Anyone moved from UK to New Zealand? What are your good / bad / middling feelings?

[Analysisandparalysis]

We’ve always had the option of leaving the UK as husband has NZ / UK nationality (born there, but grown up here). We’ve never really considered going as, well, why? But more recently it’s struck me as something to consider medium term.

Would love to hear other’s experiences.

These threads always follow the same pattern. One person says NZ/Aus is waaaay more expensive than the UK. Then the next person says it's cheaper. Then one person says the housing is shit, then the next person says it's better. And so on, it all becomes a bit subjective.

Ultimately, if you have plenty of cash and some free time to enjoy it, everything can be amazing. Not just the food.

I used to work with someone from New Zealand. She said she didn't like it there and all the young people leave because it's dull and boring. It just made me think that the grass isn't greener and we all complain about the place we live.
I used to think about moving somewhere else but I wouldn't want to be that far from my family.

For me the big downside is that your DC become automatically "resident" (not sure that is the correct legal term) so if you split up and one wants to leave the country and take the DC the other parent has to agree even if they hold UK passports. So if it goes tits up it can be very bad.

Yes, I know someone in that situation @RandomMess. She can’t come home because her ex has vetoed it (even though he doesn’t see the kids and is basically an abusive shit).

Well, I feel exactly the same and more. We moved here form the UK 3 years ago and I will never forgive myself for doing so.

Unsophisticated, simple and boring existence, I feel sorry for my kids having to grow up here, I am still trying to convince my husband to move back to the UK asap for the kids and my mental health sake. Unfortunately his elderly parents were the main reason why we came here, but I at the moment I feel desperate really.
Schooling system sucks, if my kids would want to go to the UK universities, would probably need those 2 years to catch up anyway and the thought of them living there and me here for the rest of my days....makes me feel sick just thinking about it.
Christmas in the summer, Christmas decorations in the shops never seen anything worse! forget pumpkins at Halloween, absolutely no style to anything here, no proper traditions, nothing else happening throughout the year, Easter completely ignored, but yes if you want to celebrate a Chinese New Year, great, you will have loads of opportunities for that in Auckland.
Terrible! drivers, terrible! traffic, no manual cars, every time it rains beaches polluted with waste water, this is not a 1st world country!
Dogs not allowed anywhere, thought UK was bad, no, it is a paradise compare to here. ZOO is horrendous, so many more interesting places for small kids in the UK, small animal farms etc.
Houses are a joke, again, not a 1st world country standards at all, I have never felt so cold and uncozy in the wooden cottage!! worth 1mil plus!! we managed to afford, terrible!
Maori people get many advantages, special treatment in schooling, health system, extra payments, could go on and on...I find it quite racists to be honest, not fair to my kids. Maori All Blacks team only maori blood can play for that team, yet All Blacks anybody can play for....I this not racist?
Shopping is horrendous, expensive and not great choices...coming from the UK, you will notice the difference.
Dining out poor quality but top dollar unless you enjoy Asian food, I did, for a while....sick of it now.
Sports for kids better organization and quality in the UK.
Weather not better that in the UK, there at least you have proper seasons...Sun in the summer is too hot, have to hide from it ideally, will burn you in 10min sitting in it, crazy really.
Ok place to for a holiday, would not recommend for living permanently, low wages, high expenses, many Kiwis moving to Australia.
Travelling to EU too expensive, sooo awkward with the seasons and school holiday, when kids older, cant take them out of school to often...think about those things, I did not! Where do you want your kids to call home...plus the Kiwi accent is terrible as well compare to the British one (I am neither, so a good observant :)) Kiwis are very blend, forget any sense of humor let a long any irony, questioning, interest in different opinions, oh sorry, not allowed a different, god forbid a negative opinion!
And guess what, all the nature wonders are in EU as well!!! NZ gets promoted as something amazing and special just to get the tourists and tax payers here, who would otherwise spend so much money to come here, right?! NOONE!
BTW Auckland Museum has refused to host Harry Potter exhibition this year because of a minority not agreeing with Rowlings opinions! My daughter would love to go to see this as she is soo in HP atm. So short sighted, I would love to be able to just jump on a train to London and take her to see Harry Potter there. And yes, public transport not existing here!
Even if I had all the money to buy a actual house, not a cottage, with double glazing, Id be out of here yesterday!

and mine. Loads of Brits here.

