[GinnyHanley]

I live in Atlanta and thinking about relocating to NZ. Tired of the traffic (2 hours in car not uncommon), congestion, sprawl, crime (my bank was robbed recently at a time I usually go there), illegal immigrants demanding their rights, overcrowded schools, guns, murders, etc. I want a better quality of life for my family (boys age 5 and 3). I've heard some things about NZ that have got my interest. Can anyone comment about NZ regarding what I've mentioned above? Also, what kind of job opportunities exist? I'm a math educator and my spouse is in IT with some teaching experience.

[Diny]

Hi Ginny - welcome to the forum.

I have to say you've really picked a doozy of a subject as your first one. I'm sure it'll evoke all kinds of 'discussions'. It's definately a subject that has been discussed many many times on this forum (in one way or another).

What is better for one person can be worse for another. The whole question all depends on what you want, what you expect and what you are prepared for.

In my opinion, for what it's worth, you will get the same c**p here in NZ as you do in any other part of the world. In some places it'll be less in your face, in other places it may even be worse. We are a country inhabited by the human race, therefore there is no reason why it should be any different.

The area you choose to settle in 'may' have some bearing on the situation but at the end of the day people are no better or worse here than anywhere else in the world.

Diny

[Moorf]

Welcome Ginny,

This subject has been covered a lot before, it's worth reading through some of the previous threads, although it's a popular topic and will probably, as Diny said, attract a multitude of opinions :)

http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=5071&highlight=quality+life
http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1578&highlight=quality+life

Ultimately I believe it comes down to finding a part of NZ that is right for you, NZ as a whole can't, imho, be lumped into one "category" whether it be weather, traffic, people, lifestyle...

Moorf

[Avalon]

Ginny,

Well, as has been said - its not the easiest question to answer in one thread. It will take some time, but looking though a lot of past topics will show you that we all tend have our differing opinions on where life is better / worse or no different from the places we have come from.

however - slightly more easy - you both have skills which are needed, so the first thing you need to do if you have not already is go onto the NZIS website and use the points calculator. This will tell you whether you CAN move here or not under the Skilled Migrants Category. At the moment you need 115-140 points. And dont panic if you dont get enough - the points level does change - so maybe let us know what you get :nice1

Anyway - welcome. Hopefully over time you will find some answers.

[MB]

(I have deleted my original long post because on reflection it did not really address the areas that GinnyHanley asked about. But I have saved it and might post it on a more relevant thread). :nice1

[GinnyHanley]

Thanks for the links to the other threads! We just want a slower pace of life for us and our boys...someplace were they can be "kids" a bit longer. We are considering Christchurch as our destination.

I took the self evaluation for the skilled migrant points and looks like a 135. I have submitted all of my information to the NZQA, as well. Guess we'll see what happens! :)

[tottefan]

I think that no particular opinion is correct. You can only judge a subject such as this by living there and trying it for yourself.

But generalising here: will it be a slower pace of life? Yes
Will you be able to escape crime more? Probably, as there are less people. That's not to say that crime doesn't exist, and you obviously have to be aware of which areas have it and which areas don't (like anywhere).

I don't have any experience of NZ myself (yet), but these statements are based on statistical anaysis, common sense judgements (i.e. based on the the population size) and the general opinion of most forum members on all of the forums I've ever been on. They may not be correct, however. :)


Tottefan.

[Charlosparky]

The impression we get from our brother in law who has been i Whangarei for 8 years now, is that NZ is more chilled and less hectic than the uk, or sort of 15 yrs behind. for example he left his house windows open for 2 weeeks last year( accidentily) whilst on holiday and was not robbed, and although the kids at his college litter etc, they pick it up when asked- instead of the foul-mouthed lip uk kids would reply with.

We hope to get there in sept with our kids- so i hope he's right

And yes i suppose it depends alot on which town you go to.

[adamsat]

We just want a slower pace of life for us and our boys...someplace were they can be "kids" a bit longer. We are considering Christchurch as our destination.


There are fewer people here, so the problems that do exist are less obvious, and depending on where you choose to live, they could be a lot less obvious.
Christchurch itself has problems, again depending on where you live and what you do these will be more of less obvious to you.

Christchurch is a city, although a relatively small one, and all the things that you would expect to happen when you have 400,000 people living together happen there.

Out where we live life is a lot slower paced and crime is low, although not non-existant. Like anything though you have to make a trade-off to get those benefits.

