[theluckycountry]

New Zealand is an interesting place. Very shy on natural resources aside form cattle and some biscuit wheat it subsequently has some of the highest prices in the world. Currently it's ranked 3rd in the OECD for child poverty (High housing costs probably driving this) and believe it or not ranks first in the western world for gang activity. It's a mixed bag. I wouldn't go near the place myself except to tour the fjords on a cruse ship

[Shaved Monkey]

Most Kiwis are in Australia much higher wages and more choices and now they get citizenship easier and access to Medicare and the dole.


It will be tough in NZ they will end up losing their youth and having an ageing population (though lots of Kiwis come to Australia to retire too.)


Colmore's salary at mining company Mineral Resources is at least triple what she could earn in NZ, and the company's benefits are incomparable.

That almost 5000 nurses, about 8 per cent of NZ's nursing workforce, have registered to practise in Australia since August, comes as no surprise.
.........................
Infometrics has tracked average earnings in NZ and Australia since 1994, which showed Australians were generally at least NZ$200 a week better paid.
..........................
"It was basically the same thing I was doing in Auckland but near on double the salary for the same job."
While the money played a big part in his initial decision, it's the future career opportunities, events and lifestyle that have also seen him stay.
"There's more of everything - everything is just a bit brighter and shinier over here."
He says it's on trips home, and particularly to supermarkets, where his decision is further cemented.
Although cheese is more expensive in Melbourne, other grocery items tend to be cheaper; the same goes for rent.
"By no means is it perfect here... however the wages are so much higher, and it feels like the cost of living stress level is 50 percent lower. It feels like that pressure just isn't so intense."
As for the downsides? There aren't many.

https://www.9news.com.au/world/the-grea ... 1547051e0f

[theluckycountry]

That sums it up alright. I had a couple of clients that worked there, high paid niche jobs and they lived in a nice area there too. There are some bright spots but the gangs roam around and are quick to prey on anyone in a weak position.

Six days on from the gut punch of Cyclone Gabrielle, tensions are escalating in Hawke's Bay.

"The vulnerable are now getting their stuff stolen. The gangs are coming in, or looters in general. They're threatening people, stealing their stuff. We are very scared, people are very scared," said Napier local Grant Porter. Generators, fuel, food, belongings - there are reports it's all being targeted. There's a palpable fear that gangs such as the Mongrel Mob are taking advantage of this disaster. "We were petrified. We didn't know what to do because we didn't have service."

So locals there have set up their own roadblocks. Volunteer Nick Wall says it's appalling they even need to. He knows fronting the roadblocks could be dangerous. "We were warned about threats and maybe people with firearms trying to get through roadblocks so that's why there's three of us, not one," he said. And there are plans to barricade the road at night with concrete blocks.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zeal ... rable.html

I watched this unfold in the news, the police were nowhere in sight until the citizens formed a militia and set up their own roadblocks, then the place was swarming with oinks. The government will let you drown, let you get robbed, but they won't let you defend yourself, they don't want people knowing they have that right.

Cyclone Gabrielle: Army needed to restore law and order, say Act and NZ First after reports of looting, local roadblocks https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/ ... SDZQRK2R4/

In Australia we've had plenty of cyclones and floods, worse than this hey, but never the looting, not on this scale, if it happens it's just isolated people taking advantage of abandoned property.

Compared to Oz, NZ is a Shithole! Too much racial tension, too Woke a government, but primarily, not enough money to fund an effective police force. In 50 years it will be Nicaragua.

But with Hugs

[careinke]

Hey Lucky,

How close do you live to Melbourne? A friend of mine is on his way there to set up/teardown the "ART of the Brick," Lego Art exhibit. He is an awesome carpenter and travels all over the world setting up, maintaining, and tearing down big exhibits. Including some on dinosaurs, some on artists like Monet, etc. I guess he has a good reputation, because he certainly has no shortage of gigs, and buys a lot of toys when he is home.

Peace

[theluckycountry]

Hey Lucky,

How close do you live to Melbourne?

Peace

Far far away mate. Sounds like you're buddy is onto a good gig. A mate of mine travels the globe as a troubleshooter for Imax out of Canada. He has some amazing stories to tell about his travels and the jams he's gotten into in third world nations like the Philippines. Technician jams but nothing that money can't fix. Once a projector lens arrived for a theater they were constructing and the housing was the wrong fit. With like 5 days before opening he had to get the thing right so he went to a small local factory and told them he's pay $xxx for the use of it for a day. They shut down all their production and he retooled the machines and grabbed a big blank and remade the housing from scratch. The lens was worth about 50k I think, and everything had to be perfect. Someone back in Canada got a serious kick in the a$$ for that one. Lucky for him he had an engineering degree as well as having done his trade as a fitter and turner when young. Just the right man for the job.

Unfortunately 2 failed marriages put some nasty dents in his finances.