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New Zealand - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.


Wayne Potgieter

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My in laws are coming over for 3 weeks in january. I have been compiling a list of the things that i most enjoy.

 

Surprisingly its pretty mundane things.

 

Cant wait to show them the bits i like.

Yeah, its true, my brother and his family was over for a few weeks in October, he has been before but every time he comes he wants to stay, not because of the big picture, but the little things, the safety, the freedom to move around without worry at all hours, the honesty of the people, he unknowingly left his wallet at a coffee shop, we were still on our way home when he got a call on his mobile, it was the coffee shop owner saying he has the wallet, its safe and we can collect it anytime. There was over $1000.00 Canadian in the wallet and not a penny was missing, the open society, strangers will stop you on the street and say thats a nice shirt / trousers / hat / coat / beard, hairstyle / lipstick / cologne / perfume whatever, they are not trying to rape your wife or your daughter or hit you up for money, they are just normal friendly folk paying you a compliment, people in positions of public service actually believe in doing something for their salary - I love SA, make no mistake, I spent the better part of 55 years there but there comes a time when you have to make a call.

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Yeah, its true, my brother and his family was over for a few weeks in October, he has been before but every time he comes he wants to stay, not because of the big picture, but the little things, the safety, the freedom to move around without worry at all hours, the honesty of the people, he unknowingly left his wallet at a coffee shop, we were still on our way home when he got a call on his mobile, it was the coffee shop owner saying he has the wallet, its safe and we can collect it anytime. There was over $1000.00 Canadian in the wallet and not a penny was missing, the open society, strangers will stop you on the street and say thats a nice shirt / trousers / hat / coat / beard, hairstyle / lipstick / cologne / perfume whatever, they are not trying to rape your wife or your daughter or hit you up for money, they are just normal friendly folk paying you a compliment, people in positions of public service actually believe in doing something for their salary - I love SA, make no mistake, I spent the better part of 55 years there but there comes a time when you have to make a call.

G.O.G

MY sister works in their super max prison guarding

rapists

Murders

Not pleasant characters,

The other day I read their herald (I think it was )there was a run in one of the forests to "reclaim" the trails because a woman had been raped. Yes I know it's not an everyday 100times a day, but it does happen, you don't have a super max because everyone is angels ,, ,,again I understand it's not SA wholesale level

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Just to mention two positives that really stood out for me on my first visit to NZ were the schools and housing areas.

 

My best mate and my son's stepdad are teachers. Me being in education myself they were extremely proud to take me to their respective schools. Both schools were low decial schools or as it is known in SA low quantile schools. That is the grading of schools. Both schools in very poor areas of NZ servicing the indigenous community. What a contrast to SA schools, from what I was expecting to see. This because their government pumps money into these schools. The buildings and surroundings were clean. The schools were well resourced, had interactive white boards and more than one computer lab with a variety of extra mural activities and of course large playing fields for rugby.

Children are forced to attend a school in the area in which they stay. This was interesting and a real positive as well.

 

On my son visits home to SA he pointed out certain observations that I only made sense of when visiting him.

They have an alarm but it seldom gets set. No high walls in the front of their house. It's open lawns. No electricit fence or burglar bars.

Every area has its own park, basket ball court and shopping is made easier by having the convent stores close by. Stores basically in each area thus you don't have to drive far.

 

Yes houses are extremely expensive and both my mate and son's parents rent. This after being in NZ for more than 10 years already.

But is that a bad thing? I really don't think so. There is a bigger debate to owning and renting especially in the context of each country.

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My afternoon ................

 

Hell man!! you could have moved to place that had surfing waves...

 

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Edited by SwissVan
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I was watching a rerun of Challenge Wanake 2015 (IM distance triathlon) today, held earlier in Feb this year....doer down there on the southern island.... beautiful scenery, nice weather very dry and dusty.... this time 

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