Been here seven years. I found it completely different to how it was portrayed at the immigration road shows. It is not the UK with sun. It is a completely different culture. Long working hours, low pay and a high cost of living means little chance of the promised lifestyle. It all depends on what you want from life. Need out of the big city? Want a house with a garden? Love sport? Love drinking? Then you will find that here. But be aware NZ has many problems and does not have enough finance or services to adequately deal with them. It's been a difficult experience, both professionally and a at huge financial loss. Like many other ex-pats we are now leaving.
I joined expat.com on 20 August 2010.