What would it take for you to stay in NZ?

[Macstar]

Gimme your opinions on the following:

1. I'm in my 20's, have been studying at uni for 5 years (clocked up a student loan higher than the national median annually income), and am ready to enter the workforce.

2. Over the last 5 years I have had 16 close friends and immediate family members move overseas (just 3 have since come back). They all proudly boast that their lives are so much better after leaving NZ.

3. So far, my search for jobs in NZ and abroad is showing that I could be 10-30K per year financially better off overseas (adjusted for varying cost of livings). And that's just in my first year of work....

4. I study business and I know factually that NZ slips economically further behind most OECD member states each year, and that basically there is no promising signs this will improve given that we are still selling cheese when other countries have moved on to electronics and services.

5. According to a recent news article, in NZ it now requires 80% of the median income to pay a mortgage for the median priced house. Housing affordability has reached all time lows.

There are many more growing social problems with NZ too but I wont go into those.

ANYWAY

Despite all that, I'd like to hang around NZ as I think it's a bloody beautiful country with some awesome people (especially the KB Whanau!). A beach, river or lake is never more than 30 minutes away, traffic in Akl is still minor by world standards and the city is way more scenic and greener than places like Tokyo, Shanghai etc.

My question:

For those of you that are remaining in NZ, why?

-Lifestyle choice?
-Friends and family?
-Not convinced that you can earn that much more money overseas?

[Pumba]

Im also in my 20's and like you have had a shit load of mates and family bugger off overseas. I keep thinking I may be better off overseas, but I do have a good job where I am and to be a proud kiwi I love this dam country to much, even if Helen and her minon are trying to ruin it.

I believe the grass always looks greener on the other side, and hey it may be, but you have to figure out what is best for you. For me at the moment NZ is the best place for me.

[doc]

Gimme your opinions on the following:

1. I'm in my 20's, have been studying at uni for 5 years (clocked up a student loan higher than the national median annually income), and am ready to enter the workforce.

2. Over the last 5 years I have had 16 close friends and immediate family members move overseas (just 3 have since come back). They all proudly boast that their lives are so much better after leaving NZ.

3. So far, my search for jobs in NZ and abroad is showing that I could be 10-30K per year financially better off overseas (adjusted for varying cost of livings). And that's just in my first year of work....

4. I study business and I know factually that NZ slips economically further behind most OECD member states each year, and that basically there is no promising signs this will improve given that we are still selling cheese when other countries have moved on to electronics and services.

5. According to a recent news article, in NZ it now requires 80% of the median income to pay a mortgage for the median priced house. Housing affordability has reached all time lows.

There are many more growing social problems with NZ too but I wont go into those.

ANYWAY

Despite all that, I'd like to hang around NZ as I think it's a bloody beautiful country with some awesome people (especially the KB Whanau!). A beach, river or lake is never more than 30 minutes away, traffic in Akl is still minor by world standards and the city is way more scenic and greener than places like Tokyo, Shanghai etc.

My question:

For those of you that are remaining in NZ, why?

-Lifestyle choice?
-Friends and family?
-Not convinced that you can earn that much more money overseas?
Godzone.....

[Hitcher]

What price to stay in New Zealand? These decisions are best made in one's younger years, I suspect. I have just turned down a tax-free job offer in Dubai. Where on earth are we going to ride our bikes over there?

[geoffm]

If I was younger and without ties in NZ, I would be off. NZ is screwed and it is not going to improve anytime soon. I cannot believe how much harder it has got to make ends meet since I started full time work in 1992. We only seem to scrape by, the vehicles are all 20 years old and look like it, we never go out and all the fun stuff is unaffordable. It certainly isn't a flash lifestyle.
There is always a "grass is greener" thing, but since the grass is looking pretty brown around here, I think it really is greener
Family ties are the main thnig that is keeping me here, and I like NZ. I generlly don't like Aussie, but any young chap(ess) would be a mug to stay here.
I could get a job overseas pretty much anywhere, especially once I finish my registration in a year or so. Pay rates in Aussie aren't much higher than I am getting here, but it seems to buy more after tax.
I can think of 6 or so engineers in my field that have left for Oz in the last 2 years, including some good friends. Given there were only 12 in my class when I did it (5 kiwis, rest overseas) and there are 5 total doing the degree this year, it speaks for itself.
Geoff

[Mom]

Reading the first part of your post I was surprised to see you even ask the question really. Go! get out there, work hard and make yourself some serious money.

For me NZ is a special place, I am not citizen, but have lived here the best part of my life. Go get out there, work hard and make yourself some serious money.

Confused? dont be.......you can make good money anywhere in the world if you want to work for it. Personally NZ offers too many positives, lifestyle, beaches, climate to make me want to move away.

My family envy me living here, they may be better off financially but I reckon I win every other way!

[peasea]

Go and earn some serious cash, see the world etc while you're young. I'll bet you a dollar to a knob of goat's shit you'll be back. Eventually.

[davereid]

Looks like a lot of different questions to me.. lets look at them one at a time

1. I'm in my 20's, have been studying at uni for 5 years (clocked up a student loan higher than the national median annually income), and am ready to enter the workforce.

So what. Lets say we are both 17 and leave school. You secure your future by doing a degree in dentistry. I secure mine by buying a Scania B train and hauling logs to Tauranga. We both borrow $300K. Big deal, except you can go overseas and your parents wont get to pay the loan on your behalf.

2. Over the last 5 years I have had 16 close friends and immediate family members move overseas (just 3 have since come back). They all proudly boast that their lives are so much better after leaving NZ.

Undebateable. They choose their measures of life value.

3. So far, my search for jobs in NZ and abroad is showing that I could be 10-30K per year financially better off overseas (adjusted for varying cost of livings). And that's just in my first year of work....

Undebateable. New Zealand is a socialist country, so those who achieve will always earn less than they could.

4. I study business and I know factually that NZ slips economically further behind most OECD member states each year, and that basically there is no promising signs this will improve given that we are still selling cheese when other countries have moved on to electronics and services.


Yes NZ slips behind other OECD countries.. thats due to Government policy, not the fact we are very very very good at cheese. Being good at stuffing capacitors into PC boards will not make you wealthy.. actually "hi-tech" is crap - only a very few engineers making real money are required - high tech is mostly a bunch of poor people stuffing PCBs with components to make someonme else wealthy.

5. According to a recent news article, in NZ it now requires 80% of the median income to pay a mortgage for the median priced house. Housing affordability has reached all time lows.

