Why move to NZ?

I wrote up a little thing (ok, it's probably 3-4 pages long) about why people should consider coming to NZ, and why I came.

It's taken off and I've got some e-mails about it already. Please let me know if you have any input on how to make it better, or if I left something out.

Oh, I did leave politics out of it. That was on purpose :) It's a pretty easy one though.

www.jamesthecarman.com/nzwhy.htm (full colour, some pictures, etc)
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Why New Zealand?

A. Why New Zealand is a great place for you to come to. The culture, the environment, the adventure, etc.?

B. Why I came to New Zealand. It wasn't a whim I had one night, it was a long time in the making, and seemed things were always setting me up for it.
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A. Why New Zealand is a great choice for you.
Weather? Culture? Economy? Something different? Adventure? Nature? Career? Sparse population? Pollution?

They were all huge reasons for me. It seems to be the perfect combination of all those aspects. You'll read more about why I personally came....but without these things I wouldn't have considered New Zealand.?
I'm about to put some facts and opinions out there. It may sound like I'm trying to persuade you to move to New Zealand (or at least visit for a few weeks). If it seems like the perfect place with just the right combination of different attributes, that's because it is. I'm not skewing things at all. Well, ok, maybe I am trying to get people to move out.?

But most people don't know a lot about New Zealand. It's a paradise that's hidden from most people's consciences. There's even a city here called Paradise (and it really is, a population of about 5 people....it's a nature paradise, to never be changed).?

So sit back, and soak it in. I'm merely making up for the lack of information you may or may not have been given.

Summer Weather - The summer is the really appealing time of year. This is the winter for us in the Northern Hemisphere. 85F (25F) is really really hot for them. As a Floridian, yes, I'm in paradise.?

--Link to weatherunderground.com's current forcast for varius NZ cities--

Winter Weather - North or South Island. Since NZ is in the southern hemisphere, the South Island is colder. Low's in the winter in the North Island are around 45F (or around 6C) and in the South Island 40F (4C). Highs would be in the low to mid 50's. A far cry from Norway, New York, Chicago, etc. And not too cold for my tastes. Though when I came from Florida it was summer at 94F (34C), and when I arrived in New Zealand it was winter at 44F (6C), so it was quite a shock. Plus the place where I was staying had no insulation and no central heating!!! That's not out of the norm, keep reading for some drawbacks (see, not completely biased).
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Culture - This was the original reason I thought about Australia and New Zealand. "Laid-back" - but what's it mean? Life at a slower pace. Easier to say hi (g'day) to a stranger. Not everyone is "up tight" - not sure how to describe that one. And clothing - they really don't care if what they are wearing is "in" or what people think of their clothing tastes. Good on ya mates!

The scenery, and nature - This is going to be short. The best scenery in the world. Almost everything (but the Amazon Rain Forest and deserts) is in NZ, a country just slightly bigger than England. Want to see it - check out the pictures I've taken. Or go watch Lord of the Rings. It can speak for itself.

Pollution - NZ is one of the "greenest" nations, literally and figuratively. On the "colour" side of it check out some of the pictures with grass in it. It really is "greener on the other side"....And in terms of pollution, Kiwis (New Zealanders) take pride in recycling, and conserving nature. NZ is also nuclear free. It's actually a pretty safe and efficient energy, but when things go bad with it, it goes really bad. The country is small enough population wise that coal and water energies are easily enough.?

Economy - The country is pretty small (3.8 million people), so the economy is a bit different than in the US (250 million). The Los Angeles area is bigger than Australia (22 million) and NZ combined.?
But while it's a small country, the economy certainly isn't 3rd world. There's a thriving tourism industry. And the country doesn't need aid from other countries to stay afloat.?

Poverty - On a related note, there's poverty. I visited Manila, Philippines in 2001, and that really opened my eyes to the fact that the poorest 10% in the states is richer than 90% of the Philippines. But money doesn't buy happiness, and filipino's aren't depressed without money. I came away from that experience thinking the poverty rate in the US is really low (and it is). But New Zealand blew that away. Poverty is rare in New Zealand. It's here, no doubt. But there are no South Central's(LA), Hell's Kitchen(NY), Harlem's(NY), Homestead's(Miami), etc. There is South Auckland, but it's of no comparison to the aforementioned poverty stricken areas.?

There are also pockets in various parts of the country. Usually Maori's are the ones left out. But again, it's not near as bad as some of the US, and definitely not like places in 3rd world countries.

