Answers to the question ‘Why are you leaving NZ?’
- Leaving when I can (14 months!) because:Not as progressive politically and socially as I had thought it would be. Can’t make enough money in my profession
Nothing here feels like quality (I have this sense of everything being cheap and unsturdy, no matter how much I pay for something)
- Hi from Sydney. We left Wellington 2 months ago, mainly because of poor job prospects. Other frustrating points: poor ratio of income to costs, lack of variety and low quality of goods. No city-buzz (although spectacular scenery to make-up for it).
- In this current climate I wouldn’t advice anyone to leave a stable job to come here, unemployment has gone from 12000 to 67000 they think it may have slowed down but more jobs could still be lost, I got made redundant in April and have been unsuccessful in finding work, have applied for over 100 jobs with no luck, it is not helping with the Kiwi first moto, although we have been here for 4yrs, intigrated into the local community, we are still immigrants……….Why do we stay????????The kids love it, but decisions have to be made, although I love NZ I would go home tomorrow.
It was a huge financial struggle living in NZ, job was not as decribed and totally mind numbing and boring….imagine if you can running around after your manager all day asking for something to do…. went back to the UK in 07 but couldn’t settle there either and considered moving back to NZ. Oct 08 landed a job in Perth, Australia….great job, great people, great climate, huge 4 bed house with a pool and the ability to save….Do miss the scenery though.”
E2NZ.org 
Let’s put it this way,its not worth living in New Zealand when the health system is dangerous,during January I had a Asthma attack and it took 9 hours for Hutt Hospital to admit me into the emergency ward
I was on a work holiday visa, and I made the worst decision in my life. I decided to cancel my visa 6 months short and I returned home to LA.
I don’t need to repeat all the reasons nearly all of them are why I decided to cancel. Oh I forgot to say people in New Zealand HATE, North Americans the level of jealousy and inferiority complex is overwhelming. I have made certain to my friends here and in Europe never to go to New Zealand. They listen and 1/3 cancelled thir tickets and decided to change their destinations to the EU/North America and LAC.
I am a kiwi born and bred, I couldn’t agree more with your comment of the culture of inferiority complex and jeoulousy of others. I live in Palmerston North, my great great grandparents migrated here from the East coast in the Early 1900’s I constantly remind myself that is the only reason I am here. My husband is Moroccan , we fought long and hard for a visa for him to come to New Zealand, I personally and sick and tired of pretty much everything that has been mentioned in previous posts. After 2 years of enduring this stagnant place, I made a proposition to my husband and we will move back to Morocco.
My eldest daughter gapped it earlier this year to Sydney and I am very pleased and relived.
I am a new zealand citizen born and bred who left new zealand to move to australia
why?
– my career prospects were nil in my chosen field (multimedia)
– if i did get a job I would just cover my living expenses and well I would like to have a family and house one day.
– new zealand focuses too much on indigenous issues at the expense of EVERYONE else. no offense to those people, they have a beautiful culture, but its not my culture and to live in a country where its rammed down your throat almost constantly was just upsetting. Also natives in other countries get it WAY WAY worse and yet they still complain in New Zealand – Aborigines in Australia are shoved onto unfarmable land and left to fend for themselves …
– the feeling that I was supporting a large proportion of the populace to just get income of the government and not work and no one was really willing to do much about it. (I left before the GFC)
I love my home country it’s a beautiful place but I felt like I would be nothing if I stayed. I just felt like I would fade into nothingness there.
In australia I feel at home. Australia has its faults … the biggest one is they are overly PC. But I feel finally free to be my own person. I don’t feel like someone will look down at me for being the wrong race when I ask for help and the people here are nicer than in New Zealand. I saw a man holding the door open for about two minutes at the mall for an old lady on a scooter and and the five able bodied people who followed her. I can’t remember a time I saw that in New Zealand. I have been stunned by the kindness of strangers in Australia.
Australia feels safer too. I never went into the city at night because I was afraid for my safety in my home town. Many friends would not go to clubs unless they were in large groups in New Zealand. The police force needs a major shake up and prison in New Zealand shouldn’t be a holiday camp. Prisoners in New Zealand get steak once a week. I can think of many families who can’t afford even cheap cuts of steak once a week.
New Zealand is like living at the end of the world … there’s nothing after it and no where to go beyond it. Nice for the lifestyle but other than that there are many better places to live in this world.
Good points from both of you thanks.
It may seem bizarre and totally contrary to that clean, green image but New Zealand has some of the most polluted rivers in the western world.
“New Zealand’s own Crowthorne Institute’s research has shown that the Manawatu River topped a new pollution measurement of 300 rivers and streams across North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
The waterway is fouled with treated sewage, industrial waste and farm runoff.
Under a system measuring oxygen changes in water, the Manawatu has by far the highest reading, almost twice as much as the next worst. The Manawatu measured 107. Anything over eight is considered indicative of an unhealthy river ecosystem. A measurement of 0–4 is considered healthy…
Tests further south at Palmerston North were not as high but still indicated an unhealthy ecosystem.
Checks internationally found the closest pollution reading to be 59, for a site on a river near Berlin, downstream from a sewage outfall.”
And here’s the really disgusting bit, 100% Pure! pure what?
“Horowhenua District Council admitted in September pumping 5.1m litres of partially treated sewage – including tampons, condoms and toilet paper – into the river over 48 hours in October 2007.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/national/3097575/Manawatu-River-among-worst-in-the-West
I agree Eve totally,New Zealand also portrays its self as a cleen green country when in fact it is the total oposite, dirty old cars, hardly any recleycling, farming like you never see before pumping million tonnes fertilisers onto the land all year round, then as soon as it rains kills all the water ways, masive milking herds and no effective way of catching the effluent, most just runs into the water ways.
Mickey Mouse road building and wonder why they have so many deaths.
Traffic police who are basically revenue collectors, seem to have forgoten proper policeing.
* very difficult to find a job;
* food and other goods extremely expensive and poor quality;
* not very welcoming to immigrants no matter where you are from;
* if you have chidren and do not have work visa they make you pay for a public school;
* poor quality housing, expensive, and bad weather (in South Island);
* low level of education and intellectual activity in general;
* cliques and old boys network, very difficult to be accepted if you are not from NZ;
* not a lot to do, nice scenery but very expensive to go to once you are on NZ salary;
* too isolated from the rest of the world;
* backward, tall poppy syndrome, large group of people are supported by gov, don’t work, are supported by your taxes and migrants…