All about New Zealand

[plinko]

Re: All about New Zealand

So dont buy real Estate, sell your US assets, buy a rocky farm in the South Island and grow grapes, hell every indebted kiwi farmer is doing that !

25 yr Prediction: NZ will be the southern winter play ground for the nation rich Chinese (as it was for the Japanese during the 1980/90s). And Queensland Australia will be there summer beach play ground. So buy assets that meet this consumer expenditure (if you are under 50, as this is a LONG TERM PLAY)....

I've had that thought run through my mind too. China does have some areas for ski resorts I believe though, they'd just need to be developed. I now just need to train myself in ski resort management. :p

[lakedaemonian]

Re: All about New Zealand

Personally, I wouldn't be looking to buy any land with existing developed viticulture or potential for it at the moment.

I think we've got a bit of a glut developing....and it will likely get worse before it gets better.

Disclosure: I know F'all about viticulture....but just kinda get that sense at the moment.

I do know some folks who have recently had distress sales of developed wine/olive properties.

I'm having a look at forestry, for a number of reasons, as a possible long-term investment if the right bargain comes along in a few years....

While NZ has learned much from it's 80's economic horror story that much of the world hasn't, I still sense a fair bit of hubris that needs to be snapped in two....some folks have a sense of things.....most seem dangerously naive to the economic threat NZ faces.

NZ is going to get slammed, but I think it will still fair better than most in the long-term.

We've been hedging our net worth OUT of the Kiwi as it's dropped from it's .80+ peak against the USD and strongly again as it's popped above .60+

Just my hedged NZD0.02c.

[waysouth]

Re: All about New Zealand

" Once they have major immigration of non-whites they'll be in the same pickle as the rest of the anglosphere in that respect. Then you can say goodbye to your safe streets and unlocked doors. You probably think that's racist. *Shrug*. Go ahead, be non-"xenophobic" and open your doors to the muslim/African/etc world and see where it gets you. Some people won't learn any other way."

What do you mean "once"?Its already here,for better or worse,depending on your viewpoint.

[Starving Steve]

Re: All about New Zealand

" Once they have major immigration of non-whites they'll be in the same pickle as the rest of the anglosphere in that respect. Then you can say goodbye to your safe streets and unlocked doors. You probably think that's racist. *Shrug*. Go ahead, be non-"xenophobic" and open your doors to the muslim/African/etc world and see where it gets you. Some people won't learn any other way."

What do you mean "once"?Its already here,for better or worse,depending on your viewpoint.

What I would like to see is open-immigration and open borders to Canada, America, Isreal, the UK, New Zealand, everywhere. If a person is a quality person, that person should be admitted to a country, regardless of skin colour, race, religion, ethnicity, language, whatever.

The kind of person that I don't want to see immigrating are Hell's Angels, terrorists, criminals, Islamo-fascists, Al Qaide, Hesbolah, Hamas, drug lords, narco-trafficers, etc. And it should be fairly easy to bar hoodlums such as these from immigration.

A quality person could have their government or local police department give them a letter of reference. What's the problem? The hoodlums could be sent home or deported.

Texas just prosecuted terrorists who contributed money to The Holy Land Foundation, and the Holy Land Foundation funneled the money to Hesbolah, Al Qaide, and Hamas. Those prosecuted were found guilty last month of contributing money to a known terrorist organization on the U.S. State Department's list of terrorist organizations, and they were sentenced to sixty-five years in prison.... And that is exactly how the world has to deal with terrorism and the immigration of hoodlums.

Meanwhile, the door has to be opened as wide as possible to quality people for immigration. What's the problem? Bienvenidos. Welcome.

[waysouth]

Re: All about New Zealand

easy to police immigration in in theory..but in practice..our Prime Minister admitted just today our immigration system is completely broken..

[MLM]

Re: All about New Zealand

Although I love NZ and would probably be trying to move there if it wasn't for a French wife who won't listen to reason, I must also report that we have friends who just moved back to the U.S. because they didn't think the schools (public or private) were up to par. They lived in Nelson for a number of years.

[Sharky]

Re: All about New Zealand

Although I love NZ and would probably be trying to move there if it wasn't for a French wife who won't listen to reason, I must also report that we have friends who just moved back to the U.S. because they didn't think the schools (public or private) were up to par. They lived in Nelson for a number of years.

My question would be, up to par compared to what??

US schools aren't much more than glorified government indoctrination centers.

[thunderdownunder]

Re: All about New Zealand

Time for a video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1R4SkdKCMQ

and You got to have Fred Dagg telling the truth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYvMeT2GC14

And for some He's a very funny Ituliper with a fair grasp on things

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8rDL...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUexs...eature=related

Just do it Ok

[marvenger]

Re: All about New Zealand

its not all good though



South auckland is apparently a lot better now though.

I went on rugby tour to NZ when I was 12 and probably sprouting my first pube, we played a game against a school in Wanganui where half the team looked like the guys in the above video. Not all the brown marks on my pants were from the mud. Lost the game. survived which was good and won the second half.

