....any interest?

Any interest in general information being posted here? I've been in correspondence with a friend of an acquaintance who has lived in NZ his whole life. I've been asking him questions to try to get an unbiased opinion on some things. Wondering if anyone would find benefit in me posting the responses I get here?

J

I'm interested! ::):

Yes Pleaseeeeeeeeeeee ! :icon_biggrin: :icon_biggrin: :icon_biggrin:

Milliemoo :icon_wink:

J,
Are you crazy ?
Why would we want to hear about someone who's lived in NZ his whole life ?

:021: :021: :021: :021:

Only because we're eager for any information we can get - that's why :icon_biggrin:

Of course you should post you silly &%&%&% :icon_biggrin: :icon_biggrin:

Sorry, couldn't resist !

Cheers

Steve (looking forward to it)

Okay, okay! Hopefully this won't be disappointing. No secret information here, nothing groundbreaking. Just answers to some questions I had. I'll post new replies as I get them, and will be happy to ask other questions y'all have.

J

[quote:ce49d03259]

[b:ce49d03259]me:[/b:ce49d03259] I found stats online somewhere about how religious the population there
is. I'm curious if you feel that people there are quite religious,
and if it affects how they interact with people, the laws that are
passed, etc. Also, do people try to "preach" and convert you, or do
most keep it to themselves. Here, in the States, some people keep to
themselves, but many try to convert those around them and make religion
a very visible part of every aspect of their life. Additionally, the
"religious right", as they are called, try to legislate christian
morality upon the nation. I'm curious what the environment in NZ is
like, as I am agnostic.

[b:ce49d03259]reply:[/b:ce49d03259] Religion, I'd guess I'd put it like this...NZ would be as religious a
nation as the US but in no way is it as visible. Plenty of churches etc, but
no tele-evangelists(?), and unless they're Jehovah Witnesses they pretty
much keep to themselves. There are only one or two 'religious' issues in
the country, mainly to do with things like homosexuals being priests etc.
I'd have to say if you came to NZ and kept your head down you'd never be
able to tell what the predominant religion was. I'm a Christian myself, but
would have to say that NZ as a whole is a lot less 'in ya face' about the
whole thing.


[b:ce49d03259]me:[/b:ce49d03259] How active is the average Kiwi, politically? Are most aware/educated
on current issues, and active? Is there apathy like there is here in
the States? Is politics a common conversational topic, or is it one of
those to stay away from as it tends to erupt into a heated argument?


[b:ce49d03259]reply:[/b:ce49d03259] Politics...well I'd have to say that some there are some people over here
you wouldn't broach the subject with, but I think after coming from the US,
you'd say our political awareness is somewhat amateurish. We are part of
the English commonwealth, so our political profile is very much less.
People tend to discuss current topics, as opposed to parties, and the whole
govt structure is very different to the US. If you end up/visit Wellington,
it's worth doing a tour of the 'Beehive' (our Whitehouse) to understand how
it all works.

A lot of discussion in NZ comes from 'The Treaty of Waitangi' which was
signed in 1840 between the king of England and the Maori (natives) of NZ.
It's all to do with land ownership and who can fish where...minorities
getting extra allowances etc. That's a doozie of a conversation starter.
95% of NZers just want to get on with things but the remaining 5% make it a
pain in the ass for all, claiming rights to this and that.

I think you'll find the average Kiwi knows quite a bit about the US as a
lot of our news and TV programmes come from there. I spent 6 monts in the US
and was 2nd in my US Govt/History class (to Travis), since NZ is so small
countries like the US have a big influence on us.

Well, that'll do for the meantime. I think basically you'll find NZ just
a little more laid back than the US. We've only got a population of 4
million so it'd be like coming to live in a small TX town...everyone if
pretty friendly and ready to help. Our unofficial country motto is 'she'll
be alright mate' and we believe anything can be fixed with a bit of sweat
and some #8 fencing wire!!!
[/quote:ce49d03259]

Hi J,
Thanks for that. Very interesting.
By the way, I got off the fence a long time ago - I'm an athiest !

I came across this place, and thought of you.
I don't know whether it's any good, or for sure what it's about !

http://13660.rapidforum.com/

Cheers

Steve

All right, next installment.

[quote:dfeabc041c]
[b:dfeabc041c]me:[/b:dfeabc041c] One thing I haven't been able to figure out online - do companies
usually offer some kind of retirement/pension program?

[b:dfeabc041c]answer:[/b:dfeabc041c] I work for a company called Airways NZ, they have a scheme where for every
$1 I put in, they'll put in 2, up to 6% of my salary..this is not common
place. Not a lot of NZ companies have a pakage like that, it's because we
used to be government owned. A lot seem to offer dicount pakages through
major superannuation firms rather than their 'own' package. These may or
may not be discounted depending on who it is (Airways are always looking for
good tech guys!!!). All companies
are required by law to provide atleast 7 days sick leave per year, and 3
weeks annual leave (to be upped to 4 weeks in 2006). Some already have 4
but most of them close over christmas and require you to take one week then.
we have very good laws protecting employees rights in the country.

[b:dfeabc041c]me:[/b:dfeabc041c] I religiously read a few message forums for wannabe immigrants. There
seems to be quite a bit of concern about wages in NZ and disposable
income. It's common knowledge that wages there are lower than they are
in the UK or US for the same jobs. I'm curious, though, what the
average kiwi needs to do to get by. Does the average kiwi make enough
to support oneself, put a little towards savings, and have money to
enjoy leisure activities on the weekends? I know that kiwis in general
are less into material things - fancy TVs, stereos, and such. This is
probably an overly difficult and general question. I guess I'm trying
to get a feel for how far my salary will go, whether I'll be able to
continue to save towards retirement, make enough to pay for a plane
ticket back to the states every once in a while, etc. Obviously that
all depends on my job, the salary I manage to get, and my lifestyle.
Perhaps I shouldn't even be asking this question. I dunno.


[b:dfeabc041c]answer:[/b:dfeabc041c] As for the wages, we're pretty much on par with the US and the UK $ for $,
but the exchange rate lets us down. ie: a $40,000job in the US would still
get you $40,000 in NZ, but that only equates to about $30,000US. Fine if
you wanna stay and live in NZ, but make overseas travel a little expensive.
Having said that, NZers travle A LOT (since we soon run out of country over
here) and get prettyt cheap deals. I think you'll find most jobs in IT will
provide you with enough $$$ to buy some cool shit, I'm into toys myself (Big
TV's stereo, cars etc) and don't find that an expensive habit.

As for the women, they tend to be a lot less 'made up' than US girls...by
that I mean they may not look as stunning on first sight, but you've got a
way better idea what you'll find the next morning!!!


[/quote:dfeabc041c]

I'm curious if anyone else has any answers to the questions I'm asking. I'd love to hear any input.

J

Oh yeah, I needed to ask for clarification:

[quote:5ae5ed97e4] Superannuation is the NZ word for 'retirement fund'. So, if you hear the
phrase 'super package' it's not a good deal but it's what you're refuring
too.

The deal vary greatly from firm to firm, and by discount I mean a company
may have so many employees that the company may reduce premiums for them.
[/quote:5ae5ed97e4]

J