Hello everyone,
so I’m not actually from New Zealand, but from Europe and I’m currently very worried about the rising popularity of facism and alt-right politics in my country and europe in general. I’m very scared of experiencing physical violence and I’m now very seriously considering moving to another country before the facist parties are elected into power. One of the countries I’m considering is New Zealand, because there wouldn’t be that big of a language barrier and also because I haven’t heard of a lot of problems with facism in New Zealand. So I wanted to ask you if my judgement is correct and what the political situation regarding the alt-right is like in New Zealand.
Thank you for reading. I really appreciate your help :)
I live in Canada now (we have our own taste of fascism here), but have lived in NZ. It is actually quite a conservative country and the same forces that are driving far-right tendencies in Europe and North American are exerting their influence in NZ as well. The benefit over North America is they have a proportional representation system, and so governments are almost always coalitions and require across the aisle agreements. Pay attention to the rhetoric in the current election cycle (they go to the polls in about a month) and you will see how the political landscape looks, that will give you an idea of it is different from Europe in the ways that you want. Relocating to NZ long-term is not that easy, as there are quite strict immigration policies. Unless you qualify under a small category of in-demand trades or are under 30 and going on a working holiday it can be difficult to get a work visa or Permanent Residency. Also note, NZ is a bloody long way from anywhere and anything. The total country’s population is less than most European metropolitan areas and so it might be a massive shift in lifestyle (for better or worse) depending on where you come from.
To add to that last point, @ozziplozzi@lemmy.blahaj.zone, everything is bloody expensive here compared to Europe, especially essentials like fruits and veggies, housing, public transportation etc. A lot of things which you may take for granted in Europe, have to be imported here. Which means our cost of living is pertty high, and it’s hard to save a decent amount of money.
And if you like your electronics/gadgets, you’re in for a rough time thanks to the dollar conversion rates, import duties, shipping costs and lack of choice in local stores. Restrictions on Lithium Ion batteries makes it hard to get replacement batteries, or even import products containing batteries. This can be a big issue since many popular manufacturers don’t have an official outlet here, so you’re on your own if you are not using a mainstream product. Many overseas vendors even refuse to ship to NZ because of the restrictions.
Another major issue is the lack of jobs, whilst consequently having a scarcity of talent in many critical areas such as the medical sector. Frankly speaking, the medical care you get here is pretty subpar, and procedures not covered by insurance can be really expensive. For instance, I was quoted ~$6000 to get LASIK done here, so I decided to get it done in Asia instead, where it cost me only $2000. It’s been an year now and I’ve had no issues and have 20/20 vision. Meanwhile in NZ, you have cases like these: https://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=155247 and https://futurism.com/neoscope/surgical-instrument-18-months , which isn’t something you’d expect to see in a developed nation.
It’s not all doom and gloom of course, and I’d say overall, our quality of life is pretty good (which is why many of use choose to continue to live here) but be aware that NZ isn’t the paradise that international media outlets make it to be.
My belief is that the issues with our public services (you note health) come down from NZ under-taxing, so not having the public funds to invest in those services. Don’t believe the hype you see from N/Act or the NZ Horror etc. Our top income tax rates are low internationally, and unlike many other similar countries we do not have any wealth/capital gains taxation.
Our debt is also fairly low compared to many countries. The hysteria around irresponsible govt spending is hot air.
Yeah that is a very good point, I mean there’s a reason we just got great news from all the international credit rating companies.
That’s actually a massive issue that I saw in NZ. My in-laws and their friends profiting massively off rental properties with no capital gains, meanwhile blaming foreigners for the fact their children can’t afford rent or housing. That being said, putting all geographic issues aside, Healthcare in NZ is significantly better served than in Canada (at least as far as family doctors go), but when we last visited this year, it seems to be a growing issue. Overall, I found NZ much more of a user-pay society than Canada. The fees aren’t always high (like US healthcare, my god!) but there is no “free lunch” anywhere in NZ. Going to a community festival? Pay $10 for 15 mins to put your kids in the bouncy castle. That sort of thing is everywhere. I love NZ, and it is a beautiful place with wonderful people. However, there are two things I would say.
Yeah i’ve definitely heard that we’re friendly without making friends. I wonder how much of it comes down to not feeling like there’s much spare time - particularly for those people with kids.