[yuri]

As a potential immigrant to NZ i think this forum is the best place to gather information about NZ and the real life there. i've found it a little bit far from my expectations . i haven't benn to NZ but from immigrants' opinion and migrants' stories i think my passion for life in NZ has been lowered by 50%. and here is some migrants' comments
1- salaries are low compared to what we earn
2- houses are cold and dumb
3- cars are 2nd hand imported from japan
4- very limited choice of food in supermarkets
5- goods in markets are bad finishing imported from china and othe r asian countries
6- very limited choices of clothes
all european migrants agree that their qulaity of life is low compared to what they used to in europe...in my case i want to immigrate for economic reasons ( i live in spain) and ofcourse to enjoy other great things that NZ offers like clean air and beaches, spectacular views, better conditions to raise up children but at the same time i don't want to minimize my economic statue.....so i'd like to ask a question " IS NZ SUITABLE FOR ME?"

[Diny]

Yuri

Sadly the only person who can answer that question is YOU !!!!

The best bit of advice I can think of is .......

Get yourself over there and have a look. Test the water. Do some fact finding.

There is a perfect balance of positive and negative postings on this forum. I for one think it's of the utmost importance to look at NZ from both sides of the fence. There are NZ forums on the internet where posting anything other than positive, glossy mag opinions about NZ is almost punishable by death - what use is that to anybody?

Of course NZ can offer a cleaner, more relaxed way of life, with wonderful opportunities for our children, but it's impossible for anybody to say whether it is right for you.

Wages are low in relation to cost of living, but it's a well known fact that not many people emigrate with the idea of becoming a millionaire. The scenery is breathtaking and the air is clean. However, yob culture, drug problems, domestic violence, street crime and all the other everyday 'nasties' that happen all over the globe also happen in NZ. For every positive there is a negative - and vice versa.

You really do need to visit and find out for yourself. I wish you all the best.

Diny

[maggie]

Hi Yuri
I think if you do go to nz you are in for a shock I must admit I had a few misconceptions before I visited earlier this year. But there was no need it was fabulous not at all what I had expected yes the shops are different but they have everything you could possibly need the clothes shops are good as is furniture, appliances etc and cars yes they have second hand cars as they do here in the uk but any abundance of new cars also. So I just think perhaps the information you have received is perhaps well out dated. nz is indeed a very modern country and not at all as you descibed it I personally loved it and cant wait to live there
Kind regards

[lindajax]

Hi Yuri,
I agree with Diny you sound as though you need to go see.

NZ is not paradise and no-one goes there to get rich ( quoting our moderators) But for us its the quality of life and for our daughter.
what you've got to get a handle on is any move to anywhere will involve some form of compromise.

Check out what level of pay YOUR field attracts and avaiablity for positions etc.

I am a nurse in UK and my pay will be significantly less in NZ but when I have taken into account living costs etc we'll be pretty much the same as we are here and thats fine by us.

Try to look at both sides and research some more - you never know you may be pleasantly suprised!!

Love Linda xxx

[ruthyroo]

Agree with all the above - especially Diny - you can't know it until you try it. No amount of research, holiday / fact-finding trips, going on forums is going to fully resolve your questions/ Even coming here on holiday doesn't solve it - it's too easy when you come here with GBP in your pocket compared to when you start earning NZ$! However as someone who had a really hard time when first srriving in NZ - for all the reasons you list in your post, we' re now settling in a rather enjoying living here...

[xanctus]

agree with everybody responses...you need to go to NZ to see it yourself.
When I came to USA on the first time, I had never been there before, and that was one way trip without returning options (I was going to college). At first I was shocked from my own expectations of being in America. However, after a while I could adapt the whole situation better. Now, living in US is just like any other day for other americans :mrgreen:

However, I have a question for you...why point #3 is such a bad thing?
Japanese car is reliable and good, isn't it?

[Robert Dazzler]

1- salaries are low compared to what we earn
Maybe, but if you take into account the cost of living and find out what your "disposable" income is you wont find much difference.


2- houses are cold and dumb
Mine isn`t, it`s modern, well insulated and has underfloor heating.


3- cars are 2nd hand imported from japan
A lot of them are and most are very low Km`s and very good value.


4- very limited choice of food in supermarkets
Not in my opinion, I can`t get everything I could in the UK butthere are lots of things here I couldn`t get overthere.


5- goods in markets are bad finishing imported from china and othe r asian countries
Again not in my opinion, I`ve manged to find goods of the quality I require.


6- very limited choices of clothes
I don`t know about this one, I`m not a follower of fashion so I can`t really comment. As long as the sun is shining all I need is a pair of shorts and a T shirt.



all european migrants agree that their qulaity of life is low compared to what they used to in europe...

My "quality" of life is far better than it was in the UK, it all depends on how you judge "quality of life".

No one else can tell you whether NZ will be right for you, only you can decide that, all they can tell you is whether it was right or wrong for them.

Bobby.

[Soon2baKiwi]

Hi Yuri

Someone has said it before - Quality of Life is not Standard of Living so it depends on whether or not you need lots of possessions. Nothing wrong in that if that's what rocks your boat. I think that a lot of people look at NZ as some sort of third world country where all the rich europeans are going to live like kings. Forums like this help to dispel that attitude but there must be loads of people who go over there without having the information that has been given out here.

On the availability of goods etc. my mother in law is staying with us for a couple of months from Auckland. We went shopping last week for a present for her grandaughter and she wanted to get something that she couldn't get in NZ. We went to a huge (Toy's r us type) toy store and spent nearly an hour looking for something that wasn't available 'at home'. She did get something eventually but we're not sure that it's not available in NZ, just that she hadn't seen it before.

