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martybabe
20th May 2011, 10:32
As the weather gets colder and wetter, my mind drifts to the city of my birth and I re-evaluate if moving to New Zealand 3 years ago was the right thing to do.

Kiwis, have you ever wondered why there seems to be a pom on every street corner these days. What makes these strange accented people pack up and travel 12,000 miles to a far away land where every one talks funny, where the wages are so poor that a large potion of it's citizens bugger off to neighbouring Australia in search of a financially richer life. A place where the effort involved in sourcing a rareish part for a motorcycle can turn into an eppic adventure to rival that of the Davinci code.

I can't talk for every Pom but here's a few pointers as to why I came.


239320239321239322239323239324239325

So, did I do the right thing?

Hell Yes, I'm grateful to the UK for nurturing me, I miss my Whanau like crazy and I shall always support the English Footy team but but but, I fookin love New Zealand!

Indiana_Jones
20th May 2011, 10:36
We came from the UK for work mainly, old man was breaking his back for nothing just about.

Too many fucking Paki's & Poles in the UK now

Even managing to fuck up Tiverton....

-Indy

george formby
20th May 2011, 10:40
Just keeping up with tradition really.. fleeing the oppressors & invaders of my bleak shores.


Nah, I LOVE this country & it's people. Same shit as everywhere else in the world but by far & away the best place to be depressed about it.

martybabe
20th May 2011, 10:44
Nah, I LOVE this country & it's people. Same shit as everywhere else in the world but by far & away the best place to be depressed about it.

Brilliant :laugh: and true.


239336239335239337

Big Dave
20th May 2011, 10:49
'its head'

Going to Aus is not a great deal right at the moment. The Aus Dollar could go as high as $1.20US in the short term so if you are packing $kiwi you lose around 30% on the exchange, and while wages are better, if you make a decent buck, the tax rate is 49c in the dollar. And there is GST to pay as well.

ynot slow
20th May 2011, 11:03
Have a couple of cousins who were taken to UK by their mum when she left their dad as auntie hated being from her family,after 30yrs met my cousin and his family,they like UK,but their first trip back here for my cousin after all those years,he felt like a tourist,although Opunake,Hawera etc was his birth town for 10 odd years.

superman
20th May 2011, 11:13
'its head'

Going to Aus is not a great deal right at the moment. The Aus Dollar could go as high as $1.20US in the short term so if you are packing $kiwi you lose around 30% on the exchange, and while wages are better, if you make a decent buck, the tax rate is 49c in the dollar. And there is GST to pay as well.

Their GST is 10% yes?

So bad to move there if you have money cause of exchange, great to go if you have no money and are starting off? :yes:

If you're earning 180k Aussie (over $243,000 NZD) you're on average paying 31c in the dollar for every dollar you earn. Not too bad really.

unstuck
20th May 2011, 11:17
For bringing me to NZ from bradford when i was 7. What a fuckin dump that place is.Thank you .:yes::woohoo:

YellowDog
20th May 2011, 11:17
Just said goodbye to some really close friends moving back to the UK.

NZ is 1970s UK and comparatively safe and crime free. Comparatively !!!

If you are from the UK and have loads of cash, then NZ is the place for you: Otherwise, you can get the same in Wales or Scotland.

If you have any health issues or don't have much money, then NZ is waaaaaay to expensive a place to live! You're far better off being poor in the UK; hence, half the thrid world has moved there!

Personally I think that Auckland is the only place in NZ worth considering. A harbour city with a great climate that has amazing stuff to do and see that is only a few moments away.

Also, no traffic on the roads!! Comparatively!

Just done the scenic route up SH4 from Wanganui through the National Park, upto Hamilton.

Luvvitt :yes:

superman
20th May 2011, 11:20
Also, no traffic on the roads!! Comparatively!

