kisywisy
We are from Scotland want to make the move to Australia (or New Zealand), but we don't have a clue where. We'd like to have nice weather for the kids to play outside, but not too hot. We don't want to live in the city and would prefer a nice suburb. Obviously job opportunities are a must (computing and nursing) Thanks in advance for your help!!
Answer
In my opinion Auckland, New Zealand would be the best spot to raise a family. A lot of the info put out there on NZ is based on broad generalisations and stereotypes. The idea that this is a country with high unemployment and a serious crime and gang problem is misleading. Unemployment in NZ has been ranked the lowest in the OECD for several years. Even now at the height of the recession unemployment is at 6.7%, much lower than the US at 10.2%. Gang and crime problems are isolated to mostly rural towns and a few impoverished suburbs of South Auckland. Overall Auckland is one of the safest cities in the world.
Auckland has a very comfortable climate. Summer temps average 23-25C and winter 13-15C. It never snows and there are only a few frosts in the valleys each winter. Auckland has a CBD with a stunning skyline but it is really one giant suburb. Kiwis complain about traffic only because they have nothing to compare it to. Auckland traffic is actually very light and queues form only on the motorways at peak hours and even then are light compared to elsewhere.
The best thing about this city of 1.4 million is that wherever you ive you are only minutes drive from a beach or countryside filled with wineries, roadside fruit stands and annual farm shows. The suburbs are filled with little parks equipped with well-kept adventure playgrounds for kids and bike and footpaths for all. Kids have access to dozens of sporting opportunities year round as Kiwis are very sporty people.
Kiwis value egalitarianism highly and they show this by assuring everyone who wants to play a sport gets to play. Schools don't have one rugby or soccer team that kids must try out for. They have five or six teams of each sport if necessary to meet demand. And all these teams will compete with other schools.
In NZ kids get to be kids. They are much less fashion consious than their cousins across the ditch in Aussie and they spend more time playing outdoors, less watching TV. Kids regularly go to primary school barefoot in NZ out of choice. School uniforms even allow bare feet as an option. Perhaps they feel safe with this because there are no snakes and no deadly spiders in NZ and the footpaths are kept quite clean.
There are many upsides to Australia in terms of warmer and dryer weather and higher incomes. But Auckland offers a highly multi-cultural environment where you won't stick out as an immigrant. (Auckland has the 7th highest proportion of immigrants in a city in the world) It has a small-town feel and is filled with friendly people as well as a top-rate public school system. It is ranked by Mercer as the 5th best city in the world to live in.
Sunshine Coast Australia is a beautiful place, but it is also very hot, especially for someone from Scotland. It is also ranked as the most expensive city/region in the English-Speaking world to buy real estate in. Sydney also ranks in the top brackets for real estate costs. Australia also suffers from more problems with drought, wilf-fires and extreme weather.
In my opinion Auckland, New Zealand would be the best spot to raise a family. A lot of the info put out there on NZ is based on broad generalisations and stereotypes. The idea that this is a country with high unemployment and a serious crime and gang problem is misleading. Unemployment in NZ has been ranked the lowest in the OECD for several years. Even now at the height of the recession unemployment is at 6.7%, much lower than the US at 10.2%. Gang and crime problems are isolated to mostly rural towns and a few impoverished suburbs of South Auckland. Overall Auckland is one of the safest cities in the world.
Auckland has a very comfortable climate. Summer temps average 23-25C and winter 13-15C. It never snows and there are only a few frosts in the valleys each winter. Auckland has a CBD with a stunning skyline but it is really one giant suburb. Kiwis complain about traffic only because they have nothing to compare it to. Auckland traffic is actually very light and queues form only on the motorways at peak hours and even then are light compared to elsewhere.
The best thing about this city of 1.4 million is that wherever you ive you are only minutes drive from a beach or countryside filled with wineries, roadside fruit stands and annual farm shows. The suburbs are filled with little parks equipped with well-kept adventure playgrounds for kids and bike and footpaths for all. Kids have access to dozens of sporting opportunities year round as Kiwis are very sporty people.
Kiwis value egalitarianism highly and they show this by assuring everyone who wants to play a sport gets to play. Schools don't have one rugby or soccer team that kids must try out for. They have five or six teams of each sport if necessary to meet demand. And all these teams will compete with other schools.
In NZ kids get to be kids. They are much less fashion consious than their cousins across the ditch in Aussie and they spend more time playing outdoors, less watching TV. Kids regularly go to primary school barefoot in NZ out of choice. School uniforms even allow bare feet as an option. Perhaps they feel safe with this because there are no snakes and no deadly spiders in NZ and the footpaths are kept quite clean.
There are many upsides to Australia in terms of warmer and dryer weather and higher incomes. But Auckland offers a highly multi-cultural environment where you won't stick out as an immigrant. (Auckland has the 7th highest proportion of immigrants in a city in the world) It has a small-town feel and is filled with friendly people as well as a top-rate public school system. It is ranked by Mercer as the 5th best city in the world to live in.
Sunshine Coast Australia is a beautiful place, but it is also very hot, especially for someone from Scotland. It is also ranked as the most expensive city/region in the English-Speaking world to buy real estate in. Sydney also ranks in the top brackets for real estate costs. Australia also suffers from more problems with drought, wilf-fires and extreme weather.
Need help remembering name of a kids cartoon show featuring beetles!?
Q. Used to be on TV3 in NZ in mid 1990s. Was real life, not a cartoon. Was about a alien and his furry little friend who crashed in a backyard and was taken in by a family. Alien looked like a teenage boy. Alien would yell "Activate" and form a cross with his arms, then transform into a beetle-like suit (like Beetle-borgs, but not). Eventually this show had a beetle like car that and beetle-like bike. Fought bad guys etc.
Thats about all I can remember! Desperate to know!
Thats about all I can remember! Desperate to know!
Answer
Masked Rider?
Masked Rider?
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
No comments:
Post a Comment