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As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

nytimes.com

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Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#161

Post by 40_pending »

How bizarre. I specifically relocated from NZ to the U.S. because of the lack of job opportunities in the Tech industry. I'd been looking for a job for over 9 months in New Zealand. I flew into the U.S. to visit my dad and applied for some jobs and had an offer within two weeks. Not only is the cost of living cheaper here (where I'm located at in the U.S.), but my salary is much better off at about 30,000 higher than what I ever made in NZ.

If politics is what's motivating your relocation to a country like New Zealand, let me assure you, local politics are just as silly if not more so over there. Not only that but people are just as obsessed with American politics, and as an American, you will be singled out for these political discussions often. You may even find yourself discriminated against for your origins and nationality as I often did.

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#162

Post by nkrisc »

TheAlchemist wrote: post #76
nkrisc wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your thoughts on culture/history are interesting considering the islands have been inhabited in some fashion for around 800 years at least.

That's why I mention that it's very biased by my 'European culture' sense - old villages, medieval castles, places you read about in the books etc. In NZ, the oldest building has less than 200 years. Of course, the Maori culture is amazing and I'm eager to learn more about. It's just that I feel like my kids will miss something I had the chance to experience.

Regardless of where you raise them there are experiences they will miss by living there, and experiences they can only have by living there. I can only speak for myself but I wouldn't fret over it.

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#163

Post by lostlogin »

mistermann wrote: post #93
TheAlchemist wrote: post #13

That's interesting ! I'm intending to make a move with my family in near future, and we actually went to visit the northern island for 15 days last month. The country is really beautiful, and there are not a lot of people around, so you can't help but feel blessed by the surrounding nature. The people are great, probably the nicest I've ever seen (as a whole). I've noted some cons though (not blocking for us thankful…

> housing prices are extremely high. I don't understand that, Same problem Canada has: interest rates below the rate of (real, unadjusted) inflation, and no limitations on foreign ownership of real estate (a major catalyst, at least , for a bubble).

Interest rates here are way above inflation. according to the below reserve bank site inflation is 1.3% (stated in text, looks higher in that graph at closer to 2%) and the cash rate is 1.75%. This translates into interest on a mortgage being somewhere between 4.7% - 6% depending on fixed term duration etc. Mortgages here always have very short terms with a maximum of about 5 years.

http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/statistics/key-graphs/key-graph-infl...

http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/monetary-policy/official-cash-rate-d...

https://www.asb.co.nz/home-loans-mortgages/interest-rates-fe...

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#164

Post by lostlogin »

TheAlchemist wrote: post #76
nkrisc wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your thoughts on culture/history are interesting considering the islands have been inhabited in some fashion for around 800 years at least.

That's why I mention that it's very biased by my 'European culture' sense - old villages, medieval castles, places you read about in the books etc. In NZ, the oldest building has less than 200 years. Of course, the Maori culture is amazing and I'm eager to learn more about. It's just that I feel like my kids will miss something I had the chance to experience.

If you get the chance, have a look into some of the battles that happened around the country. You can go to many of the sites and key locations extremely easily. They often happened in such recent history that the effects are still relevant today. For example, being able to stand in the room where the battle of Gate Pa was planned and dinner was eaten, then see the site a few KM away gives a good perspective.

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#165

Post by lostlogin »

Applejinx wrote: post #64
bspn wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I too am considering a move to NZ for family reasons, and visited Auckland last month. It truly is a spectacular city framed by an amazing harbor, but it's not without some faults. My thoughts on the cons you raise based on conversations I had with a few locals: > housing prices are extremely high. I don't understand that, there is plenty of space everywhere (maybe except Wellington) and somehow they manage to not us…

> housing prices are extremely high. I don't understand that, there is plenty of space everywhere (maybe except Wellington) and somehow they manage to not use this advantage.. Call it an experiment in whether they can build a country around American tech billionaires. I would wonder whether the prices of things reflect that, and whether it's different if you're a native (or whether there's some other mechanism at wor…

We give them more from the taxpayer's pocket. http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&obj...

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#166

Post by snowwrestler »

geebee wrote: post #158

New Zealand does sound pretty incredible. A massive national park, the size of California, with only 5 million people, and very liveable and appealing cities. Here's the thing. Would New Zealand stay that way if it pursued a policy of large scale immigration, they way the US has? The US takes well over a million new immigrants into the country every year. 10 years of our immigration would triple the size of New Zeala…

For decades New Zealand has had trouble attracting immigrants. And they lose a lot of young talented native Kiwi people to places like the U.S., Australia, and Great Britain.

There's really no comparison between the US and New Zealand when it comes to immigration. They're opposites.

And, let's see how this latest attempt to attract high-skill immigrants goes. It's easy to romanticize New Zealand when you've spent your whole life in big US cities. Moving there is another thing entirely. It is remote and mostly rural. I will not be surprised if most Americans who go there come back within a few years.

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#167

Post by lostlogin »

gravypod wrote: post #96

I don't think New Zealand's selling point will ever be isolation. To have isolation you need to have a place with very lax laws where people don't want to bother you. New Zealand is very beautiful and interesting but there are still many laws and many people who want to bother you. Maybe this is "isolation" in a previously unheard of, to me, sense where you just don't want to be a citizen of a major nation or somethi…

Keep in mind how low a 30% tax rate is. It's low relative to the OECD and, depending on your politics, needs to go up or have some higher brackets for the wealthier.

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#168

Post by qume »

geebee wrote: post #158

New Zealand does sound pretty incredible. A massive national park, the size of California, with only 5 million people, and very liveable and appealing cities. Here's the thing. Would New Zealand stay that way if it pursued a policy of large scale immigration, they way the US has? The US takes well over a million new immigrants into the country every year. 10 years of our immigration would triple the size of New Zeala…

NZ takes in 50k and have a population of 4mm. So 1 per 80 population.

US takes in 1mm per 300mm population, or 1 per 300.

NZ takes proportionately much more than the US. A similar calculation can be done for immigrants per area of land.

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#169

Post by lostlogin »

lubujackson wrote: post #56

I know several kiwis and my wife has traveled there extensively. The biggest issues seem to stem from "island culture" which means: - Most things are expensive and lower quality than you are used to. Furniture, housing, food, etc. Simply because of isolation and logistics. - Poor job market, terribly poor for most people. - Which leads to rules making it much harder to move to NZ long term. Unless you meet some high…

> Most things are expensive and lower quality than you are used to

With offshore manufactured things, yes. With handmade stuff, which is more expensive, I'd have no doubts rating it very highly.

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#170

Post by dang »

throwaway729 wrote: post #150
hueving wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>With all due respect, I lived in the midwest long enough to have an informed opinion. Maybe our experiences differ, but mine are PERFECTLY well-informed. It sounds like you lived in one location in the mid west and have taken it upon yourself to assume that's how it must be everywhere. That's not well-informed, it's just an anecdote about a crappy time spent somewhere in the country.

> It sounds like you lived in one location Also not true. Try again. > That's not well-informed, it's just an anecdote about a crappy time spent somewhere in the country. Multiple decades across several states. Both in cities and in non-city areas. The argument here basically amounts to: "But hey, the densest 20% County-Containing-Major-City, ST isn't so bad, and my college educated software engineering co-workers ar…

You started and perpetuated a flamewar in this thread. We penalize accounts that do that and eventually ban them. Please don't do it again.
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