5 Reasons I would NOT move to New Zealand (full honesty) | ft. The Oodie

I’m a kiwi living abroad and you made great points. Most downsides of NZ are about money I think. New build houses (not cheap investment properties) have much better insulation.

For people looking to move to new Zealand or kiwis still living in nz dont despair.....iv lived in the uk for 7+ years. Everything is relevant.....fuel in the uk is more expensive. Nz minimum wage is more than the uk. Rent is cheaper in nz depending on location Housing again cost all depends on location. Nz has more going for it than the negatives

I was born in Auckland you are so right. New Zealand is crazy expensive it's simply not worth it anymore to live and just rent so many problems are getting worse like gangs and crime. So happy I'm out of there.

Insulation is compulsory for new builds here...older houses from the 1920's (victorian, colonial, bungalow homes) may not have had insulation but with so many people renovating older homes, they certainly are insulated including under floor heating and heat pumps etc. Rental properties need to be insulated to meet building codes now too.

As a Kiwi who had lived in Europe for 12yrs and travelled to the US, we moved back to NZ, it’s a beautiful safe place, house prices are crazy but you can build your own (not a Mc Mansion) if you learn how, forget fomo and your ego competing with your friends, and you can build reasonably priced, yeah you earn more in Aussie because they are natural resource rich but you don’t cook(to hot)in summer in NZ goldilocks climate, if you don’t like the outdoors don’t pick NZ move to Seoul, and don’t come here for work if you have no skills, but there’s a reason billionaires buy here and people raise there kids here because it’s safe, beautiful food, and you don’t live to work, when I come home every time after travelling abroad I sigh in relief and thank god I live here.

Very valid reasons, I live in the south and we only heat the living room and have electric blankets on the beds to take of the chill before going to bed. I guess we are used to the cold here as it does not seem to bother me.

You have to remember that New Zealand is a tiny county with a tiny population compared to Canada. It doesn’t have the buying power for cheap goods.

I am from New Zealand I don't really know what it's like in Canada but what I do know as a rental property owner it has to be up to a very high standard and has to pass the healthy home standard to legally rent which includes insulation in the roof and walls and the floor if it is an older home without concrete floor it also needs a certain amount of kilowatts of heating depending on how big the houses

Weve been here for 20 years. By the time I fully realised how much I did not want to be here anymore, ( all the reasons you mention and more), it was too late as my kids have grown up here and now I have a granddaughter here too. They feel they belong here and want to stay while I would LOVE to go home. This is a problem for many people who immigrate to NZ who feel they dont belong but get trapped due to family and halso by ow hard and costly it is to emigrate again tback home or to another country. '

The houses. Swiss Prices, Albanian Quality.

I immigrated to Australia from the UK a few years ago, and visited NZ for a conference a few months ago. Honestly, the natural beauty was amazing and it was a great place to visit. The funny thing was even as a Brit, I was granted an Australian Resident Visa upon arrival which technically allowed me to live and work indefinitely in NZ if I wanted to. However, petrol was crazy expensive (it is in the UK too, but public transport is more available there and I've also got used to the cheap prices in Australia...). Property prices in Australia are pretty bad and have got worse in the UK (London is on another level ofc) but when I had a look at NZ, it was insane. I couldn't find anything decent in the town I was in (Wellington) for less than $1 million. The salaries in NZ do not reflect this. Even at the conference I attended, my counterparts from NZ were prob on 30-40% less than what I'm on but with much higher living costs compared to Australia. I'd consider moving to NZ one day, but only if I had a ton of money and enough to not struggle. Otherwise, it's a holiday destination for me.

Insulation: we are a lot poorer than many other western nations, so for years, houses only had to keep the water out.

Very good video. You are so right about the driving problem here in New Zealand. I have lived in New Zealand most of my life and I can confirm it can be very dangerous driving in this country. Some New Zealanders become very impatient when they are driving and tend to close follow your vehicle. They try to put pressure on you to either speed up or get out of the way. As you point out, the safest thing you can do is to pull over to the side of the road when you can and let them pass. On long trips and in some rural areas you can find yourself very frequently having to pull over to avoid stressful driving where you feel it is becoming dangerous when you are driving.

Historically the settlers to NZ came from UK. To them it was hot here, so they built homes to stay cool. And we had a massive supply of cheap wood and coal, so didn’t need worry about out heating. As a Canadian, have you ever been to Vancouver. You want o talk about expensive house - check out Vancouver.

Considering yourve been living there for 5 months you haven’t expencried it all I’ve lived 10+ years no problems at all.

As a Kiwi lawyer / investment banker who has been living in London for almost 30 years - I think you really need to consider what it is that you seek in terms of work / life balance & decide if NZ is a fit for you. Growing-up in NZ I flew light aircraft in the Southern Alps, was a Ski-Patroller, keen sailor, loved off-roading, hiking & enjoyed solitude and getting away from the crowds.These things are more difficult to do in Europe. NZ is not for everyone, but if sports, nature & the outdoors are your priorities then it may make your shortlist. It's a difficult place in which to build financial independence as it's really an economy built around small businesses. If you have the skills to start your own business or are a highly skilled professional then it may suit you. In my experience our most skilled professionals either make their life in NZ or move to UK or the US. Australia is more of a draw for our trades people and semi-skilled workers because that economy can support higher pay for non-professionals.

I live in the south island. But I really do think if your new to nz it's better to start in the north island where it's warmer if your not use to the cold. Cost of living does suck here .but maternity care ,midwifery is free within and that's for everyone even if your just visiting

The insulation comment struck me as a bit weird, we live in New Plymouth and have windows open 24/7 all year round, what would be the point of insulation it's not that cold.

Yes, New Zealand is one of the underpopulated western countries that started seeing the effect of the rapidly aging baby-boomer population. The economics of it just don't add up. I believe the same symptoms will soon be across all the western countries. New Zealand is at the front of it because of the small population and the distance from the rest of the world.

Thank you for being honest about your views. Every country do have its pros and cons. For me, it will depend on how the country makes me feel and I find that any obstacles will tend to sort themselves out eventually.