Absolutely true, but completely avoidable. Lots of companies eg Golden homes, Homestead, A1 etc still advertise homes at less than $1k/m2. So the home you grew up in would cost about $130K plus the cost of the section. Yet you have to pay $400K. The reason is a shortage of land, so terrible sections cost a small fortune. But NZ has no shortage of land. In fact we could all have a 1/8 acre section within 2 miles of the beach without a problem. Why can't you buy them ? because Government planners restrict growth, keeping prices high.

They say "Shit, you can't use that flat paddock for houses - its valuable farm land producing broccoli ! If its used for housing it will never be returned to farming !"

So instead of doubling your broccoli account from 0.75 a week to $1.50, they increase your section price from $50k to $300k.. but trust me, planning is for your own good.

Bottom line.. you are right, but its not an unsolvable problem.. in fact, its a government created problem !

Rave Over !

[Usarka]

I went overseas and partied too hard so had to come back plus its frickin cold in places like the uk and ireland. would like to go to aus or canada or somewhere and earn more bread but one things stopping me - im a lazy git.

[Blackbird]

I came here over 30 years ago from the UK and have loved NZ right from the very start - people, the climate, the elusive "quality of life". I'm well paid but could certainly earn more overseas but at what cost to my chosen way of life? The OECD statistics need interpretation. Take the UK for example. Arguably a higher standard of living, certainly higher wages and to be blunt, the place effing depresses me for an awful lot of reasons. Surveys show a fair percentage of the population want to get out too. One of our kids is in the UK earning a lot of money, sufficient for him to have bought a $600,000 house in NZ for when he returns to live. We also have a son in Melbourne who has a great job but NZ will always be his home too. We encouraged our kids to stand on their own two feet and travel so they can get a better personal perspective of where they fit in the world - why don't you do the same?

Where you call home is a very personal thing. We've travelled extensively and there's still no doubt for us that NZ is the place to be. I'm extremely proud to call myself a New Zealander, albeit one who was born elsewhere.

[kiwifruit]

What would it take for you to stay in NZ?

everything to remain as it is

[Ewan Oozarmy]

Go and earn some serious cash, see the world etc while you're young. I'll bet you a dollar to a knob of goat's shit you'll be back. Eventually.

Great advice, mate.

I'm a Londoner (you can take the boy out of London but you can't take the London out of the boy :)) and I've lived and worked in the US and Spain as well as visiting many many other countries in my travels. I'm in NZ as my Kiwi misses did a 10 year stint in London with me so it's her turn, basically. I love NZ and the people are a great bunch. NZ is the only other country other than England where I could see myself settling.

I've met many Kiwis overseas over the years and one thing about them that sets them apart from other nationalites I've met is that they all planned to come home eventually.

[R6_kid]

I can see myself going overseas to get into bigger money, and for me its more of a reality as i currently have a number of options on my horizon for the new year, however I find it hard to justify leaving simply for better money, I think in my heart that the I won't meet people like the (wider) group of friends that I have in NZ and that for me NZ will always be home.

Perhaps my views will change with experience overseas, but as much as i'm planning on getting out of here im making plans to come back and keep in touch with all the good people i've met through biking and all the other parts of my life.

Money isn't everything, but if you can find a balance between a good income and a good lifestyle (the NZ way of life may be your lifestyle) then you're well on the way to answering your own question.

[Macstar]

then why dont you stay and use your degree to maybe fix it, not fuck off elsewhere like everyone else because its easier and make more money.

I don't know the specifics of my friend's student loan repayments from abroad. I'd personally repay mine.

I'm not really sure on what to say to the above comment though. "What can one person do?" comes to mind - but I hear you... Thing is, previous generations stuffed NZ and the environment for that matter, now my generation has to fix it. My parents generation in NZ got free education, good incomes, cheap houses etc. Nowadays, NZ is in big trouble as the baby boomers approach retirement and people like me are needed to stick around so that we can pay taxes for their superannuation because previous governments blew super funds on other things.

My duty to NZ... the country has made a good profit out of educating me, if I stay it will take some of the highest taxes from my wages in the OECD countries and I'll probably never be able to afford to support a family and own a decent house in Akl!

But I'll get relatively OK and free healthcare.


you can make good money anywhere in the world if you want to work for it

Yes if you're self employed, no if you're an employee in NZ

[jimbo600]

Mate I wouldn't leave NZ for anything, however in your case I would recommend that you do go overseas, earn some good pinghas, and in due course you'll learn to appreciate NZ all the more. Yeah NZ aint what it used to be and I believe the current labour govt has served to social engineer a sorry less than ideal situation. However the grass is always greener and UK/Aussie aint that flash either.

End of the day trackdays for $50? Well fuck me all to hell NZ gets my vote

[Romeo]

I'm 20 and I finish my degree in ICT in 3 months, am I ever going to be able to own my a home? I don't think so somehow...

Oh, and forget having a family. It seems the only people who can afford to have kids nowdays are those on the benefit, at least that's whats happened to everyone I used to know in Blenhiem ;[.

[dino3310]

do it 'go' before you settle down and get tied down with other commitments,
go make some money and see the world-you can allways come home,
or you can stay here and always be asking yourself that question
WHAT IF

[Macstar]

Hard case, I wasn't expecting to get so much support to go and have an overseas stint. I think that's a reflection of KBer people, an honest and genuine bunch of folk!

BUT DO PLEASE TELL ME WHY YOU CHOOSE TO REMAIN IN NZ (IF APPLICABLE).

[jrandom]

everything to remain as it is

What.

He.

Said.

Like Satchmo put it, if ya gotta ask, you'll never know.

[kiwifruit]

Mate I wouldn't leave NZ for anything, however in your case I would recommend that you do go overseas, earn some good pinghas, and in due course you'll learn to appreciate NZ all the more. Yeah NZ aint what it used to be and I believe the current labour govt has served to social engineer a sorry less than ideal situation. However the grass is always greener and UK/Aussie aint that flash either.

End of the day trackdays for $50? Well fuck me all to hell NZ gets my vote

this man knows the score

nz for for the motherfuckin win

[tri boy]

Jump on a plane and give it a whirl. If you have no dependents etc NOWS your time. If you like it good. If you don't like it, thats good too.
Every generation has and will go through this. Its just part of life, but at least its a lot easier to do now than 40yrs ago.
The excitement will still be there, and if you do decide to return, then your family will welcome you back.:hug:
Money/Housing/Future wealth should be the last thing on your mind. Think new Cultures, Cute Tanned babes looking for a kiwi guy, Nights drinking Rocket Fuel at some tropical backpackers.:drinknsin:doobey::wari::buggerd:
All work and no play makes Macstar a dull boy. (and the cute babes will be doing someone else).:crybaby:

[RantyDave]

I have just turned down a tax-free job offer in Dubai. Where on earth are we going to ride our bikes over there?
I have three letters for you: K, T and M. The desert is calling :)

Dave

[Manxman]

Gimme your opinions on the following:

1. I'm in my 20's, have been studying at uni for 5 years (clocked up a student loan higher than the national median annually income), and am ready to enter the workforce.

