Why do we have such a low standard of living compared with Australia or New Zealand?

[Iggypoppie]

Disclaimer - never actually been but have watched a lot of Wanted Down Under

Just watched an episode of Wanted Down Under where the woman was told she could earn up to £40k pa working in a bridal dress shop. (£s not $s). And even after higher costs would be loads better off than in the UK.

This has been the case for most who are on the programme - including health and education workers.

So if the UK is a wealth country, why do we have such a low standard of living compared with these countries? (Assuming that the programme is accurate).

Am I missing something?

Whatever about Australia, I certainly wouldn’t describe New Zealand as a paradise. They are probably about twenty years behind the rest of the world and their treatment of minority and indigenous people is questionable to say the least.

Off topic but the talk of Australian mining towns has just reminded of a brilliant book by Douglas Kennedy - The Dead Heart. I must dig it out and read it again!

My sister is a care worker in Aus, she works 3 days a week, 7 till 3 and earns $30,000 a year! I haven't been over for years so not sure what the cost of living is like now though.

DSis did gawp when I mentioned that DS1's mildly uneven teeth were "bad enough to get done for free on the NHS." My nephew had teeth growing all over the place like a walrus and she had to pay $7000 to get braces for him, there was absolutely no chance of getting them fixed for nothing.

I think lower population = better quality of life

One pp said “ Population is also much lower than the EU so they don't benefit from economies of scale. My BIL was looking at the price of bathroom fittings and the difference in price between the UK and NZ is like x3 more expensive”

Using bathrooms as an example, how often would you need a new one? Every 30 years? We have a ton of cheap stuff to buy in the UK but that reduces quality of life. I mean, I don’t buy it, but it takes loads of people to churn it out, hence overpopulation because we keep feeding this endless starving economic monster on our tiny island.

I have friends and family in Australia. Their problems still followed them over there: hating jobs, stress, unhappy marriages etc etc.

They earn great wages but spend a fortune on medical and dental care. Food bills are extortionate. Holidays are extortionate as you may have to travel half way around the world. Cars are expensive and places are far apart to drive to.

Racism is rife and aboriginal people are treated appallingly.

The weather is chaotic: storms, blazing temperatures leading to forest fires.

Crazy wildlife and critters.

A friend had machete wielding gangs going around their neighbourhood. They live in a nice suburb of an Australian town.

None of them think highly of the education system.

They all admitted they rarely do the nice things they moved over for e.g. beautiful beaches, outdoor lifestyle etc.

Grass is always greener.....

My DDad is Australian, as is his wife. The property prices in the area of Melbourne in which he lives are extortionate: a million dollars for a two bedroom apartment (not in the city centre!).
Although the area is lovely, the food shops aren’t great- my step-mother loves Sainsbury’s and always wants to go to my small-town Waitrose when she is in the UK. I spend half a day each week taking her to big supermarkets each time she visits!
As teachers, we can’t afford to live near them, much as I’d love to be closer.

From what some posters are saying there’s less of a consumer culture

Does this also mean there’s less of the food delivery culture?

Definitely less of a food delivery culture in NZ! No doubt that's part of the '20 years behind' judgment.

As to how NZ's record on treatment of Maori:

We have a treaty, that is honoured. It's taken some hell of a doing, but the 1840 Treaty between the British crown and Maori is now considered a constitutional and founding document of the nation, and has been the reason for millions, if not billions of reparation, of apologies, of land given back. It has also been a cornerstone of trying to save Te Reo Maori, the language, and its growing use in mainstream media, and its encouragement in education.

There is a lot of work to do. Maori and Pasifiika are lagging in terms of health, domestic violence, crime, and educational statistics. But this is acknowledged, and worked upon. Bloody hard.

Of course there are always the whingers that complain about racism because there are scholarships to encourage Maori higher education, publicity drives to encourage health proactivity, that sort of thing. Those whingers aren't always NZ born. . .

@IHaveBrilloHair. Inland and about a decade before you. Then I gradually moved eastwards. I can assure you that Qld has its fair share too.

Got nothing to add but an interesting thread.

@GeorgianaD

I guess you haven't been here for a while because there's a Māori renaissance going on. Iwis in my area have moved beyond a long land claim process and are experiencing a resurgence - building waka and marae, breathing life into old customs and traditions. Outside Māori communities people are having lots of discussions about Māori rights, and addressing wrongs. And it's totally wonderful to see my kids come home from school reciting their mihis and singing songs in te reo.

It's not perfect. But it's improving.

@GeorgianaD

Hmmm, I think you're about 20-30 years out of date with your info as PP has said. NZ is more progressive in so many ways - technologically, politically etc.

