E2NZ.org

Bravo! I would sign under every line of this post as if it were my lines, my thoughts. I’ve been in NZ for 4 years, and every single day the word “fake” tick-tocks in my head. “Max charge for min quality” , dull, dump and drab, time travel back – these are the my every day NZ associations. What keeps me here?… Well, there is no war and almost no corruption, the nature is beautiful, the air is fresh and the beaches are scarcely populated. However, even these qualities hardly keep me from moving back to my corrupted, populated, cruel and intense country… What keeps me? My partner .

Alex, in his comment above, states that one of the things that keeps him here (in New Zealand) is that “the air is fresh”. I’ve seen this same thing said by expats numerous other times in various other forums, and I really have to scratch my head over this:

This year, 2010, the city of Christchurch finally put into place a ban on use of open fires and all ‘non-permitted’ logburners (though only during the ‘winter months’. But more on that another time). This ban was actually supposed to have been effected 5 or 6 years ago, but legal challenges (a large percentage of NZ homes are heated entirely by wood fire so there was much resistance to the ban) delayed it until this year. The purpose of putting the ban in place was to reduce exponentially the number of high pollution days/nights right down to zero in sommething like 6 or 7 years from now – because in Christchurch alone, maximum=acceptable pollution levels were being breached on average up to 30 to 45 days a year in the recent past.

In the local paper, The Press, on Saturday July 31 2010, here is the page-5 one-paragraph article describing how this ban is going is going so far this winter (and we are not even 2/3rds of the way through ‘winter’ yet, and even then cold weather does often extend well beyond August in the South Island):

“Smog hits Christchurch – Christchurch has had one of its worst runs of smoggy nights this winter, after a series of frosts. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, the city breached air pollution levels of 50 micrograms of particulates per cubic metre of air, including its highest single reading this year of 90mcg on Wednesday. The city had four consecutive nights of high pollution earlier in the month. It has had 12 high-pollution nights this winter, compared with 13 last year. Timaru has had 43 high-pollution nights this year and Kaiapoi 23.”

“Fresh air” indeed! And 43 pollution nights already SO FAR this winter in Timaru!

p.s. Alex also comments that there is “almost no corruption”. That’s another one that has me scratching my head:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10656590

NZ ranked eighth worst of 55 countries in 2010 global survey on fraud!

* Wow! Farewell…Haere Ra and all that.
It’s a real shame that those who come here expect to live the same life they’re used to. That they’re accustomed to. Unfortunately for you, you come with your own agenda expecting everything to be done your way because obviously your way is “right”. You come from a master race, world power and all “that”… This is where you fail.
Try to take that “white” attitude to China and see how far you get?

New Zealand has a history of social problems stemming way back to colonialsm. Like South Africa vs The Blacks. French vs Tahitian. America(British) vs Indigenous American. Australia(British) vs Aborigine, New Zealanders(British etc) vs Maori. etc etc etc…
* Please by all means explain to us the wonderful benefits that have come to the indigenous races you have systematically tried to wipe out in order to get your piece of the “World” pie?

* We were born and bred here. The culture is rooted IN the land. Whenua. The changes made in 1642, 1769 and 1840 are all part of WHO we are today. The 2 cultures have successfullly lived side by side without civil war since the 1800s. We disagree on many things for sure but we also try to live together and get along in the very short space of time we are on this planet, this small piece of earth.
Civil War will never happen here because we have come together in life, in death as whanau(family). There are those with warped views, certainly but they are the minority and will never go “viral”.
Our whanau now consist of white, polynesian, micronesian, asian etc..
We are affected by the same problems as the rest of the world…violence, drugs, debt, racism, crime, hatred, death, pollution, poor housing, suicide, white collar crime, injustices of every sort. *Please point us in the direction of the countries that DO NOT suffer from these things? I have yet to find them.
As for the “Fake” comment – I am still put off by the amounts of plastic surgery that passes as acceptable in other countries. But that’s an entirely different subject.

This is reality folks. While you complain that you can’t get rich here and live the “American”dream. My concerns are more to do with the fact we have children going to school starving-turning to crime-getting sick or incarcerated- having children at a very young age and starting that cycle all over again…and sadly being raped and killed by those who are supposed to care for and protect them.
My other concerns are the sewerage that goes into our oceans where we collect our seafood.
The runoff from farms and industries that pollute our waterways where we collect our food.
The pollution that goes into the air that we breathe.
The dodgy ingredients from all over the world that enters into our food and drink that we have no control over and must blindly trust those in “power” to be looking out for our best interests.

So.. Is this Paradise full of money making opportunities to all who come here? NO.

Everything that is highlighted in the first post I tend to agree with. Because you hit the nail right on the head. We here, need to raise our standards, our values and STOP watching all that American and Worldwide crap on TV. Back To Basics. Whanau Comes First. Not Money.

It is difficult to settle down when you have no money, everything is too expensive, and most rental stock is cold and wet. If your idea of relaxation is a camping trip you cannot escape from for years and years, NZ is your destination. That’s why many migrants say “nice place to visit, not a nice place to live”. Camping trips are fine as long as they are temporary. Living inside a camping trip for year upon year without relief – no thanks.

On the contrary, I as a research scientist, have found life perfectly enjoyable. I do not agree that Kiwis are superficial. Sure, there are jerks around. But hey! I am from Texas and India! So don’t get me started on jerks and knuckleheads. But I believe Kiwis are genuinely friendly people, if somewhat individualists. But to each his own! And I am not a social butterfly myself, and prefer to be left alone, with the occasional ‘hi-n-bye’. So I fit in perfectly. But yes, NZ is a low income-hig expense economy. But that’s just because of the way the country is built around services rather than products. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. Mindless consumerism does not lead happiness. I can vouch for that. If it did my beloved homeland would be paradise. But ask your average middle-class American about it. Sure, consumer product varieties are limited in NZ, and yes they do tend to cost more than in the US. But again, that is because this country functions in a very different. There is nothing wrong with a people trying to live a secluded, somewhat isolated and relaxed life. We Americans got to stop expecting the world to follow in on our footsteps. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am a conservative patriot through and through. It will always be red, white and blue for me… no matter where I go and/or live. But I do see the quaint poignant beauty of NZ, and the kind of life they have tried to build here. May be it’s a little naive and idealistic, but in my book those are qualities to be adored and enjoyed, not mocked or vilified. In a nutshell, I loved my time here. My research is taking me elsewhere in a month, but I will sorely miss living in Auckland. I absolutely dote on this city. And I will come back the moment I get an opportunity, even with a lower paycheck.