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, @[email protected], 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: wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=155247 and futurism.com/…/surgical-instrument-18-months , which isn’t something you’d expect to see in a developed nation.

It’s not all doom and gloom or 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.