2. Over the last 5 years I have had 16 close friends and immediate family members move overseas (just 3 have since come back). They all proudly boast that their lives are so much better after leaving NZ.

3. So far, my search for jobs in NZ and abroad is showing that I could be 10-30K per year financially better off overseas (adjusted for varying cost of livings). And that's just in my first year of work....

4. I study business and I know factually that NZ slips economically further behind most OECD member states each year, and that basically there is no promising signs this will improve given that we are still selling cheese when other countries have moved on to electronics and services.

5. According to a recent news article, in NZ it now requires 80% of the median income to pay a mortgage for the median priced house. Housing affordability has reached all time lows.

There are many more growing social problems with NZ too but I wont go into those.

ANYWAY

Despite all that, I'd like to hang around NZ as I think it's a bloody beautiful country with some awesome people (especially the KB Whanau!). A beach, river or lake is never more than 30 minutes away, traffic in Akl is still minor by world standards and the city is way more scenic and greener than places like Tokyo, Shanghai etc.

My question:

For those of you that are remaining in NZ, why?

-Lifestyle choice?
-Friends and family?
-Not convinced that you can earn that much more money overseas?

Go. Live life while you can (ie young, free single, with mates, etc). Earn more dosh, save hard, play hard. See the world, then...after about 5 years (maybe less, maybe more) you'll realise that the rest of the world is a pretty harsh place compared to NZ, and that money isn't everything but quality of life is - and come home.

Or put another way - don't make the decision that will result in you looking back in 20 years time and saying to yourself...bugger, I wish I'd done it.

Have fun...

It is very true that NZ is 10 years behind the rest rest of the world (maybe less so these days, with better communications, easier travel, etc)...but, but, but trust me - that is very much a GOOD thing!

[RantyDave]

I'm in my 20's, have been studying at uni for 5 years (clocked up a student loan higher than the national median annually income), and am ready to enter the workforce.
Piss off overseas. Now is the best time in your life to do it; it'll give you a broader experience of life; it'll give you an appreciation for what nice people Kiwis are; and with any luck the housing insanity will die down before you get back.

Go.

Dave

[Mully]

I'm in my 20's too (27) and one of he reasons I'm working for a multi-national at the moment is so I can go overseas to work.

We'll rent out the house, go, earn some decent coin, and probably come back.

NZ, for all it's faults, is home.


But I'll get relatively OK and free healthcare.

But we'll be paying for private medical care for us and any kids we have.

[Hitcher]

The desert is calling

Loudly too it was. There's more to life than money (My god, did I really say that?)

[Wolf]

Mate of mine keeps on at me to move to Aus where he and his missus are. A bit of relevant info about him, tho: was raised in Hong Kong and London and thought JAFAville was a fucking ghost town so now he's in Sydney. It might well be fine for him but not this country lad - Hamilscum's too fucking big and crowded for my liking.

I'd like to travel and visit other places but not emmigrate - if the USA and the UK are so fucking great, how come I have so many Pommy and Amerkin friends living hereabouts?

They couldn't wait to ditch those green-grassed places in favour of NZ - and I have friends I chat with overseas who've visited NZ and would love to move here but they can't because they're reasonably skilled people with degrees we "don't recognise" not dole bludgers from some Pacific Island.

NZ is a great place to live and ride - now we've just got to get rid of Labour, National, the Greens and NZ First and find someone decent to fix up the fucking mess those thieving mongrels have left behind.

[dino3310]

i can babysit the RF while your on your OE

[Macstar]

i can babysit the RF while your on your OE

That's mighty kind of you Dino, but maybe you could buy it so I can buy a ticket to leave?!

[Mully]

That's mighty kind of you Dino, but maybe you could buy it so I can buy a ticket to leave?!

When, and how much??

[Zapf]

BUT DO PLEASE TELL ME WHY YOU CHOOSE TO REMAIN IN NZ (IF APPLICABLE).

Funny you say that. I am planning on going overseas Jan / Feb 08.

[devnull]

Best way to decide is find out for yourself - get out there and see some of the world.

I've worked here, Oz & the US. Each place has its good and bad points

I like NZ for the hunting & fishing, plus, of course, our families are here.
But, as you get older, other things have a higher priority. So we're looking very seriously at moving to Oz for the sake of the kids (better health, education, etc).

If they can sort out education, health, law & order, then NZ would be first choice. But that'd involve some fairly major social upheavals that I don't think will happen

[inlinefour]

I clocked up a rather big student loan and thought about buggering off in an attempt to repay it quicker. Then I thought about spending a month up Corromandel living off the beach, once I finished my Ba of Nursing, but as it turned out neither actually happened. I honestly cannot say that there is anywhere that I would rather be and once I met the lady I'm with now, that just concreted my opinion of the place. Realistically, if the chap that started this thread was truely interested in bailing from NZ, he would. I looked into it and was surprised by how many jobs I was offerred. But the one job I applied for locally, I actually got. Tell you though, if I had come off my MX bike in many other countries overseas, I doubt that I would be alive to be doing anything about now. This just further solidifies my opinion that NZ is the best place in the world to be. :yes:

[Timber020]

I have lived and worked in AUS, the US and spent a month or so in Canada. (and have been back there in the last week)

Grass is always greener, if your looking at money then there are better opportunities to make more elsewhere, but then it can cost more to live elsewhere to, and not just financially. I found the racism, lazyness, arrogance and general backwardsness of people in Aus had a serious effect on my mental health(ie it really started to piss me off, a common thing I kept hearing was "now Im not racist but I hate blacks and gooks"). Their cops made the cops here look like hardworking saintly samaritans.

The money in Aus was better than here, but then they taxed us heavier, sometimes up to 49% from memory. It sometimes got to the stage that if you did to much overtime it actually caused you to earn less for working more. And if you think health and education isnt so hot here, the US looks third world unless you have the money to open doors.

Up to you, there are still plenty of opportunities in this country, you just have to stand up and work for them. Or perhaps you have to get outside NZ to see how good it is.

[Wolf]

If they can sort out education, health, law & order, then NZ would be first choice. But that'd involve some fairly major social upheavals that I don't think will happen
It won't.

Not if those of us who are here don't make it happen.

It is said "you get the government you deserve".

