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

[patham]

Regarding option 3, I believe a 3 year stay is now $5000, and a 5 year stay is $10,000. 10 year option got scrapped. And you are fully liable for any public health costs during their stay. Quite a commitment!

 

Thanks for the update. That commitment is beyond what I would contemplate making, the only option that would seem viable was the second. Maybe if the parents were still very young and healthy the option 3 might be a worthwhile gamble...but that is what it is. With some very high stakes.  

[arabsandals]

We support my mom and in-laws in SA.

We opened credit cards over here for them and couriered the cards to SA.Saves us loads on fees and no hassles.

Need to be careful about that as cc Ts and Cs usually provide that the facility os only for residents of the home jurisdiction...

[patches]

As a comparison, Aus has a variety of visa options to bring in parents of migrants. In theory they cater for a range of socio-economic level of applicants, but in practice - not so much. 

 

Option 1. Cheapskates option. Relatively low fee, full  medical coverage. Very limited availability, and last I heard the processing time in the queue was about 25 years. Sign them up on this if you want to tell your folks with a straight face that you would love them to come over (although not really), but its in the government's hand's now.

 

Option 2. Goldilocks options. High fee (above $50K per parent), full medical coverage. Limited availability, and last I heard the processing time in the queue was about 4-5 years. Effectively the fee reimburses the government for the expected health costs of the elderly parents, but in reality the true costs to the taxpayers are probably an order of magnitude higher. The family are the winners - the rest of the taxpayers - not so much.

 

Option 3. 5- 10 year long stay visa's - and after that they have to move back to their country of origin. No medical coverage, so private cover must be bought, and like with most things, expect gap fees if things go wrong. If they go really wrong healthwise - you might end up bankrupted on their behalf.The only advantage is pretty short processing times, and the taxpayers do not take a hit on your behalf.

 

Crazy!

 

I may have it wrong, but I have heard that the Aussie parent visas are also subject to the parent having no adult children left in country of origin.

 

ie. If I lived in Aus and wanted to bring my mom over, but my sister still lived in SA, then it wouldn't be possible.

 

Regarding the limited time options, NZ offers a parental visitor visa. Valid for 3yrs, a parent can spent 6 months per year in NZ. They are not eligible to be employed though.

 

Despite my mother nearing retirement age, she would probably have to/want to work in NZ.

 

So yeah, NZ parental resident visas open again in Feb 2020. I won't be eligible to apply for my mom yet, as I wouldn't have had my PR for 3yrs. But as soon as I have I will be filing that EOI.

[patham]

Crazy!

 

I may have it wrong, but I have heard that the Aussie parent visas are also subject to the parent having no adult children left in country of origin.

 

ie. If I lived in Aus and wanted to bring my mom over, but my sister still lived in SA, then it wouldn't be possible.

 

Regarding the limited time options, NZ offers a parental visitor visa. Valid for 3yrs, a parent can spent 6 months per year in NZ. They are not eligible to be employed though.

 

Despite my mother nearing retirement age, she would probably have to/want to work in NZ.

 

So yeah, NZ parental resident visas open again in Feb 2020. I won't be eligible to apply for my mom yet, as I wouldn't have had my PR for 3yrs. But as soon as I have I will be filing that EOI.

 

You are partly correct - I had omitted that detail. Its the balance of family test. It requires that the parents have at least half of their adult children living in Australia.

 

So in your case, if it was just you in Aus and your sister in SA, then you could apply. However, because the Aus children have no clear majority - you get penalised by being shoved down the processing queue.

 

If, in my inlaws case with 5 kids: currently 1 child in the US, one in Aus, 3 in SA, then you need 2 more to move to Aus. That would make it 1 in the US, 3 in Aus, 1 in SA, so you meet balance of family test. A simple 1, 2, 2 distribution would not hack it.

 

And yes, the Aus term parental visa does not give them work rights, but at least they can stay for the duration.

[WrightJnr]

The other night I was making dinner while the TV was on in the background. I overheard an ad for "electric fencing". Curios, I rushed over to the TV to see what they were on about.

 

The Saffer in my pictured 6 strands on top of a wall to keep intruders out.

 

The ad was for electric fencing for cattle and livestock to section off pastures

 

Just goes to show that a simple term can mean 2 very different things to different people, based on their past experience.

