Basically, any firearm resonably used for hunting game is permitted so I guess that would inclide a sniper rifle…

I know what you mean. I doubt I could take more then a year of internet marketing either ;-P

That said, there is (currently) no capital gains tax on NZ or Australian shares or real estate. The GST (like VAT) is a flat rate – ie it is levied on everything, which means that at least doing the tax return is easy compared with elsewhere. All costs advertized are also by law inclusive of this tax so there are no hidden surprises like in Canada.

Retirees are “asset tested” to assess how much of a pension they are elegable for (The less you have, the more you get) so it makes sense to hold your wealth in a trust or some other vehicle.

I am one of those young(ish) professional types and yes, Australia does offer higher wages, but it is also has a higher cost of living.

Immigrants from different countries tend to settle in pockets. South Africans for instance concentrate about 15km North of Takapuna Beach. Auckland is very humid in the summer and damp in the winter. It can be overcast for long periods as well. This is not like the whole country which is actually very long and narrow so you get a wide range of climates.

Houses tend to be under insulated and not have central air like in north America. No double paned glass, furnaces etc. I am living in Northern Canada now and I find the winter warmer hear because of the dry air and warm homes.

Food in NZ is plentiful, varied and cost effective compared to North America. There is much Asian influence in the cuisine there and I find the NA diet much more restrictive – I am yet to find a cheese worth eating in Canada

Immigration has tightened a lot. Australia is tougher so the natural thing to do if one wanted to live in Australia was to move to NZ first, get residency there and then use this to gain Australian resisency. There are many “schemes” in place to do this and also collect various forms of social security while waiting to the time to pass. I personally know people in the government there who are ware of the schemes and the people involved but are powerless to take action due to the strict privacy laws in place.

Censorship is not nearly as bad as the UK or the USA. The media reports from all over the world however, due to certain attributes of the NZ population, there is a lot of social engineering going on behind the scenes.

the population is small so the ifrastructure is also small. This means technology is very quickly assimilated into the system. I have found the banking and point of sale technology to be ahead of North America by quite a way. If they chose to, the government could roll out big brother very rapidly.

NZ is also a very competitive environment business wise. The population, being small, means that there are less consumers. It also means that you can very quickly make a very bad name for yourself if you conduct business improperly. It also means that you can also build a great reputation quickly if you are honest, honorable and trustworthy. Business networking is not as it is in North America although there is an elite network of sorts. You do need to prove yourself first and most elite business people are approachable, open and easy to talk with. People prefer telephone or direct contact and if you are seeking work, always follow up with a phone call, or call first before submitting an online application.

Let me start with a quote from Mark. “I believe the only ‘fair’ taxation is no taxation, but you won’t find that here, or anywhere.”

Living both in Luxumbourg and the Netherlands and working as an free lancer for a trust company, I can tell you there are still options for living without paying a dime of tax. Ever considered Andorra as a place for residency? Sure, you have to know the way and you need some good friends. (but as a sovereign man I’m alway’s willing to share…)

Can tell you a lot of good stories about Luxembourg and Andorra. On request I’ll share it with the rest of the audience.

By the way, Mark’s assessment of New Zealand is very much correct. New Zealand is a great lifestyle location and I love it! Hope to spend some years over there soon.

Keep up the good work Simon! enjoy (almost) each article

Best,

Alex
Luxembourg, Andorra

I enjoyed Mark’s column about New Zealand yesterday and since I have just married a beautiful Kiwi lady, I’m curious to learn more about what parts of NZ where Mark has found “Abundant and reasonably priced lifestyle type properties”.

Keep up the good work!

JC