It's a small country with a small population and has an amazing spirit. People are proud to be from NZ, not in a showy way, but just in a typical understated Kiwi kind of way. Oh, and for a small country it's produced rather a large number of sporting heroes over the years...

I like a drop of WDU but always question the reality of jobs, wages, costs etc. Masterchef Australia, however, shows amazing produce, great restaurants and food culture and nice people

My husband is a Kiwi and I used to live in NZ for many years. There are many aspects of NZ that I do miss but there are many that I was happy to leave behind. You have to drive everywhere, even in Auckland. The food is rather unhealthy (mince pies for breakfast?!) and so bloody expensive. The house prices are out of this world - we have friends going back that have to live with their parents as they can’t afford to buy. In general, I feel so much safer in London than walking around Auckland at night. Didn’t feel safe walking around Hamilton during the day sometimes around the river...The culture is macho (but than gender equality is prevalent as well?!) and I have witnessed countless fights...over a taxi after a night out. There is a lot it racism too, mainly against Asians. On our recent trip in 2016 we saw a lot more inequality - people sleeping in their cars as they can’t afford to rent. I don’t know, I maybe sound too negative, but I did love my 8 years in NZ. . However, I feel our life in London is far better and our child is better off here.

Although, I should be fair and point out that I miss the NZ can do attitude. Also feel the NZ schooling system is far better in fostering team work, public speaking and self confidence.

Here's why. It's attitude. In NZ and Australia we are still positive about life. All the Brits I come across - and especially the ones on here - are miseries. Utter miseries. Brits seem to choose a miserable, grey life then moan about it to all and sundry. That's why we call them whinging poms.

But I would take the figures quoted on those shows with a massive grain of salt. A bit like the cost of renovation figures on renovation shows. No-one in real life makes a massive, f*ck-off profit on a home reno.

Whatever about Australia, I certainly wouldn’t describe New Zealand as a paradise. They are probably about twenty years behind the rest of the world and their treatment of minority and indigenous people is questionable to say the least.

Untrue and slightly hypocritical, coming from the perpetrators and benefactors of colonialism in the first place.

All the Brits I come across - and especially the ones on here - are miseries. Utter miseries. Brits seem to choose a miserable, grey life then moan about it to all and sundry. That's why we call them whinging poms.
That's a bit harsh and skewed, much like our view of Oz from WDU etc. I have a lovely time living here, getting out and about, meeting friends and neighbours, chit chatting to strangers. I'm going to put up my bird table today, can't wait. I think the "whinging Pom" trope goes back to when people left the UK to go to the other side of the world and had little means of contact with family back home, everything was different and strange and they were unlikely to ever see relatives again for the rest of their lives or come back themselves. I met many Ozzies and Kiwis in the 70s/80s in London who behaved just the same for the same reasons. Even today, people who move to another country usually have plenty to say what they don't like about it

I’d ignore anyone who dismisses a whole nation on “attitude” and brings up empire anyway.

As a black woman, I certainly wouldn’t describe myself as a benefactor of colonialism.

Georgiana, I couldn’t be arsed going back through the thread but always wonder about that assumption.

I'm from NZ but spent the past 8 years living in Australia and am now in the UK.

I lived in an extremely remote area of the Northern Territory and more recently on the Gold Coast, Queensland. In NZ I grew up in a small town in the North Island but also spent 6 years in Dunedin and 2 in Christchurch.

I was home over Christmas and New Year for two months (hadn't been in NZ since the start of 2016)

OBSERVATIONS..
Cost of petrol... Don't get me started!
AU can range anywhere from $1.20 - $1.40 or so per litre ($1.40 seen as expensive)
NZ around $2.10 p/l
UK (the area I'm in anyway) £1.17 to £1.26 p/l WTAF !?!
I thought NZ was expensive for fuel given its only 10cents a litre cheaper than a remote aboriginal community in the NT but the cost here is astronomical.. even at £1.17 that's almost NZD $2.40 FOR ONE LITRE OF PETROL! Jeepers

Look any other thoughts? Preferences?

The cost of food in NZ is absolutely criminal! It is so so expensive! eg. 2L of milk can be up around $4.50. In AU it's $2. Nappies is another one.. cheap as chips here and lots more variety. NZ $5 for a pack of about 10, AU $15 for a big pack that would last around 3 weeks.

NZ doesn't have Aldi and the cost of food really just blew my mind and annoyed me so so much every time I went to the supermarket.

Another example is those squeezy yogurt pouches. In NZ a box of five of these for $5 was marketed as a super saver or something along those lines.. ahhh no! These are $1 a pop at Aldi as a standard price and the packet is bigger as well. I'm sure they're cheap as here as well but haven't been here very long