Yes heard this from my girlfriend who originates from Yorkshire. I was complaining about Auckland traffic... apparently it ain't bad at all in comparison :shutup:

Judging by the reality tv shows, UK teenagers are either snobs or complete hooligans :innocent:

Gremlin
20th May 2011, 11:21
Personally I think that Auckland is the only place in NZ worth considering.
...
Also, no traffic on the roads!! Comparatively!
I'm struggling to comprehend more cars on a deadlocked motorway in Auckland... :scratch:

martybabe
20th May 2011, 11:22
'its head'

Going to Aus is not a great deal right at the moment. The Aus Dollar could go as high as $1.20US in the short term so if you are packing $kiwi you lose around 30% on the exchange, and while wages are better, if you make a decent buck, the tax rate is 49c in the dollar. And there is GST to pay as well.

Not so much the land of milk and honey then.


Have a couple of cousins who were taken to UK by their mum when she left their dad as auntie hated being from her family,after 30yrs met my cousin and his family,they like UK,but their first trip back here for my cousin after all those years,he felt like a tourist,although Opunake,Hawera etc was his birth town for 10 odd years.

I still feel like a tourist to be honest, I guess I always will but if that means I view NZ every day with an outsiders perspective then I will always be looking for possitve re-affirmation as to why I came here... I'm seldom disappointed in that respect :yes:

Murray
20th May 2011, 11:25
Fat Max came for the pies!!!

george formby
20th May 2011, 11:31
Not so much the land of milk and honey then.



I still feel like a tourist to be honest, I guess I always will but if that means I view NZ every day with an outsiders perspective then I will always be looking for possitve re-affirmation as to why I came here... I'm seldom disappointed in that respect :yes:

I feel here is home for me but still, everyday something makes me go WOW. Whether it's just the pleasure of riding my bike on ridiculously fun roads with stunning views & no traffic, picking chillies & tomatoes in winter, seeing today's good sort on TV (or Alison Mau) or seeing dolphins in the Bay on my way to work. Love it, love it, love it.

Broke but happy.

martybabe
20th May 2011, 11:40
I feel here is home for me but still, everyday something makes me go WOW. Whether it's just the pleasure of riding my bike on ridiculously fun roads with stunning views & no traffic, picking chillies & tomatoes in winter, seeing today's good sort on TV (or Alison Mau) or seeing dolphins in the Bay on my way to work. Love it, love it, love it.

Broke but happy.

Would you stop phrasing things better than me !:laugh: That's exactly the way I feel too dude.

It's the little things too, I just went out into the garden for a smoko and a multi coloured Rosella?/Parrot thing flew over my head. In my Birmingham garden that would have been a beer can thrown from a passing car!

Bodir
20th May 2011, 11:50
Fat Max came for the pies!!!

And the gravitational pull brought in the rest :yes:

:shutup::blink::shit::bye:

avgas
20th May 2011, 11:50
As the weather gets colder and wetter, my mind drifts to the city of my birth and I re-evaluate if moving to New Zealand 3 years ago was the right thing to do.

Kiwis, have you ever wondered why there seems to be a pom on every street corner these days. What makes these strange accented people pack up and travel 12,000 miles to a far away land where every one talks funny, where the wages are so poor that a large potion of it's citizens bugger off to neighbouring Australia in search of a financially richer life. A place where the effort involved in sourcing a rareish part for a motorcycle can turn into an eppic adventure to rival that of the Davinci code.

I can't talk for every Pom but here's a few pointers as to why I came.


239320239321239322239323239324239325

So, did I do the right thing?

Hell Yes, I'm grateful to the UK for nurturing me, I miss my Whanau like crazy and I shall always support the English Footy team but but but, I fookin love New Zealand!
Don't worry we are just playing catchup.
NZ should look like that in say 20 years.

nosebleed
20th May 2011, 11:53
Yeah, you miserable cunts are alright. Someone stop all the frikkin yarpies though ay

gijoe1313
20th May 2011, 11:57
Where all 'dem white wimmen at? :innocent:

Big Dave
20th May 2011, 12:04
Their GST is 10% yes?

So bad to move there if you have money cause of exchange, great to go if you have no money and are starting off? :yes:

If you're earning 180k Aussie (over $243,000 NZD) you're on average paying 31c in the dollar for every dollar you earn. Not too bad really.