[MLM]

Re: All about New Zealand

My acquaintances' kids are pretty sharp. They apparently felt that the NZ attitude was first and foremost to worry about the kids who were average to below average, and that the smart kids would sort it out on their own. I'm not sure I disagree with that, BTW.

As far as US schools being govt. indoctrination centers, I think you give them too much credit. Expensive babysitting centers would be more like it.

Just thought if anyone was seriously thinking about moving there, they'd want to hear a dissenting viewpoint.

[Sharky]

Re: All about New Zealand

My acquaintances' kids are pretty sharp. They apparently felt that the NZ attitude was first and foremost to worry about the kids who were average to below average, and that the smart kids would sort it out on their own. I'm not sure I disagree with that, BTW.

I'm not involved with NZ schools at all, but this sounds like an aspect of NZ self-reliance I wrote about earlier. It wouldn't surprise me if Kiwis feel that the State's job is to provide a basic education for everyone, and that if your kids need or want more, then its up to you to provide it for them, outside of the regular school system.

[Louie.G]

Re: All about New Zealand

FWIW.

I am a Kiwi and have businesses here and over seas. Here are some of my experiences

My Kids graduated from High school in NZ and went to college in the US. They felt they were ahead of other kids in their classes but hey, that was in Santa Fe NM. My son was at a private college with kids from all over the US.

Yes NZ does have huge debt but kiwis don't really care about it.

Telecom NZ is on the DTCC list of top 1000 Derivatives (http://www.dtcc.com/products/derivse....php?id=table6. Last I looked they had Gross notional value of 14.8 Billion USD. Telecom is viewed as a top, solid and sound investment here in NZ by most of our "informed" investors and advisors

Friend complained the other day cause he was going to buy a house in Auckland for 425,000 NZD about a month ago, and it sold last week for 550,000 NZD. Yahoooo property boom is back on (well in some peoples minds). Check out the affordable housing list and NZ has some quite unaffordable houses.

Just finished a promotion at Mystery Creek, our largest show anywhere in the world. Sales this year were up 65% on last year, which was good. Bad news, we were the exception no the rule. Most people were down miserably. (So far this year for us it is - In the USA - CO down 30%, CA about half of expectations and TX up 10%. Aus down about 10%, UK down around 35%. All for same product so you can get an idea). Just got back to the office to find another Kiwi company has ordered product from our web site shopping cart, so the money gets paid to my US business but we send the product from my NZ office. Gotta love Globalisation, there is no sales tax in the US because it is out of state, and no GST (12.5%) in NZ because it is a foreign purchase.

NZ will be fine cause we have milk exports is a common theme here, however I just read an article where Fonterra (the Milk export/chinese melamine scandal people) stated they can buy land in Brazil for 1,000 NZD/Hectare (2.4 acres) in NZ the price is up to 50,000 NZD per Ha. Fonterra pays more for Brazilian milk products than they do in NZ. = NZ cost of production higher but sales price lower = milk cows in Brazil, Argentina or other cheaper countries. This does not auger well for the NZ's future. If I recollect properly Fonterra exports around 80% of all NZ exports. Have brothers in the dairy industry, this year the pay out for milk solids is down but costs of production are up.

Know a woman in Auckland, who was a solo mom with 2 kids. Told social welfare she wanted a better house. They said if she had 3 kids she could get a nice 3 brm home in a better area. Went out, got pregnant, got nice 3 brm home. (took more than a day or 2 though)

A friend who is a Policeman said Aucklands crime rate (per head of population) was higher than New Yorks.

I do OK cause I can live here but 95% of my business is offshore

Took over a small Engineering business in Sth Auckland on 1st May, and have since quoted 2 mil NZD worth of work. 90% infrastructure and 10% Alternative energy. Most normal work has pretty much dried up except for call outs to breakdowns. Many other similar firms have staff on a 3 or 4 day week. Government introduced the 9 day fortnight to try and save jobs.

Hope that gives you a bit of a cross section of my perspective. Most Kiwis still believe that Real Estate is the only way to go. It is a fail safe investment and interest rates are at a low so get in quick. Personally I disagree but then what do I know, I got out of NZ real estate in 1993. However an influx of immigrants or returning ex pats will probably kick RE back into full steam ahead again.

Cheers
Louie

[icm63]

Re: All about New Zealand

I agree with Louie, if you are bum in USA, you will be a bum in NZ, its not the country that makes you, its you that makes you !

I mean I agree with Louie theme !

[a warren]

Re: All about New Zealand

I agree as well. If you bleat about the government in your country you will bleat about the government in NZ. There is a mini boom going on in real estate at the moment. Two clients mentioned multiple offers on houses. No capital gains tax on housing plus a distrust of the wild west sharemarket makes housing attractive. Our sharemarket was hammered in 1987 and many have not forgotten.

[FRED]

Re: All about New Zealand

I agree as well. If you bleat about the government in your country you will bleat about the government in NZ. There is a mini boom going on in real estate at the moment. Two clients mentioned multiple offers on houses. No capital gains tax on housing plus a distrust of the wild west sharemarket makes housing attractive. Our sharemarket was hammered in 1987 and many have not forgotten.

We're in!

Seriously, that is the perfect set-up for a bubble.