Perhaps, instead of saying "NZ's fucked, I'm going to emigrate" we should, as a people, make it known that we've had enough of the "rotating dictatorship" of Labour/National aided and abetted by Winston I'll-suck-up-to-whomever-gives-me-the-best-paying-job Peters and his troupe of ventriloquist dummies and vote the pricks out.

It's up to us to pressure our MPs into giving us what we want or refuse to vote for them.

Don't like the law, the health system and our schooling? News flash, nor do I - and I've got three, soon to be four, kids to think of. So we take matters into our own hands and work to change it.

We're being fucked because we as a nation choose to roll over and drop our daks. It's impossible to be swindled by anyone other than yourself; every conman needs a willing sucker and the way to avoid being shafted by conmen is to not buy into the bullshit.

I get tired of the whinges about how much the current Labour govt has fucked this country and turned it into a "nanny state" when the National Party supports the same policies and has done just as much in its time to achieve the same results. And we all know that NZ First will toe the party line of either of those two and that the Greens would have us all eating mung beans and lentils by candle light and cycling to work "for our own good".

Time for us as a people to get rid of them at the polls in exchange for any party or party member (we can form a largely custom-made govt out of MPs that will do our bidding rather than party-faithful puppets, remember?) that'll give us what we, as a people, want.

So ffs get out there, talk to the candidates, read the manifestos and vote for those who stand for a suitable legal system, better health and education etc etc.

Can't change NZ when voting in the Aussie or UK elections.

[Wolf]

Tell you though, if I had come off my MX bike in many other countries overseas, I doubt that I would be alive to be doing anything about now.
On the XT225 forum, the owner posted a tale of one of his mates who had a minor accident at a bike rally but bashed his brain quite hard. The hospital assumed he was not insured (he was quite well insured) and gave him fuck all treatment and bunged him in the basement with the other "deadbeats". As he was seriously injured he was unable to state his insurance status and got shit-all service.

If you'd been in the States, there's a good chance you'd be dead now.

The guy is slowly coming right but he would have benefited immensely from proper health care - as he would have been given here (or given there if they hadn't just assumed he was uninsured)

[MaxB]

For mine Davereids post sums up how things are in NZ right now.

You ask 'BUT DO PLEASE TELL ME WHY YOU CHOOSE TO REMAIN IN NZ (IF APPLICABLE)'.

I have spent about half my life overseas, mainly in Europe. I'm married with kids and a house. One of the lucky ones maybe? It is not one thing that makes you stay but heaps of little things that add up. Like the kindness of strangers or the way people help each other out if they can. Kiwis generally are not brought up to hate others. Also there isn't much of a class system like there is in other countries. In other posts I've mentioned I was on expenses for my old job. I could bowl up on the bike to just about any hotel in the country wet and dirty from the days ride and I got treated like anyone else. I tried that in Europe a few times and got refused service more than once. I ended up leaving the bike behind.

I could go on about the great outdoors, great for raising kids blah, blah but I reckon you need to leave enzed to appreciate it when you come back. Root some of their women, drink some of their beer and earn some of their euros and come back with a new lease on life. Good Luck.

[Macstar]

When, and how much??

No plans yet mate... I'd put it on KB first before TM.

[Finn]

Just off the top of my head...

1. Get rid of this Government
2. Scrap MMP
3. Tear up the Treaty
4. Sell off all state assets apart from public land and privatise the fuck out of the place
5. Make NZ the tax haven of the South Pacific
6. One Council per State (yes I said State) and make the fuckers accountable for once
7. Scrap Resource Consent (It's our fucken country)
8. Dig up all the roads and start again. Do it properly this time and go left hand drive.
9. Negotiate trade agreements with every developed nation
10. Go nuclear
11. Free and open access to ALL public land
12. Educate the fuck out of people with REAL, USABLE education.
13. No skills, no enter our country
14. Create a real military force
15. Lower personal & business tax to a flat rate of 10%. 0% for overseas investors. (Keep GST as it is - user pay) GST money goes directly back into the state that produces it.
16. Ban Shortland St.
17. Ban Unions and abolish the Employment Contracts Act
18. Totally reform our justice system.
19. Make welfare available only for the REALLY, REALLY needy.
20. Ban cats. Pointless bloody things.

Easy.

[Curious_AJ]

1 billion dollars.... *pinky to corner of mouth*

[Finn]

1 billion dollars.... *pinky to corner of mouth*

Yes AJ, but would it make you any happier?

[onearmedbandit]

Just off the top of my head...

1. Get rid of this Government
2. Scrap MMP
3. Tear up the Treaty
4. Sell off all state assets apart from public land and privatise the fuck out of the place
5. Make NZ the tax haven of the South Pacific
6. One Council per State (yes I said State) and make the fuckers accountable for once
7. Scrap Resource Consent (It's our fucken country)
8. Dig up all the roads and start again. Do it properly this time and go left hand drive.
9. Negotiate trade agreements with every developed nation
10. Go nuclear
11. Free and open access to ALL public land
12. Educate the fuck out of people with REAL, USABLE education.
13. No skills, no enter our country
14. Create a real military force
15. Lower personal & business tax to a flat rate of 10%. 0% for overseas investors. (Keep GST as it is - user pay) GST money goes directly back into the state that produces it.
16. Ban Shortland St.
17. Ban Unions and abolish the Employment Contracts Act
18. Totally reform our justice system.
19. Make welfare available only for the REALLY, REALLY needy.
20. Ban cats. Pointless bloody things.

Easy.

Keep it coming. Music to my ears.

[The Lone Rider]

You've left out that NZers currently are considered to accept being in debt more then they should - ie.. getting everything on finance when they dont have the money

I think it also has a lot to do with parents in terms of student loans. Yes, some of it can be extremely expensive but I think it's also part of a parents job to put money aside to pay for a good deal of the education needed for a good job. Bun in the oven, some money in the bank every week from then on. $10 a week for 18 years gives you a good $10000 grand towards it- that'd cover a year or two at poly eh. Most people drink and smoke way more then $10 a week.

[Wiki Drifter]

I'm in my 20's too (27) and one of he reasons I'm working for a multi-national at the moment is so I can go overseas to work.

We'll rent out the house, go, earn some decent coin, and probably come back.

NZ, for all it's faults, is home.


Same situation here, hopefully I could piss off overseas in the near future whilst working for my current employer. Its not a matter of the grass is greener for me, but its the need to live in a different environment for a while. Auckland / NZ gets pretty F-ing mundane after spending most of your life here..

[Curious_AJ]

Yes AJ, but would it make you any happier?

