[wilson182]

Ok, here's another one.

Thought this might be of some help to the people who are still trying to decide whether to turn their whole world upside down and move over here.

[Moorf]

Voted "Love it"... still have the occasional day where I wonder where we're going and what we're doing here but.. on the whole.. LOVE IT!

[Beach Kiwi]

I think I'll wait another 40 years before making my mind up on this one. ;)

[Iain & Liz]

finding it hard to find real reasons for loving it.
lots of reasons for wanting to go back ,like the poor education system,the poor nz nhs system (as waiting lists are high), the exchange rate,the lack of good payed work, high rental costs. being so far away from family,friends.
the only real good thing we have found are the views,they are breath taking.

[Moorf]

Are we in the same country guys?!!

Seriously though, you are living in a high rent area (Sumner) and with kids and no 2nd car to use whilst Iain is at work I would imagine it's a little far out of the town??

Are you using the Sumner Health Centre? The doctors in there are fab - I am having special treatment for which in the UK I'd be waiting 18mths or so, here I've been given a date of 8th Feb and they only submitted my name to the list in December!

Can't comment on schools but I was under the impression that the NZ system totally out-shone the UK one.

How did the trip to Dunedin go?

Moorf

[veronica]

Find that there isn't a catagory there for me to vote in. think I need something between the first two. Yep, I'm enjoying it, but there are aspects that I am critical of. Better or worse than the UK, there are parallels, nz up on some things and Uk on others.
Overall I would rather be here than there at this stage of my life and while I don't suffer from rose tinted specs I am also aware that sometimes the mind has a selective memory of the UK so try hard to be realistic.

[edd]

Love it, unconditionally.

[Jodie]

We LOVE IT!! And as long as our PR app goes through OK (We're still waiting to hear if we'll get an ITA... :hopeso ) then I can't see us ever going back to the UK to live. I've even stopped calling the UK 'back home' now, and just say 'back in the UK...'!

We've found that we've been lucky and got better, higher paid jobs here than we had in the UK (cos of our age and stage in our careers), and as such we're in a good financial position which I guess makes a big difference. We can't wait to buy a house but are holding back until we've got residency, just in case! :uhoh :hopeso Although I do take a peek at the property paper every week and keep an eye out! :laugh

But one thing we're really trying not to do is compare NZ with the UK. NZ is a completely different country in it's own right, and I think it's where people could fall down is if they compare everything here to the UK. We've arrived here and taken the country into our lives as it is, and don't think about how things would be in the UK if we were doing the same etc, and I think that's how we've settled so well. OK i miss friends and family in the UK, but as long as we keep in touch and speak regularly either by phone, email or text etc, then it's fine. And they're all planning visits out here this year or next anyway so we'll see them all very soon! Plus we've made some good kiwi friends and met some great people from this forum too which again has helped us feel happy and at home here.

Anyway I'll stop gabbling on now, but say that all in all, we absolutely love it here and can see us living here forever. We're definately living our dream! :nice1

Jod

[Timbo]

Brilliant post Jodie. You have put into words my thoughts on moving to Nz.
You must have been at the front of the queue on common sense day. :nice1 :cheers

[Jodie]

You must have been at the front of the queue on common sense day. :nice1

:uhoh :laugh Ha! Dunno about that!! :laugh

[Janet and Pete]

With regards to the Survey about life here in New Zealand - We can only say that we are thoroughly enjoying our "New Life" here and we strongly agree with Jodie's comments.

Absolutely fantastic !!!! :P

[markkellaway]

Hi All,

We aren't in NZ yet but feel sure we'll love it. Just to show what a small world this is, Janet and Pete are good friends of ours from Poole, we also shared a bottle of wine and a pizza with Jodie and Darren in Poole, pretty amazing eh!!!! :nice1

Mark. :mrgreen:

[eric_amanda]

Ok so we Love it too. That said it does not mean that NZ does not have its down sides...it does, the financial thing has been especially difficult for us.