GST is variable. Some is 15% (or was when I left).
180k put you easily at 49c in the dollar back then too. (just checked - its $60k + 45c in every dollar over - come down slightly)
But 180k is 180k when you live there. Then house prices in Sydney and Melbourne eat most of the higher wages.

Gold Coast is really cheap at the moment though. But can be hard to find work too.

I've lived a long time on both sides of the ditch. The grass isn't that much greener. Success is about the effort one puts in.

Bald Eagle
20th May 2011, 12:07
Don't worry we are just playing catchup.
NZ should look like that in say 20 years.

Some bit'sof south orks and sydenham are getting there a bit sooner :lol:

martybabe
20th May 2011, 12:20
Don't worry we are just playing catchup.
NZ should look like that in say 20 years.


Some bit'sof south orks and sydenham are getting there a bit sooner :lol:

I fear you may be right guys, the phrase "this is just how it started in England' is used more and more often in this House, you can but hope it will not come to pass.:facepalm:

unstuck
20th May 2011, 12:24
I fear you may be right guys, the phrase "this is just how it started in England' is used more and more often in this House, you can but hope it will not come to pass.:facepalm:

I live in southland now but try to get back to auckland at least twice a year,it amazes me how fast it is changing. Went for a walk down dominion rd last time i was back and felt like i should of been in india or pakistan.

Swoop
20th May 2011, 12:25
Don't worry we are just playing catchup.
NZ should look like that in say 20 years.
Only if we open up the doors to massive immigration, like UK did late 60's to their ex-colonies.

admenk
20th May 2011, 12:27
So what's wrong with New Street station - an archictural gem of the midlands :facepalm:

We came for the quizes at our local cafe :innocent:

george formby
20th May 2011, 12:31
Meh, immigration is a fact of life everywhere, i reckon NZ is pretty unsullied yet. The biggest changes everywhere IMHO is modern, violent, consumer culture. Same shit on TV & same political attitudes to ignoring it in the Western world.

But, for us it's gone the moment we hit that starter button & get out of town.:yes:

martybabe
20th May 2011, 12:41
I live in southland now but try to get back to auckland at least twice a year,it amazes me how fast it is changing. Went for a walk down dominion rd last time i was back and felt like i should of been in india or pakistan.

Aye, if I showed you a picture of the inside of Birmingham and Mumbai airports, you would really struggle to tell the difference. When I left the population of Birmingham was fast approaching 50% indian/asian, then the hoards of Europe came, it really is like a foreign city now. Mind you I'm a bloody immigrant so I can hardly comment can I.


So what's wrong with New Street station - an archictural gem of the midlands :facepalm:

We came for the quizes at our local cafe :innocent:

Actually uptown Birmingham has had massive regeneration in recent years, including New Street station, it looks good in photos but you don't have to travel far to see the real Brum and it ain't a pretty sight.

By the way Ad, Would you like to swap some used Lotto tickets for a bottle of wine?? you got the best deal there mr Quiz :laugh: You up for another battle of the geniuses?

nadroj
20th May 2011, 13:00
would you stop phrasing things better than me !:laugh: That's exactly the way i feel too dude.

It's the little things too, i just went out into the garden for a smoko and a multi coloured rosella?/parrot thing flew over my head. In my birmingham garden that would have been a beer can thrown from a passing car!

duck !!!!

ducatilover
20th May 2011, 13:10
I feel here is home for me but still, everyday something makes me go WOW. Whether it's just the pleasure of riding my bike on ridiculously fun roads with stunning views & no traffic, picking chillies & tomatoes in winter, seeing today's good sort on TV (or Alison Mau) or seeing dolphins in the Bay on my way to work. Love it, love it, love it.