I'd get a vehicle. then just ride/drive/sail around.

it would make me happier. I'd be further away from things.


but im not talking about this here. so this is the end of this.

[Wolf]

Just off the top of my head...

[lotsa stuff]

Easy.
21: Adopt the Malaysian approach to drug manufacture and trafficking with regard to "P"

[SPman]

I was quite happy in NZ - just felt like a change and, with the right inducement......viola! I left!
Otherwise, I would still be there.
I'm still an NZer though! - that will never change!

[sAsLEX]

What price to stay in New Zealand? These decisions are best made in one's younger years, I suspect. I have just turned down a tax-free job offer in Dubai. Where on earth are we going to ride our bikes over there?
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/459/2465/1600/dubai_road1.0.jpg
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=109278

That road doesn't look too bad.......

[sAsLEX]

actually "hi-tech" is crap - only a very few engineers making real money are required - high tech is mostly a bunch of poor people stuffing PCBs with components to make someonme else wealthy.


Rakon and Navman are making a few people money here in godzone...... no need to go overseas and get the $$$ thats if the greenies stop there socialist whinging at some of Rakons customers.....

[RantyDave]

Ban cats. Pointless bloody things.
We've got cats. Two of them. A parasitic infection for a house, that's what they are.

Dave

[Timber020]

This list should read "How I want to live in America"


Just off the top of my head...

1. Get rid of this Government <Agreed, but replace it with what?>
2. Scrap MMP <Hell, why not>
3. Tear up the Treaty <Good way to start an insurgency and create plenty of racial tension and put tourists and investors off the place. (much much worse than we have now)>
4. Sell off all state assets apart from public land and privatise the fuck out of the place <Yeah, because selling telecom has worked so well and private companies only want the best for everyone.We are to small for to have alot of private providers so will end up being at the mercy of monopolys >
5. Make NZ the tax haven of the South Pacific <Might work.>
6. One Council per State (yes I said State) and make the fuckers accountable for once <Yep, good plan.>
7. Scrap Resource Consent (It's our fucken country) <Bull, its ALL of our country, not just rich bastards who want to make every coastline look like bondi beach or turn every scrap of land into lifestyle blocks or suburbs. The RMA is a flawed system but when did a developer ever do something for the wider good without being forced or payed to?>

8. Dig up all the roads and start again. Do it properly this time and go left hand drive. <And further encourage more people to drive when the fuels running out and costing more, i was in the US and Canada last week, 2.5 hour commutes each way for some people on 5 lane roads. Going LHD would tough and expensive to implement with very little gain. Probably wont be that long before we have less input in how we drive anyhow.(self drive systems etc)>
9. Negotiate trade agreements with every developed nation And we dont do that now or do we just not kiss enough ass?
10. Go nuclear <Agreed.>
11. Free and open access to ALL public land <Some land needs to be protected from people, nomatter how well intended with there 4WD's, Dirtbikes, rifles and chainsaws they may be.>
12. Educate the fuck out of people with REAL, USABLE education. <good idea>
13. No skills, no enter our country <Good plan>
14. Create a real military force <why not just hire blackwater?>
15. Lower personal & business tax to a flat rate of 10%. 0% for overseas investors. (Keep GST as it is - user pay) GST money goes directly back into the state that produces it.
16. Ban Shortland St. <and all womens magazines>
17. Ban Unions and abolish the Employment Contracts Act <
18. Totally reform our justice system. <sounds easy when you say it, lets roll, mission accomplished etc>
19. Make welfare available only for the REALLY, REALLY needy. <good theory but will only end up with more crime>
20. Ban cats. Pointless bloody things. <you pass the law, Ill start shooting them>

Easy.

Hey have I some more for the list

21. Base all fines on people assets or pay.

22. If a driver doesnt see a bike rider or pedestrian, they wont see there car or license again for a while either. And there ACC levies will go up with the more accidents they are involved in.

23. Have a PD system based on work camps doing things like trapping possums, weed irradictation, track making, trash pick up etc. If you dont turn up, you go to do work in your community or at local schools in a chain gang, if you turn up and dont work, you dont eat or leave.

24. Allow people to turn left on a red light once they have stopped. Works so bloody well in every country that does it. Fucking honest, its awesome.

25. Pay teachers more, you cant expect good performance when they are trying to work out how they are going to pay both there student loan payment and the wof on there 1982 ford laser.

26. Like most first world nations, make ticket quotas illegal.

27. Scrap Kiwisaver, or at least put it in the hands of an industry that has a better history and track record.

28. Get rid of the humans

[Timber020]

This list should read "How I want to live in America"

Just off the top of my head...
1. Get rid of this Government <Agreed, but replace it with what?>
2. Scrap MMP <Hell, why not>
3. Tear up the Treaty <Good way to start an insurgency and create plenty of racial tension and put tourists and investors off the place. (much much worse than we have now)>
4. Sell off all state assets apart from public land and privatise the fuck out of the place <Yeah, because selling telecom has worked so well and private companies only want the best for everyone.We are to small for to have alot of private providers so will end up being at the mercy of monopolys >
5. Make NZ the tax haven of the South Pacific <Might work.>
6. One Council per State (yes I said State) and make the fuckers accountable for once <Yep, good plan.>
7. Scrap Resource Consent (It's our fucken country) <Bull, its ALL of our country, not just rich bastards who want to make every coastline look like bondi beach or turn every scrap of land into lifestyle blocks or suburbs. The RMA is a flawed system but when did a developer ever do something for the wider good without being forced or payed to?>
8. Dig up all the roads and start again. Do it properly this time and go left hand drive. <And further encourage more people to drive when the fuels running out and costing more, i was in the US and Canada last week, 2.5 hour commutes each way for some people on 5 lane roads. Going LHD would tough and expensive to implement with very little gain. Probably wont be that long before we have less input in how we drive anyhow.(self drive systems etc)>
9. Negotiate trade agreements with every developed nation And we dont do that now or do we just not kiss enough ass?
10. Go nuclear <Agreed.>
11. Free and open access to ALL public land <Some land needs to be protected from people, nomatter how well intended with there 4WD's, Dirtbikes, rifles and chainsaws they may be.>
12. Educate the fuck out of people with REAL, USABLE education. <good idea>
13. No skills, no enter our country <Good plan>
14. Create a real military force <why not just hire blackwater?>
15. Lower personal & business tax to a flat rate of 10%. 0% for overseas investors. (Keep GST as it is - user pay) GST money goes directly back into the state that produces it. <why give overseas investors more of a break than you average NZer?>
16. Ban Shortland St. <and all womens magazines>
17. Ban Unions and abolish the Employment Contracts Act <
18. Totally reform our justice system. <sounds easy when you say it, lets roll, mission accomplished etc>
19. Make welfare available only for the REALLY, REALLY needy. <good theory but will only end up with more crime>
20. Ban cats. Pointless bloody things. <you pass the law, Ill start shooting them>
Easy.
Hey have I some more for the list
28. Get rid of the humans and celine dion

[Macktheknife]

The true beasuty and attraction of New Zealand is usually only appreciated after you have left and been other places, then you can appreciate that for all its faults, NZ is actually a very cool place.

