.

[Cardiff Irons]

Hey guy

You were unpatient to wait for me..I was exactly thinking of 15 reasons why Nz is better than EU. But they are totally different than what you wrote.
I am busy now, but I will come to your post laterHmmm, is it me being "unpatient" or is it you being too slow? It's so hard to decide isn't it and I probably won't sleep a wink until I have. :uhoh

[zardell]

[QUOTE=Croft;115622] Terrorism has not been a factor in our decision whatsoever and, while I don't mean to be harsh here, statements like this have a faint whiff of cowardice to me (which I'm sure you're not).

Other with different viewpoints may disagree.

QUOTE]




I was in the fortunate position of being given a choice - I could stay in the UK or move to NZ.

Terrorism was one of the factors that contributed to our choice.

Another contributory factor was having (IMHO) a modicum of common sense and weighing up the pro's and con's of each country.

So I decided to choose the earthquake and other natural disasters in NZ over the UK terrorist threats.

But like you say, people with different viewpoints will be bound to disagree.

Julie

xx

[willsken]

Hey guy

You were unpatient to wait for me..I was exactly thinking of 15 reasons why Nz is better than EU. But they are totally different than what you wrote.
I am busy now, but I will come to your post later

Looking forward to it. :yes It will be an interesting read. :)

[willsken]

Hmmm, is it me being "unpatient" or is it you being too slow? It's so hard to decide isn't it and I probably won't sleep a wink until I have. :uhoh

:)

[Avalon]

Before anybody says anything, both my wife and I have been and may in the near future be in positions where we are in direct danger. I made that decision consciously and aware of the dangers, but I believe that I am playing my part in making the world a safer place, Other with different viewpoints may disagree.

I have enjoyed reading both of these threads!
Would you be able to explain that a bit more? Im wondering if the fact that you are going to be in danger affects how you see this? And what you mean by you making the world a safer place. May help people understand what you mean :)

Cowardice? I dont think so - but then its not Terrorism im escaping either. I think it worth asking where wanting a better life becomes cowardly. Is it just is we run from Terrorism, or if we run from crime?

[britchik]

4. You will see the same products in every supermarket and therefore it doesn't matter which one you go to.

Did you know that apparently NZ ers per head use the internet more than any other population ?!:roll

[britchik]

woops !! done something wrong there !!! Too much wine !!:laugh

[Croft]

Would you be able to explain that a bit more? Im wondering if the fact that you are going to be in danger affects how you see this? And what you mean by you making the world a safer place. May help people understand what you mean :)

Cowardice? I dont think so - but then its not Terrorism im escaping either. I think it worth asking where wanting a better life becomes cowardly. Is it just is we run from Terrorism, or if we run from crime?

Hi Avalon - I really don't wany to start any kind of slanging match here, and 'cowardice' is too strong a word, just couldn't think of a better one at the time. I just don't feel that terrorism in itself is a reason, for us anyway, to run to the other side of the world. We have many other reason to move to NZ - just terrorism isn't one of them and I find it uncomfortable when people harp on about it being one of their main reasons. A better life yes, though I wouldn't say crime is any less, given what I see on 'Police 10/7'!!

I kept my final, original, comments about being in danger deliberately vague as you never know who's reading these comments. We are both in the Services. I've pondered for a few minutes about whether to say any more, even written a few sentences but deleted them. I guess it's a sad indictment on the present situation that even in this friendly environment I feel for reasons of Personal Security that I can't write any more.

[Sam B]

I'm not trying to be controversial Croft, but I genuinely don't understand why you would feel uncomfortable about people moving here to escape terrorism? If someone felt unsafe living in London since the terrorist attacks, and they felt safer here, why couldn't they say that? I'm genuinely puzzled. What else do you think they should do instead?

[Croft]

I'm not trying to be controversial Croft, but I genuinely don't understand why you would feel uncomfortable about people moving here to escape terrorism? If someone felt unsafe living in London since the terrorist attacks, and they felt safer here, why couldn't they say that? I'm genuinely puzzled. What else do you think they should do instead?

I see you point Sam. I guess if someone does feel that concerned, for instance unable to travel on the Tube etc, then maybe it is better for them to move. For me personally I chose to take on the people who are trying to kill me. I realise that is a decision that many are unable to make. I feel that 'running away' from the problem doesn't solve anything, and in the end may end up following you.

NZ may be a safer place at the moment from terrorism, but it too has troops in Afghanistan. Does that make it a target? It just doesn't factor into my decision to emigrate - that or the crime aspect.

Again, please don't take my comments as a personal attack on anyone, I was just trying to describe what my perception was when I see comments about people moving to NZ to escape terrorism.

[wilson182]

I see you point Sam. I guess if someone does feel that concerned, for instance unable to travel on the Tube etc, then maybe it is better for them to move. For me personally I chose to take on the people who are trying to kill me. I realise that is a decision that many are unable to make. I feel that 'running away' from the problem doesn't solve anything, and in the end may end up following you.

NZ may be a safer place at the moment from terrorism, but it too has troops in Afghanistan. Does that make it a target? It just doesn't factor into my decision to emigrate - that or the crime aspect.

Again, please don't take my comments as a personal attack on anyone, I was just trying to describe what my perception was when I see comments about people moving to NZ to escape terrorism.

