I'm from Canada. Should I move to New Zealand?

[homer]

Funny coz I heard on the radio a few weeks back NZ now has the most unaffordable housing in the western world when the average income and cost of living is taken into account, for those of us below the average income it's an absolute shocker! I don't know if the above statement is absolutely true or not but I would'nt be that surprised if it were.

Oh yeah thats right and true

how many earn the average wage?

[YellowDog]

Funny coz I heard on the radio a few weeks back NZ now has the most unaffordable housing in the western world when the average income and cost of living is taken into account, for those of us below the average income it's an absolute shocker! I don't know if the above statement is absolutely true or not but I would'nt be that surprised if it were.

Allow me to explain both of our statements:

NZers find house prices unaffordable because the mortgage rate is 10.5%. THAT is why they are expensive. It’s not the prices, it’s the rate the country charges to borrow money.

Yes, I do also agree that the average wage is far too low (on a world scale) and hence the 'BrainDrain'. If the mortgage rate was closer to 5.5%, like most of the developed world, do you believe NZers be in this same situation?

The answer is that houses would not be unaffordable to so many. This should not be a difficult problem to fix however NZ has failed to grasp the concept of the world marketplace, which has contribited to this problem.

I didn't move here for the money. I earned that in Europe. I live here 'cos it is a great place and can offer a quality of life and a better quality of people than no many other places in the world have.

House prices seem cheap to me because I have sold a small European house and bought a large kiwi one for the same money.

I would say that in my opinion, there is no political party in NZ that seems to have a clue about how to correct country's economic issues.

[TLDV8]

I would be very curious to what folk regard as cheap housing anywhere in the West.
Australia's mortgage rates are not far behind NZ with two more rises (+) this year predicted.
Anyone who thinks houses are expensive in Auckland should come to Darwin.

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Like most things,it is what you make of it when it comes to migration.
Anyone not sure would be better off doing a visit first to get an idea.

[homer]

I would be very curious to what folk regard as cheap housing anywhere in the West.
Australia's mortgage rates are not far behind NZ with two more rises (+) this year predicted.
Anyone who thinks houses are expensive in Auckland should come to Darwin.

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Like most things,it is what you make of it when it comes to migration.

Your very correct with what your sayig ,and theres the same argument there also .
Wages to low and you cant afford a place .Etc etc

but depends where you want to buy and what price you want

but as for aussie you wages per hour are better ,you pay compulsorie super ,which is usually payed on top of the hourly rate and most items for every day buying are cheaper on average
fuels cheaper ,LPG is dirt cheap and you get more money in the pocket and less hours to work in a lot of jobs

some jobs if your working say a 10 hour day
moslty your getting about 250 a week more than here
maybe even more

As an example i get about $120 a day for a wage here for 9.5 hours
in aussie i can start a job and work about 7 hours a day for the same money

[YellowDog]

Why? That's the reason I posted, I wanna hear the bad things too...

In most places in Canada I can only ride half the year (unless I get studded tires and a dirt bike and ride on frozen lakes). Also, the only outdoor activities I enjoy are summer activities. (I don't like hiking in the mountains when it's -20 C). I'm thinking I should just compromise and move to Victoria BC in Canada but I was thinking, since I'm moving pretty far, maybe I should move someplace that is the BEST weather I can possibly find, it's not that much more difficult to move to a place over the big pond.

What's so bad about NZ?

coteesh - If you are coming over with cash, it is a great place to be. If you are going into business, this country works on the basis of low volume, high margin (unlike the rest of the developed world). This makes it easier for the the small guy to make a living (unless you need a bank loan - then you are screwed).

NZ is definitely better than Canada for the winter weather. But you may have problems acclimatising to the lack of home comforts you will be used to. Try http://www.move2nz.co.nz. you will be able to exchange messages with Canadians who have already done the research and ones who are also already living in NZ.

You will notice that the welcoming and friendliness from your part of the world is just as good in NZ.

[NZsarge]

most unaffordable housing in the western world when the average income and cost of living is taken into account, for those of us below the average income it's an absolute shocker!

Unaffordable/income = Housing too expensive for the income, im not concerned with the price of houses in the UK or Canada or anywhere else as I don't live there. Bottom line Housing is expensive........for the average income in NEW ZEALAND.

Reasonably accurate i'd say but speaking as a Kiwi born and bred the money is pretty farkin' average! And yes the price of houses is getting to be stupid expensive..*sigh*

I've watched the price of houses in my town soar in price compared with just a few years ago.

Allow me to explain both of our statements:

NZers find house prices unaffordable because the mortgage rate is 10.5%. THAT is why they are expensive. It’s not the prices, it’s the rate the country charges to borrow money.

Yes, I do also agree that the average wage is far too low (on a world scale) and hence the 'BrainDrain'. If the mortgage rate was closer to 5.5%, like most of the developed world, do you believe NZers be in this same situation?

The answer is that houses would not be unaffordable to so many. This should not be a difficult problem to fix however NZ has failed to grasp the concept of the world marketplace, which has contribited to this problem.

I didn't move here for the money. I earned that in Europe. I live here 'cos it is a great place and can offer a quality of life and a better quality of people than no many other places in the world have.