[Angusdog]

Every young person in New Zealand should work overseas for at least a year. When they come back, with funds and skills, the country is better off. Plus it allows you to knowledgeably appreciate why NZ is great - if you haven't been overseas, you're relying on media and hearsay that NZ's great. In a lot of respects, it isn't. But on balance, it's the best place in the world.

Live and experience the world. Earn some funds and come back to NZ to settle down and make it even better.

[The Pastor]

go over seas for 10 years, save up hard, come back with some money and buy a house.


oh wait the goverment will take 60% of your money when you come back.

the only problem with aussie is the roads dont have corners, its very much like the states.

[vifferman]

I have just turned down a tax-free job offer in Dubai.
For anyone else considering this kind of offer, be aware that the IRD will tax you on your earnings in Dubai, unless you ensure you have non-resident status. To do this, you will have to sell your house (unless you are deriving no income from it while you're away - i.e., someone is staying in it for free, or it's empty), and sell your car (and bikes). Basically, it's not enough to just go and work 'tax free' - you have to have no real ties to 'home' and/or being paying taxes to the country you're working in.

[vifferman]

I have lived and worked overseas, and I have done jobs with very good incomes. I can tell you now that the grass is always greener on the other side. You mentioned three of your mates have returned. I bet at least half of the ones that have not returned yet wish they could, whether they admit it to you or not, maybe a pride thing?
OTOH, people who go and work in (for example) the UK, then come back here to get a job seem to do a lot better than those who just try to work their way up the ladder. It's like the employers go, "Ooh... you worked in London, eh? You must be pretty damned good then!"

[Ewan Oozarmy]

OTOH, people who go and work in (for example) the UK, then come back here to get a job seem to do a lot better than those who just try to work their way up the ladder. It's like the employers go, "Ooh... you worked in London, eh? You must be pretty damned good then!"

I guess it depends on in which industry you worked whilst in London. If say you worked in the the insurance market in London's "square mile" then you will no doubt gain experience which you never could here.

If you worked in a bar in London then probably no better off.

[judecatmad]

For those of you that are remaining in NZ, why?

-Lifestyle choice?
-Friends and family?
-Not convinced that you can earn that much more money overseas?

Know we could earn a lot more back home (UK for me, Dave's a Kiwi), know we would have a lot more disposable income back home, know we'd have family support that we don't have here...but....

About to have a baby and need the stability more than the 'getting ahead' that a move would offer. Schooling is supposedly better here, and the crime rate is significantly lower. We also have 4 cats that it would be financially impossible to move to the UK and I couldn't simply dump them in new homes just because of something we wanted to do.

If I could have convinced Dave to move to the UK instead of me moving here, that would have been the much better option - but he couldn't so I did, and now it's too late to go home. He's finally realised the UK would offer us so much more than here, but unfortunately that realisation has come too late.

[imdying]

For those of you that are remaining in NZ, why?

-Lifestyle choice?20 minutes ride to the countryside, and rarely a cop to be seen... fits well with my love of bikes.

[Ewan Oozarmy]

20 minutes ride to the countryside, and rarely a cop to be seen... fits well with my love of bikes.

And 2 minutes to the beach for me and a sea view. When I looked out of my bedroom window in London all I could see was a council high rise block with boarded up windows and iron doors hiding crack houses. Plus, the 24 hour noise of police sirens and got on my tits a bit.

[imdying]

That's one of the other things... if I get nicked doing 240km/h, I know what'll happen. I would not want to be experiencing the judicial system of another country any time soon... that'd be some freaky shite.

[kiwifruit]

if I get nicked doing 240km/h

i think you're pretty safe :lol:

[Wolf]

20 minutes ride to the countryside, and rarely a cop to be seen... fits well with my love of bikes.
Try that in most other sizeable cities in the World - London, Paris, New York. You can get out of the centres of our capital and our largest cities and onto open country roads in next to no time. You can get to the coast within 2 hours from pretty much anywhere in the country. We have some of the best roads for riding bikes in the world. Sure, so does the USA, Europe and Australia etc - but from the heart of some of their cities you'd have the devil of a job getting to them.

That mad mate of mine that moved to Sydney because Auckland was "too small" did love being able to go hunting, camping, skiing or swimming at the beach with very little hassle when he lived here.

[007XX]

Geez, let's see... why stay?:blink:

No poisonous bitey, crawley, crippeys to worry much about...:eek:

About 4 hours away from snowboarding and snowball fights in summer...:cold:But not too cold!

A few minutes from awesome swimming, diving (scallops, crayfish...yummy!) and all around great sea derived fun in summer...Fresh water lakes for awesome kneeboarding, catamaran sailing, swimming...

Awesome people and roads to be ridden all over the country...

Fantastic wines and associated wine tasting (read piss-up) tours...

And I could go on and on like that...

[Wolf]

That's one of the other things... if I get nicked doing 240km/h, I know what'll happen. I would not want to be experiencing the judicial system of another country any time soon... that'd be some freaky shite.
"GET OFF THE BIKE! KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM! LIE DOWN ON THE GROUND! I SAID LIE DOWN ON THE GROUND! NOW!" kzzzzzrk! ( or BANG!)...

[Guitana]

i think you're pretty safe :lol:

Hey Mr Fruit whats up with ya mate Dover selling his Preemo Gixxer??????
Is being a father costing too much?

[Guitana]

"GET OFF THE BIKE! KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM! LIE DOWN ON THE GROUND! I SAID LIE DOWN ON THE GROUND! NOW!" kzzzzzrk! ( or BANG!)...

Or if in an Arab Country "Allah Akbar" then bang, lights out!!!!:2guns::2guns:

[BMW]

simple

money

[kiwifruit]

Hey Mr Fruit whats up with ya mate Dover selling his Preemo Gixxer??????
Is being a father costing too much?

he is buying a kawasaki :clap:

[Street Gerbil]

If you are willing to abandon an underpaid but secure position in a corporation and is willing to take your chances by establishing a private enterprise, USA is the place to be. Honestly, how business owners in NZ manage to survive is a mystery.
I, on the other hand, am a bit too old for this shit, so as long as the guy, replacing Theresa Gattung, is willing to pay for my expertise, New Zealand, regardless of its economic woes, perfectly agrees with me.