Broke but happy.
We have a beautiful country, nothing can beat our forests and scenery. Tramping in incredible bush and not getting killed by snakes :yes:
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AYvMeT2GC14" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

george formby
20th May 2011, 13:32
not getting killed by snakes :yes:


Yup, lack of creepy crawlie wriggly things is another bonus. Mind you, the sand flies up north can bite through canvas & turn a perfectly normal looking infant into a cabbage patch kid in seconds.

oneofsix
20th May 2011, 13:36
Yup, lack of creepy crawlie wriggly things is another bonus. Mind you, the sand flies up north can bite through canvas & turn a perfectly normal looking infant into a cabbage patch kid in seconds.

Don't go down the West Coast then or the sandflies will steal the kid, particularly around Haast. I reckon those ones can get through Cordura and they are designed for leather which is just cured skin after all.

cbfb
20th May 2011, 14:08
I moved out here 6 yrs ago. The main thing I noticed about NZ is there's generally a can-do attitude. In the UK people are waiting for you to fail.

Kiwis complain about the state of this country but shit there's worse problems abroad by far.

Big Dave
20th May 2011, 14:16
Don't go down the West Coast then or the sandflies will steal the kid, particularly around Haast. I reckon those ones can get through Cordura and they are designed for leather which is just cured skin after all.

All you have to do is start taking a lot of vitamin B a week before and they won't come near you.

ducatilover
20th May 2011, 14:20
Yup, lack of creepy crawlie wriggly things is another bonus. Mind you, the sand flies up north can bite through canvas & turn a perfectly normal looking infant into a cabbage patch kid in seconds.
That reminds me of the Monty Python scene where the officer loses his leg in the night :woohoo:




Kiwis complain about the state of this country but shit there's worse problems abroad by far.
This is too true.
It's a brilliant country and I'd have a hard time buggering off to even Aussie.

avgas
20th May 2011, 14:38
Only if we open up the doors to massive immigration, like UK did late 60's to their ex-colonies.
We don't need to do it like they did. Everything is bigger now.....except us
To put things in scale
1950's china - 500mil
2000's china - 1.5bil

1950's UK - 50mil
2000's UK - 60mil

1950's India - 300mil
2000's India - 1.3bil

1950's NZ - 1.9mil
2000's NZ - 4.5mil

We are only just getting into stride now with population (UK has had a thousand years of it), even if the trend just continues as it has always done re: Immigration expect NZ population to double every 50 years........

Especially with all the poms leaving their own land and coming here.....

racefactory
20th May 2011, 14:54
Fuck England, it's shit.

Came to NZ and England is a foreign country to me now. I've got family there so unfortunately I can't say I'm never going back though. This is my home and I'm bloody proud of it. Despite what people say sometimes, we don't know how lucky we've got it. Alas, you have to go overseas to realise this though. I love this place and don't want it to change. Just trying to get rid of the last remnants of my accent now :) .

Great pictures the OP posted, very true. England is a misery because of the absolute yobs and widespread hooligan culture you get, the horrible accents (Brit myself don't forget), the slutty woman, graffiti, the cultural blandness and racial intolerance just to name a few.

I lived in a pretty 'wealthy' area back there too and am trying not to put forth close minded views here; but it's a fucking hole compared to this place. Naysayers will go on about the rich history and art but that's what I've got the internet for.

Love this country and want to stand up for it however I can.

mashman
20th May 2011, 15:02
Nearly 5 years for us now. I see NZ as home and can't imagine leaving. Sure I miss the convenience of local family and friends and most definately the pub and the football, but I was damned if I was gonna let my kids grow up there. The move was for the kids and their lifestyle... anything other than that was a bonus for me and the missus. We're still settling, but that's just life being a pain in the arse (near constantly)... but it is a great place to live.

Maha
20th May 2011, 15:35
.....and some of them are even quite enjoyable to be around...:corn:

MisterD
20th May 2011, 17:19
In my Birmingham garden that would have been a beer can thrown from a passing car!

I've had full nappy thrown from a passing car land in my Onehunga garden...fucken Dressmart drags all the undesirable trash (Len Brown) up from South Auckland.

