How safe is NZ for living? Please share your experience

[Kanga]

Haha, did it make the local rag? I can see the headline now:

Stock culprits of horticultural crime spree in rural Canterbury.

[Silverwing86]

Something like this headline maybe ?

Snells beach has cat burglar



Cheers,
Silver

[Aquarian]

Since arrival the Kiwi relaxed low crime lifestyle is starting to chill us out at last.
New arrivals are easily detected since they exhibit symptoms of a nervous disorder we are starting to call "Pom enoia" - locking, closing, hiding, shutting, etc etc etc

[cappuccino]

It seems to be pretty unsafe for cyclists - 5 were killed over the past few days and one 12 year old girl was injured this morning.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4356...le-death-spate

The woman that died last night after being knocked off her bike in Auckland (Tamaki Drive, Mission Bay) was a British citizen working in New Zealand temporarily - Police this morning identified her as Jane Mary Bishop.

Very, very sad

[zemien]

Hmm I was planning to take up cycling as a regular commute option, but I guess I'll wait awhile...

[dharder]

Hmm I was planning to take up cycling as a regular commute option, but I guess I'll wait awhile...

Wait for what, though? I can't see any quick fix to the attitude and lack of skill of drivers in this country.

Daniela

[eassae]

Hmm I was planning to take up cycling as a regular commute option, but I guess I'll wait awhile...

I am a cyclist and can attest to the nonchalant attitude of the general driver in NZ toward you as having a right to share the road.

Otherwise, NZ seems fairly safe to me. I have had no personal experience of crime here, but then again I didn't in NY either.

[Sun777]

Sometime back one of my friend mentioned about Otara (Auckland) being den to most notorious gangs & my daughter immediately said "that must be the place with low (rather zero) crime rate in New Zealand"

[GrumpyGoat]

Well, I was feeling as safe as possible here and was not really concerned when the other moms at school were gossiping about the Mongrel Mob "moving into the area". But I saw a very scary, angry looking man dressed in the gang regalia acting menacingly toward a random child this morning on the way to school.
I knew NZ wasn't perfectly crime free but seeing a gang member in my "hood" is a bit disconcerting.

[ralf-nz]

Wait for what, though? I can't see any quick fix to the attitude and lack of skill of drivers in this country.

Daniela

I wrote in another forum (as Daniela will know) that my only severe accidents on a push bike had happened in Europe. I commuted there in one of these cities that are supposedly "bicycle friendly". Twice I got caught: Once by a car directly and once by a passenger door. Both incidents resulting in sick leave for around one week.
Commuting two years here was re cars annoying but not hazardous.