Migrant Tale – New Zealand Citizenship May Be A Way Out

A NZ passport may be a route out

Continuing in our series of Migrant Tales – first hand accounts of the migrant experience of New Zealand, taken from locations around the net.

Today’s tale was first published on the forum at Expatexposed.com, a self help and support, not-for-profit forum, for people living in New Zealand.

It is the only immigration forum on the net to be free of vested interests and corporate sponsorship, and as such portrays a refreshingly realistic image of life in New Zealand for many emigrants.

"Our Story.
I’m so glad I found this website – you can begin to think you are imagining all the negativity. I just wish I had seen it before we moved to NZ.

We arrived in NZ in 2005. Settled firstly in West Auckland where we enjoyed living during the ‘honeymoon period’. Couldn’t quite believe that we had paid over $300k for little more than a wooden shed to live in….. Shocked but anyway…we then decided that we should chase the kiwi dream of a lifestyle block and moved to rural Otago. Mistake number one. Rural town, rural people, rural attitudes….

We then made our second mistake of renovating the house we bought thinking we would get the money back when we sold it. We didn’t, and ended up $30k worse off. Husband couldn’t find decent work so we ended up living off our savings. We moved again, closer to a ‘city’ (pfft!) to increase OH chance of work. Didn’t work. Moved again – now in Christchurch (we moved into our house 2 days after the Feb earthquake). Things going very slightly better now…

Things I miss:
Being able to have a conversation without that ‘delay’
Decent houses with central heating and double glazing, not ones thrown together with a bit of gib board and pink batts.
Walking over footpaths for miles with my dogs
History and culture (seen more in a pot of yoghurt…)
Affordable grocery shopping and decent fruit and veg markets and a range of things to choose from in the supermarket.
A good curry
Being able to watch TV without ‘look how fantastic NZ is’ being forced down my throat everywhere.
Having some savings.

We arrived full of how wonderful our new life was going to be. I am sick of having my decent salary (pre tax) being creamed off by the government to support the majority of this rural, undereducated nation. We don’t have holidays (no wonder the kiwis are such good campers), we can’t afford to go back and visit our family. I am gutted we made the decision to come. I now feel that we can’t return and leave my son behind (he is 22 and happy here living with his girlfriend). My daughter is 13 and I feel she has suffered due to the education system here –she has just started high school. Her peers in the UK seem way ahead. But still, they let anyone into University here so I’m sure she’ll be fine…

We are applying for citizenship so that at least we may be able to consider Australia in the future. I would love to go home, but I’m worried about reports of ‘ping pong poms’, people who get home and hate it, then spend the next few years trying to get back. Maybe I have my rose tinted specs on when I think of ‘home’."

You may also be interested in:

Jobs-driven migration to Oz at high of 53,000 (22/3/2012)- “The Kiwi exodus to Australia has hit a new high, with annual departures reaching 53,000 last month, Statistics New Zealand said yesterday.

New Zealand suffered a net loss of 39,100 people after departure numbers were partially offset by 13,900 arrivals, most of them returning citizens…The overall net loss of 4100 people in the year to February 29 is also the largest since the year ended August 31, 2001, when 4400 people left New Zealand.” read more

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England Rugby Strip Goes All Black For Away Matches

Artist impression of the new shirt

Englands rugby team today struck a blow at the heart of a nation's collective national identity by announcing that the jersey for its away team will change to black.

The decision is sure to unnerve New Zealand who have adopted black as the unofficial national colour ever since a British journalist coined the name "All Blacks" in the early part of the last century. Black now forms the underlying theme of New Zealand's Nation Branding, and not just for its sports teams (Black Sticks, Tall Blacks etc.) It now adorns everything from passports to baby clothes.

One major problem with this adherence to image is the sense of confusion and loss when someone else takes a part of it as their own. It gives England a significant psychological advantage and is a brilliant move on their part.

The story was broken by the UK's Daily Mail

"The England rugby team will wear an all black strip when they kick off their World Cup campaign against Argentina in New Zealand.

The decision to wear the new 'away' strip for their opening pool match in Dunedin on September 10 is certain to ruffle a few Kiwi feathers and could even spark a diplomatic row with the host nation before a ball has been kicked.

Both the shirt and the shorts of the new strip are jet black with no other colour except for the Red Rose badge..."

A diplomatic row over something as ubiquitous as a colour, surely not? A country can't own a colour. Can it?

The Mail goes on to say that the strip will be worn for England's warm ups and opening match against Argentina. Intriguingly, the shirt will also display Maori symbols and decorations, presumably with the consent and the blessing of the iwi concerned. Nobody wants a repeat of the furore over the Mike Tyson tattoo, do they?

In the unlikely event that New Zealand should meet England in the field of battle the English team say they will revert to wearing their traditional white shirts.

No word yet as to whether the new 'all blacks' will be performing their own haka, or whether they'll go for something more exciting.

Game on!

Related stories:

All Black fans sore losers at Carisbrook stadium, Dunedin

"French players are surprised and disappointed at the behaviour of Dunedin rugby fans who pelted them with bottles following last Saturday's Test defeat of the All Blacks .

A spokesman said the team has laid no complaint with New Zealand or Otago Rugby Football Union (ORU) officials but lock Sebastien Chabal and first five-eighth Francois Trinh-Duc on Wednesday said the players were stunned to have to dodge missiles as they celebrated their 27-22 first Test win.

As a team they lapped Carisbrook to show their appreciation to French supporters, only to be showered with plastic bottles - most of them full or half-full - by the crowd on the terrace, which featured large numbers of students. Some players reportedly had to duck or jump to avoid being hit..."more here

Fans throwing bottles during Mexican Wave, Dunedin, June 2010

Rugby fans in danger of attacks on Karangahape 'K' Road in Auckland.

The Auckland Tramways Union says the $2 million upgrade of bus stops along the city's Karangahape Road for the Rugby World Cup will lead to more assaults.

The union says a two-metre space between the upgraded shelters and motorway barrier will mean people can hide behind them and lie in wait for passengers, bus drivers or pedestrians. source

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12 Recipes From the Nation Branding Cookbook

10) Visuals.

"In order to help build an image, a country needs to be coherent in its visuals: from the flag to the colors of the sports teams, from stamps to banknotes, from passports to road signs. A country should find and keep a consistent look & feel in shapes, color schemes and typographies. Identify a national visual identity and color palette and dress with it. Almost always."

Only The All Blacks Can Wear Black With Pride?: John Key carelessly snubs other NZ national sporting teams


Today's posts - click here