# Thinking of Immigrating to New Zealand **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 12, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658 "2017-02-12T17:59:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/21 "2017-02-13T02:43:09Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Housing in New Zealand (in the cities) is significantly more expensive than in Michigan, but I find the price of housing in the GTA ludicrous as hell, too, so your purchasing power may already account for that. I was reading an expat message board, and one thing immigrants to NZ said was that the quality of the housing was quite low compared to the US, due to less restrictive building rules. Any truth to that? ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/22 "2017-02-13T03:10:11Z")
That’s pretty accurate. Poorly insulated, shoddily built houses are depressingly common. Things were particularly bad when the building code was reformed in the late 80s, and thousands of leaky homes were built. Anything built between 1990 odd and 2010 needs a thorough inspection if you’re going to buy it. My immigrant workmates are bemused by NZ home building practices. On the positive side our Prime Minister can shear a [sheep pretty well.](http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/89313060/Sheep-sheering-whiz-PM-takes-down-a-legend-at-world-champs) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/23 "2017-02-13T05:05:17Z")
I’m originally from Dunedin. It’s cold. Don’t go there. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/24 "2017-02-13T06:10:05Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I’m originally from Dunedin. It’s cold. Don’t go there. I am also from Dunedin. Listen to GuanoLad, he speaks the truth. Seriously, Dunedin is a lovely town, but it is cold. Not the nice cold that brings lots snow, just the mundane cold that is uncomfortable and un-fun. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/25 "2017-02-13T13:54:38Z")
Ok BeepKillbeep just checking for you aannndd…oh dear that’s a shame. New Zealand is closed for immigration at the moment. Its a year with an “0” in it. Sorry mate, come back later. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/26 "2017-02-13T14:35:30Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > I am also from Dunedin. Listen to GuanoLad, he speaks the truth. > > Seriously, Dunedin is a lovely town, but it is cold. Not the nice cold that brings lots snow, just the mundane cold that is uncomfortable and un-fun. _Scratches Dunedin off list_ Got it! Thanks! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/27 "2017-02-13T14:42:57Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > As for the good, there is simply no denying its incredible beauty. It is very lightly populated compared to America… Which part of America? Cos there’s some areas which don’t quite have what I’d call a high population density. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/28 "2017-02-13T15:01:19Z")
This is an excellent post and I’ll just clarify a few things. > [@Aspenglow](#): > > You are right, it is a beautiful, beautiful country. > > I would say their culture is more English mixed with some American, than Canadian. Agreed although we bond with Canadians and have a similar no fuss temperament. > [@Aspenglow](#): > > If I remember right, only native New Zealanders may own coastal property, but it is always with the caveat that they must grant total unfettered access to the Maori people. Immigrants can’t own coastal property at all. I allow I may be wrong about this. Not really. Anyone can own coastal property and all beaches are public property. Maori do retain traditional rights to the seabed and foreshore. This has been a hot topic and in a few places Maori activists have put up gates and insist on an access fee. However I’ve never seen it and I suspect enthusiasm has waned for the moment. > [@Aspenglow](#): > > Even if there is parity with the American dollar, many NZ goods are very expensive when compared to American goods. The reason is obvious: Many goods coming to NZ must be imported from overseas. > > Friends who emigrated from the States to the North Island…wanted to replace their microwave oven. They learned that the place to shop for this item was their local post office. They had a choice of one model. To use it, you twisted a knob. That’s it. Quite possibly true but very unusual. Post Offices were turned into shops in the early 1990s and these days include a bank (a child of the Post Office Savings Bank). I’ve had Panasonic microwaves since 1989. > [@Aspenglow](#): > > Other American friends who migrated further north shared some interesting knowledge…including widespread use of chemicals such as 2-4-D to maintain that clean, environmental reputation. When a populated area was to be sprayed, they received only an informal notification in the local paper. Hopefully you read the paper that day! I have used 2-4-D myself to spray broom and thistles. But carefully. Not