I have a similar/different situation here in Dubai. Firstly, every time I swipe my credit card, the person just takes it out your hand, stands back behind the counter and swipes, card goes out of sight and often gets put down on counter etc.. My reaction is more to like a complete stranger forcefully taking my child out my arms!! I’m mean how dare you take my card, what are you doing with it!! Secondly, you have an Emirates ID, basically a card you need to do most things, picture on it, biometrics, chip type card. So when you say buy a car or do anything that might require a registration of sorts they somma take you card and tell you they’ll give it back in a few days!! Or you visit a school and the security guard keeps it while you go inside, I’m like, will you look after it, keep it safe, sure nobody will steal my identity, the look in reply is priceless. They have NO idea what the hell you are worried and talking about.

[Slowbee]

So in the land of daisies and roses, how real is the crime rate?

[eibmoZ]

Guys in Auckland, do you have a local riding group?

 

My offer came through and i have applied for visa ( pending) if all works out should be there 19 dec.... and would love some one to show me the trails!

[Wayne Potgieter]

Guys in Auckland, do you have a local riding group?

 

My offer came through and i have applied for visa ( pending) if all works out should be there 19 dec.... and would love some one to show me the trails!

ill be on leave around that time. Let me know and we can hit Woodhill.

 

I’m sure a few others on here will join in???

[GrahamS2]

So in the land of daisies and roses, how real is the crime rate?

I’m my personal experience of Brisbane, it’s virtually non existent. But I live in a decent area and take precautions (that most ex-saffers would). The crime that I hear about is mostly wallets being stolen from unlocked cars, or tools from unlocked garages. There is very, very little contact crime.

 

It’s just a different state of mind amongst people here, and far more respect for their fellow humans. As an example, I lost my ray bans on the bus 2 weeks ago, they fell off my shirt and I didn’t notice. I humoured myself the next day and called translink lost property, thinking there was a very slim chance of ever seeing them again, Lo and behold, a passenger had found them, handed them to the driver that night, and they were waiting for me to collect at the depot. Unbelievable! Not saying that would never happen in S.A., but the odds are far lower

Edited October 8, 2019 by GrahamS2

[patham]

I’m my personal experience of Brisbane, it’s virtually non existent. But I live in a decent area and take precautions (that most ex-saffers would). The crime that I hear about is mostly wallets being stolen from unlocked cars, or tools from unlocked garages. There is very, very little contact crime.

 

It’s just a different state of mind amongst people here, and far more respect for their fellow humans. As an example, I lost my ray bans on the bus 2 weeks ago, they fell off my shirt and I didn’t notice. I humoured myself the next day and called translink lost property, thinking there was a very slim chance of ever seeing them again, Lo and behold, a passenger had found them, handed them to the driver that night, and they were waiting for me to collect at the depot. Unbelievable! Not saying that would never happen in S.A., but the odds are far lower

 

I think I may have touched on this in the other get the hell out of here thread, so you can always search through that thread if you have a few weeks spare. In Aus, there is a pretty direct link between socio-economic environment and crime. If you live and work in decent areas, your odds of being burgled are much lower. Not non-existent, but low. Live in the cheap side, and yes, crime rates, especially property and cars are much higher. 

 

Petty crime here also follows easy transport links, from where the crims living in the cheap streets take a train ride to the good 'burbs., take a wander, find an unattended wallet, and head back home after a hard day's thieving.

 

But yes, lost stuff tends to find you again. I lost my house keys in Cairns airport when my backpack zipper came undone, when I swung past a week later, I asked at the lounge if anything had been handed in. Lo and behold, they were there... 

[patches]

You are partly correct - I had omitted that detail. Its the balance of family test. It requires that the parents have at least half of their adult children living in Australia.

 

So in your case, if it was just you in Aus and your sister in SA, then you could apply. However, because the Aus children have no clear majority - you get penalised by being shoved down the processing queue.

 

If, in my inlaws case with 5 kids: currently 1 child in the US, one in Aus, 3 in SA, then you need 2 more to move to Aus. That would make it 1 in the US, 3 in Aus, 1 in SA, so you meet balance of family test. A simple 1, 2, 2 distribution would not hack it.

 

And yes, the Aus term parental visa does not give them work rights, but at least they can stay for the duration.

 

Aah gotcha!

 

When my aunt moved to Aus she initially struggled to get my grandfather (a widower) over because my father was still living in Zim (their country of birth). After my father passed away the only immediate family my grandfather had was my aunt, so within 2yrs he was in Aus (10yrs after my aunt moved over), by now he's a citizen and all that jazz.

[patches]

So in the land of daisies and roses, how real is the crime rate?

 

Whilst i am under no illusion that NZ is perfect, the crime rate is significantly lower. Further to that the nature of the crimes is quite different too.