[sAsLEX]

For anyone else considering this kind of offer, be aware that the IRD will tax you on your earnings in Dubai, unless you ensure you have non-resident status. To do this, you will have to sell your house (unless you are deriving no income from it while you're away - i.e., someone is staying in it for free, or it's empty), and sell your car (and bikes). Basically, it's not enough to just go and work 'tax free' - you have to have no real ties to 'home' and/or being paying taxes to the country you're working in.

how can they justify that, since you are in a different country not using anything that your tax in NZ pays for....... and how are the IRD going to find out what goes in to your bank account in a different country.....

[jafar]

how can they justify that, since you are in a different country not using anything that your tax in NZ pays for....... and how are the IRD going to find out what goes in to your bank account in a different country.....

They justify it because they are nazi's :spanking:

[Hitcher]

They justify it because they are nazi's

w00t! 74 posts. Not bad...

[LilSel]

My family keeps me here... plus I have seen a bit of the world already... & I am always so glad to come 'home'...

A few places I have been, some more than thrice...
Thailand/Hong Kong/Japan/Venezuela/Korea/Argentina/Australia/China...

I have always thought to myself when I get home from these trips....
'I am so lucky to live in such a beautiful country'...

[Blackbird]

I have always thought to myself when I get home from these trips....
'I am so lucky to live in such a beautiful country'...

Yep:niceone:! Whilst I love travelling, I can't keep the smile off my face when the inbound flight comes in over Northland and Auckland on a nice day. A lot of other people seem to have the same feelings.

[LilSel]

Yep:niceone:! Whilst I love travelling, I can't keep the smile off my face when the inbound flight comes in over Northland and Auckland on a nice day. A lot of other people seem to have the same feelings.

Spot on!! :D... Returning from one of my longer trips,
(akld-melb-hobart-melb-akld, nxt day->akld-buenos aires-caracas-buenos aires-akld)... had been away for a fair bit of time... anyway...

I got in from buenos aries in the early morning... had a window seat... & the sun was just coming up as we were beginning our decent... it was so beautiful... I actually shed a tear!!... I was almost home... & seeing the land appear... then being over it again n knowing my family would be waiting at the airport for me... knowing that they were so proud of me... n just the feeling of 'thank god im home'... It was one of those 'moments'...

Those 'moments'... that make you thankful to live here!!

I have seen alot of places/people for my years... n its only just begun really... I know however... that wherever I go... I will always come home again!... I have a silverfern tattoo'd on my wrist... when I go away I simply look at it... stroke it... then go out n kick some ass for my country !! :D
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=70349&d=1189485911
(opps... bit of a rant... !!)

[slowpoke]

Just off the top of my head...

1. Get rid of this Government
The unfortunate byproduct of democracy, sometimes we have to put up with decisions we don't like
2. Scrap MMP
Kind of agree, has lead to all sorts of backroom deals and overcomplication, although I kind of like having "alternative" views expressed rather than the big two spruiking the same shit a different way
3. Tear up the Treaty
and return to the Maori land wars.....?
4. Sell off all state assets apart from public land and privatise the fuck out of the place
Why would you want to sell off something that can make money for you for ever more? Why reduce Public Services -which should be measured by the quality of service they provide- to a foreign owned cash cow that makes money for someone else- who's only measure will be the bottom line and a resultant drop in service quality?
5. Make NZ the tax haven of the South Pacific
nup, I got nothin' for this one.....
6. One Council per State (yes I said State) and make the fuckers accountable for once
I take it by one council you mean less beauracrats? If so, I emphatically agree. As for the "states" set up: a lump of shite by any other name is still a lump of shite, so whether they are provinces, states or counties the term for them won't change anything....unless you are proposing a more radical arrangement?
7. Scrap Resource Consent (It's our fucken country)
Nup, it maybe our country but no one person or group should be able to run amok development-wise to the detriment of the rest of the population, which would be the case if we allowed unregulated development.
8. Dig up all the roads and start again. Do it properly this time and go left hand drive.
I dunno about "all" the roads, ya gotta leave some windy bits, but that single lane goat track out of our capital city is a fuggin' embarrassment and is only going to get more expensive to upgrade as time goes by
9. Negotiate trade agreements with every developed nation
Why be so restrictive with "agreements", why not let the market/entrepeneurs determine what where and how much is required? We have very little bargaining power and will inevitable end up bent over and dropping our dacks....
10. Go nuclear
Our loads are too small and too variable to make it worthwhile. You need relatively large base loads to make it economic
11. Free and open access to ALL public land
I got nuthin' for this one either.....
12. Educate the fuck out of people with REAL, USABLE education.
impossible to argue against....unfortunately you and your money making "corporatised" universities have sold off half the available spots to overseas students so they show a good bottom line rather than provide a good service to the community
13. No skills, no enter our country
Sounds good, I guess the same should apply to us going overseas to work?
14. Create a real military force
Why? Who is going to attack us that we could possibly defend ourselves against? Tonga? A "real military force" is incredibly expensive to maintain let alone create from scratch and in our case would ultimately achieve nothing.
15. Lower personal & business tax to a flat rate of 10%. 0% for overseas investors. (Keep GST as it is - user pay) GST money goes directly back into the state that produces it.
A flat rate is worth investigating, but I'll be fucked if I'm gonna pay tax while an overseas investor pays nothing. One rule for all.
16. Ban Shortland St.
except for the couple of hotties......
17. Ban Unions and abolish the Employment Contracts Act
[/B]in a perfect world yes, unfortunately it's far from perfect and employees need basic levels of protection and employment standards. If not, then third world here we come......[/B]
18. Totally reform our justice system.
Hmmmm, what did you have in mind? I don't think a total reform is needed, just some streamlining, a dose of reality and full use of available penalties.
19. Make welfare available only for the REALLY, REALLY needy.
Hmmm, I'm kind of proud of the fact we look after each other if we fall on hard times, but too many people are living in relative comfort while giving SFA in return, so I tend to agree with you
20. Ban cats. Pointless bloody things.
If we only ever did or had things that served a purpose it would be a sad fuggin' place.....

Easy.

And the name for this wondrous new country is very obviously FINNLAND!