sure if it is even allowed now. We do have fervent environmentalists who object to any hydrocarbon spray at all. I’m sympathetic but we can’t mess about with exotic weeds. > [@Aspenglow](#): > > They also shared that organic produce is scarce unless you grow it yourself, and that those gorgeous pristine beaches are infested with sand fleas that make hanging out on them rather miserable. Organic food is very popular and in supermarkets, albeit expensive. Sand flies. I hates them I hates them with a passion. Still, they only live where there is bush (native forest) beaches and placid water. I refuse to live near the devils spawn and so far have been 100% successful. Haven’t noticed the problem at popular beaches. > [@Aspenglow](#): > > Of course you are aware that it is an extremely seismically active area. The top of the South – where we were interested to take up residence – is stunningly beautiful, but again, very vulnerable to earthquakes. I feel fortunate to have seen Christchurch before the big earthquake in 2011 that destroyed the cathedral and much of the rest of the charming town. > > Wellington at the bottom of the North is known as Windy Wellington for very good reason. Earthquakes. NZ is a bit like Japan and Chile being on the Pacific Ring and small quakes are normal. The area you looked at (beautiful) and Wellington have had a really bad time lately. [2016 Kaikōura earthquake - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Kaikoura_earthquake) And we also have volcanos and thermal hot springs. These are scattered and add to an interesting country. > [@Aspenglow](#): > > Homes are built to take full advantage of natural solar heat. Even in towns, homes try to face **north** with lots of windows. It’s not uncommon for portions of a house to be closed off in winter and only a couple of rooms kept toasty with wood heat. Mmmm. Unfortunately only newer houses are built to the sun. Our houses have been rudimentary. A warm home meant an open fireplace fed by coal and wood. Which we huddled around. Gen X and Y don’t stand for that nonsense lol. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/29 "2017-02-13T17:09:23Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Which part of America? Cos there’s some areas which don’t quite have what I’d call a high population density. Oh, you’re right, of course. I’ve lived in a couple of them. Few places in America feel so desolate as upper north central Montana in the winter. I was thinking more of American coastal regions. In parts of NZ, you can drive for miles and miles – excuse me; kilometers and kilometers – and never see a dwelling or a person on the beach. The drive from Christchurch up to Blenheim was like that. That particular visit was around 2003 and there were fewer than 2 million people on the entire South Island. I can’t think of any stretch of coastline I’ve traveled in the States like that. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/30 "2017-02-13T17:46:31Z")
**Ken001** , thank you for your clarifications and added insights to what I posted, especially regarding beach access and ownership. In my travels there, I never encountered a sand _fly_ either. I prefer to do my traveling in fall or early spring, so not really a beach bunny at those times of year. It was something I was interested to learn of from a friend, however, as a potential immigrant. 🙂 LOL, your keen (and in my opinion, wise) interest in eradicating thistle and broom at all costs reminds me of my husband. He maintained a laser-like focus on keeping our farm free of both until the day he died. He was appalled at uncontrolled patches of Scotch Broom around Oregon. I have carried on for him now he’s gone. And again, it isn’t that Americans don’t use 2-4-D. We do. The requirements to notify others affected by its commercial use here were different – at that time, anyway. It is definitely an herbicide to be used sparingly to the greatest extent possible. I still have related-by-marriage family living on the South Island from Blenheim, Westport and Christchurch, so keep tabs on what is happening there re earthquake activity. They have indeed suffered a bad stretch. Coming from California, I view earthquakes as something to respect and prepare for, and normal-sized quakes don’t bother me much. Not all Americans are comfortable to live in seismically-active areas, though. I wasn’t sure what the OP’s experience with them was, so wanted to mention that aspect of living there. Yours is a very special country. I am grateful to have experienced it and hope to return again one day. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/31 "2017-02-13T21:11:22Z")
Employment may be problematic, unless you can bring your job with you, or you have skills that are in demand. It’s a small pool with a limited number of professional jobs and most NZ-ers who want any kind of professional career end up packing their bags and heading for their nearest large neighbour, or England. We have two in our office. