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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

#331

Post by fernly »

GFischer wrote: post #179
ivm wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ireland is under the radar. One more hidden gem is Chile, especially considering land/property prices and freelance-friendly visas.

Salaries in Chile aren't that great though (except for some top-level talent I guess). I've been told about USD 3000/month tops. But it's definitely the best country in South America for IT talent. I live in Uruguay, and Americans think it's great, but it's not (barring an exceptional job offer/salary as usual). Lots of jobs but very low paying (USD 1000/month take home salary for entry level dev, USD 2000 for experi…

In my post-election funk last fall I was researching places to get the hell out to, and discovered Uruguay, as a very attractive possibility for a decent place to live -- provided one had good Spanish. But you say wages are low? How much of a tech industry is there?

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

#332

Post by mkl »

boznz wrote: post #252
Apocryphon wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I think of NZ, I imagine South Pacific beaches, lush forests of emu and kiwi and other exotic animals, and the landscape of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. What natural beauty does Tulsa have?

If you end up in Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch you could be just in another big city anywhere in the world, you may be within an hour or twos drive of some of the above descriptors but you wont be looking out of your home or office window at them unless you can drop a million dollars on a house. Get real guys.

> you wont be looking out of your home or office window at them unless you can drop a million dollars on a house.

You can in parts of Christchurch. The southern alps are visible from the university where I work (though they are a fair way off). House-wise, you're probably looking at at least NZ$500k for that view from within Christchurch, which does kind of suck.

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

#333

Post by 0xADEADBEE »

sitharus wrote: post #321
lacampbell wrote: post #295

A lot of Americans seem to have an idyllic notion of moving to NZ - often for political or LOTR movie reasons. If you're even toying with the idea, do yourself a favour and check out the following: - Salaries - Housing price - Housing quality - expect to pay top dollar for luxuries like insulation, double-glazed windows, and kitchens built within the last few decades. - The cost of a car, and the size and quality of…

Also while the food is high quality don't expect the variety you're used to. Until recently NZ had a pretty bland palette.

I think you're on the money; bland food is not only tolerated but revered, at least in my experience, and I'm not particularly 'foody'. Recently moved here from England via Thailand and Indonesia so take my opinion for what it is worth. Food is better in Wellington than places like Christchurch but still not generally up to scratch. Planning on starting something to fix this after a little contracting but while COL is lower than London, it's probably not up to SF salaries/options packages, so that should be considered. It's also not as cosmopolitan as I'm used to in European cities, although I can't speak for Auckland, as I'm yet to visit (something tells me it will be similar though!). NZ strikes me as very nice for a sight seeing trip but somewhat wanting when it comes to actual residence. Obviously YMMV.

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

#334

Post by lacampbell »

wearsSweaters wrote: post #330
lacampbell wrote: post #295

A lot of Americans seem to have an idyllic notion of moving to NZ - often for political or LOTR movie reasons. If you're even toying with the idea, do yourself a favour and check out the following: - Salaries - Housing price - Housing quality - expect to pay top dollar for luxuries like insulation, double-glazed windows, and kitchens built within the last few decades. - The cost of a car, and the size and quality of…

>Completely unrelated, what's the going salary for an intermediate programmer/analyst in one of those really flat US states full of cornfields? Just based on my job hunting over the past three months - ~55k usd

FWIW that's about the same as Auckland.

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

#335

Post by 0xADEADBEE »

mkl wrote: post #332
boznz wrote: post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you end up in Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch you could be just in another big city anywhere in the world, you may be within an hour or twos drive of some of the above descriptors but you wont be looking out of your home or office window at them unless you can drop a million dollars on a house. Get real guys.

> you wont be looking out of your home or office window at them unless you can drop a million dollars on a house. You can in parts of Christchurch. The southern alps are visible from the university where I work (though they are a fair way off). House-wise, you're probably looking at at least NZ$500k for that view from within Christchurch, which does kind of suck.

That's not true - while not a Christchurch advocate, Sumner offers wonderful views within that price range.

