New Zealand? A Traveller's 10, but Don't Expect to be Able to Retire

If you believe as I do that "the best things in life are free," you will surely love New Zealand as I have. Countless kilometers of pristine beaches to have to yourself (especially on the South Island) hiking trails to suit every level of skill, most with knock-your-socks-off views, panoramas to paint, and, most gratifying of all, a society which is GENUINELY civilized: the "litigation approach" to dealing with every perceived wrong is not welcome here, thank-you, and consumerism is not a national obsession. I do not exaggerate in my rating of a "10" for being in New Zealand; it just does not get any better than this: Friendly people with the ease of communication via our common tongue of English, yet customs and environment that are subtly, sometime quirkily - different. As safe a society as you will ever find, coupled with a highly favorable exchange rate thanks to an undervalued New Zealand dollar vs. (at least, until recently) -- an overvalued US dollar mean that you can enjoy "first world" familiarity, security, and comforts on the kind of budget you would normally confine for third world limitations. Even buying a car for a few months is staggeringly inexpensive: since cars are no longer assembled here, NZ has become a "dumping ground" for late model Japanese imports, some of which can be bought for less than what you would pay in the states! Book yourself into a PRIVATE ROOM a simple hostel type accommodation for as little as about $10.-12.00 US, and have a solid meal for $4.-8.00. Both dental and medical work are of high quality and employ latest technologies, at rates just a fraction of those which are so heavily padded in US.

So that's the good news. The bad new is: if you want to retire permanently in this paradise -- Forget It! The ONLY way to get immegrancy in NZ is to come in via a work permit, and, after a certain period of time, apply for resident visa. And work permits are not issued to persons over age 55- period! In fact, if you are under that age and so enamored with NZ that you would like to work here, you have to leave the country in order to apply for the work visa (and that is AFTER you find an employer willing to take you on, ONLY 'cause there are NO QUALIFIED New Zealander's available for the position.) In the employment area, the news is not uniformly bleak, however: particularly in rural areas of the South Island, medical practitioners and secondary school teachers are in short supply. Yes, it can be cold and wet in winters, and yes, the sand flies will chew on you in the summer, but if your "God" is Mother Nature, you can worship face-to-face with her, here: Ski, hike ("Tramp" as the locals say) white water kayak, sea kayak and yes, even bungee jump, if that's your thing. There may be also other employment needs which could encompass living in cities through needs in high-tech and medical fields, but I do not travel in those circles. Contact an embassy to find out.

Returning to the limitations of retirement: You are welcome here for six months (or even, nine, but unlike Mexico, for example -- you don't just dart over a border to renew and re-enter: if you come for six months, you must stay away for six.

So that's what a lot of Americans with more money than I have, do: they buy a house in a sublime area for a fraction of what it would cost in the USA, and they enjoy it for six months, and then leave, to return year after year.

Loopholes? I've checked 'em. You can't buy your way in, here (unless you come in as an "investor" setting up a company to employ New Zealanders, and that requires millions, and in US dollars) Marry a "Kiwi?" Again, no more like in the old days, where you could front up at immigration, marriage certificate in hand. Now, you don't even have to get married! All you need is evidence of a relationship with a "significant other" (didn't I already note that New Zealand is "enlightened?") But the rub is that one must have PROOF of that relationship existing -- for two years; then, still get ready for all of the background checks, anyway. If you have any kind of serious criminal offense back there, don't come knocking at THIS door.

Painful as these limitations may be for those of us shut out from a permanent ideal, it's impossible not to respect why they are in place. In a small, somewhat fragile, island economy, the overseers must be protective.

What this careful oversight gets you is a country where daily life goes on with a high degree of quality, in an atmosphere with more daily freedom than in much of the highly regulated US. In fact, I might sum up the difference between the two societies with this analogy: As with Americans, New Zealander's love their country, also. But "patriotism" to them does not mean buying a flag and grandstanding with it on your pretentious SUV or in front of your house. Rather, I feel that New Zealander's show "patriotism" through a CHERISHING OF THEIR ENVIRONMENT. That means a kind of commercial restraint and stewardship of land, water, and air, which not only nurtures their country, but the planet, as well. If only we, the "world leader" could follow the values of this small, innocuous country.