Adventure - New Zealand is the undisputed mecca of adventure. Bungy Jumping was invented here. So was Jet Boating. And Fly by Wire, Canyon Swinging, etc. And the capital of adventure is Queenstown, NZ. I was just there in December 04, and got to do Jet Boating, a helicopter ride, took a luge down a mountainside, and went a Lord of the Rings tour.?

Materialism - In NZ it isn't about what you own and what you can show off. It is about enjoying what you have. And what you have, regardless of the house you live in, the car you drive, the clothes you wear, or the technological gadgets you don't have - you do have the most beautiful view in the world. You have endless hours of exploring the surrounding landscape. You can kayak, tramp (hike), bike, etc.

Cost of Living - depends on where you are from. New York, Boston, Chicago, California, etc - New Zealand has a much less cost of living. It's roughly the same, possibly a little more than Orlando. But that's just looking at rent, food, and car payments. Medical insurance is included in your taxes (which are maybe 2-5% more). Car insurance isn't as much. For children, going to the dentist is free (yikes kids!). And cable and Internet are cheaper.?

Bragging - New Zealanders generally don't brag. If someone is really good at basketball or rugby and you ask them if they can play, they may reply "yeah, I'm ok." or "I can play it." You won't find many Americans who don't overstate how good they are at something. And it's not that Kiwis aren't competitive (in a good way).?

3% Unemployment - Recently out of university and looking for a job? Downsized? Looking for a more enriching position? Well, of course New Zealand is the place for you! (See, I'm not biased ;-) ) Seriously though, the unemployment rate is ridiculously low. Employers are looking for some quality employers, and importing educated people from other countries is ideal.?

Immigration - You can't get a job without at least a work permit though. If you are under 30 in most countries you can easily get a "Working Holiday Visa" where you work for up to a year on it. I didn't know about it until I came to NZ, so it was too late for me. The other (and perhaps easier) route is to get residency BEFORE coming over. You can work for anyone for any length of time and not worry about Immigration (honestly, it's one of my worst experiences so far, but with proper knowledge beforehand you should be well equipped). There's an awesome website that I've used to help me out at www.movetonz.org - full of people on a great forum that are happy to answer your questions (you may even see this guy named James "the" Carman - I heard he's really biased at getting people out to NZ).?

Sparse population - New Zealand's largest city is Auckland with 1.4 million people. I've grown up in Orlando, FL - far from the largest, or 30th largest US city. But it's still bigger than Auckland at 1.8 million.?

-Racism-
And on a bit of a deeper note - I've grown up in the south. The "Deep South" of the US (though Florida is often described as a suburb of NY). I've grown up with the racism, prejudice, and seen first hand the lack of opportunities for my African-American friends. I'll write an article about racism in the States later. For now, I'll keep it short with a brief description of what I've realized being outside of the States.....People from other countries are appalled at what (still) happens. For instance they wonder why there are "Black Universities" - a hint: there aren't as many opportunities for African-Americans. The education they get in elementary, middle, and high schools is sub par to those in white suburbs. Teachers aren't paid as much, see it as a harder job, think it's unsafe, etc - which results in a horribly lopsided education system.?

What's really scary is that in the US, one of the most racist and segregated areas of life is at church! The USA's gospel programs get broadcast around the world, and people notice some strange things about the audiences....I'm grateful that my church is very diverse. Life is diverse, and "church" shouldn't be a place where someone feels uncomfortable about what the colour of their skin is.....Enough of that, I'm putting away the violin.

How does that relate to the difference between Australia and New Zealand? Up until the 20th century, it was still legal to kill the native Aborigines. But don't do it on a Thursday or Sunday. I'm not joking. It's illegal now, every day though. New Zealand is a lot more diverse than Australia, and while racism exists, it's an almost unimaginable lesser extent of what I had seen in the Southern USA.?

Maori are the native people of NZ (well, actually Mori Ori, but it's rumored the Maori ate them!). There's some squabbling that goes on between the Pakeha (white man) and Maori as far as territory, the foreshore, and other issues. The biggest controversy is on the Treaty of Waitangi. It's the document that put NZ under British rule, and there are disputes in what the Maori saw in there translation compared to the English version. Was it an honest mistake or was it on purpose? (link to Treaty of Waitangi Website)

All of New Zealand has 3.8 million. 1.4 of them in Auckland (Northern part of the North Island). 500K in Wellington (the capital...Southern part of North Island). 300K in Christchurch (Central part of South Island). 2.2 million in the 3 largest cities. That leaves 1.6 million for the rest of the country.?

