Aussies and Kiwis....

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Okay here is the deal. In about a year or two I am going to move down south, back to the hemisphere of my birth  :-)

I meet the migration requirements of Oz and NZ, and I have the relevant board registrations in both countries.
Sooooo...can you sell me on Oz or NZ? Which is best? Which one has the most Amigas and the hottest chicks  :-P

Okay, in all seriousness, what are the pros and cons in terms of standards of living, crime rates, political stability etc

A curious Saffer wants to know  ;-)

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@ the_leander

Well at the moment here are the factors that affect me:

1) There will be more jobs for me in Australia (even though my profession is a demanded skill in both countries).

2) The pay is going to be better in Australia (but I need to find out if this really matters, because I have to factor in cost of living, property prices and things like that).

3) NZ has better firearms laws (from the perspective of a guy who wants to do a bit of forensic stuff on the side).

4) NZ has a better system for sponsoring relatives. In other words if things go sour for my mother in the US it may be possible for me to sponsor her. I can't do that at all in Australia.

As for the Aussie creepy crawlies: they won't bother me as much, because I have had my share of awkward moments with creepy crawlies in South Africa, including one very tense moment when I had a black mamba right under my nose in Tzaneen. You could also say that my ex (an Australian nurse) was a poisonous creepy crawly, but that is a story for another day. Bottom line is: the creepy crawlies aren't an issue.

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@ Oliver

Thanks for tthe info. When you say housing prices are nuts in Perth, how much would it cost for a small two bedroom house with a modest garden? And how much deposit do you usually have to put down?

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Kerguelen  :lol:
I think that would suit Blobzie more than me. Apparently there is not much light pollution out there when stargazing.

Back to Oz vs NZ:

Sooooo....no Kiwis wanting to offer an opinion? Miles? Castellen? InTheSand? Hmmmm?

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Thanks Ali, that is good info.
So let me ask you then, do you think a radiographer can earn enough bucks in New Zealand to be comfortable?

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Ja, there are quite a few similarities between Kiwi vowels and Saffer vowels. Of course there is a far greater range of accents in South Africa than in New Zealand, so not all Saffer vowels will match. Wait until you hear a Cape Coloured accent, you might not recognise the language being spoken, even when they speak English
The Kiwi accent is definitely not the worst in the world. I had trouble telling the difference between a Kiwi and an Aussie accent when I first arrived in London, so I used to ask them to say "I bought six packets of fish and chips" so that I could get a clue  :lol:

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@ Miles

Come on my good man, sell me on NZ, tell me all the good points and all the bad points.

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@ Oliver

I must say, an Australian woman is hardly likely to sound sexy. It just doesn't happen (well not for me and not for most of the people I work with). I suppose if any antipodean accent is going to be sexy, my vote for the women would be a South African English accent (Natal area) and for the blokes the mildest of the Australian or Kiwi accents.
Maybe we will all have to make a few recordings for Cecilia so she can choose the best  :-P

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@ uncleted

I think some things are easier for people migrating to NZ, but in my case it is Even-Stevens because of my profession being on the demand list in both countries. The problem with NZ is that there are much fewer jobs for me than in Oz.
But looking at the rules, it seems that NZ is a better place to go if you have dependants.

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@ Odin

Ja, there are a lot of Saffers leaving South Africa, and quite a few going to Australia and New Zealand. They are probably tired of us by now  :lol:

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@ Oliver

I think so far it is still even. Oz has the jobs (and probably better career prospects as a general radiographer) but NZ has great potential for me if I can get a specialist position. If I dabble further in forensics, NZ is going to suit me better.
Generally speaking, I have found it easier to get on with the Aussies than the Kiwis, but that only applies to people I have met here in London.