Dutchie in NZ

[Hoffie-A]

Hi,
I am a Dutchie living in New Zealand (since about 2 years) and wondering whether it is a wise decision to move to Australia.
Anyone around here who can compare NZ with Ozzie? Or who moved from NZ to Oz?
I am mainly interested in differences at the job market and cultural differences. Needless to add that the culture and job market are the things that give me the biggest problems in NZ. Apart from that the country is beautiful and the people very friendly.

Cheers,
Anita

 

[Eerainuh]

Hi Anita,

Since you wrote in English, I will too

Steve (Australian) and I (Dutch) live part-time in NZ; our main base is in Brisbane, but for work reasons and because we feel really relaxed here, we have a getaway on Waiheke Island (Auckland).
Maybe an island isn't the right place to compare, but even before we half-moved here, we both have always felt very much at home in NZ. A big pro is that little travel already brings you big change, while in Australia one must sometimes travel quite far to get a change of scenery.

From what I've understood the political games in NZ are played in a fashion not to desirable, but then again; where is that the case?

Workwise I guess it depends a lot of what you have to offer; what your profession is, what you studied and if you could maybe swap to another job without too much re-schooling. Australia is so big that THE job situation is a bit hard to describe. I think I'd go on the internet and compare the statistics of the different states.

I don't know what other motivations you'd have to move to Australia, what you visualize to be your most wanted environment. Yes, people are friendly too in Australia (though slightly less in NSW), and there are lots of pretty places - depending on what you like, of course.

Practically, I would avoid the regions where there's a problem with drought. It just doesn't feel nice to have to watch literally every drop of water you use. (Hm, maybe we should do our dishes with wine? Might be a good desinfectant...).

Have you also considered moving within NZ, or don't you think that would be worthwhile?

Cheers

Irene