Welcome to our ever popular series of Migrant Tales – first hand accounts of the migrant experience of New Zealand taken from locations around the net.
Today’s tale was first published on a commercial, advertorial supported emigration forum and attracted the usual ‘victim blaming’ ‘it must be you’ type responses that greet any criticism of New Zealand. We’re publishing it here to get away from that narrow-minded attitude.
“Is New Zealand really a promised country? There is a lot of people who might consider New Zealand as a promised country and yet they have not been there. Thus the first good idea is to travel for a week or two to “the land of a long white cloud”. Once you are in NZ. you can see if your character is able to mix with mentality of the people and environment itself. My intention going to this promised country was to get a job and decent standard of life. However things did not went as I anticipated.
To proceed…When I arrived to Auckland International Airport the first thing I noticed was awful weather. Off course it was winter, thus it was raining all the time. Then I took a bus who drive me to the center of the Auckland. Here I can expose that the driver was a Maori stunned and you could also smell alcohol. This was not a lonely case. Walking through the Auckland I have noticed that this is multicultural environment, nonetheless one could see that Indians, Chinese and Japans are sticking together, grouping. Once in the hostel my mood soon improved. However the price for the hostel was ridiculous expensive not to mention the fact that the building itself was similar to the ones in Yugoslavia or Eastern Europe. After a while I begun looking for a room. It was hard, really hard, to get a decent room for a decent price in Auckland and similar to get a well paid job at the beginning. I went all over the Auckland, suburbs i.e. Patatote.
“When looking for a place, people or landlords were sometimes even too lazy to remove dog faces from a porch. Not to mention the fact that Auckland is really neglected in some areas, the structure of buildings is ridiculous, low buildings mixed with high buildings. It is like uncontrolled, inconsiderate layout of the complexes. After a while I consider going to Wellington.
Arrived to wellington, place was cleaner although here was not only rainy but also windy. Hostel where I lived a week was little better, though still nothing like the hostels in Europe. After a week living in a hostel I found myself a room. It was decent and for a good price $123 including expenses. The house was located in Island Bay, I think the best area in Wellington. After a while looking for a decent job with my qualifications (all recognized with NZQA) and with no success I start looking for non-qualified jobs. After a month I got a part time job. Working as a gardener. It was enough to cover my expenses, but far away to get a decent standard. I have exposed the mentality of the people in Auckland. Well here was pretty much the same. Thus people in the shop centers rather put a bucket to the floor instead filling the hole when leaking. It would be funny If there would be no people with this mentality in my house. Thus, as I mentioned before place was nice, but the problem was that kiwi girls were holding filthily pots either in their rooms or in the counter in the kitchen. They washed their dish approximately once in a week. And even when they washed the dish I would not consider this as a washing. The whole washing liquid was still on the pods, when moving them to the place to dry.They are advertising that there should be heaps of work in hospitaly. But even this is not true. There was a nice kiwi girl living with me and on a dole struggling to get a job as a barrister or working in a store. She was looking for a job for a month unsuccessful. After a while she decided going for a 8 weeks course as a barrista. When talking to her she mentioned that there are also some kind of boot camps in New Zealand. Whereas these boot camps are more a joke than anything else. But in the end you could put your boot camp experience in your CV.lol
When I meet a Chinese guy in Auckland, who was really friendly and we keep in touch till this day, he got only 2 interviews in a 6 months period. He was an IT engineer and in similar position as I and came to NZ with WHV. Though he gained high qualifications in IT and with 5 years of working experiences he was working 2 days a week as a cleaner in a hostel.
After a four months and 21 days I finally gave up. However there was also complication when trying to buy a fly ticket going back home. When I tried to buy a ticket my bank account was “blocked”. I contact my bank and they tolled me that everything is ok. Nonetheless I could not buy a fly ticket. I spent all day calling bank and airline company. Literally all day. Next day I went to my bank branch (on Saturday) where we tried to buy a fly ticket with a branch supervisor. After a while we figure it out that my bank did not gave me a PIN code for my VISA debit card. Once we solve the problem I managed to buy a ticket.
The similar event occur when tried to send a packet with a Kiwi post. First they told me that I should pack my bag in a box. However it is impossible to get the box which would meet the dimensions of the bag. Thus I went to the company Storage King and bought the best box. Coming back to Kiwi post the lady at the counter told me: your sum dimension excess 10cm…LOL. Thereby I had to took my bag out, and put all sides apart and glue them together on the bag to reduce 10cm.
To sum up New Zealand in my opinion has nothing to offer. It is really hard to get a job. There is also no history in this country and if you want to see a nature, Europe has much, much more to offer.
It is just my pure subjective opinion and if there would be someone writing something like this prior I decided going to NZ. I would consider twice.
In 4 months and 21 days I have spent $9000 including return ticket, medical exams, qualifications assessment, WHV visa…Although I did earn for living but the sum altogether was $9000.
