I don't get why NZ is 'fucked'. One of the richest people on the planet, with amazing nature, very, I mean absolutely terrific strategical location. Democracy. Big friends with US. I could go on for a long time.
Is it 'fucked' in same way some folks from say Staten island or New Jersey say its fucked since they are not central Manhattan so everything else is subpar or wrong? I don't think rich people want to have their SHTF backup location in shithole, you have prettier cheaper places all over the world, yet folks want to go there.
If you meant there are issues, sure they are everywhere, even in nordics or Switzerland. Not an interesting nor helpful position.
"Senior" software engineer salary in NZ is maybe $120k NZD (about $70k USD), median house in Auckland or Wellington (which is where you need to be to earn even that much) is about a million NZD. Cost of living is very high.
Maybe f*cked is hyperbole but if you don't already own property it is quite difficult to sustain a reasonable standard of living (let alone "get ahead") as a wage earner.
I love NZ but it didn't make economic sense to stay.
A million NZD plus however much you spend on fixing it up so it doesn't make you sick or kill you in an earthquake. And after that you're stuck working in a country which outside of a few very niche areas is a complete dead end where tech's concerned. I miss my family, but couldn't bear the thought of continuing my career there.
What on earth do you mean by: "One of the richest people on the planet"?
National have started an "austerity" programme, tens of thousands of civil servants have been laid off, housing is disgustingly expensive (and the quality of it is awful as well), the price of goods and food is pretty expensive (even dairy products that are produced here are often more expensive than in Europe).
The location's only great strategically if you ignore the (huge) future earthquake potential.
Cities like Wellington have also had a chronic lack of infrastructure investment, so there are HUGE issues with water / sewage leaks - pretty much every week there's a new water main leaking somewhere in the city.
(Have lived here for 10 years, and am looking to return to Europe - things are going downhill pretty fast here IMO).
You should travel a bit around the world, you would then understand how high NZ stands globally, I have trouble having sympathies with rich folks complaining that they can't buy central houses in main capital city right out of pocket from first 2 years salary. Same situation all over the world.
But that's the issue - people want paradise and absolute success on all fronts of existence, now, I mean right fucking now or they are losers. Its immature approach to life that will bring you tons of unhappiness and 0 of opposite, and it definitely won't help you move forward.
Or - good luck with return to Europe. What you write is valid here too if you haven't noticed. Maybe not sewage but some other problem XYZ which is completely absent or non-issue in NZ.
Be prepared half of folks will be either very welcoming of russian attack on Europe, subtle support of far far right all the way to xenophobia and racism. EU green deal is killing European (not only) automotive industry right now and they just double down on rules, who cares how many coal plants China or India fire up. That's up to 15 million jobs going slowly (or fast) away. That's economical future being taken away from financial core of EU by at best some idealistic bureaucrats. Tens of millions of immigrants and refugees, you see them everywhere, mostly without work, barely surviving. What's the plan for them? Nothing that makes long term sense.
EU is in decline and things are not that great for most folks. We don't have the illusion of 'American dream' to keep poor people in line and chasing some illusion of potential to massive success. And that decline ain't gonna magically stop just because it will be annoying.
Your reply is rife with logical fallacies that has little to nothing to do with anything originally raised.
> People want paradise and absolute success on all fronts of existence, now, I mean right fucking now or they are losers.
Complete straw man argument.
> I have trouble having sympathies with rich folks complaining that they can’t buy central houses in main capital city right out of pocket from first 2 years salary
Ad hominem. Try engaging with the actual point rather than resorting to thinly veiled personal attacks.
> Same situation all over the world
False equivalence.
> Be prepared half of folks will be either very welcoming of Russian attack on Europe
> EU green deal is killing European (not only) automotive industry right now
This bizzare tangent has absolutely nothing to do with addressing or refuting any of the specific points made about NZ's economy, infrastructure or cost of living.
> You should travel a bit around the world, you would then understand how high NZ stands globally
First of all, they have. They are an immigrant. Not to mention its an appeal to relative privation. You can't just dismiss legitimate criticisms by claiming they are not valid because worse problems exist elsewhere.
> Be prepared half of folks will be either very welcoming of Russian attack on Europe… Tens of millions of immigrants and refugees, you see them everywhere
Appeal to emotion.
> People want paradise and absolute success… it’s an immature approach
Is it 'fucked' in same way some folks from say Staten island or New Jersey say its fucked since they are not central Manhattan so everything else is subpar or wrong? I don't think rich people want to have their SHTF backup location in shithole, you have prettier cheaper places all over the world, yet folks want to go there.
If you meant there are issues, sure they are everywhere, even in nordics or Switzerland. Not an interesting nor helpful position.