A short time ago we offered you our readers the opportunity to give feedback in their very own exit interview. The offer was extended to New Zealanders as well as migrants to see if the same factors are making both groups of people leave, to find out why New Zealand is failing to keep people.
Replies have started to come back and today we’re sharing Maria’s Exit Interview. If you would like to share yours please visit this link for information.
“Came to NZ as skilled migrants on work to residency visa. We had spent 1 month on the South Island and 1 month on the North Island to do our research. We wanted to live in New Zealand permanently because we could spend more time outdoors and because we believed that the level of education was good.
Had to accept jobs well below our level of work to make it ‘fit’ with the skill category, which is a story in itself.
We are white Europeans, fluent in English (because we have lived overseas for the last decade) so we did not experience a lot of racism or anything. What we did experience was jealousy. Lots of it. We found jobs which were considered ‘top’ jobs in New Zealand, and we still felt that we had gone back some 15 years in our career: work place conditions and management concepts are so archaic that it isn’t funny anymore.
The level of education is terribly low; we had no choice but to transfer one of our kids to a private school. Way too expensive of course, even though we could afford it. Houses are of a ridiculously low quality, landlords use their short term thinking skills only and think they can fix everything themselves (not). Cost of living much too high but what really did it for us was the low level of thinking. We have never encountered so little ambition, so much jealousy and such a lack of spirit. The ambitious people who want to develop themselves leave NZ and go to Australia.
Although we stayed for 3 years, gave it our best and have tried to integrate (by volunteering, helping at school, working etc. etc.), we have left and we’re so happy we did!
I am very happy to see this site, because too much of the information out there is totally untrue and I have seen so many disappointed emigrants who are now stuck in NZ!
I wrote a booklet about it (very therapeutical) and put it on Kindle for a few bucks. Just to try and spread the word that NZ is not all that…. (just type in “live in New Zealand” in the Kindle bookstore and you’ll find my 2 cents worth!).”
E2NZ.org 
Well this migrant exit series has thoroughly put me off returning to NZ from the UK. My memories of life in NZ have been doused in a bucket of cold realism.
I was considering a post grad diploma to be taken in NZ, after which I plan to work in a hosp or join the academe to teach in college.
Do you even know if your qualification so far is recognised in NZ?
By the way, I am a licensed nurse & my husband is a civil engr.
Are your licenses recognised in NZ?
For a fam of three I should have at least NZ60K dollars for my application fees to NZ & private consultant to help me file our documents, my 1yr tuition fee & my personal lodging, that excludes my husband & (1) child’s apartment.
What exactly does your private consultant guarantee? And are you sure they can deliver? Any penalties if they don’t?
Well, I should say that it’s worth a fortune, 60k is already a yr’s wage in NZ, & here I am, I would be spending it just to enter NZ, to think that I don’t have any guarantee that my application will be accepted.
You are paying application fees … not approval fees.
Am I clinging to the idea that those which I have read were only personal accounts & so, those were just subjective events, & do not speak about the entire pop in general. Or am I holding on to false hopes?
Everyone’s experience is different, let us know how yours turns out.
Everybody has a different threshold for throwing in the towel. Not everyone wins the lottery either, but that doesn’t stop people from participating – you gotta be in it, to win it…
Ive been reading since last night about so many accounts by immigrants as well as kiwis about NZ. I have been dreaming of settling in NZ w/ my fam coz of its postcard scenery & low population. Im living in an Asian country whose pop grows up to 2M each yr, & I am looking 4ward to moving in a place where there’s very little pop such as in NZ. But the stories that I have read last night about the poor housing condition, racial discrimination, jealousy of locals, low wages, low standard of educ in govt school, alcoholic kiwis, high cost of food & house rent, no job longevity, uncertain career stability, exodus of kiwis to Australia, the list goes on & on, it really gave me a terrible headache. I was thinking of NZ as a dream country, where you are given the chance to realize your full potential, no matter what color you have, as long as you show the NZ govt that you are more of an asset than a liability. NZ has always been promoted or should I say “marketed” like a commodity as a “good buy”, like getting your money’s worth. 3 days ago I went to an orientation seminar held by a private consulting agency to learn my steps to apply for work to residence visa or student visa whichever is more applicable. I was considering a post grad diploma to be taken in NZ, after which I plan to work in a hosp or join the academe to teach in college. By the way, I am a licensed nurse & my husband is a civil engr. For a fam of three I should have at least NZ60K dollars for my application fees to NZ & private consultant to help me file our documents, my 1yr tuition fee & my personal lodging, that excludes my husband & (1) child’s apartment. Well, I should say that it’s worth a fortune, 60k is already a yr’s wage in NZ, & here I am, I would be spending it just to enter NZ, to think that I don’t have any guarantee that my application will be accepted. I think its a blessing that I came across a forum such as this, it was only last night that I happened to read blogs about immigrants’ lives in NZ, accounts on their high hopes upon entering the country, their disgust about NZ, & finding their way out. Well, I don’t know what to say, I am disgusted a bit I think, feeling sorry for myself after learning that NZ is not really the place to be, as one blog says “NZ is a scenery but without a soul”. Am I clinging to the idea that those which I have read were only personal accounts & so, those were just subjective events, & do not speak about the entire pop in general. Or am I holding on to false hopes?
The skilled migrant quota only allows for 300 people to be approved.
And is usually finished within 30 minutes of opening.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10804770
“May 10 2012”
“Approximately 4,000 people were logged into the website to apply for the visa and 306 people went through the full application process, including payment, after the 300 quota had been filled last Friday.”
“All 630 applicants were emailed to inform them that they had “successfully submitted” their applications and that their payment had been accepted.
But within hours, a second email was sent out to hundreds that said: “We regret to advise you of a technical fault … and that your application was accepted in error.”
Rejected applicants were told in that email to apply again “when the quota reopens about this time next year”, and they would get a refund.
“Declined Malaysian applicant Andy Chew, an IT professional, said the computer error showed all the more why New Zealand needed migrants like him to lift the technology and skill levels in New Zealand.”
Hard to say. There’s good here but also all the bad you see posted here.
I get what you’re saying about overcrowded Asian countries. My wife is Filipino and lives here now and has no issue due to how she grew up, in the most insane poverty that makes the poorest in NZ look like millionaires.
“was thinking of NZ as a dream country, where you are given the chance to realize your full potential, no matter what color you have, as long as you show the NZ govt that you are more of an asset than a liability.”
This is completely untrue.
I’ll say this. I do want more foreigners to live here. I believe this country needs them, for skill and to bring culture and difference. BUT, I’m not going to lie and say oh yeah just come here and everything will be fine.
I know a huge network of foreigners due to my job and volunteer stuff, and many are fine here. Some miss their country, and some hate it here.
“Declined Malaysian applicant Andy Chew, an IT professional, said the computer error showed all the more why New Zealand needed migrants like him to lift the technology and skill levels in New Zealand.”
So damn true but good luck getting any kiwi to admit that! lol