New Zealand?

[Pensador]

Well it's flattering that anyone is even considering little ol' NZ as a possible bolthole... I am from Tauranga in the North Island and after five years in BA, I'm calling it a day.

I think a lot of it has to do with life stages. I was a young and naïve 21 y.o. when I arrived here, but now that I'm older (and wiser?), I just want stability, NZ$, feijoas and Earl Grey Tea. It's getting compliquete here, much too difficult to plan for the future.

Meanwhile, NZ is a good place to be right now. The economy is picking up again after the 2008 recession and people are optimistic, despite losing the cricket to Australia in the weekend. It may be isolated from the rest of the world, but there is a lot happening, and life is just more simple and clean. And you never have to drive very far to go to a national park, ski field, or the beach.

Despite living here for so long, getting even short-term residency was never easy. Meanwhile, my Argentine partner was granted a residency visa for NZ (by virtue of being the partner of a NZ citizen) in just five weeks.

And if any of you ever decide to take the plunge, you can rest assured that there is a growing Argentine expat community in New Zealand, especially in the Bay of Plenty region which boasts good surf and kiwifruit.

If anyone is seriously considering the move, you can count on me for unbiased local advice and accent training.

I have a nice set of business connections there and they have always been a pleasure to do business with. Sold allot of products there and gee go figure the only mention I find of my products down here is how to crack and steal them.

 

[Pensador]

Out of curiosity, noticed on the Uruguayan Expats forum on Facebook that a lot are really stressed over the violent murder of a blueberry farmer in Maldonado who was a member of the expat community/frequent poster - was that a sort of "straw that broke the camel's back"? It seems to be for several over there...

No I did not even know about that to be honest. Sorry to hear about the Blueberry Farmer that is terrible. I was in the city of Maldonado a few weeks ago and noticed some anti-Yankee painted murals/propaganda on a building wall relating to Venezuela. Which did strike me a bit also.

What has me thinking is a few things. The crime has been going up yes. But if Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina all sink together then there is the potential for things to get much worse very fast. While I am sure that some of the crime element is Uruguayans I have heard that there are some new social elements coming in that are contributing to the problem.

But I also think South America is always going to have and under belly of people that have nothing to lose especially given how soft South America is on criminals. Crime suites these people and in many cases I am sure it is the only option they have. I do not believe South America even able to provide security effectively and in many ways it caters to these social elements with nothing to lose.

And thinking about all that. Do I want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder? Trying to make sure my house is utterly secure at all times? And that while living in a fairly expensive location?

But some of the expats I know are starting to think the same way recently. Maybe it is just the writing on the wall so to say.

 

[ChrisfromNZ]

Hi there

I'm from NZ and just moved here recently. I love it here by the way!

Moving to NZ is siimilar to moving to England/Australia/Canada. Obviously with a different culture.
Being a first world anglo saxon country you can expect efficiency etc.
Prices are not cheap however the quality of things is always high standard and food is fresh.
People are polite and friendly. We make our own fun by spending alot of time outdoors, beaches, bush walking, parks etc.

Beign far away doesnt really bother us. you only see it if you are wanting to go to asia or the americas or europe. But how often in a year do you want to do that? haha
We get films at same time as usa, we have everything here you could want and need haha.

if you have any questions let me know

 

[davonz]

I go back most years for a couple of months, and will probably retire there because of the lifestyle. The biggest things i notice is how green and clean it is, and the non-hassle to get stuff done, just simple things like getting a new passport, drivers licence, opening a back account, etc compared to alot of places i have lived/worked and even compared to AU.

Here are some things (good and bad) that are important for me:

PLUSES: Its safe (most violent crime is gang related or domestic). Booming economy (or at least thats what we are told). Low unemployment. Easy to get stuff in country as no import restrictions - can import anything and if new and over $400 only have to pay GST(15%) on it. Corruption is pretty much non-existent. Easy to start a business - all the gov paperwork can be done in a few hours and you are ready to go in less than a day. Lots of outdoor stuff to do and easy access to beaches, mountains, lakes etc. People are friendly and helpful. Food is good quality and cheap for the most part. Cheap flights to other countries, travel insurance is cheap ($600 for a year worldwide - excludes USA). Cops dont carry guns and dont come across as arrogant like alot of countries. Free hospitals. Cars are cheap. Freight (couriers/post) is fast and can have something anywhere in the country within 2 days. People stop for pedestrians on crossings.