The South Island has 800K people. 3 million are in the North Island. At Christmas in the Park (music festival) there were 100K at the event in Christchurch. That's 33% of all of Christchurch....or 8% of the whole South Island at one event.?
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Drawbacks - There are two sides to every coin. New Zealand does have it's drawbacks, and I've never been one for enjoying a point of view that's one sided (well, milk is so evil I couldn't present a good side ;-) ).?

Insulation and Central Heating! - Insulation is standard, now, within the last 5 years. But houses older than that don't have insulation. And Kiwis really don't know what Central Heating is. They use space heaters, and there really isn't a need for A/C to cool down the house.?

Roads - They aren't dirt roads or anything. But some of the roads are really scary, like a passing "dashed line" when going around a blind corner (and there are hundreds of them). If the NZ government gave me 2 million dollars I could easily make the roads safer just by marking them out better.?

Speed Camera's - Well, they kinda work at keeping speeds down. But they are usually in the city, away from the country roads that are potentially deadly (450 people killed last year).

Country Roads - like mentioned above, pretty scary. There aren't motorways (freeways or interstates highways) between cities. They would cost way too much to build and not enough people would use them. Plus they'd eat up a lot of the precious NZ nature. There are some within the major cities. But on long trips, especially in the sparsely populated South Island, it's normal to go over a river on a one lane bridge (one side or the other will have priority) - there just isn't enough traffic to necessitate a two lane bridge.??

Culture - The following are generally known in Kiwi culture. I haven't gone out of my way to uncover this, and certainly don't mean to offend anyone.?

Lack of Goals - The guys can be so laid back that life goals could be non existant. It's pretty out of place in the States, but more commonplace.?

Bossy Women - The guys can be so laid back, that some of the women can be bossy and independent. STOP RIGHT THERE! Before I start a battle of the sexes, I don't want you to think I'm against women, women's rights, etc. It could be said that women are more goal oriented. Good on em. Women in NZ were the first anywhere in the world to get the vote. Good on em.?

Ok, enough of the damage control....

Insecurities - Kiwis can sometimes have low self-esteem and be insecure. I haven't had many first hand encounters with this (well, it's hard to just say - "he or she is insecure") but I've been told by Kiwis that compared to other cultures this can be a drawback. This doesn't go for everyone. The suicide rate is pretty high, and may be correlated.

Dating - This isn't really a negative, but is more just a difference - In the South Island (more rural) a guy hitting on a good looking girl that walks by is very rare. They hardly even make eye contact! In Auckland and other more populated areas (usually N. Island) the guys are a bit bolder though (still not as bad as what I've seen and heard of in the US).

Oh, and going on dates is more of a US cultural thing, and from what I've heard isn't a huge thing here. I'm not really concerned about that aspect. Maybe one day I'll stumble on how Kiwis meet and get married (I'm a dense American and can't figure out how they court if it isn't our way! j/k). But I didn't come to NZ to find a wife, so I'm not going to worry about it too much.

Oh, and going on dates is more of a US cultural thing, and isn't done as much in NZ. I'm not really concerned about that aspect. Maybe one day I'll stumble on just how Kiwis meet and get married. But I didn't come to NZ to find a wife.

Drawbacks summarized - No place is perfect. Every culture has it's drawbacks (I'm American, I should know!). So it may be a bit colder than your used to in your home during the winter - put some extra clothes on. The roads may be more dangerous - drive carefully......This goes for anything in life - Enjoy the positives, and deal the best you can with the negatives (and who knows, every now and then a negative can become a positive).

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You can ignore this last part. Events that lead up to me moving to NZ.
Closing thoughts may be interesting though.
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B. Why did I come to New Zealand?

During high school I was intrigued by Australia and had thought about visiting. I thought it would be cool to learn about a different culture, and experience such a laid back one at that. In later years during my university studies I still looked at Australia in a good light, and thought maybe it would be something after I graduated....Australia and New Zealand are close to each other, but a LOT farther than Florida and Cuba. And there were differences between the countries which I realized later (for starters think of it like the US and Canada).??

I had also liked the Boston area, though I have never been there. There are so many universities there, and so many avenues one can take to learn whatever one wants to. But it's cold. Really cold. I don't mind the cold, but as a Floridian, could be a shock to the system.?