I describe myself as an "import" rather than an "immigrant", being a victim of the secret NZ program to send their young people overseas to marry Brits and thereby improve the gene pool. :shit:

martybabe
20th May 2011, 18:03
Nearly 5 years for us now. I see NZ as home and can't imagine leaving. Sure I miss the convenience of local family and friends and most definately the pub and the football, but I was damned if I was gonna let my kids grow up there. The move was for the kids and their lifestyle... anything other than that was a bonus for me and the missus. We're still settling, but that's just life being a pain in the arse (near constantly)... but it is a great place to live.

My one regret is that I didn't move over when I was younger so my kids could have grown up in the Kiwi stylie. It is what it is though, at least I got here eventually.


.....and some of them are even quite enjoyable to be around...:corn:

Aw :o ....... You do mean me right?


I've had full nappy thrown from a passing car land in my Onehunga garden...fucken Dressmart drags all the undesirable trash (Len Brown) up from South Auckland.

I describe myself as an "import" rather than an "immigrant", being a victim of the secret NZ program to send their young people overseas to marry Brits and thereby improve the gene pool. :shit:

Eeeewww, dirty bastids.

I'm sure in your case it has improved the kiwi gene pool but I've met many back in Britshire that would drag the kiwi gene pool back to something akin to monkeys, were they allowed to breed. Every guest on Jeremy kyle for instance.:facepalm:

MisterD
20th May 2011, 19:52
I'm sure in your case it has improved the kiwi gene pool but I've met many back in Britshire that would drag the kiwi gene pool back to something akin to monkeys, were they allowed to breed. Every guest on Jeremy kyle for instance.:facepalm:

Heh. I love baiting Kiwis, they take the bait "like a bug fush" most of the time...I love their "just f-ing do it" attitude though and although I'll always be a Pom and I don't have some point in the future at which I'll claim to be a kiwi (looking at you Irene Van Dyk) I'm very proud to be the father of two great "Bri-wi" boys...they'll play cricket for England mind you, if they're any good and they have three first initials just in case!

jonbuoy
20th May 2011, 22:05
NZ is a great place and I enjoyed my time but long term it wasnīt for me, I only have good things to say when people ask about NZ but I canīt see me going back for anything other than an extended holiday.

mashman
20th May 2011, 22:13
My one regret is that I didn't move over when I was younger so my kids could have grown up in the Kiwi stylie. It is what it is though, at least I got here eventually.

aye... I just hope the Kiwi stylie is still around as my kids grow up :yes:... I'm not being pessimistic about it, but it's certainly a worry having seen the UK turn into what it has in the last 30 years (prolly longer, but I ain't that old :shifty:)... But it is what it is :yes:

scumdog
20th May 2011, 22:20
Personally I think that Auckland is the only place in NZ worth considering. A harbour city with a great climate that has amazing stuff to do and see that is only a few moments away.

Also, no traffic on the roads!! Comparatively!

:
True, the climate down here is utter crap 24/7, absolutely nothing to do, nowhere to go and don't even THINK about the roads down here - wall-to-wall grid-locked for miles...

scumdog
20th May 2011, 22:27
Aye, if I showed you a picture of the inside of Birmingham and Mumbai airports, you would really struggle to tell the difference. When I left the population of Birmingham was fast approaching 50% indian/asian, then the hoards of Europe came, it really is like a foreign city now. Mind you I'm a bloody immigrant so I can hardly comment can I.?

One of my workmates isa Brummy.

One day he said to his 11 year old daughter "Say something to Scummie in you Birmingham accent" So she did.

And it sounded like Apu on the Simpsons.:yes:

Only more Indian.

Fatt Max
20th May 2011, 22:51
Fat Max came for the pies!!!

Well, there is a certain amount of truth in that....

You see, I met and married my Kiwi born missus in the UK and she was always complaining that you couldnt get a decent pie there.

I arrived here in 1998. Didnt go too well to start with (couldnt get a decent job, decent house or a decent cup of tea) but the pies were farking mint so I stuck with it.

Nah, NZ is the best fucking country in the world. I love the UK, I am fiercely proud to be English and of my heritage, but NZ is a great place and no mistake.

I have terrible homesickness, it carves me up every day. Not for London or the UK, but for the huge family I have there. My single comfort is that I live in Gods's own and my wee boy will grow up loving this amazing piece of earth that we live on.

