Is New Zealand Really a Good Place to Live

This active, interesting and thoughful discussion thread was started on Amazon.com's travel forum in July.

Here is the first section of the thread, just to wet your appetite for more:
Link: amazon.com

"With rising fuel prices, food prices, the ever-so-tempting 'Big Brother Country' Australia looming over us (which for the record pays a lot better), and with terrible crime, gang and drug problems that resemble places like, oh I don't know, South L.A., is New Zealand really a great place to live?

I'll tell you what I think. Living in NZ myself and growing up here, I can quite easily say it's an awesome place: Great scenery, lovely warm summers, great sporting pride (Go the All Blacks! (National rugby team - look it up on Wikipedia)), and nothing too dangerous here at all whether it be animals, or natural disastors or even 'smaller' problems like racism. NZ is a great place - no doubt about it, we're a really relaxed bunch of people living in what we all refer to as paradise.

Puting to one side my thoughts on NZ, take into consideration people living in South Auckland (New Zealand's major city). They are prodominantly Maori (Native New Zealand) or Polynesian (People from the Pacific Islands). South Auckland is notorious for youth gangs, P labs, crimes and particularly murders, which for a country of only 4 Million is at a rediculously high rate. Here's why I believe it happens........"

Armed Robbery on Auckland's North Shore

Source: NZ Herald, 16 Sept 2008
An off licence in the residential suburb of Forrest Hill was robbed by a woman with a gun and her male accomplice at 7:30pm on Saturday.

This is just the latest in a string of armed robberies in the Auckland region, the majority of which have been in South Auckland. However, the spread to the northern suburbs is an indication that the problem is unconfined and has moved to the more affluent areas of New Zealand.

Robbery at Knife Point

Source: NZ Herald, 16 Sept , 2008
Also in the news today is a knife point robbery at a gas station in Hamilton that took place at 1am this morning.

Police are laying the part of the blame on the victim for going against their advice and allowing the attackers into the store. No mention was made of whether or not that advice was passed on to the victim.

Attempted Abduction at Automatic Teller Machine

Source: Stuff, 16 Sept, 2008
A man tried to abduct a woman in Hastings last night after she withdrew money from an ATM. The th assault happened in Heretaunga Street West, fortunately the woman managed to fight off the attacker