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/32 "2017-02-13T21:15:44Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > LOL, your keen (and in my opinion, wise) interest in eradicating thistle and broom at all costs reminds me of my husband. He maintained a laser-like focus on keeping our farm free of both until the day he died. He was appalled at uncontrolled patches of Scotch Broom around Oregon. I have carried on for him now he’s gone. > > And again, it isn’t that Americans don’t use 2-4-D. We do. The requirements to notify others affected by its commercial use here were different – at that time, anyway. It is definitely an herbicide to be used sparingly to the greatest extent possible. My respects for your late husband and yourself. Killing exotic weeds can de tiring but is worth doing. I think there might be confusion about 2-4-D. The real concern here is the use of 1080 sodium fluoroacetate to kill possums. And yes it is flown by helicoptors. But it is also used very carefully and attracts condemnation from some people. There are notices in the newspapers and also news stories every time it is used: it would be difficult not to know. It is not used near population centres. 1080 is used in a very few places around the world including the US (for coyote control). Essentially if you have mammals you care about, 1080 cannot be used. NZ is unique in having no native mammals except for a small bat. Therefore introduced mammals are the ones at risk. One of the introduced creatures is the Australian Possum which has found paradise here. There are 50 million actively destroying our native bush so 1080 is the only large scale method available. Yet in Australia the same animal is protected so it can be a delicate issue. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/33 "2017-02-13T22:28:04Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > _Scratches Dunedin off list_ > > Got it! Thanks! 🙂 If you’re going for science researcher or post secondary educator then Dunedin is probably an easy way into the country. It is primarily a university town. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/34 "2017-02-13T22:44:52Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > If you’re going for science researcher or post secondary educator then Dunedin is probably an easy way into the country. It is primarily a university town. Now I think you’re just screwing with me. 😜 In all seriousness, I wouldn’t take anything off the list and would accept an offer from University of Otago if one were offered. But I will take what you said into consideration and prefer an offer from a less cold locale, for example the University of Auckland. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/35 "2017-02-13T23:12:44Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > My respects for your late husband and yourself. Killing exotic weeds can de tiring but is worth doing. > > I think there might be confusion about 2-4-D. The real concern here is the use of 1080 sodium fluoroacetate to kill possums. And yes it is flown by helicoptors. But it is also used very carefully and attracts condemnation from some people. There are notices in the newspapers and also news stories every time it is used: it would be difficult not to know. It is not used near population centres. > > 1080 is used in a very few places around the world including the US (for coyote control). Essentially if you have mammals you care about, 1080 cannot be used. I agree, and suspect the confusion here arose due to a misunderstanding on the part of the friends who imparted the information to me. They mentioned 2,4-D as the agent that was being sprayed, and in my own personal experience on my grandparents’ dry land wheat farm as well as the forested farm where I now live, 2,4-D is what they use, too. Here, too, it is a hotly-debated issue, made worse for the fact that there are alternatives to 2,4-D but the commercial foresters don’t wish to use them for some reason – even though the alternatives are widely in use on public lands. It is an [herbicide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic_acid) and not in use for controlling wildlife here. The foresters here spray it – by helicopter – to control broad leaf weeds whenever they log a patch. They send a personal letter by mail to every potentially-affected resident prior the day they intend to spray, as well as make personal phone calls to impart the exact date and time. I just clear out or stay tucked inside. My guess is that my friends’ shift from a life lived in fairly urban Santa Barbara, California, to rural Gisborne, NZ, did not prepare them for being sprayed with _anything_. **BeepKillBeep** , I spent a lot of time on the [move2nz](http://www.move2nz.com/) forum and others as we plotted our escape from the States. If you haven’t already found and joined them, they are a wealth of information. About Auckland… here is a post from [e2nz.org](https://e2nz.org/an-americans-take-on-rip-off-new-zealand/) with an American’s take on moving there. It is not, I am sure, a universal opinion. However, I can vouch that I heard many similar opinions expressed by Americans who had migrated there on every forum I frequented. