[red]

Hi, I have been reading all of your comments with interest! We have just got back from a trip to NZ and are planning to move there as soon as possible. Could anyone elaborate on why you find the NZ kids strange?

http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showpost.php?p=65380&postcount=7

We have two young children and obviously it's important to us that they fit in ok and feel comfortable. I agree that everyone will do what they feel is best for them and in the end we all have different opinions, but any information would be appreciated.

[gil]

Hi Red,

How did you find NZ kids? I think that's the key, as you seem to have lighted upon a thread from a time when there was some debate/argument about the "rose-tinted" view versus the "realistic" view of life here and also some disagreement about NZ education and what it produces.
The posts you have highlighted here were, if I recall correctly, the minority view. Of course you may still wish to find out where those views came from!

We have come here with four kids: eldest went back to UK as soon as she could (she's nearly 19); 15, 11 and 9 year olds love it and like their schools. Our 15 year old finds it much better here in terms of learning, as she says her classes are quieter and it is therefore easier for the teachers to explain things.

How old are your children, and where would you be headed?

Gil

[katandbob]

Hi Red,

How did you find NZ kids? I think that's the key, as you seem to have lighted upon a thread from a time when there was some debate/argument about the "rose-tinted" view versus the "realistic" view of life here and also some disagreement about NZ education and what it produces.
The posts you have highlighted here were, if I recall correctly, the minority view. Of course you may still wish to find out where those views came from!

We have come here with four kids: eldest went back to UK as soon as she could (she's nearly 19); 15, 11 and 9 year olds love it and like their schools. Our 15 year old finds it much better here in terms of learning, as she says her classes are quieter and it is therefore easier for the teachers to explain things.

How old are your children, and where would you be headed?

Gil

Gil,
Hey that situation can change rapidly! as you know my eldest lad went back with our eldest Rachel on the 29th Jan - he has just rang me up and said hes coming back!:uhoh (we had saved a bit of money in a month! what with his huge food bill gone) we sold his car that he wrecked for $50 (it cost $1000) so I guess we have to supply one back!

I miss him but life here was sure quieter when he was in the UK, but he misses us loads - and he got to the UK and realised he was wearing rose coloured glasses when remembering the UK!

Now all I have to do is find the money for the flight! :( theres my money I'd saved gone - Kids! whether they are UK, NZ or Aliens! they are all sent to turn their parents GREY:laugh

Kat....better go turn his bedroom back into a bedroom - I'd turned it into a storage room:exit

[gil]

Gil,
Hey that situation can change rapidly! as you know my eldest lad went back with our eldest Rachel on the 29th Jan - he has just rang me up and said hes coming back!:uhoh (we had saved a bit of money in a month! what with his huge food bill gone) we sold his car that he wrecked for $50 (it cost $1000) so I guess we have to supply one back!

I miss him but life here was sure quieter when he was in the UK, but he misses us loads - and he got to the UK and realised he was wearing rose coloured glasses when remembering the UK!

Oh Kat, that's wonderful news!! Really thrilled for you!! {{{{{ hugs }}}}}

Lauren is doing just fine in UK, and has managed to get into London Metroplitan Uni for October. She's working and sharing a flat and having a great time. She also got into AUT here, but turned it down, so I don't think she'll do the reversal...:( Still, she's coming out in July for a couple of months, can't WAIT!!
Kids, eh!

Gil
xx

[gpbenton]

I don't have much contact with kids, but just watching them around Wellington they don't seem strange - at least no more strange than any other teenagers:)

The only two differences I've noticed
1) There is a lot less unbridled aggression from groups of teenagers. Even the ones dressed in black sitting around in Manners Mall seem quite approachable.
2) The girls don't dress like prostitutes to go to school. I was amazed in England what parents and schools thought was acceptable, but here the uniforms are very conservative.

[willsken]

I don't have much contact with kids, but just watching them around Wellington they don't seem strange - at least no more strange than any other teenagers:)

The only two differences I've noticed
1) There is a lot less unbridled aggression from groups of teenagers. Even the ones dressed in black sitting around in Manners Mall seem quite approachable.
2) The girls don't dress like prostitutes to go to school. I was amazed in England what parents and schools thought was acceptable, but here the uniforms are very conservative.

I have to say I agree with this post. As a teacher in a high school I find the kids refreshingly young for their age. I would say the year 9's in NZ look and act the same as the year 7's in the UK. I also find nearly all the kids polite and well mannered. Much happier with the environment my 2 boys have here than they did in the UK. :nice1

[stu70]

2) The girls don't dress like prostitutes to go to school. I was amazed in England what parents and schools thought was acceptable, but here the uniforms are very conservative.

What a sad sad commentary on the world we all live in isn't it? I always wonder how the heck do parents allow their 12-14 yr old girls to go to school in something most women would find uncomfortable going to work in! But then I am not the parent and if it suits them, who am I to object? It is nice to know the kids are more like kids there in NZ.

[Sam B]

My kids have settled very happily at school and have sevearl Kiwi friends. My own children are very interested in nature and the environment, and have found Kiwi children to be very similar. From my observations, most of the kids are very outdoorsy, they learn to climb like monkeys from kindergarten onwards, thanks to extensive play equipment outdoors and less emphasis on safety. They seem more open and friendly than British kids on the whole - especially teenagers - who can be so friendly I thought they were making a fool out of me at first. They seem to behave better in lessons and classrooms are quieter according to my 2. They like to graze all day instead of just eating at mealtimes. Overall - the same but different in good ways.

