Should I go to NZ

[Marcel12]

Hi Everybody.

Is it really worth it to move to NZ ? I have been fliping a coin for the past 3 years on whether to go or not. I just do not know what to do ! I have done extensive reseach on NZ and I must say it looks and sounds very impressive ,but I think that true and honest comments on my question above would really help me to make up my mind. My wife will move in a haert beat as she has had alot of bad expiences in SA ( crime related) including being involved in a armed robbery and being shot at.

[cyclewife]

Firstly - welcome to the form    I'm sure you'll find it very informative.

In answer to your question:  Is it really worth it to move to NZ?
Nobody here can tell you whether its worth it.... they can tell you if it was worth it for them - worth is what YOU put a value to "the decision" & will it work for you.
Is your life worth it? I think your wife sure thinks her life is since she is ready to leave in a heart beat - and who can blame her - being a victim of crime.
We're not there yet - waiting for an answer to our application... but i'm sure everybody on this forum that are already there will tell you it was worth it to them.  Many trials & tribulations - immigration not being all rosy as some might want to believe it is...but  its the end result that counts... freedom, no more fear, taxes that you as a resident can see working, a government that looks after their people from an education, safety, health point of view, clean streets & parks...to name a few.
Like you - I also toyed with the idea for a long time before getting on a plane and visiting.  And still upon my return I was hot/cold hot/cold toward the idea of packing up and making a new life in another country.
Do yourself a favor - make your own pro's & con's list.  If the pro's outweigh the con's - what are you waiting for? 

[ronaldd]

Don't come to New Zealand if you are not 100% sure.

Crime is a factor for many, but wasnt for me.
Salaries are more but so is the living expenses (well, i hear south africa has gotten rather rough the last 3 years)
If you have kids,  the school system is different, not better or worse,  some things you will like, some things you wont.
Even after you land,  and you get settle you will still go to a job unless you are from the Oppenheimer family.

The ups ,  there is less crime here and also less people.

If crime was your only reason for considering to leave,  then i suspect it was a very very serious crime incident.

Something to consider.  Most south africans who I know and live here, when asked what they would do different... they say they would have done it sooner.  So ,   you have been flipping a coin for 3 years.  3 years from now you might decide you want to come after your wife was shot or some other factor which isn't crime related, and you will go.. if only i moved 6 years ago...

Don't come to New Zealand if you are not 100% sure.

[SaKiwiBoer]

Don't come to New Zealand if you are not 100% sure.
Salaries are more but so is the living expenses (well, i hear south africa has gotten rather rough the last 3 years)
If you have kids,  the school system is different, not better or worse,  some things you will like, some things you wont.
Even after you land,  and you get settle you will still go to a job unless you are from the Oppenheimer family
The ups ,  there is less crime here and also less people.
If crime was your only reason for considering to leave,  then i suspect it was a very very serious crime incident.
Something to consider.  Most south africans who I know and live here, when asked what they would do different... they say they would have done it sooner.  So ,   you have been flipping a coin for 3 years.  3 years from now you might decide you want to come after your wife was shot or some other factor which isn't crime related, and you will go.. if only i moved 6 years ago...
Don't come to New Zealand if you are not 100% sure.

For once I think I agree with ronaldd, albeit not 100% but 95% of what he says.
The up " there is less crime here and also less people" could also be seen as a down. Less people, smaller economy so less opportunities.
If you ask me after more than 4 years in NZ if I would have done it earlier... I don't know. If I would have done it differently, I don't know. All I do know my life in NZ will most probably get to a sense of normality once I can secure a permanent position within a big company. And I'm not the only one looking for that. There are people here that haven't secured a proper job here either.
I heard the other day a funny story about a SA'n guy in ACKL. He's a qualified lawyer. Used to be a senior partner in a big firm in SA. 600+ Lawyers in the firm. He can't secure a job because the kiwi's are most probably threatened by him. He now works in a gun shop... 
Now if your qualifications are of that kind that you'll find a job quickly, then your life will quickly get into a routine and then you'll most probably be able to decide if the move was a good one or a bad one.
But only you'll be able to answer that question, then.
  with your choices.
SAKB

[Savayla]

Don't come to New Zealand if you are not 100% sure.


If crime was your only reason for considering to leave,  then i suspect it was a very very serious crime incident.

I agree with both posts above.  Regarding crime, we left SA only because of the crime, and we were never in a serious incident.  Quite a few misses though.  The lack of freedom to live as I had when a child, was a deciding factor for us.  We have been gone 3 years, have lived in NZ for 18 months, and have never been happier.  Even though we have no family here. 

NZ does have its warts, like every country in the world, but they are warts that I can deal with, even if they are not removed.

Why NZ ?  Why not Australia ?   We had a choice of both, and chose NZ.  However, Australia would be the place I would choose if I wanted to make more money, didn't mind the fires, heat and floods, didn't mind running out of water one day, and didn't mind supporting the Wallabies.  Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for us. 

We love New Zealand.  That is personal though.  Every person who has left, has their own story to tell.  Every person deals with the immigration situation differently (except that we all stress !! ) and we have all settled down differently.  For some it has been so easy, for others difficult.  Some are happy, others not.  It all depends on what you bring over with you. 

So, as said above, if not 100 % certain, then don't move as you may well be carrying too much unwanted baggage over with you and this can lead to regrets. 

