Leaving the fun behind in London. “NZ needs another 500,000 Irish to introduce “da craic”
Welcome to the latest installment in our Migrant Tales series – hundreds & hundreds of first-hand, honest accounts of life in New Zealand.
Today’s tale was written by a British migrant – Emmett, and left as a comment to “NZ vs UK – not all it’s cracked up to be. Is it just me?”
He was responding to this statement:
It’s not about hating, it’s about informing. I too, struggled with 37.5 hrs of work being 40 here and having a house that was under-insulated. It just didn’t occur to me to think that is miss the central heating – NZ’s hot, right? I still miss the UK – I miss it’s history, it’s closeness to Europe, Christmas in winter, all the wonderful consumerism (tic – but the shopping is limited here). It’s all about letting potential migrants know not to look through rose tinted glasses when they consider shifting across the world. Some people live a challenge, others don’t.
Here’s Emmett’s story:
Funny I laughed about the 40 hr week meant to be 37.5.
Kiwis in construction industry seem to have a hero mentality I’ve seen loads working 70-80 hr weeks and I ask them why they put up with it. I’m paid for 40 but that ends up being nearer 50. The good news for some of these kiwi workers is that they’ve now moved to Brisbane. After a year in Oz, one ended up doubling his NZ salary probably because he was such a great worker.
If you’re thinking of moving to Auckland and aren’t coming here with huge equity from your UK home I’d think twice about the move. I moved here in 2005 alone and got on the housing ladder. It was a modest 2 bed unit (nice damp red brick and tile unit (like a terrace house but bungalows in 4s to 8s or more) was purchased for $300k and is double that now.
High level of migrants to Auckland / global challenges etc have depressed salaries which haven’t improved much since 2005. My salary was $58k in 2005, same job would perhaps be $70k today. So that property would be 8-9 times your salary now and thus unaffordable. Basically Auckland is now like the London I left in 2005 and I’m afraid I couldn’t recommend Akl for a young single person starting a new life as I did in 2005.
Work has always been tough here but I guess thats the same wherever you live..As they say here “get over it” or “she’ll be right” lol. The next time I hear that I shall respond, yes she may bloody well be but I won’t lol. Also they’re a serious bunch over here, just needs another 500,000 Irish to introduce “da craic” I. e fun and not the ‘P’ as its known here.
Theres no work in rural NZ, I’m stuck in Akl as feck all work in Tauranga / Mt Maunganui. Chch screwed, Wet and Windy Wellington. Hamilton is an option Aucklanders are moving to and they say Tauranga but everyone I know is constrained there due to work. Australia maybe better in that respect there’s more options for work Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.
Good luck would be migrants. The mysterious, beautiful and wonderful Aotearora as its sold by NZ Immigration means “land of the long white cloud”. We’d say it rains a lot in the UK and our weather is crap but the kiwis put a positive spin on it all, so be warned but hey you get a nice summer for 3-4 months of the year weather wise. Hottish for us pommies.
E2NZ.org 
[Deleted, don’t troll. Learn some social skills. Moderator]
The reason I tend to come to this website is that it provides a balance to a certain mythology that is pumped out in the NZ media. “Happiest Country/Best people in the World” and all of that. I am now getting the gist that the NZ media is beholden to the advertisers, Fairfax own most of the newspapers and this slant is commercially driven. Nigel Latta recently did some very good documentaries about New Zealand and I noticed a real online backlash against him for talking about real issues such as poverty and suicide. Comments like “That prick Latta is making NZ look bad” as if anything resembling truth should be brushed under a carpet.
[You’re either using a VPN, or you’re not in NZ you’re in Korea. Either way you’re a fake. Don’t troll. Admin]
Lately I’ve been comparing it to the wild west.
The gangster mentality, the meat industry, the old wooden buildings, the ‘injuns’, the cowboys, the snake oil merchants, and all the deputies and bounty hunters sneaking around for the sheriff due to all the pervasive lawlessness.
“We dont like your kind round here!”
xenophobic, backward, hick town, isolated, small gene pool retardated mentality.
The brutality, the bullying, the lack of culture beyond bars and alcohol and meat feasts, glorified fighting [thugby and league], the lack of higher thought or cultured conversation, the petty grasping and gossip.
I recommend reading the books of or watching some Cormack McCarthy movies like:
‘No country for old men’ or ‘The Counselor’.
We are living a western movie! I got an itchy trigger finger boy! What are ya? A girl? Tenderfoots.
The last frontier.
One point which doesn’t get much of a mention is that some of the hostility faced by immigrants is also faced by returning Kiwis.I believe that there is a huge insecurity here regarding being outclassed or outperformed by a person from another country who may have a fresh approach ,be more efficient etc.The job market here seems very tight and insular with the main hurdle being actually obtaining the job,after this its not about performance rather respecting the culture of your workplace and not making any waves or out shining coworkers your boss etc.This makes it even more sad to those seeking employement having to view the rude ,insecure employees who bring their horrible defective personalities to their place of employement.
I have observed that they will resist positive change or efficiencies discovered elsewhere ,eventually they will implement new ideas( claiming that they have invented the technique ) which will effectively ensure that their current business practices are always 5 years behind the rest of the developed world.
Quote: “It’s not about hating, it’s about informing. I too, struggled with 37.5 hrs of work being 40 here and having a house that was under-insulated. It just didn’t occur to me to think that is miss the central heating – NZ’s hot, right? I still miss the UK – I miss it’s history, it’s closeness to Europe, Christmas in winter, all the wonderful consumerism (tic – but the shopping is limited here). It’s all about letting potential migrants know not to look through rose tinted glasses when they consider shifting across the world.”
Precisely. It is not about hating. It is about letting people know what to expect and giving them a chance to make informed decision. I didn’t have this luxury before I crossed continents to reach NZ. I sold my assets, left behind family and friends and all that would have been fine, if I was able to call NZ my home. But it is not! I find it hostile and impossible to settle in. And I am not saying this out of hate. It is my reality!
I too, miss the rich in history and culture Europe; my cozy home there with central heating; the magic of Christmas in winter, the wonderful Christmas spirit that is non-existent in NZ; the variety when you go out shopping (NZ shops look more like warehouses for damaged and second hand goods). And believe me or not, I could have accepted all this and be happy if I was accepted and respected as equal, but this is not the case. If you have immigrated to NZ the citizenship doesn’t guarantee you equal treatment from law, from authorities and from the locals. You are and will always be some sort of second class citizen. I know, because I tried very hard to settle and be able to call NZ my home. It didn’t happen and never will.
I regret my decision to come here, especially because I had other options! But when I immigrated this site was not available and internet wasn’t so rich in information. So, I made my decision based on limited, sugar-coated and deceptive description of the “promised land”. All I can say to prospective immigrants is – get as much info as you can and think hard beforehand, because I never met anyone who moved to NZ from another country to say that they have no regrets for doing so.