Would not stay in NZ. even if permanent residency would be granted to me. No offense to those who like NZ.
When I tried to send my mobile phone back to home, they told me, that the post is unable to send lithium batteries oversea. Is this a joke? Than I just said to the lady at the counter I will pay for the envelope and went to another branch where I wrote on the envelop: Gift – sweets. And the phone came back to my home. Miracle.
And as I wrote before the jobs are really hard to get. I had seen what Indians are working and what kind of wage do they get. In the hopsitality sector they earn 60 cents per room. Looking in the contract the most sarcastic thing is that they give them 30 min. for a lunch break. Albeit they are paid per room not per hour. This is the problem because those people do not care for their rights and consequently they lower the wages in all sectors.
Some houses in the New Zealand would be considered as a shacks in Western Europe. A lot of houses do not contain isolation nor central heating. Thus the electricity bill will go up in winter. If you want decent place (comparing with European standard) you will pay a lot…Real Estates sector in NZ. is a mess an old house in Wellington – Island Bay could get up to $500.000 and the house does not contain isolation and heating system.
It is funny when you read things as: Auckland (Wellington) on the top ten most livable cities in the world…This is more a commercial than independent research. There are countries i.e. Germany, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland whereas their capitals are really decent. Been there.”
E2NZ.org 
I am a kiwi born here and spent 9years in the U.K Working and living amongst positive people.I was shocked when I moved back to NZ how things were just the same as when I left. small narrow blinkered country. I wished I had stayed in the U.K or Australia. Any way I am still here, Had different jobs, one just recently Truck driving for a local bulk transport company here in Tauranga who refused to give me a employment contract. I must have asked him half a doz times when would I be getting a contract, he said We dont give contracts, half our drivers dont want one so I dont have to give you one. Yep third world country.
E2NZ,can I request my comment from November 17 be published,it will show what my dad has gone through after living 19 years in NZ,its also taken a toll on his health too
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11150621
I lived in New Zealand for the first 18 years of my life. Went on Big OE and just never returned. I cannot see myself ever returning. Every time I go back to New Zealand it seems to have gone backwards. All the educated people leave and are replaced by 3rd world immigrants. Same old culture of drinking, drugs, driving under the influence and being on government benefits. If you want to get ahead in life New Zealand is definitely not the place. Low wages, high living expenses, overpriced housing makes it too hard to save for the future. I can’t stand the mentality of the people there anymore either. So close minded and dull. Honestly, the best thing I ever did for myself was leaving New Zealand in my youth and never looking back. My parents have now passed away and I think I’ll sell everything up and not even return to visit. This is sad but I am not the only Kiwi who feels this way. I know so many who have done exactly the same thing. I feel for these immigrants who get trapped in the New Zealand hell hole on our governments hollow promises. New Zealand is 3rd world country masquerading as a top tier nation.
Former Kiwi, you say:”All the educated people leave and are replaced by 3rd world immigrants.” then-” New Zealand is 3rd world country masquerading as a top tier nation.” firstly- I don’t see a conflict, it’s all 3rd world. Secondly, some 3rd world countries have better education system then here and better work ethics then here. And your comment sound like you are not happy for foreigners to teach here.
Vadimanad,I hope you’re not that ignorant,anyone who has lived for 10 or more years in New Zealand will really find out what New Zealand is about,the bit where Former Kiwi says about low wages is dead correct,before my mum and dad moving out from Hong Kong to New Zealand,my dad had a very good job at the Kowloon Canton Railway and my mum the Hong Kong MTR,they received pretty good income when they were working and even they would tell their friends they are earning in New Zealand 25%-35% less than their old job in Hong Kong
Regarding where Former Kiwi talks about a culture of drinking even during the weekends,I can attest to that,when I lived for a few months in the Wairarapa where on the weekends the shops would close at 2.30pm in the afternoon,there was nothing to do and then a mate of mine would ask do you want to get drunk.
As for people leaving New Zealand for good,I am looking at that option and I have noticed many youths who have good university or polytec qualifications are doing the same too,who can blame them since in New Zealand there is no jobs,I have pretty much wasted 19 years of my life in New Zealand with nothing to do and now I am just a Volunteer worker,even I have to shout my own train fees.I decided to take a trip to Japan this year and found it was way different to New Zealand,the people were very welcoming and they treated foreigners with respect in terms of New Zealand,I don’t see that happening
I am going to put this into one or two parts,I’ll start:
My mum and father are second generation Hong Kong people and myself third generation people moved to New Zealand in early 1994 to start a new life,when my dad and my arrived in Auckland after six months he decided to go back to Hong Kong when there were two railways one of them known as the Kowloon Canton Railway to get his job back as a engineer in Fo Tan,at that time my mum had to take care of me because I was a child in 1994.By 1998 when the New Zealand Government got word that my dad was working in Kowloon Canton Railway,they made sure they taxed him because he was a permanent resident even though he was living in Hong Kong.Basically it caused my dad to be very stressed and he even tried to get a Hong Kong lawyer to tell the NZ Government that he shouldn’t be paying income tax to NZ if he was overseas.
