100% pure New Zealand: cows near the Waikato River. Cover image: smoke pollution over Christchurch
Continuing in our very popular Migrant Tales series – first hand accounts of the migrant experience of New Zealand.
Today’s tale was left in response to one we published yesterday…
“I, too, lived in NZ for 9 years and finally had to pull the plug. My experience was very similar to yours, except I had no children with me.
The NZ Tourism “100% PURE” campaign is 100% PURE BS. So many of the rivers are polluted with agricultural runoff that you cannot swim in them due to algal blooms. The scenery is wonderful until you get close and see all the garbage the locals have dumped by the side of the roads, just like in South America or other parts of the world.
Kiwis are also rather racist, or more specifically xenophobic. They resent virtually everybody as an artifact of their Kiwi “excellence”, read “We can do anything with #8 wire.” As a person who went to New Zealand at the invitation of the government to set up a business, I have to say they made it impossible to succeed, while at the sane time funding third rate “research.”
There is essentially nothing I miss about New Zealand. It is too far from anything (Air New Zealand has a virtual lock on air travel making getting there or leaving expensive); the food is depressing and expensive (why can I buy NZ lamb cheaper in California than I can in NZ?); housing is sub-standard and overpriced (my house was so windy inside we actually flew a low wind kite inside to demonstrate); education is substandard ( 8th graders who cannot perform basic mathematical functions?); employees are lazy and ‘protected’ by labor laws; the police are above the law, or they just don’t care; etc., etc.
After 9 years I was so happy to be back in the US, despite all the problems we have here. As others have echoed, I can work, live frugally and still save. In NZ, unless you have property and are a slum-lord (the preferred way for Kiwis to ‘create’ wealth, you are will be lucky to have money at the end of the month. NZ is set up for business people so they can write off every thing they spend money on. But for a wage earner, wear that yoke with pride. Or just leave for a better lifestyle.”
For hundreds more in the series click here: Migrant Tales
E2NZ.org 
It has seemed in recent days that if you have connections to Donald Trump, you are not welcome in New Zealand!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/88756668/politicians-demand-answers-on-peter-thiels-new-zealand-citizenship
Have you seen this NZ safe haven for wealthy Americans article today? The NZ media love pushing this angle.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/88712766/super-rich-preppers-buying-up-in-new-zealand-in-case-of-us-collapse
I bet you’re happy to be back in the U.S instead of surrounded by Hyenas in N.Z ,interestingly I heard that there was an anti Trump rally in Auckland today,I don’t think the guys been president for a day yet and my understanding is that he was democratically elected,strange how people in N.Z will mobilise against Trump but couldn’t care a less about the,child abuse,political and corporate corruption and pony tail pulling prime minister right here in N.Z,seems most kiwis will only express an opinion when they feel it’s supported by the majority.
Great point Tony. Nor do any Kiwis have the balls to go on strike against the shit wages here and everything thats wrong wit the place. No protests nothing. Gutless.
I do find it funny that New Zealanders, by and large, along with the country’s mainstream media are so anti-Donald Trump. Yet these are the same people and institutions which gave a mumbling, mendacious, mediocre jumped up bumpkin from Helensville two terms as leader of their own little corner of the world.
I don’t like Trump myself, but now seem to be defending him on the Stuff website. I have heard Kiwis saying “This can’t be happening” as if we are actually living in the USA rather than here. The hysteria in NZ and other countries has been ridiculous. Meanwhile back in NZ, 3 weeks into the year and probably 30 suicides already on the clock for the year and not much public concern.
The article I read in the Auckland Herald regarding the anti Trump rallies .
Three times it was mentioned that N.Z was the first country in the world to run an anti Trump rally,haha not once was it mentioned that it was some kind of global campaign and that N.Z is the first country in the world to see the new day based on geography ,best in the world again N.Z and the rest of the world just followed along behind the Hero champion NewZealanders.
I know and Trump hasn’t killed anyone yet ! NZers are killing themselves due to the shit country we live in and getting pissed off at Trump ,give the poor guy a chance ,I’m pretty sure there will be ample reason to get suicidal in the next 4 years.
I am completely unbiased with my opinion on Trump. I can’t believe people think that having the Clinton’s in power would be a better alternative. The whole system is a completely farce. Clinton purports to be all about women’s right’s and she is the nice sweet grand mother. But it is the most hideous lie since the George Bush administration. How can someone get up in front of millions of people and just lie like that. It’s astounding. The Clinton’s cosy up nice and tight with the Saudi government whom are probably the most evil people on the planet. They fund terrorism, they are engaged in numerous wars in the middle east. But of course sweet granny Clinton can talk and talk about women’s rights.
There is no hope. If the world was based more on sharing, then that would wonderful. But it isn’t. So get used to it.
Maybe kiwi’s should focus more on things they can change, like being a decent person to their neighbor, making sure everyone has a roof over there head, storing food and water. They can protest all day and all night about Trump, but that won’t make any of the newspapers that Trump and the republican party reads. No one cares kiwi’s, get a life. It’s a waste of effort.
30 suicides on the clock, 2 of which were children. A 9 and a 10 year old girl. The article I read this waa waa’d on about how much of a shock this was yet those poor girls were only two of several expected to kill themselves in New Zealand this year. New Zealand – land of despair and sorrow. 100% crap hole. It utterly shits me that people still come here looking for a better life. They won’t find it!
“My house was so windy inside we actually flew a low wind kite inside to demonstrate” hahahaha. So true. My place is like that too. 2 storey building and god awful gale force winds on a daily basis now in Christchurch.
So happy for you that you left this utter dump!