Her clothes are always VERY good quality and she lives with my sister in law and her family in a beautiful, warm, house in Browns Bay. There's no one size fits all lifestyle anywhere I believe so good luck to you in whatever you decide to do.

[leslie]

living in the uk/ n.a. you become used to padding your mental discomfort with 'toys'. my experience in nz was about shedding the mental dicomfort, losing the toys and just BEING. not complicated, not always easy, but overall happy. you'll either love it or hate it - best check it out in person.

[yuri]

i agree with ur posts...but i don't think that a 5 or six weeks holiday in NZ will help me to make the right decision....because my decision will be based on a tourist's point of view which is very different from the residence one so i want to shre experience with people in their begining stages of building a new life in NZ

[jo b]

living in the uk/ n.a. you become used to padding your mental discomfort with 'toys'. my experience in nz was about shedding the mental dicomfort, losing the toys and just BEING. not complicated, not always easy, but overall happy. you'll either love it or hate it - best check it out in person.

Leslie are you a pysciatrist (spelt wrong I know). You desription of padding your mental discomfort out with toys is soooo true. I can't wait to just be ME.

Jo

[veronica]

yuri, its one of those perception things. You're obviously not completely happy in Poland or you wouldn't be looking of the NZ side of things. review what makes you dissatisfied with life there and weigh that up with why you are looking at NZ.
We've been here for 6 months and the biggest point I would agree with you on is the coldness of the houses available when you first get here. A lot of the rental properties are not insulated or heated, why should the landlords invest more in the property when they will get the same money for it whether its insulated or not! that doesn't mean that when you get your own house it wont be, Its just that it doesn't get truely cold here so the kiwi mindset is different to the Europeans. But I bet now the summers here no ones moaning about it.
With the second hand Japenese cars, they aren't an issue here, whats wrong with a second hand car anyway ours is 9 years old goes well and looks immaculate.
On the shopping side, how well stocked do you want your shops, the supermarkets don't have the same range of preprepared meals that are available in the UK but on normal foodstuffs they are fine, and there is certainly enough clothes etc shops around but they may not stock the brands you are used to., how well stocked are the shops in |Poland compared to the UK. I haven't seen poor quality in the items I have needed to buy, most of them are pretty much the same as in the UK, but you do get what you pay for whereever you are. If you buy something that is the cheapest you can find then maybe it will be poor quality, (not always though.)
I think one of the distorting factors of a forum whether it is this one or any other is it tends to be people of strong opinions either way who write on it. People who have moved over here and like it just get on with life and don't comment on a lot of things, but people who are perhaps not suited to accepting change and maybe are homesick and regretting what they have done, find a lot of fault without looking for the good. Some people are dissatisfied whereever they are and these people are often the most vocal. People who are looking to come tend to talk lots about the good things they want out of NZ to justify their decision and gloss over any bad bits that don't fit their picture. It can be hard being an immigrant and suddenly finding yourself away from all that is familiar but it can be great too, finding out new things and meeting new people, a lot of it depends on the person.
You can't live it through other peoples experiences second hand.
The only way YOU will find out if its what YOU are looking for is to try it.

[xanctus]

i agree with ur posts...but i don't think that a 5 or six weeks holiday in NZ will help me to make the right decision....because my decision will be based on a tourist's point of view which is very different from the residence one so i want to shre experience with people in their begining stages of building a new life in NZ

so Yuri, what does your heart tell you really? if you think that NZ is not good enough for you then maybe you should not move, but if you think that you will love/like or even be able to adapt regardless any circumstances then you shall try.

[leslie]

am not a psychiatrist but am going to need one if here much longer...

[tigerlily]

[quote="yuri"]
1- salaries are low compared to what we earn
2- houses are cold and dumb
3- cars are 2nd hand imported from japan
4- very limited choice of food in supermarkets
5- goods in markets are bad finishing imported from china and othe r asian countries
6- very limited choices of clothes
/quote]

Your post made me think very much of America! We have high salaries, also low salary, depending on job. Houses are warm, often too warm, since air con is expensive. Cars are cheap and new, though poorly made. Huge choices in the supermarket, specially if you enjoy genetically modified and chemically treated foods. Excellent choices of clothes, though almost all of it is made in Asia (for example, if Walmart were a country it would be China's third largest trading partner - no joke).

[Annierobrigado]

yes yuri, actually almost everything that's found in your shops (US, UK, Aus, Can, NZ) are made in Asia (China, Taiwan, Korea, India, MAlaysia, Thailand, Philippines). The multinational companies have their factories here! well, i've been window shopping in upscale stores here in manila, and guess and gap and levis and giordano and dickies etc all charge super mucho moolah but if you check the goods out, they're either made in china or just somewhere in the outskirts of manila. the multinationals do that, you know, make the goods in asia for dirt-cheap prices, send back to the usa to change the tags and then ship back to asia with USD price tags already. sheesh. but that's globalization for you.

don't be so disheartened though, not all asian-made products are bad. if you happen to see a tag saying "Proudly Philippine Made" then by all means get it. Our exports are really world standard, because of the stringent guidelines we have to pass to be able to sell in the world market.

cheers
annie

[Tate6]

Tigerlily-

Here-Here :nice1

Yuri-
It most certainly depends on what you expect/want to get from the move.
What are you willing to trade off??
Nowhere, not even our beloved NZ, is perfect.

Good luck making your decision!!

Terry

PS.-
My Father's family is Polish--Kaszubowski!!