House prices seem cheap to me because I have sold a small European house and bought a large kiwi one for the same money.

I agree in the world stage housing might not be that expensive but on the current level of income earned by your average Kiwi high interest rates or not houses are not cheap.
Listen, I get where your coming from so to speak but again, it does'nt help people into a decent house.

[YellowDog]

All I am saying is a $300k house on a 5.5% mortgage is affordable to a couple on an average wage. At 10.5% it is not.

Q.E.D.

[Winston001]

No country is perfect and some of the above criticisms are true - you could equally find things wrong with Canada.

House prices right now are double their historical level (as a ratio to the average family income) which means a housing crash is due......so rent for a while.

Interest rates are high but if they dropped to say 6%, what would happen is people would spend more - and house prices would jump again. This is exactly what happened to farmland in NZ in 1982 - the Rural Bank (government) lent money 2% below the market rate and land prices soared - then crashed. Much misery...

Anyway thats beside the point. There is a natural affinity between Canadians and New Zealanders. I don't know why but I've experienced it. You are good people and I'm confident you'd enjoy it here. It is also a motorcyclists paradise.

[Winston001]

Rent - I'd guess you'd pay NZ$300/week for a flat/apartment in Christchurch but you can easily pay more. Depends upon location. Engineering is a great skill to bring.

[scracha]

Why? That's the reason I posted, I wanna hear the bad things too...

What's so bad about NZ?

I'm a scotchyman, moved here just over 3 years ago. Weird thing is that I'm considering Canada in a few years (ok, I'd considered it before trying here). If you've got the skills then my advice is to try and get permanent residency before moving here...saves a lot of hassle later on. That said, it pays to VISIT and actually live here for at least 6 months to get a feel for the place. I know a lot of foreigners who come for a few months, think the grass is greener, move over, buy a house, end up getting home sick etc and lose a lot of money in the process before returning home.

There's good and bad about New Zealand. For me, the Kiwi's themselves and the good social life make up for most of the bad $hit.

Bad things :-
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Money - there's not enough of it.
Money - Kiwi dollar is far too strong ATM. Best keep your money in CAD or whatever it is in for the time being.
Riding - the cops are nazi's, the government isn't enlightened AT ALL about the benefits of motorcycling.
Riding - you pay more than a c@r...how #@4cked up is that?
Riding - insurance isn't compulsory...so be prepared for some uninsured dipshit knocking you off your bike.
Riding - the standard of driving is truly appalling. They make the French seem tame
Telly - truly $hite
Rugby - Nuff said?
Riding - the roads are full of gravel.
Riding - it's far too hot (Ok, I'm Scottish)
Geography - You are literally in the middle of nowhere. Air-fares out of NZ are extortionate. A return flight from Auckland to San Francisco is about 40% more expensive than a return flight the other way. If you want to go further than Australia or Fiji then you pay through the nose.
Jandals - Did I mention Crocks?
Government - Far too many politicians and they let a madman called Winston Peter's represent us abroad.
Beer - Piss weak
Spirits - Piss small measures and VERY expensive.
Pubs - not very good opening hours.
Housing - expensive and a lot of the landlords are true scum of the earth.
The estate agents are a lot of lazy bastards who charge far too much.
Kiwi's - Fiercely nationalistic. When a Kiwi asks "what do you think of New Zealand?", they're really saying "Isn't New Zealand is the best country on planet earth?"
Kiwi's - Too laid back. Service levels are piss poor, most things are done half heartedly, the country's infrastructure is run on a shoestring and you sometimes wonder how the hell anything gets built in this country. Probably why the working hours are so high and yet production isn't too great.


Good things :-
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Kiwi's - generally friendly, and very laid back
BBQ's - :-)
Beer - Cheap
Riding - gogo juice is cheap
Riding - roads are generally quiet
Riding - you'll meet the nicest people here...and not just on a Honda
Riding - trackdays are very cheap
Sports - lots to do, if you like playing then it's all good.
Population - Low population density. Plus they breed like @#$ckin rabbits (see below) so if you can get residency then you'll have plenty of yoofs paying for your pension and medical care in a few years time.
Kiwi girls - slutty. Statistically the sluttiest in the western world
Scenery - Truly awesome. Very varied in such a small land-mass.
Weather - Very mild...sometimes not too hot either.
Money - Once housing is dealt with, you don't actually need a lot to live on out here. Electricity is cheap (in between the frequent power cuts).
Money - Doesn't seem to be too much of the "keep up with the neighbours" mentality. Ignore $hite fantasies about there being "no class system" in New Zealand though.

[The Pastor]

nah we don't want any flappy heads here thanks.

[NZsarge]

Funny how you foreigner type view NZ

[toebug]

Funny how you foreigner type view NZ

I agree!

Now were have all those slutty girls gone?

[fredie]

whats wrong with moving too aussie

[Drunken Monkey]

All I am saying is a $300k house on a 5.5% mortgage is affordable to a couple on an average wage. At 10.5% it is not.

Q.E.D.

Whilst there is truth to this statement it's not the entire story. Take the average house price and divide it by the median wage. This value was the highest of the 6 countries surveyed (i.e. placing us "least affordable"):

http://www.hbtoday.co.nz/localnews/s...ondsubsection=