By the end of 1999 my dad left the KCR and went to work in Chek Lap Kok Airport as a technician and still IRD Agents from the New Zealand Government telling him to pay the income tax and by 2004 he moved back to New Zealand and worked for Tranz Rail as a Technician at Hutt Workshops in Woburn,he was stressed and he was also at times emotionally mad and also threw his anger at myself and my mum over the phone because he earned a third less than working in the KCR in Hong Kong and after the tax and rent and repair fees for his car,he would have not much left to eat or live on and also he had to save the $ to travel up to Auckland because it was where me and my mum were living.
By 2006 my mum got a job at Pak N Save Sylvia Park when it first opened,my mum was basically working on Monday to Friday nights until 12.00am when it closed,she was basically trying to earn that $ so she could buy the food,clothes and also repair her own car and maintain her home in Auckland and also by 2006 I left school due to bullying and decided to become mechanic and found it was not my cup of tea and I was on the Unemployment Benefit trying to look for work and struggled,most employers would either say to me that I did not suit them or would cite my culture as a concern
By 2009 me and my mum moved down to Wellington where my dad live and worked and still I had difficulty to get a job because there were no jobs,same when I lived in Auckland and my mum got a part-time job in Mitre 10 but still not enough to survive on after the tax and rates.By 2013 I am still in the same position no job but working as a volunteer in the Salvation Army.By 2014 I hope I can get my Certs at Weltec to become a IT and by the time I am 29,I hope I can move to Japan for good and get myself a Japanese lady to date and get married as I had enough of NZ women
As for a Hong Kong person who lived 19 years in New Zealand,I recommend people who want to move to New Zealand that moving to New Zealand is a big mistake,there are no jobs in New Zealand and also some of the people in New Zealand hate foreigners to the core and they do still hate people who have resided in NZ for 19 years,my mum would still get the blame at work that asians have taken a lot of NZ jobs,the racism in NZ is still alive and well folks as for myself I have set it as a priority to move to Japan in 3-7 years and get a job as a IT there too
yes, Alex, your culture was surely a concern. Coming from a disciplined, hard-working, orderly and responsible culture would have been a real problem for Kiwi employers.
I was born in New Zealand and lived there for twenty odd years. These articles are very true but to summerize,
Very expensive homes
Substandard homes
Low paid work
Uninteresting employment \ dead end jobs
Everybody knows everyones business
Small mindedness
Narrow view of the world
Very petty
Cut down all the tall poppies they can see
Sloppy work ethics
Will screw you for a buck if they can
Will only turn up to your birth\wedding\funeral if there is free food
The average Kiwi views drink driving as a right
Let me be very clear, over the last 20 years the Kiwis have had a positive immigration policy and have bolstered their population by about a million (4mil now). There are 600.000 in Australia and many more in Europe, Asia and the USA. This means NZ has lost nearly 1/3 of its population, mostly graduates. Twenty five percent of immigrants leave, then there will be the group that can not afford to get out and then there is the group that stay because after the big farewell from their motherland they do not want to lose face by returning.
These figures are shocking but I have to be very clear, the Kiwi Government looks at immigrants ONLY to bolster their GDP figures, after that they dont care what happens to your life. Many immigrants have lost their shirts settling in New Zealand. Australia’s positive immigration policy, which started in the 60s/70s was most probably driven for defense reasons being such a large piece of land with only 20 mil living there, no doubt they felt a bit insecure with Asia hugging its borders.
Will I ever return to New Zealand? Abolutely not.
NZ is a second world racist shit hole of a country, empty pride, arrogant, no history and racist towards anyone that is from Asia. I lived there for 10 years..
The emigratenz.org site is100% in bed with those who make their living falsely advertising the country. I believe anyone who disagrees is immediately jumped on, the access is cut off so you can no longer post and the site owner stays in the shadows in the USA! If NZ was just a great place why wouldn’t he/she live there as well? Anyone who has an iota of skills and calibre would be better off in places like UK, Canada, USA. Only those who cannot make a living in developed world go to that sh!thole called NZ. My two cents
Having been to New Zealand five times in the last 3 years, I do feel qualified to comment and agree with much of what you say in this post. I had a wonderful time on South Island out of the city but cannot understand the attraction of Auckland. So much so that I couldn’t face going there at the end of my trip so I went to waikato for two days. I live near Birmingham in the UK and Auckland is very similar but unimpressed with the city hostels. There are nice places in New Zealand but if you are over 45 it is almost impossible to get a job. With God all things are possible. I have a dream to work there but after spending 3 months there, I have been left a bit numb and financially much worse off. Was the scenery worth it. Probably but my advice stay out of Auckland centre and to an extent Wellington. Christchurch at least still has people with some heart and emotion.