However, when living in the UK I was always critical of immigrants moving to a new country and wanting to live like they did in their old country, namely a resistance to speak the language was my biggest bug bear. Therefore I am trying to learn the kiwi way of life. the language thing is not a big problems since we speak english anyway, however simple things like the names of things are different eg Peppers here are called Capsicum, so I have been trying to teach the children how to say things the NZ way and not the good old brittish way!! We will gradually pick up things as we go along!!!

Amanda

[Wannaway]

Like a number of people, generally speaking we have really enjoyed our time here so far. Thats not to say that some things don't grate a bit, but then that should not really surprise anyone, nowhere is perfect. One thing that still gives me a thrill is driving south into Auckland over bridge from the North Shore - the city skline, all the boats in the harbour, and when the sun uis shining it is glorious! Main bug bear? All the houses shoe horned in the Auckland central suburbs and the cost of a mint Kitkat :eek :wah

Chances of going back the UK? virtually nil and the smidgen that is there is diminishing by the day.

Lee

[Iain & Liz]

we have enjoyed our time so far and think that nz is a lovely place but it has its down sides ,the lack of funding for schools is amazing have you read the papers saying that they are under funded and that the children will be suffering ,also that waiting lists have doubled perhaps i am reading different papers or from another country perhaps i dont know (this weeks papers)
i do know that we have met several couples who are going back they are worried about the education situation here and that their children will be so far behind of those in the uk.
i have seen it with my childs pre school they just let them get on with it .
he would have been in school learning if we were in the uk.
people we have spoken to have said that the private schools are good but not many of the state schools nor the pre schools.
and being a childrens home educator in the uk and in the process of becoming one here i notice the difference.
i do not find it difficult not having a car as what is there to go into chch city for everything we need is in sumner, and as for a second car. we dont need one as iain has a work van and ours is in the garage.
the busses are more fun for the kids

[Diny]

I've just come from the thread about NZ education straight to this one. Liz your comments were of huge interest to me. Have you read the education thread? I'm trying very hard to get some info but it's almost as though I'm suggesting folks go out and kill thier granny if I ask any negative questions.

I'm reserving my judgement until I get there but if you have a few moments to PM me with a few more of your thoughts I'd be very grateful.

Diny

[Moorf]

Can I just play devils advocate for one second... why on earth, if everyone is so concerned about the education system here, didn't everyone with kids thoroughly research this area before they decided to up sticks and move? I'd have thought it would have been up at the top of the list and, if unsatisfactory, why complete the move if your gifted children are only going to have a worse education?

:typing :exit

[Diny]

Good question Moorf, you asked:

why on earth, if everyone is so concerned about the education system here, didn't everyone with kids thoroughly research this area before they decided to up sticks and move?

That's what I'm trying to do :uhoh

My kids are still in junior education and after much thought we realised we would have to either make the move now or wait until after they have completed senior education (not wanting to move them right in the middle of course work and exams etc).

Don't know about anybody else but I've been (trying) to do plenty of fact finding. There's endless amounts of statistics out there which will tell you which schools have high pass rates in whatever subjects, which schools churn out the most All Blacks, which schools have the most pupils going off to uni etc etc. Believe me, I'm fully rehearsed in these details. But trying to find out the 'nuts and bolts' information is nigh on impossible. Let's face it - there ain't too many schools who are going to broadcast anything other than their best statistics are there?

I'm fully aware how 'massive' this move is going to be for the boys so I want to be in a position to be able to tell them the things they want to know. They don't give a toss about the statistics, they want to know how hard/easy the maths is going to be, will they have weekly spelling tests and how many kids there'll be in the playground at break.

I've done stacks of 'official' research ... I'm wanting to do the 'through the eyes of an immigrant' research .... but believe me, it's like getting blood out of a stone and some folks seem to be getting so touchy about it.

