crazyscot | NZ: what's not to like?

rustica and I had this conversation the other night where we ended up listing all the wonderful things we could think of about NZ in an attempt to try and entice people to follow us.

So, four months since we set sail, so to speak, where are we?

The people are very friendly, helpful and polite.
The weather is better than in Blighty. (OK, there was that pair of snowstorms in the winter, but that was the exception. Most employers were sane and reasonable about it, and many paid their staff to stay home.) The air is noticeably clearer; on most days it's possible to see the Southern Alps some 50 km away if you can find a spot with a clear view of the horizon.
The traffic on the roads is pretty light and you can always find a car parking space. (OK, the whole Auckland region has a reputation for being pretty diabolical, but we're not there.) The roads are very well maintained and there's little wear and tear (earthquake aftermath excepted, but that's being worked on). Drivers are generally much more laid-back; there are scant cases of road rage or impatience.
NZ feels a very safe place. The crime rate is quite low and, consequentially, people are much more trusting.
Being closer to the equator, you get less-short days in winter (and less-long in summer, but that's a worthwhile sacrifice).
Houses and land are much cheaper and there's no insane price inflation. (We expect to get a plausible 3 bedroom house in suburbia for under $400k.)
The terrain is mental, in a good way. NZ is geologically very young and has many sharp pointy bits that haven't had the opportunity to really weather down yet. OTOH, it's flat here on the plains, great for easy cycling, but you don't have to go far to find interesting terrain - as I've waxed lyrical previously!
Magnificent flora that you've never encountered before.
Kiwis have a dry, warped sense of humour which appeals (at least to us!)
As a nation NZ has a very positive attitude towards immigration.
They make stuff here. Not your high-tech goods, I grant you, but plenty of furniture and white goods. There's no waiting six weeks for MFI to admit they snafu'ed and it'll be another six weeks; you place the order, you can have it delivered within a handful of days. Sure, the retailer might be out of stock, but if they are there's another warehouse - or even the factory in many cases - across town.
They grow and process most of their food too. Most of what we buy proudly states where it has come from. NZ may not be fully self-sufficient, but is much better than the UK - a much more secure place to be.
In at least two supermarket chains they still pack your bags for you.
Petrol is cheap, recently hovering between $1.99 and $2.09. For the aviators, avgas is about $2 a litre, compared with £1.50-£2.50 in the UK.
There's less tax to pay here; a simpler income tax system (think PAYE with some of the more complicated bits filed off) and no inheritance or capital gains tax.
You can go to the bank at the weekends. (Admittedly only a few banks, but our branch does, and is one of the even rarer few that opens for a few hours on Sundays.) Even better, despite us only being random plebs, the bank staffer who our remote account setup requests were passed to volunteered her direct phone number and email address. Last week we got an appointment to see her to apply for our mortgage pre-approval, at a weekend, at two days notice without even having to push.
Kiwis have a sensible attitude towards health & safety and aren't scared of their own shadows. Roads don't have pervasive safety fencing (except where it's really risky). Out of town the railways aren't even fenced.
Electricity is relatively cheap and low-carbon, being about 70% sourced from renewables.
Since diverging from the UK in the 70s, NZ - well, the main urban centres, at any rate - have evolved in their own way and have a decent cosmopolitan outlook.
Kiwis (particularly Christchurchers) have a remarkable resilient get-on-with-it attitude. There are thousands of tales of adversity and tragedy arising from the earthquake - some with life-changing non-quake-related problems to boot - and yet people are still getting on with life and not really grumbling about their lot.

Of course, it's not all a bed of roses.

There's ongoing seismic activity in Chch, though it is on a clear downward trend. The last serious quake we had was on Oct 9, a few minutes after the start of the All Blacks quarter final. ("Wow, that was a heavy tackle...")
The sun takes no prisoners here, with a punishing UV index of 12 in Dec and Jan. Slip, slop, slap and wrap, lest ye turn to dust.
Public transport is a bit lacking. There are buses, but not very frequent; virtually no passenger trains. Long-distance travel is generally by coach or air, unless you're mad enough to drive.
The country's housing stock is generally a bit pants; Kiwis don't seem to value double glazing or central heating.
General literacy is... adequate. Sadly, this is a land of the grocer's apostrophe and the false-friend.
With the lower literacy standards seems to come less critical thought. One sees more of a presence of ads for homeopathy and other such woo, much of which has made me think "Ben Goldacre would be right on top of that".
As a counterpoint to the cosmopolitania, there are still some distinctly old-fashioned ideas around, particularly away from the big cities. There seems to be a lot more of the traditional household division of labour, and there seems to be less social stigma attached to drinking and driving.
Books are expensive. One supposes this is due to the smaller marketplace. They do have a domestic publishing industry, but it charges as much as imported books. Amazon often works out cheaper despite the extra shipping.
There is a brain drain. Kiwi citizens enjoy automatic residence in Aus, where salaries are 20% higher across the board. Furthermore, the small-town nature of much of NZ is evident. (About half the population lives in the big four cities, a quarter in the next twelve major towns, and the rest are spread far and wide.) On more than one occasion we've got chatting with a customer service youngster who has spoken in excited tones of having recently moved here to the "big city" from the middle-of-nowhere family home. There's a grand tradition of Overseas Experience, similar to gap years, but sadly many youngsters find the grass to be greener abroad and don't return.
We don't really know anybody here. Yes, we have colleagues, and we have made a very small number of friends here, but not enough. This, dear reader, is where you might be able to help ;-)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sadly, I don't think they'd have me.

I could never leave my kids behind. they may be adult, but I'd miss them too much.

How is the night sky: is light pollution much of a problem, or do you walk outside at night on a clear night and see the stars well ?

It's pretty good. Clear nights are wonderful, and there are more of them than in Blighty.

I might consider it were I not my mother's only known living relative, though we are too old even if we did want to emigrate. It is a shame, because I expect that NZ has uses for electronics design.

If I earn enough, we can visit at least.

NZ: what's not to like?

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