[katandbob]

Oh Kat, that's wonderful news!! Really thrilled for you!! {{{{{ hugs }}}}}

Lauren is doing just fine in UK, and has managed to get into London Metroplitan Uni for October. She's working and sharing a flat and having a great time. She also got into AUT here, but turned it down, so I don't think she'll do the reversal...:( Still, she's coming out in July for a couple of months, can't WAIT!!
Kids, eh!

Gil
xx


OOPs Spoke too soon - he changed his mind!:confused: Kids (dont think he was too pleased that we sold his car for $50!:exit

[Carol]

My kids have settled very happily at school and have sevearl Kiwi friends. My own children are very interested in nature and the environment, and have found Kiwi children to be very similar. From my observations, most of the kids are very outdoorsy, they learn to climb like monkeys from kindergarten onwards, thanks to extensive play equipment outdoors and less emphasis on safety. They seem more open and friendly than British kids on the whole - especially teenagers - who can be so friendly I thought they were making a fool out of me at first. They seem to behave better in lessons and classrooms are quieter according to my 2. They like to graze all day instead of just eating at mealtimes. Overall - the same but different in good ways.



Agree with all of the above!

[red]

Thanks for all the info guys! We actually found the NZ kids very friendly and polite, my daughters are 11 and 7 and made friends almost everywhere we visited. The only thing that I was surprised at was how much freedom they had. Where I live, (NE England) mothers keep a very close eye on their kids, but when we visited NZ over christmas parents seemed much more relaxed. For example on the ferry crossing from north to south island, kids over a certain age were wandering quite freely, mixing and playing with the other kids there. Ideally we would like to move to the Wanaka or Queenstown area, but that depends on where my OH can get a job. I'm glad you think that the kids actually behave like kids, that's one of the many reasons that made us feel NZ would be right for us. My girls are both still 'little girls', they don't dress older than their years and really have no interest in doing so. They love the outdoors and are happiest covered in mud, climbing trees etc. However most of their friends at school are unfortunately more interested in make-up, boys and the latest mobile phone! I don't think for a minute that NZ will be perfect, but I do think that it will suit us better than the uk. In the end there's only one way to find out! :)

[leachio]

I am watching this thread with interest, ours are 3yrs and 10mths so they dont have a social circle as such yet. Hopefully when we get settled Jack can call on the neighbours children and vice versa. I also have a 17yr old who is not coming :( , another story there! I feel contact with Kat on the horizon (actually Kat I pm'd u while ago did u get it?) Anyway we dont have the worries with our kids that we will no doubt have in yrs to come so it is reassuring to read that children appear to be children for a bit longer in NZ. However as I am discovering u can bring them up with the best morals and values in a safe environment etc etc and they will undoubtedly do what they want anyway.

So all pre-school children in rototuna initailly then prob cambridge look out for Jack and Ella coming to play :laugh :laugh

Amanda xx

[Ana&Steve]

We've only had a little exposure to NZ kids, mostly teenagers. To us our first impressions were that they were a lot more mature than US teens (13-17yrs) Upon thinking about it, I've decided that they were simply less excitable than what we're used to. I don't know if it's because they have more exposure to their parents, or because they have more self esteem, or both. It was refreshing to chat with a 15year old who didn't talk like a 10year old, and to not hear, "OMG, like I'm totally freaking out! I'm a spaz! Don't you think I 'm a spaz?!?" all the time:)
Ana

[Cindy]

Ana, you have me rolling in tears. You are so dead on with your desciption of 15 year olds. I always thought it was an Orange County thing but I guess it's really a Cali thing.

[Ana&Steve]

:D :laugh

[borea]

I really like the Kiwi kids. I don't know a thing about kids, but my interactions with them here have been quite positive. I think they're very polite, for one. I love watching the older kids and younger kids playing cricket together in the park with no adult in sight too.

When walking our one-eyed dog, the kids would always come up to us and politely ask what happened to his eye. They'd listen attentively, then tell us they think he's cool.

[KerryS]

My only real interaction with children here has been in a professional capacity when I was working in education. They were all absolutely fantastic kids - really polite, perceptive and great to work with. They would provide fantastic contributions to my research and points of view which I would never have considered if I had sat down and thought for a year! Maybe the schools I visited would just select their star pupils for me to meet though?

When I come across gangs of children in the street, I don't feel threatened as I sometimes did back in London. Even large groups of teenagers in hoodies don't seem as imposing when you see they are wearing jandals and boardies too... And they will move out your way on the pavement, rather than force you to walk in the street.

[oldtimbo]

I have been working on a building contract at our local school, which caters for kids from what I would class as infant right (5/6 yrs) up to High school (15/16?) There are apparently some 800 pupils, which considering the size of this town seems a lot. A couple of things have struck me whilst being in the school grounds. Firstly, unless the pupils are either going into or coming out of school, or are on a break, you just would not know they were there at all. In fact it is SO quiet, I keep thinking they are still on holiday. The other thing of note, to me at any rate, is that when a teacher asks a kid to do/not to do something, they dont stand there and talk back. They simply do it without hesitation most times.
All very different from my part of the UK.
The Kids always say hello as well.

[vixxann]

Wow - I am really impressed with all positive feedback that's coming in for NZ kids :) I bet it would be a totally different read if we were talking about average UK kid on the street!

I have three kids (2 boys 13 & 10 and a 4yr old girl) so its really important to me that we are moving away from here and to somewhere "better" for the right reasons. All the comments given so far have backed up my personal reasons and I feel so much more at ease imagining my kids setting into school etc in New Zealand now - thank you for that.

I also work in a school and cannot believe the sullen, cheeky, answering back kids we have. Yes they are a small percentage (4 or 5 in a class of 30) but I don't think we should have to put up with any primary school kids being like that - it's not even like the teenage hormones have kicked in!

Absolutely cannot wait to be over there, enjoying your NZ kids!