Devils advocate is always a right bas***d of a position and I understand that your comments were maybe aimed more at the people already over there, (who I'm sure investigated as much as possible - but no amount of research can equal first hand experience) but credit me with abit more sense than to upsticks my kids without plenty of research. I'm bottle blonde you know .... under that golden thatch exisits a modicum of intelligence :laugh :nice1 :laugh :nice1 :laugh :nice1 :laugh :nice1

Diny

[Moorf]

Sorry Diny but I was under the impression that you were as good as moved... what with the house up for sale and the way you post :?

.. and as for getting touchy, the blonde comments really weren't necessary and the actual question wasn't aimed specifically at you either..

[Diny]

No worries at all.

We are as good as moved - just waiting for the house to sell. This is the first time I've been asking questions on the forum about the education system - believe me, I've done hour after hour of off forum 'investigations'.

I know the comments weren't actually aimed at me (as I actually state in the last paragraph) - and the blonde comments were meant to be a joke against myself - hence all the laughing thumbs up smilies). Yet again we're caught up in the situation of written comments being taken out of context because there's no way of knowing what 'tone' they are meant in. For instance I could take your quote of
"Sorry Diny but I was under the impression that you were as good as moved... what with the house up for sale and the way you post" as being un-necessarily cutting ..... but I'm sure that's not the case its it Moorf ;)

When I mentioned people getting touchy I didn't mean you - I simply meant that no matter how I worded my questions, there always seemed to be somebody making comments along the lines of - if you don't like it don't come - like I mentioned on the other thread, it's almost laughable how saying anything slightly 'pro British' seems like a mortal sin to some people.

Thankfully I've received some excellant PMs from some members who have given me their opinions (both positive & negative) regarding the NZ education system - they have been a huge help and are very informative. Some of the members who have PMd me have stated that they wouldn't post their views on the forum as they don't want the blunt and cutting comments made towards them just because they have different opinions to what some people think they automatically should have because 'hey we're talking about NZ'. I think it's a shame that some folks are thinking along these lines, PMs are always nice to receive but the more discussions from both sides of the fence that are posted will surely help to give a better insight for all concerned - whether the person has been in NZ for years, just arrived, just about to leave or just thinking about applying. Remarks made on the forum have a huge impact as not only are they usually uncalled for, but they are there for the entire membership to see .... usually leaving the person on the receiving end feeling humiliated and totally misunderstood.

These are just my thoughts and are NOT aimed at anybody in particular. I'll sit and discuss a point until I'm blue in the face but as soon as it starts to turn 'iffy' count me out, it's just not necessary. :nice1

Diny

[veronica]

The only way any of you are going to find out if the system here suits your kids is by trying it. Just consider PB did he come out illiterate, he comes across as being a good standard of intellegence.
Stop agonising about it all and whatever opinions you have from other people they will be relevent to them and their kids and the particular school and teacher they are involved with. And there is always a group of people who find fault with anything that is less than perfect and another group that are happy as long as the kids have friends to play with.

Your coming out here anyway, even if you don't like the 1st school they go to you're not going to take the drastic step of returning to the UK just on those grounds surely.

You'll just have to go with the 'suck it and see' stratagy.

PS. I actually thought I was posting this on the education thread I hadn't realised that this thread had been hijacked.

[Diny]

Quote:

Just consider PB did he come out illiterate, he comes across as being a good standard of intellegence

You're right - but oh boy did this make me laugh. When we were filling in our PR application we had to go thorugh all our documents to sort out what to send. We came across a pile of PB's old school reports. Reading them was some of the best entertainment we've had for ages. One comment that really sticks in my mind is "Mark never allows work to get in the way of a good time" :laugh :laugh When he turned 15 the head master said to him "there's no real point in you coming back next year is there Norrie". They make a good hours reading. But yeah he's turned out just fine so I understand what you're saying.

Quote:

Your coming out here anyway, even if you don't like the 1st school they go to you're not going to take the drastic step of returning to the UK just on those grounds surely.