[Diny]

Yeah - a very interesting thread, and like most people have said, no matter what our 'hopes' are, nobody will find out until you're actually here 'living it'.

I still think that some people are under the impression that NZ is a crime free haven full of well mannered, daisy chain making youngsters (said with a certain amount of tongue in cheek - no offence intended to anybody). But just because I think that people here (no matter what age they are) are no better or worse than people you will find anywhere else in the world, doesn't mean that everybody will think that. That's what a forum is all about, everybody putting forward their thoughts and opinions, hopes and fears - and it all makes for alot of thought evoking conversation.

Last night I was talking to a gentleman in the pub. He must have been in his mid 60's. He'd just come back from 5 weeks visiting his daughter who now lives in Kent with her husband and children. I would have loved to have brought him back home and sat him at this pc to join in the conversation. He was so full of enthusiasm, saying what a wonderful, go ahead place the UK is. How warm and friendly the people are, and how the visit has made him and his wife realise that his daughter is doing the right thing by taking her children to live in a country that offers them so much more variety and opportunity than they would ever get here. The exact things that are mentioned on this forum but in the opposite context.

Diny

[tigerlily]

Welcome Ginny!

It's quite an adventure that you are embarking on! The things that you list above, as reasons to leave, you could very easily encounter in NZ as well. Read the news there (on http://www.stuff.co.nz/ or http://www.nzherald.co.nz/) to see what you think. Have you thought of moving to a smaller town in America instead? I'm only playing devil's advocate for you, obviously we decided to try to go to NZ, otherwise we wouldn't be here. I'm just posing these questions as something to think about. This is an expensive and long process (unless you get a job offer then it's pretty quick), so it's good to go in with your eyes open.

Have you visited NZ?
How close are you (geographically and emotionally) to your families?
Have you lived in one place all your life?
How much do you have in reserve (emotionally and financially)?
How would you feel about heating your (uninsulated) house with a woodstove all winter?
How will you feel about having to pay thousands of dollars to get back to America to see your family?
How would you make new friends in a place where you don't know anyone?
How soon would you be prepared to move?
Have you looked at the salaries (and taxes paid on earning that amount) for your professions?

There is a great thread-
http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1027&highlight=Christchurch
about neighborhoods in Christchurch. You can then look at some of the real estate sites to see how much housing costs.

Hope this is helpful. Please do ask more questions! It gives those of us on the slow boat some nice things to post about!

[Oregonkiwi]

Have you thought of moving to a smaller town in America instead? I'm only playing devil's advocate for you, obviously we decided to try to go to NZ, otherwise we wouldn't be here.


In the same "devil's advocate" way - have you thought about, for example, Oregon? Do you want to leave America, or just Atlanta?

[GinnyHanley]

You all bring up some really valid points and things to think about. We have always enjoyed traveling (US and Europe) and think of NZ as a great adventure, and if after 2 years we weren't happy, we could come back to the US. But now I wonder how easy that would be. Would we be able to get back here and be in the same financial state as we are now? :confused:

We actually have and are considering other places here in the US. We have not thought of Oregon, but are thinking about western/northern Michigan. What makes us laugh is that both myself (as a high school math teacher with 15 years experience) and my husband in IT (has worked for several fortune 500 companies) would have an easier time finding jobs in NZ than Michigan.

We are very ready to leave Atlanta. We are tired of insane traffic, the attitude that bigger is better (hummers everywhere, people have to have the bigger houses, more "stuff"), and the summers so hot (94 f) and humid(80%)from May until October that my boys can't stand to play outside. We live in a very nice, considered "well-to-do" suburb, and our bank was robbed by two gunmen threating the customers at 9:30 in the morning!

Thanks for the help...you are really giving us some good stuff to think about!

[tigerlily]

I can totally relate on the weather- we have the opposite problem here- winter is long, cold and the kids don't want to play outside for more than a few minutes (after struggling into snowsuits!). That mild maritime climate sounds wonderful. I often wish that California had less people, cars, and sprawl, because it sure has wonderful weather.

I would really reccomend a trip to NZ, to see for yourself what it is like. You'd still be a tourist, so it's not the same as living there, but it would give you a feeling for the place.

As for the financials, I think most people on the board would agree that finanically you take a hit to move overseas. But on the other hand it is a wonderful adventure that changes your life, gives your kids a new perspective and new experiences.

Best of luck to you!