My husband has got a job in Vancouver BC. We have three children and i think at the heart of it he wants to be closer to family in the UK and Trinidad. We are from England, and have been in Christchurch for two years.
If anyone has any advice about the difference in culture between Canada and NZ, or even to the UK.
I am all up and down about Uk - NZ - Canada! It is crazy shakes! I relaly need to settle down with my kids, and if my husband says he is moving again I need to stay put and let him leave as we oved UK-Perth, AU - UK - NZ and now he is wanting to move again.
I have to consider if I can move alone back to the UK, or move with him to Canada, or try to find a way to get residency in NZ(not looking good).
Sorry I started to ramble here so ignore from now on if you like to focus on facts ;-)
I am not missing the overall detached parenting style focus the UK has at all. But I miss the culture, I greatly do. I am quite alternative, and I have found that the education system is more open to alternatives in Canada and NZ than in the UK.
I love NZ, and I love the more family centred lifestyle, and natural beauty. I love being outdoors. I love being able to hang up my washing outside all year round. I love how easy it is to grow my own veggies and I aspire to have chickens and fruit trees one day. Saying all that, honestly the sun in NZ is just far too much for us, my skin is getting wrecked ;-)
Our living standards are much lower now in NZ, we are on a bigger wage than in the UK, but it does not go as far. The first two years you are in NZ on a VISA, until a resident, you are not entitled to any child tax breaks or child benefits. While I have never relied on benefits, actually moving to a new country and the costs involved, and the increased cost of living, has meant that we have moved from being just about comfortably over the bread line, to wavering over it. Our house in NZ is much more expensive, and we are now living in a two bed with a sunroom, whilst in the UK we owned our own house and lived in a comfortable 3-4 bedroom. The housing quality is also far reduced. The houses here tend to be damp, cold and not the attractive inside unless you are rich.