Good God No !!!!! The thought never crossed my mind - there's more than one way to skin a cat. I'm not really agonising, I was just after some more info that's all. I'm all 'schooled out' now though. What I think is good somebody else will think is c**p .... like you say .... I'll suck it and see :nice1

Diny

[wilson182]

One of the reasons I started this thread was to try to promote a discussion of peoples opinions of NZ, negative and positive, and every body's view is valid. Not everybody will come over here, and even like the place let alone love it. I think it is too easy to believe that emigrating will be the answer to all prayers, and sometimes it is good to take a step back and admit that not everything will be perfect.

[Moorf]

Well, so glad I asked, like you say, some people don't bother asking a question purely because of the reply they might get. :uhoh

[eric_amanda]

Hi Diny

I was just reading your comments here about education system and your boys (I have not yet had time to rad the education system thread) and a book sprang to mind. Have you read 'Raising Boys' by Steve Biddulph? He is an Australian I think. I read it just before Xmas as I am blessed with 3 boys. It raises points about how boys especially benefit from 'male' role models, particularly at high school age, and so it may not just be down to good schools / bad school but also the teachers and how a child connects with them. Just thought you may find the book of interest.

My eldest is not due to start school until March 2006, but I am making it my New Year project to start looking at schools etc in Whangarei. They also have a boys High School here, which I know it is a bit early, but may be of interest in year to come.

Amanda

[Diny]

Thanks Amanda

I'll look into that book.

Diny

[Carol]

I think I might wait a few weeks before I post an opinion on here....

I've just come back from 4 weeks holiday in England!!

Got to say though......... when I arrived back in Newcastle - I knew i was "home"
When I arrived back in Wellington - I thought - "ho hum" :uhoh

re the education stuff...I guess I'm in the hot spot being a teacher who has taught for some time in both countries.
My own personal views are as follows....


If your child is happy at school he/she will learn.
Every child will experience at least one "bad" year in their primary school life. It is not always the fault of the school, the teacher or the child.
Sometimes it is just a combination of all of them
(And they do recover).
A gifted child placed in a state school system is going to learn very differently tothe rest of the class. You are going to need a creative teacher and dedicated principal.
Go visit the schools!!!! You can get a feel for the place in a very short time. At the end of the day - a school that suits one child will not suit another. This is life and there isnt much we can do about it! OTHER than go and find out for yourself.



And......maybe most important of all........
All of the above comments can apply equally to any schools in NZ and in GB


One last thing...dont always judge a book by it's cover - or a school by it's principal. Watch the playground for a while...see how issues are dealt with...... observe a classroom teacher at work if you can......just go and get a feel for it!

Of course Diny - I dont mean you .......unless you could get a web cam thingy done... ;)

[Diny]

Carol !!!

Been wondering how the trip went. I'll PM you for all the goss.

Diny

[markkellaway]

I suppose I should post this on the education thread but as it's topical here...
I wonder what people who have been in NZ a little longer, like Kiwi or Tara, think of the education system? Making a judgement in the first few months is, I believe, not really valid as any comparison wil be made to the METHODS of the UK system, not it's results. What benchmark do you use to judge the relative success of each system? Perhaps the whole discussion is a little futile until our kids have been through the system?

Mark. :P

[Diny]

I totally agree. I've been asking for members to relay their actual experiences and informed opinions all along. Not what folks are hoping for and what they think it will be like. After all we all 'hope' it will be great and 'think' it will be far superior. We all have opinions. It's experience we want to hear about. Otherwise yes, it's futile.

Diny

[pleccy2000]

Well said Diny :)

[NickH]

I voted for 'loving it'.

But every time I read this type of discussion, I always think people lump 'New Zealand' into one pot as though its a single area. Just think of the UK - there's good bits and there's less good bits. Surely it's the same with NZ?

[Moorf]

Very true Nick... :yes

[Diny]

Couldn't agree more, but surely by asking folks opinions it will highlight potential ups and downs. Although what one person loves the next person might hate.

Maybe the actual title of this thread is a little 'black or white' but the contents make interesting reading.

Diny