@Analysisandparalysis food is very expensive, every time I return to England, I am shocked how cheap everything still is. It takes ages to get anywhere - 27 hours plus to most of Europe with expensive flights. House prices have dropped but still toppy in most areas. Housing standards are lower than UK, often very little insulation and double glazing has only recently been introduced on new builds.

We have been here since 2003 and I love it, weather is usually good, winters are mild - today we have a forecast 19C with an overnight 4C. The South Island gets lower temperatures and more snow. People have been very kind, friendly and welcoming.

I still miss the UK like mad though - miss the variety of shops, the history, places to go and the ease of travelling to Europe - do not miss the weather. But my home is here.

@Stika I think your post is horrible

Just realised this thread is from January!

@Stika - can you move back home?

Oh piss off with this racism. Many Maoris are in poverty now solely because of what the British did to them. Engage your brain and do a bit of research on some history

There's whinging poms and then there's @Stika. JFC, what an awful situation for your DH and children, being stuck with that attitude.

@churbrah would you not consider moving yourself?

Think about the long term too. I know you can't know what your kids will do but I know someone who moved there 40 years ago, raised their kids there and their kids have all taken off to Australia, Canada and UK over ten years ago. They're in for a difficult old age there all alone.

@Stika - do let us all know when you are leaving so we can come to the airport and make sure you get on the plane see you off. Just another whinging Pom we can do without. I feel so sorry for anyone you work with/live with, you sound like a bundle of joy and sheer hard work. What the hell are you still doing here?

I lived in NZ and its beautiful but I don't know why, it just never felt like home. So I came back.

Wow @Stika your post is SO unreasonable, it is difficult to know where to begin.

Maori have always been an aggressive warlike people, much like other Polynesians. European explorers commented on the prevalence of battle scars. But blame the British, if it makes you feel better.

Maori were skilled warriors, as they were skilled traders, negotiators, orators, storytellers,weavers, navigators and sailors.

None of this equipped them to fight the diseases brought with the colonisers, nor such things as alcoholism, and the suppression of their culture, and their language.

It did mean that they were able to negotiate for a treaty, that was meant to uphold their own governance, sovereignity, culture and treasures.

Unfortunately, it did not enable them to envision the widespread alienation and theft of their land, enabled by 'the rule of law' (looking at you, Governor Grey), and religion (the church has ever avariciously acquired as much land as it can garner).

The Maori did appeal to the British to take control of the British settlers, and to that end to negotiate a treaty, feeling they were a better bet than the French.

Maoris practised cannibalism and infanticide of girl babies on a wide scale. This was common in many Polynesian societies. I hate that so many cultures that have been influenced by the British are romanticised and seen as wonderful till the nasty white people took over.

Absolutely there was ritual cannibalism, there was slavery. My intention was not to romanticise, but to point out that they were a multi faceted people - 'the ugly savage' is just as erroneous as 'the noble savage'.

However, my main point was that the impact of colonisation on Maori, has indeed had a huge amount to do with over representation in negative statistics such as education engagement and performance, child abuse and domestic violence, jail population, etc.

That and structural racism. Another gift.

@Stika what a hideous post. You are exactly the type of person who should never leave British shores because you are too narrow-minded. Go back to the UK and do NZ a favour.

I’m a NZer living in the UK for decades and I’d never slag off my adopted country like you have. Disgraceful.

The "no culture" thing on mumsnet drives me batty. I think it's racist. Australia is home to a culture that has been there for thirty thousand years. New Zealand has this unique intertwining of Maori and European culture.

It just doesn't look like the British Museum, so mumsnet doesn't recognise it

To be fair, we don't want people like Stika here either.

Stika's obviously feeling pretty miserable with life right now, and very unhappy with where they are.

Stika says she’s not British so you’re off with your “whinging Pom” narrative.