CONS: House prices in Auckland are expensive (compared to incomes and other countries). Nightlife is pretty tame compared to alot places, and there isnt much going on in places outside Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch nightlife wise. Public transport is crap (everyone pretty much needs a car) outside of the main cities. Flights to most other countries are long. Alcohol is expensive. Some imported stuff can be a rip off compared to the States (but amazon and ebay are your friend). Dairy products are a rip-off (milk - $3.50 for 2lts). Petrol is expensive (petrol $1.90 lt / diesel $1.20 lt).

 

[Hybrid Ambassador]

My anciano buddy is currently living in NZ, the NZ residency can be attained fast if you can show a modest income.

To meet the minimum income requirements, applicants must have a guaranteed lifetime minimum income of at least NZ$27,319 per annum.

My buddy usedto live in England and then the US, he thought his English language command was pretty good till gotten there.
He said, listening to a Kiwi speak but could go nowhere, he had to re-learn the so called English spoken in NZ. The other day
I have received a phone call from NZ, have my 39 Chevy up for sale and the Kiwi wanted to know more about my car.

When starting to listen to his spoken English, it came to me what my buddy had said about their thick accent ! I had to repeat,
pardon me, come again? ..What was that? etc..

But language aside, it is very pretty there. rain,fogs,cold and the volcanoes but the scenery is breath taking and the Sushi is pretty
fresh. Also thought I was in Japan, all cars are Japanese branded thus right hand drives and they drive in the right side of the road
too!

 

[Girino]

I am curious to hear NZ English, anybody has a link to share or fancies a kiwi coffee chat?

 

[nkotb]

Hybrid Ambassador: you are really not in a position to be making fun of anyone's English, least of all a native speaker's.

Serafina: google Flight of the Conchords

 

[Hazel]

@Serafina: This 44-minute doco on New Zealand English is fascinating, informative, and very entertaining!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV_UmOvV1vs

One thing that characterises our accent is something called the High Rising Terminal (HRT), which means our voice rises at the end of a sentence and makes even statements sound like questions. It's thought that this feature is a result of Kiwis never being that confident in what they say, always searching for confirmation from others. And if the HRT is not enough, it's common to add 'Eh?' at the end of every sentence, kind of like the Canadians, eh?

I'll be the first to admit that I no longer sound that 'Kiwi,' otherwise I would gladly offer myself as a study subject for a Kiwi coffee chat!

 

[Girino]

@Serafina: This 44-minute doco on New Zealand English is fascinating, informative, and very entertaining!

https://www.youtube....h?v=bV_UmOvV1vs

One thing that characterises our accent is something called the High Rising Terminal (HRT), which means our voice rises at the end of a sentence and makes even statements sound like questions. It's thought that this feature is a result of Kiwis never being that confident in what they say, always searching for confirmation from others. And if the HRT is not enough, it's common to add 'Eh?' at the end of every sentence, kind of like the Canadians, eh?

I'll be the first to admit that I no longer sound that 'Kiwi,' otherwise I would gladly offer myself as a study subject for a Kiwi coffee chat!

I am watching this documentary and the automatic captions in YouTube are hilarious! I can understand pretty well the narrator and the sociologist, but I have no idea what the blond lady is saying. It reminds me so much about Scottish and how I couldn't understand a thing they were saying when I went there!

Now I want to visit NZ! I want to know more about it! How come there are two main Islands? Why isn't it the same as Australia? What do NZlanders do for a living? What do they eat? Are they so much anglicized or there is a great dose of kiwiness in them? And is kiwi an adjective like criollo or does it refers to natives (I suppose the are called aboriginals in NZ as well?). What are Nzlanders proud of?
So much interesting things going on throughout the world!

 

[Tangerine]

>My anciano buddy is currently living in NZ, the NZ residency can be attained fast if you can show a modest income.

To meet the minimum income requirements, applicants must have a guaranteed lifetime minimum income of at least NZ$27,319 per annum.

El embajador está mal informado.
Busque las calificaciones para jubilados en una página web en Nueva Zelanda como:
http://www.enz.org/retire

Es muy difícil calificar.
Y!
Como siempre el está lleno de mieda y no sabe de lo que esta hablando.

To my ear Kiwi is closer to English then Porteño is to Spanish.