I haven't realized it until later in my life, but I have always wanted to understand the world outside of Orlando. Outside of Florida. Outside of the US and North America. What became a stronger yearning as I got older was what Kiwis (New Zealanders) would call an O.E. or an Overseas Experience. It's just a part of their culture. It's like that for other countries as well. Americans don't generally have the urge to explore the world though.?

Also the time is perfect in my life. I'm not married, don't have a family of my own yet, no mortgage, not tied down to a career (though trying to build one), etc. While I can, I need to take the chance. Who knows if once I get married my wife will want to travel. I'll probably survive if she doesn't, but it would be awesome if she does (can't have everything though).?

During my studies I had a teacher from New Zealand (educated in New Zealand, born in Aussie) for my networking class. And when I had rehab on my knee, the therapist was a Kiwi (New Zealander).?

New Zealand started to become more appealing than Australia. One was I wanted to get away from the heat of Florida (see above - the weather in New Zealand is a dream), and Australia is mostly desert. NZ has no deserts, though there is a road called Desert Road (in Kiwis defense, it's the closest thing they have to a desert, so I can turn a blind eye). Also the immigration department of NZ was more lenient with citizens of other countries coming in to work.?

Other places I considered were Sweden and Norway, as the people seemed pretty cool (literally and figuratively), technology was on par (or in the case of cell phones superior) with the US, and the educational and medical care seemed to be pretty inexpensive. The same goes for the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Canada (Canada wasn't different enough for me though).?

In June of 2003 (my last semester of studies at UCF) I had narrowed it down to Netherlands and New Zealand. I thought New Zealand would be better, but way more expensive to get to. I started to e-mail some people to get some contacts in both countries.?

The cold of Norway and Sweden were too much for my tastes for now.?
I wasn't dead set on leaving the US, but thought if things worked out, it would be cool to visit another country, or maybe live there for a few years.?

Then things started falling in place April-May of 2004. My internship was ending, and I was looking for positions in Orlando, as well as Atlanta, Denver, Wash D.C., Boston, Norfolk, Chicago, and Seattle. I had seriously considered moving to Washington D.C. (well, Northern Virginia) to look for a job, as it has among the best I.T. markets in the country (and perhaps the world). The problem with that was the cost of living is roughly twice that of Orlando, and way to expensive without a job lined up already.?

Back in Orlando I was having interviews, but found myself being overqualified most of the time. I was in a strange situation that a lot of us can find ourselves, hopefully only for a short time. Overqualified with no experience. In other words, having a university degree, but not much practical work experience. I had some great experiences at AT&T Wireless and as a Web Strategist at UCF, but it wasn't enough to make me the top candidate for I.T. positions, especially in Orlando where the I.T. unemployment rate was pretty high. Most of the interviews I had, I was overqualified for, since the usual candidate may be someone still in their studies.?

By the end of May I was really looking at Norfolk, VA (aka Virginia Beach). It was within comfortable driving distance (2 hrs) to D.C. and I had some friends I had met there during 2 trips during the past 2 years. Plus those that used to be in Orlando. The problem with VA Beach is that the I.T. market there isn't great, and it's basically a huge naval base (Norfolk is home of the largest naval base in the world).?

But then I started to think about New Zealand again. I didn't have anything definitely lined up for a job in Virginia, and like I said earlier - it's the perfect time in my life to see another part of the world.?
I checked on plane prices. It wasn't $1100 (one way) like I thought it would be. It was $600 (one way). I looked at the newspaper's job advertisements, and low and behold there were PHONE NUMBERS of someone to talk to about the position!! Not an anonymous e-mail address that you would get an automated reply from.?

I contacted my sister church in New Zealand, and started to get things set up sometime in early June. By the end of June I was ready, and purchased my plane ticket.?

July 17th is the date I arrived in New Zealand.?

I still haven't managed to make it to Australia. Maybe one day ;-)?
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Closing thoughts:

Was it a random idea to come out to New Zealand? It depends on your definition of random. A lifelong yearning to see the world and learn about things outside of the US. The planting of Kiwis in my life to describe to me the beauty and culture. The bad I.T. market in Orlando (and Florida). The cost of living in D.C.?And just getting sick and tired of the 34 C (94 F....man the US should get on the metric system) and 90% humidity every day in the long summer.

Not to mention the fact that I started getting contacts 12+ months before coming over.?