I feel privaledged to live here. It is not a right, its a privaledge. The only thing that annoys me is the amount of English that moan about the place.....nuff said

So thats why I am here......sorry about that....

Pussy
20th May 2011, 23:05
The only thing that annoys me is the amount of English that moan about the place.....nuff said

So thats why I am here......sorry about that....

I used to be the proud owner of a "Pommy Bastards" tee shirt! :)

Another old joke from many years gone by... you can always tell when a plane load of Poms has turned up, even when the engines have stopped, it's still whining...

Seriously.. Mart and Mark... nice to hear your patriotism for our fine little country! :niceone:

Ender EnZed
20th May 2011, 23:24
True, the climate down here is utter crap 24/7, absolutely nothing to do, nowhere to go and don't even THINK about the roads down here - wall-to-wall grid-locked for miles...

Yeap. You're best off keeping up around Auckland.

:msn-wink:

scracha
21st May 2011, 02:01
I moved out here 6 yrs ago. The main thing I noticed about NZ is there's generally a can-do attitude. In the UK people are waiting for you to fail.

Are we talking about the same country I'm currently living in? I love the place but fuck, I've never lived somewhere so resistant to change. Hell, "she'll be right" is the national slogan.



Great pictures the OP posted, very true. New Zealand is a misery because of the absolute yobs and widespread hoon culture you get, the horrible accents (non Kiwi myself don't forget), the slutty woman, graffiti, the cultural blandness and racial intolerance just to name a few.

There you go...fixed it for ya.



You see, I met and married my Kiwi born missus in the UK and she was always complaining that you couldnt get a decent pie there.

Your missus is obviously retarded and I'm surprised they let her into the UK. The pies here are at best, average. Don't tell me you wouldn't give your left bollock for a decent Cornish Pastie, Scotch bridie, steak and kidney or an English made pork pie.

JimO
21st May 2011, 08:08
Personally I think that Auckland is the only place in NZ worth considering. A harbour city with a great climate that has amazing stuff to do and see that is only a few moments away.



really? i couldnt think of anwhere worse to live in NZ

unstuck
21st May 2011, 08:12
really? i couldnt think of anwhere worse to live in NZ

The north island is the best.:yes::yes::yes:

jazfender
21st May 2011, 08:34
I think most of the whining here is perpetuated by our media. They love sob stories.

Kickaha
21st May 2011, 08:36
The north island is the best.:yes::yes::yes:

gay old Gore would be far better than living in that shithole Auckland

Elysium
21st May 2011, 08:41
Some of the photos remind me of Highbury here in Palmy.

terbang
21st May 2011, 08:54
Mrs T is a pom, she used to do a bit of typical pom whingeing about NZ back when we were first married.
We went back and lived there for a year and then shifted back to NZ after also living in Darwin and Sydney.
She immediately gained her NZ citizenship and there hasn't been one more whiney peep from her about NZ since.

I still spend a lot of time up there (London) on a monthly basis and it certainly becomes a case of "spot the pom" amongst all the Pakis, Poles, Czechs and Africans.

However when on the rare occasion that I do venture into Auckland, it progressively feels more like I'm in down town Tokyo, Seoul or Beijing.

martybabe
21st May 2011, 08:56
One of my workmates isa Brummy.

One day he said to his 11 year old daughter "Say something to Scummie in you Birmingham accent" So she did.

And it sounded like Apu on the Simpsons.:yes:

Only more Indian.

Birmingham is running at close to 50% indian/Pakistani now so yes it's easy to imagine why the little darlin would sound like Apu. My accent isn't as strong as the bride's which has been described as posh and exotic since we came to NZ, widely considered common and horrible in the UK. You decide...

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uLpxAcXdD7U" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Maha
21st May 2011, 09:26
Some of the photos remind me of Highbury here in Palmy.

I lived there for a couple of years (Pembroke st)...gangs were not a problem back then...mid 70's.
I was more worried about moving to live in Rotorua.