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

#336

Post by 0xADEADBEE »

incompatible wrote: post #324
xxgreg wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's a photo of Wellington I took while commuting to work on my mountain bike. Trail head is 2mins from my office... https://goo.gl/photos/9AQWmraCss6U9uVp7 If you're in into biking, or windsurfing Wellington is definitely a stunning place to live. [edit] Also since everybody is talking about emus, this trail is actually called barking emu. But it is misnamed - since it's actually an Ostrich in the paddock up there…

Wouldn't the commute home be a bit tough on a bike?

Yes. What GP is omitting is that Wellington winters are akin to England but with a great deal more wind. In the summer, that commute is likely wonderful, but for four months of the year, it isn't.

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

#337

Post by incompatible »

0xADEADBEE wrote: post #336
incompatible wrote: post #324

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn't the commute home be a bit tough on a bike?

Yes. What GP is omitting is that Wellington winters are akin to England but with a great deal more wind. In the summer, that commute is likely wonderful, but for four months of the year, it isn't.

I was thinking of a big hill climb, but obviously the wind would be a big issue too, even in summer.

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

#338

Post by hkmurakami »

nostrademons wrote: post #284
llukas wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

C'mon. Which exactly "trail" you mean? Trails around bay are not exactly same as other outdoor trails. Closest "real" hiking trails start along Skyline Boulevard - there's plenty of them but it is not close.

Stevens Creek Trail for the one that's 5 minutes away. You're right, it's basically a green belt, but it's awfully handy for biking to work or just getting out. You can walk all the way down to the Bay, and then on to Palo Alto Baylands, for a close to 10-mile round trip. 20 minute driving time includes Rancho San Antonio, Stevens Creek County Park, Villa Montalvo, and Lexington Reservoir, all of which are perfectly…

Don't forget Windy Hill, which has a trailhead that starts at flatground rather than up an additional 20 minute drive up Page Mill Road. :)

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

#339

Post by Lazare »

dvtv75 wrote: post #316
Lazare wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> To my knowledge NZ and USA are two countries that will try to tax you wherever you live until you die unless you renounce citizenship. US yes, NZ no. The US is practically the only country in the world to do that actually. And they WILL hit you with an extra "exit" tax if you try and renounce your citizenship too.

NZ yes. My ex's family went and worked in Australia for a year or two. They boarded the plane, came back to New Zealand, and got a letter from the IRD demanding payment of taxes for the time they worked in Australia. Her father shot back that "They did not use any services from" NZ at all. The IRD responded that the services were available, and if they didn't pay their tax bill they were ready to initiate prosecution…

In general, that is not the law, nor is that common IRD practice, as the many, many, many kiwis who spend time in Australia could tell you.

At a guess, your ex's family managed to stay resident in NZ (or the IRD may have incorrectly believed them to be so), or they spent too much time in NZ, or didn't spend enough time in the US, or the IRD just screwed up the paperwork, etc.

But the law is quite clear, and is explained in detail on the IRD's website: http://www.ird.govt.nz/international/residency/dta/double-ta...

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

#340

Post by jimmywanger »

kasey_junk wrote: post #267
jimmywanger wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Where I'm from, "good schools" is a nice way of saying "it's a white neighborhood" There is no need to inject race. Plus, in the bay area, many good schools are comprised of mostly minorities. Good schools in the bay area just mean good schools, as based on standardized testing methodology, class sizes, dollars per student, extracurricular activities available, and acceptance rates to selective colleges. You can de…

"Good schools" has been code for non-integrated schools for a very long time in this country. It might be true it doesn't mean that in the Bay Area, it doesn't mean that in my specific neighborhood either, but pretending like the comment is "injecting" race into the discussion ignores American history.

> "Good schools" has been code for non-integrated schools for a very long time in this country.

Citation needed. I have lived in this country for a long time, and have never hear it used in this manner, and Google searches turn up nothing.

> pretending like the comment is "injecting" race into the discussion ignores American history

"Pretending". Way to jump to conclusions. If you're proposing that an innocuous phrase like "good school" is forever tainted by history, that is a small and petty view of the world. That's like saying "honky tonk" has racist connotations because of the word honky.

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