Maybe when you have children of your own, croft, you will find it easier to understand the desire to keep them safe.

[Croft]

Maybe when you have children of your own, croft, you will find it easier to understand the desire to keep them safe.

Maybe. Although my parents 'dragged' me all over the world (working for a large multi-national) and some of them were 'interesting' so I guess my threshold may be higher?

Comments from yourself and Sam have shed some light for me on why people use the safety argument. Many thanks.

[wilson182]

:nice1

By the way, Portsmouth is my home town..... Love the blog:yes The spinnaker wasn't finished when we left, so we never got a chance to go up.

[Caroline and Dave]

I'm on the opposite side of the argument there I'm afraid k&g. Terrorism has not been a factor in our decision whatsoever and, while I don't mean to be harsh here, statements like this have a faint whiff of cowardice to me (which I'm sure you're not). Please don't jump down my throat - it's just how I feel when I read statements like that.


May I first start by saying that I can see your point of view croft but to suggest even remotely that escaping terrorism is cowardice is hurtful.
We live in Greater London and we regularly travel into the centre of London,in fact I was at a hospital appointment in London on the day of the July bombings. A very good friend of ours niece was in the carriage next to the carriage that was blown up on the Kings cross bombing. She was injured,not seriously but she can never forget that day. The police in London are doing a fantastic job. There are armed police at most major stations. Every single person that ventures into London I salute.Thousands of people each day carry rucksacks on tubes etc. any one of them could be a suicide bomber, there is no way of knowing.Yet still we travel to London as do many hundreds of thousands of others who put their faith in the thin blue line.At any time another bomb could go off but we are not deterred. so if we decide that we do not want to put our lives at risk any more does that make us cowards?I respect what you are saying but please try to be a bit more careful of the words you use

Kindest regards

Dave and Caroline

[Croft]

:nice1

By the way, Portsmouth is my home town..... Love the blog:yes The spinnaker wasn't finished when we left, so we never got a chance to go up.

Many thanks - I enjoy having a look at your blog every so often! I was pleasantly surprised by how good Spinnaker Tower is. We moved away too before it was finally completed so had to take trip up while we were in the area.

Apologies for hijacking this interesting thread with this 'exchange of views'!

[Croft]

May I first start by saying that I can see your point of view croft but to suggest even remotely that escaping terrorism is cowardice is hurtful.
We live in Greater London and we regularly travel into the centre of London,in fact I was at a hospital appointment in London on the day of the July bombings. A very good friend of ours niece was in the carriage next to the carriage that was blown up on the Kings cross bombing. She was injured,not seriously but she can never forget that day. The police in London are doing a fantastic job. There are armed police at most major stations. Every single person that ventures into London I salute.Thousands of people each day carry rucksacks on tubes etc. any one of them could be a suicide bomber, there is no way of knowing.Yet still we travel to London as do many hundreds of thousands of others who put their faith in the thin blue line.At any time another bomb could go off but we are not deterred. so if we decide that we do not want to put our lives at risk any more does that make us cowards?I respect what you are saying but please try to be a bit more careful of the words you use

Kindest regards

Dave and Caroline

Please accept my apologies for any hurt I may have caused. I do not know anyone that was directly affected; my thoughts and prayers are with your niece. We live in London now too, but don't feel unsafe at all - only the pickpockets worry me!

As I've said in a previous reply, the arguments posed to me have made me understand why people wish to move to NZ for safety reasons.

[zardell]

It's been said before on this forum and I'll say it again - to try and convey our thoughts and feelings with the written word is an extremely difficult thing to do for most of us and on many occasions peoples posts are misinterpreted.

However, if we all stopped posting our thoughts and feelings there wouldn't be a forum at all would there?

Croft has been the 'bigger person' and apologised for any hurt he may have caused.

I have to say Croft, I personally haven't had any experiences like the ones I am imagining you to have had in the services, but I can understand how your life experiences would make you look at your future through different eyes.

Julie

xx

[Avalon]

Hi Avalon - I really don't wany to start any kind of slanging match here, and 'cowardice' is too strong a word, just couldn't think of a better one at the time. I just don't feel that terrorism in itself is a reason, for us anyway, to run to the other side of the world. We have many other reason to move to NZ - just terrorism isn't one of them and I find it uncomfortable when people harp on about it being one of their main reasons. A better life yes, though I wouldn't say crime is any less, given what I see on 'Police 10/7'!!

I kept my final, original, comments about being in danger deliberately vague as you never know who's reading these comments. We are both in the Services. I've pondered for a few minutes about whether to say any more, even written a few sentences but deleted them. I guess it's a sad indictment on the present situation that even in this friendly environment I feel for reasons of Personal Security that I can't write any more.

Cheers for explaining. Appreciate it. And I appreciate that you do not want to expand on your careers.

I have found a lot of my ideas and thoughts challenged on this forum - its one of the reasons I like it so much. I wont always change my mind - but sometimes i do. You are looking at Terrorism in a very different light to many people on here - so its not entirely surprising that your view does not match the consensus on here.

I am glad that you have understood its not cowardice - many of us are probably running from something just as many of us are running to something instead. But one things for sure - No One who emigrates; upsticks and leaves all that they know behind, is a coward. (maybe a bit daft in the head though :laugh )

Hugs

Hxxx