Personally, I would be out of there in a heart beat, especially if my wife had been through these things.  Ask yourself this question, what could happen next and are you ready to deal with that. 

[Gypsymom]

  Welcome to the forum. You will get some very honest answers to your question here.  For me the answer is YES!! It is worth it. 

[SusanJ]

I say:
If you have a stable relationship, are fairly young, have good work experience and transferable skills in a sought after profession (along the lines of IT and other such skilled fields), have a can do attitude, are not afraid to face challenges, want to change your lifestyle and (especially) if you don't have kids yet (or have very young kids):  Make a move even if you're not 100% sure. 

Whether that move be to NZ (YAY) or any other country, if you never make the move and have the experience you will never truly know if you will love it or not.  At the end of the day, what's the worst that could happen?  You hate it and you go back or try somewhere else.  If you're young (and only you know if you're too old  ) and if you have no (or very small) kids, you can always start over without too much trauma.  The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to do and the more chance there is that you're shutting down opportunities for yourselves.

We went into our emigration process with that attitude and we don't go one day without thinking how happy we are that we did it.  We also feel we should have just done it sooner.  We know many old family friends that for many years got caught into the Should I/Shouldn't I mindspace, let life slip by and now they are too old, too settled, too fearful to get out and they have many regrets about it.

So yes: weight up your options, your situation and your risk status to yourselves (financially and emotionally) and make that decision.  But at the end of the day, don't let life slip past and regrets build up just because you toyed with an idea for too long.

Cheers and good luck
Susan

[Marcel12]

Morning

Thank you so much for all your honest answers. So I went home last night and had a long talk with my wife about finally stepping up and making the move. Talk means nothing. Today I will be looking at Flights and accommodation for NZ and we will go on a short trip to NZ for about 2-3 weeks. We have Family in NZ so I am not to worried about Accom. I have a 9 months old baby boy and will be the driving force behind the whole move and I just want peace of mind for him. As long as he is happy I will do anything and work anywhere to ensure that. I SHOULD be able to find a good job I have a BSC Science degree in Environmental Management (Honors) and I also have a LLB degree. I am not looking for greener grass -just a future for my boy ! I am so tired of being invited for interview only to be told that I am not the right colour !!!!!!! But if you go onto the South African Labour departments Website they clearly state that they are in desperate need of Environmental Scientists that is what I am so WHAT is the problem ? I am 30 Years old so I do not have all the Experience but if they are not willing to give me a chance how am I suppose to get experience ?

[SaKiwiBoer]

Mate I think you have everything in your favour.
Age, quals and you're doing your LSD to calm the nerves.
   Good on you.
SAKB

[Rockhopper]

Hi Everybody.

Is it really worth it to move to NZ ?

Yes...

[zerohennie]

Well all I can say after almost a week in NZ with a excellent job at hand....yes it does seem worth it...but do give yourself a couple of days to get over the Jet lag or do the pre jet lag routine to help yourself

[Tui]

A very big question. Immigration is a very personal thing, and only you can answer that question. A lot of feedback will be positive, but, sadly there are some folk who have negative feedback, will you will hardly read or hear about it.  A lot of folk will rather keep the negatives to themselves, as not to be a negative influence to other positive potential future immigrants. And that is regarding where ever you may decide to immigrate to. As people, we all have different outlooks on life, lifestyles........etc

I have learnt a very valuable lesson on immigration - it IS hard work. It is hellishly expensive. The emotional strain one goes through is a test to any family, marriage, and I do not care how 'strong' your marriage is, it is normal to take a few knocks along the way. I view it as this....give it your best shot, keep grounded and never expect to much - take each day as it comes and even though things get tough, HANG IN THERE! We are after all, just human.



  with all your decisions and research.


x

[zatexnz]

Ok ok, I HAVE To give MY 2c worth, right?!!   

Yes, immigration IS a bed of roses!!!!  Beautiful roses... with many thorns in between! 

No, really, I can't add much to what the others have said.  They've all said it very well indeed:
* It's a tough, but personal decision
* It might be the right thing for you, or perhaps not...
* NZ could be the right country, but then there are a few others that could be right too.
* It's stressful, but the end result is what counts.
* NZ is where you have lifestyle, Oz you may get paid more (but the tax system is different, and you have snakes...) 

What I WILL add, is that WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!  This forum rocks, and you'll get many shoulders to  on, many  and much encouragement   

What I will say is that I do think it's the right decision to be thinking of your child's (children?) future, for it seems that currently it's rather bleak in South Africa.

[Chan in Wellington]

We'll only be living in NZ from end October (hubs) and December (rest of us), but without having even seen NZ yet, we know we are doing the right thing.  My OH went over for 3 weeks and fell in love with it, so despite all the stress and worry, we are positive this is the right move for us.

[SaKiwiBoer]

What I will say is that I do think it's the right decision to be thinking of your child's (children?) future, for it seems that currently it's rather bleak in South Africa.

With this I agree. It's the right decision to be thinking of your and your children's futures outside of South Africa. And in that I mean... It wouldn't matter much where you emigrate too, NZ, Auzzie, USA, Canada or Europe. They all have some sort of their own problems. But as long as it's not staying in SA no more.
I just think the prob's in SA is not going to be fixed in the next 10 or 20 years to come. Twenty or 30 years from now our kids might want to move back when the prob's are sorted, then it's their choice.
Cheers,
SAKB