Under qualified may hurt your self-esteem. Overqualified may help your self-esteem. Neither one do anything for your bank account.?

After my experience is done in New Zealand I could very well end up back in Florida, or maybe in D.C. or Atlanta, or Boston, or Denver. Or Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Britain, etc.?

Almost Anywhere,
Definitely Nowhere.

Who knows where....I do know that things happen in our lives for a very important reason. God. Looking back at the circumstances that had me end up in New Zealand (and the life lessons I've learned since being here), it's so apparent. Had any one of those interviews landed me in a position (which back then I would have really wanted), I'd still be there, making $12 an hour, not learning much, and certainly not in New Zealand.?

[b:d01f08083d]I wouldn't have it any other way.[/b:d01f08083d]

www.jamesthecarman.com/nzwhy.htm
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Sorry to get religious on you guys at the end there. Bad things happen to everyone, but hopefully it will work out in the long term. (I had some pretty bad stuff happen to me when I first got to NZ, but I'm not ranting and raving about it. Stuff happens.)

Some of that is true, some of it is utter crap. But hey it's all subjective.

[quote:e8ccd4e29a="pleccy2000"]Some of that is true, some of it is utter crap. But hey it's all subjective.[/quote:e8ccd4e29a]

What's the crap. It's just from what I've seen so far, but I'm open to input. You can PM me if you want.

Too negative? Too positive?

James that is your experience and that's all you can do, tell it how you see it and tbh it's not that different to my experience :icon_biggrin:

Keep the posts coming James I really do appreciate you taking the time to keep us all informed on how things are going for you :icon_biggrin:

Lisa :icon_biggrin:

Car-man
Great post. For those thinking of emigrating, hearing the experience and perspective of others who've already gone through the process is invaluable.

Forget the knockers, James, especailly if they can't back their critisisms up. I think its good :)

I thought you were a little light on the racism bit, but thats probably a learning curve :)

There is a bit of repitition in there and one place employer should be employee.

Don't go so overboard on the envornmentally pure part. Our land is ridden with waste dumps, PCP poisoned land is common, we don't REALLY care about recycling (cf tyres, plastics and paper that are supposedly recycled by in fact just dumped - in some cases even after being taken away by "recyclers")

Don't forget we have numerous beaches where its unsafe to swim as the water quality is too low.

Our redeaming feature is that as an island most of the pollution is blown offshore.

You are right about the high suicide levels and the low levels of opportunity for some. Ashburton has some of the highest suicide rates in the world.

As a culture we try and pull down those who succeed, (endemic in the education system as well among Maori who now often equate "education" as learning maori culture, as if its a valid career path in school instead of in reality just a cultural hobby. ), we nit pick and critisize people who do well (Judy Bailly - how many congratualted her on getting an $800,000 salery, or just critised her employers).

Our Televison sucks badly, but then again its because its mostly American imported programs :) We are becomming less likely to play sports, join clubs, and are becomming more watchers instead of doers than in the past. Just check out the age structure of many clubs and see how the predominate in over 40's -50's.

Our wages are low, compared to other countires, and working opportunities are less. 1/5 of our population lives overseas.

Our beautiful beaches, which used to be accessable to all, are now becomming the domain of the rich only. - thats really sad, a massive part of our culture has been pulled from under us.

Our capital city is built on sand, on a sloping substructure (tilted towards the sea) and on a major fault line so the first big earthquake to hit wellington will make it all slide into the sea (well that may be a good thing I suppose), but REALLY bad planning.

jamesthecarman, sorry i wasn't being nasty! I was in a bad mood yesterday though.... I think it's great that you are sharing your experiences. Although I think that some of your are different to mine, thats all.

Good work on the write up!

netchicken,
I think you just about managed to cover every single bad point NZ has in that post!

Hope it didnt get you too stressed typing that lot out :icon_wink:

Thanks for the support guys!

Netkitchen - Wow! Didn't know a lot of that stuff. I've "heard" about the not wanting others to succeed thing, but haven't seen it first hand. I have seen it in the States (luckily I've managed to not succeed too much in NZ!!! :icon_razz: )

Racism - yes, I was a bit light. Trying not to offend too many :) But is really really tame compared to the States (the land of equality and justice for all).

Pleccy - thanks for the appology.

Lisa - thanks for the support as always.

Maybe after I get up the courage I'll write about all the negative stuff that's happened to me hear. I've looked past it though, and don't expect those things to happen to everyone.