Opportunity: There's better pie for all in New Zealand

"Look closely at what you want out of life and what you leave behind"

NEW ZEALAND is the home of cheesy-mince pies, smiles and opportunity, but you have to get off the tourist track to experience them for real.

Terry Graham is on his second visit to New Zealand, but he's decided the next time it will be for good. It's not just that the country exudes beauty like a time-lapse sunset, or that the traffic problems seem pathetic compared to the UK's motorway gridlock, it's also the chilled-out, friendly people.

"There's always a thank you, have a good day. It's not because they have to, there's a personality upgrade. More pleasant, they seem to be far more relaxed," he adds

On this visit Terry has forsaken the well-trodden tourist path and stayed with friends deep in rural Wairarpa at the Southern end of the North Island.

"I think I've got one over on the backpackers. For tourists in hotels or campervans, every where they go is tourist oriented. They see only tourist side of NZ. They are not experiencing New Zealand life," he explains.

Living like a resident-Kiwi gives you an entirely different outlook, he adds. "I've been fortunate to meet people that are not obliged to make me feel good as a tourist."

Terry believes he has seen two sides to New Zealand life. "The first time I came to NZ, I came as a tourist and I went away very happy, as a tourist. The second time I came with a different mindset, but I'll go away very happy again."

Yet that's not the end of his New Zealand love affair. He is currently looking for work and plans to apply for residency even if that means going home to the UK for the time being. He says a job in NZ will allow him to see yet another facet of Godzone, "Working will be different again."

He's not taking the decision lightly, "On a move like this you have to look really closely at what you want out of life and what you leave behind. It's not just a move around the corner," he says.

Opportunity Knocks

Foremost he says, there will be more career possibilities for him in New Zealand. He drives lorrys for a living in the UK, and, "Here I feel like if I wanted to start up a truckers business, buy my own truck, I could do it. It offers these opportunities, whereas in Britain, there seems to be stops everywhere. Tax you on this! Tax you on that!"

Furthermore, he's looking forward to the open roads, sparse traffic and reduced stress of foul-ups. "I've not been in a traffic jam yet. To get anywhere by car takes a while [because it's rural], but it's a pleasant drive."

Kiwis would protest at Terry's vision of their traffic, but Terry is unrepentant, being used to Pommieland. "Back in the UK you have to plan for the traffic. You have to set off at this time to miss the traffic at Birmingham, then Avonbridge. You can only stop for 30 mins here, and the service stations are jam-packed."

Skills in demand

He's lucky his skills are on the Immediate Skills Shortage List (ISSL) – as updated by New Zealand Immigration every six months or so – and he's looking forward to starting working life, even if he has to do a quick stint in the UK to organise his affairs and arrange the move.

"It's not like moving house. Every day you wake up it's going to be new; new Politics; new tax; new everything. A different government, a different working system, and the summer's in the wrong part of the year," he says.

New Zealand is medicine for the soul, he says, "and it's not just the cheesy-mince pies!"

Comments

[terry graham]

Thank you to This New Zealand life for putting across exactly how i feel,

[William Knight]

Thanks, Terry.

I couldn't have done it without a great interviewee.

[Ali]

I'll never forget my first visit to a Kiwi petrol station one sunny morning in December, when before I'd even got out of the car, up bounded a tall tanned smiling young gentleman in shorts who sincerely asked how I was, before cheerfully filling up the car for me. Never before had I had such fantastic service. What a shock when I left NZ and came back to Blighty

[William]

I hope that wasn't just before he nicked your handbag at the hot springs ;-)