 

The homicide rate (murder & manslaughter) in 2016 was 58 (35 in 2017). Hence why the 50 killed in the Christchurch shootings was such a massive blow to the country.

 

By contrast a news report in SA listed the rate at 58 PER DAY!

 

Yes, SA has 12x the population, but level it out and it's 37 murders per 100,000 people in SA vs 1.2 per 100,000 in NZ. 30x higher.

 

On the Intentional Homicide Rate List (ranked highest to lowest):

• SA - 9th
• Brazil - 13th
• Colombia - 18th
• Mexico - 19th
• DRC - 30th
• Nigeria - 45th
• USA - 89th
• Somalia - 100th
• Australia - 194th
• New Zealand - 199th

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate

 

Crime in NZ isn't non existent, but some things one quickly notices in general society that indicate the state of affairs...

• I have yet to see a house with an electric/barbwire fence
• Many houses don't have front gates/fences/walls
• Burglar-bars on homes are almost non-existent
• I got laughed at when I was looking to put
• It's not uncommon for a lone female to walk to a bus/train/home (if close enough) late at night in the CBD
• And... police carry tasers not guns (under normal circumstances).

 

Domestic violence is a big issue in NZ. Gangs are too, but they generally only have altercations with other gangs. Apart from that the crime is generally non-violent in nature. Thefts, welfare fraud, drugs, etc.

 

But again, much lower as a whole.

[hayleyearth]

ill be on leave around that time. Let me know and we can hit Woodhill.

 

I’m sure a few others on here will join in???

 

Count me in too!

[Wayne Potgieter]

The only "crimes" i have been a victim of are people scratching or bumping my car and doing a runner. Its happened 4 times in 4 years. This has prompted me to install dashcams in both cars that have parking facilities.

 

The last incident, I sent the footage to the insurer and did not have to pay any excess.

 

Worth every penny.

[Saag]

I will definitely be there. Can also show you around the rest of the trail options and non trail options actually [emoji23]

[patham]

Whilst i am under no illusion that NZ is perfect, the crime rate is significantly lower. Further to that the nature of the crimes is quite different too.

 

The homicide rate (murder & manslaughter) in 2016 was 58 (35 in 2017). Hence why the 50 killed in the Christchurch shootings was such a massive blow to the country.

 

By contrast a news report in SA listed the rate at 58 PER DAY!

 

Yes, SA has 12x the population, but level it out and it's 37 murders per 100,000 people in SA vs 1.2 per 100,000 in NZ. 30x higher.

 

On the Intentional Homicide Rate List (ranked highest to lowest):

• SA - 9th
• Brazil - 13th
• Colombia - 18th
• Mexico - 19th
• DRC - 30th
• Nigeria - 45th
• USA - 89th
• Somalia - 100th
• Australia - 194th
• New Zealand - 199th

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate

 

Crime in NZ isn't non existent, but some things one quickly notices in general society that indicate the state of affairs...

• I have yet to see a house with an electric/barbwire fence
• Many houses don't have front gates/fences/walls
• Burglar-bars on homes are almost non-existent
• I got laughed at when I was looking to put
• It's not uncommon for a lone female to walk to a bus/train/home (if close enough) late at night in the CBD
• And... police carry tasers not guns (under normal circumstances).

 

Domestic violence is a big issue in NZ. Gangs are too, but they generally only have altercations with other gangs. Apart from that the crime is generally non-violent in nature. Thefts, welfare fraud, drugs, etc.

 

But again, much lower as a whole.

 

Car theft in Aus is the only crime aspect that is worse than SA. In 2018, about 50 000 vehicles were stolen in each country, so when normalised to population, Aus is really shown in a bad light. The link below says about 70% are stolen short term, for joy-rides or to commit another offence and recovered. Car jacking in Aus however is so rare that it would make the news, so maybe a hundred per year, rare enough not to have its own crime category for stats.

 

https://www.budgetdirect.com.au/car-insurance/research/car-theft-statistics.html

 

https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/340513/south-africa-crime-stats-2019-everything-you-need-to-know/

 

Funnily enough, in my suburb, burglar bars on houses built in the late 70's and 80's seem to have been in style back then and look pretty common. The newer houses tend not to have. Houses from before that period in older suburbs also don't seem to have barred windows as a common feature.

 

Most houses only have front fences or walls if they are trying to keep their dogs in, and they are a minority. And notwithstanding the car theft mentioned above, its pretty common for garages to be used as storage - or converted into play rooms, and vehicles are parked in the open driveway or out on the street.