[imdying]

And the name for this wondrous new country is very obviously FINNLAND!No no, New Finnland! :rofl:

[Swoop]

No poisonous bitey, crawley, crippeys to worry much about...
If there is nothing to worry about, why worry??:scratch:

Hey Mr Fruit whats up with ya mate Dover selling his Preemo Gixxer??????
Perhaps the poof would like to sell one before it is written off?:rofl:

w00t!
OK, who is this and what have you done to our Hitcher???:bash:

[Macstar]

Cheers guys for ya'll feedback. As it now turns out (new development today) I am apparently PHD material and have quite a strong opportunity to receive an international scholarship valued to 80k per year to do my PHD abroad!!!!

Small catch: Just gotta get accepted by a top tier university in the UK or USA now... Any KBers got connections at Cambridge or Oxford?!

So, as it turns out, and if I choose to sign up for yet another 3 years of study (on top of the 6 already), I might be able to see the world after all and for free!!

[peasea]

Cheers guys for ya'll feedback. As it now turns out (new development today) I am apparently PHD material and have quite a strong opportunity to receive an international scholarship valued to 80k per year to do my PHD abroad!!!!

Small catch: Just gotta get accepted by a top tier university in the UK or USA now... Any KBers got connections at Cambridge or Oxford?!

So, as it turns out, and if I choose to sign up for yet another 3 years of study (on top of the 6 already), I might be able to see the world after all and for free!!


You jammy bastard. Go for it.

[avgas]

My reasons are this:
- Girlfriend just got her career going.
- Family is here
- Student loan is interest free.

Although all that being said i am still going to cut a track out of here in a few years. The grass isnt greener overseas i know - but there is a bigger bloody paddock that the lawn here.
If any of the above change, basically im gone. I seen to many negatives in NZ and too many positives overseas to think that we are any better off here.
All my dream jobs are overseas, and the respect i get there is 10 fold to here.

[avgas]

10. Go nuclear

Our loads are too small and too variable to make it worthwhile. You need relatively large base loads to make it economic

Nope - google "Pebblebed Reactors", Load is no longer a problem in NZ, only ideals. I'm pro-nuke in the sense that i would consider it as a last resort. But i think that we are not addressing the problems on the consumer end currently. Efficiency is a better solution than the bigger hammer thoery

13. No skills, no enter our country

Sounds good, I guess the same should apply to us going overseas to work?
Yep, why not - anyone can wash dishes. Its a skill. People choosing not to is not a skill. Nor is fraud

14. Create a real military force

Why? Who is going to attack us that we could possibly defend ourselves against? Tonga? A "real military force" is incredibly expensive to maintain let alone create from scratch and in our case would ultimately achieve nothing.

No Fiji, all acts of war aside, who are the current service technicians etc in NZ? The armed forces gave kids work/life/educational skills as well as millitary restrain. Its these current skills that are required for future positions in NZ. Who wants to join a force of consripts with no toys? Imagine the police had McDonalds uniforms and Daihatsu's.......who would join them. Its too easy to rest on a benift in NZ - we need to have exciting opportunities for young people to break this cycle.

17. Ban Unions and abolish the Employment Contracts Act
in a perfect world yes, unfortunately it's far from perfect and employees need basic levels of protection and employment standards. If not, then third world here we come......
Not really, i have never joined a union in NZ, if my employer tries anything i can contact the employment court on my own without having so 'activists' hold my hand

[Finn]

Yep:niceone:! Whilst I love travelling, I can't keep the smile off my face when the inbound flight comes in over Northland and Auckland on a nice day. A lot of other people seem to have the same feelings.

Wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you've just spent the last 12 hours with your knees in your face would it?

Sure, it's always nice to be "home" but that lasts about 5 minutes until you realise what a backward country this is. Such a waste. Oh well, as long as the Rugby is still mostly free to air, she'll be right aye.

[bubbles]

I will stay in New Zealand because I enjoy the lifestyle. One thing that I have found is that you always live to your means. Implying that if you earn $50 a week, you will find a way to live with that amount, but if you earn $50,000 a week you will most likely do the same. Because of this and other experiences I don't think I would move overseas for money. My family is all here, we are very close, and at the end of the day family is the most important thing.

[Usarka]

But it's getting better! Our crime stats are going up all the time!

[imdying]

The armed forces gave kids work/life/educational skills as well as millitary restrain. Its these current skills that are required for future positions in NZ. Who wants to join a force of consripts with no toys? Imagine the police had McDonalds uniforms and Daihatsu's.......who would join them. Its too easy to rest on a benift in NZ - we need to have exciting opportunities for young people to break this cycle.I agree... as modest as our military is or can be, there's more benefits from having one than just 'guns to defend ourselves'.

[idleidolidyll]

Gimme your opinions on the following:

1. I'm in my 20's, have been studying at uni for 5 years (clocked up a student loan higher than the national median annually income), and am ready to enter the workforce.

You're in your 20's; go see the world son.

2. Over the last 5 years I have had 16 close friends and immediate family members move overseas (just 3 have since come back). They all proudly boast that their lives are so much better after leaving NZ.

Peoiple will always try to justify their own decisions and will often tell half truths and lies to do so. I've lived and worked on 4 continents and a few islands and I always love being in NZ more than any other place. Money isn't the be all and end all.

3. So far, my search for jobs in NZ and abroad is showing that I could be 10-30K per year financially better off overseas (adjusted for varying cost of livings). And that's just in my first year of work....

You're in your 20's; go see thew world and come back with real world experiences

4. I study business and I know factually that NZ slips economically further behind most OECD member states each year, and that basically there is no promising signs this will improve given that we are still selling cheese when other countries have moved on to electronics and services.

Yes, both major parties are selling NZ to the lowest bidder. Real incomes have fallen way behind since the 80's when certain wealthy people ripped NZ off to the tune of millions and the government/s sold the family jewels.

5. According to a recent news article, in NZ it now requires 80% of the median income to pay a mortgage for the median priced house. Housing affordability has reached all time lows.

Yep, but i'd still rather live here. I'm old though. Go see the world.

There are many more growing social problems with NZ too but I wont go into those.

Those pael into insignificance once you've seen real hardship outside NZ.

ANYWAY

Despite all that, I'd like to hang around NZ as I think it's a bloody beautiful country with some awesome people (especially the KB Whanau!). A beach, river or lake is never more than 30 minutes away, traffic in Akl is still minor by world standards and the city is way more scenic and greener than places like Tokyo, Shanghai etc.

My question:

For those of you that are remaining in NZ, why?

-Lifestyle choice?
-Friends and family?
-Not convinced that you can earn that much more money overseas?

go see the world

[BIGBOSSMAN]

go see the world

Yes indeed, broaden your horizons and escape the self-proclaimed hype. There are plenty of beautiful countries, with fantastic people living in them (especially Irish, German and Argentinean girls. Phew!)