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/36 "2017-02-13T23:20:59Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > **BeepKillBeep** , I spent a lot of time on the [move2nz](http://www.move2nz.com/) forum and others as we plotted our escape from the States. If you haven’t already found and joined them, they are a wealth of information. > > About Auckland… here is a post from [e2nz.org](https://e2nz.org/an-americans-take-on-rip-off-new-zealand/) with an American’s take on moving there. It is not, I am sure, a universal opinion. However, I can vouch that I heard many similar opinions expressed by Americans who had migrated there on every forum I frequented. I had not found that forum. Thanks for pointing it out!! 🙂 And Ken001 for some additional and clarifying remarks. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/37 "2017-02-13T23:30:05Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I actually find it strange that I can even make this distinction, because being a Michigander, Ontario is pretty much identical (the GTA being the exception) to Michigan. Most of California is more foreign to me than Ontario, for example. No doubt. I’ve spent plenty of time in Oakville/Mississauga, and if it wasn’t for the metric and bilingual signage I’d easily mistake it for Warren. At least the northern half of Warren. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/38 "2017-02-13T23:45:12Z")
> [@Turek](#): > > I was reading an expat message board, and one thing immigrants to NZ said was that the quality of the housing was quite low compared to the US, due to less restrictive building rules. Any truth to that? > [@lisiate](#): > > That’s pretty accurate. Poorly insulated, shoddily built houses are depressingly common. Things were particularly bad when the building code was reformed in the late 80s, and thousands of leaky homes were built. Anything built between 1990 odd and 2010 needs a thorough inspection if you’re going to buy it. My immigrant workmates are bemused by NZ home building practices. I’m not sure where **Turek** ’s friend was from in the US, but lots of housing here is built appallingly poorly. Partly that’s due to supply problems, and partly that’s because the US has a tradition of building houses as quickly and cheaply as possible due to strong population growth. In the Northeast, houses are still build out of brick and stuff, but elsewhere wood-frame construction seems to be the norm. And in Florida a thorough inspection is a must for almost any house. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/39 "2017-02-14T01:27:54Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I’m not sure where **Turek** ’s friend was from in the US, but lots of housing here is built appallingly poorly. Partly that’s due to supply problems, and partly that’s because the US has a tradition of building houses as quickly and cheaply as possible due to strong population growth. > > In the Northeast, houses are still build out of brick and stuff, but elsewhere wood-frame construction seems to be the norm. And in Florida a thorough inspection is a must for almost any house. not sure what you’re referring to since wood framing has been pretty widespread since at least the '40s. the kvetching about cheap modern houses has been around things like increasing the center-to-center distance of studs, and using OSB for roofs and outside walls instead of plank. also some complain about drywall in place of plaster, which is silly because properly installed drywall acts as a firebreak. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658/40 "2017-02-14T01:39:14Z")
> [@Mk\_VII](#): > > Employment may be problematic, unless you can bring your job with you, or you have skills that are in demand. It’s a small pool with a limited number of professional jobs and most NZ-ers who want any kind of professional career end up packing their bags and heading for their nearest large neighbour, or England. We have two in our office. The Kiwi friend I mentioned upthread was one of these. He spent most of his career overseas, but he was clever and always managed it on a contract basis, i.e., he was never anyone’s employee. I befriend him in China working for a competitor, after having worked for my company. > [@jz78817](#): > > No doubt. I’ve spent plenty of time in Oakville/Mississauga, and if it wasn’t for the metric and bilingual signage I’d easily mistake it for Warren. At least the northern half of Warren. I know who you work for; one of these days I’m going to have to find out what you do. Last time I lived in the GTA was U387 launch, and have only been back for work a few times since then, and never while on my China assignment. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-immigrating-to-new-zealand/779658.md?page=3)