LOL, Robin … I’ve always said I’d consider moving to 
, or 
- but only if NZ could get rid of its lousy (cold) weather and Aus all of its deadly creatures 
Good luck with the emigration: not sure of NZ, but to emigrate to Straya, you must qualify to even apply.
I think it’s a splendid policy: part of the reason Australia has few people than California.
Used to be dead easy getting into Australia…just commit a petty theft in London. 
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I’ve heard that … Funny how times change, in that back in the mid-'60s Aus was almost begging for immigrants, esp. for those with certain needed job skills. In fact, my dad, being a master machinist and tool & die maker, was highly skilled in one of their most-wanted occupations. They had even said they would give us $$ to immigrate there (presumably, at least relocation expenses). 
We were headed from CA, driving across country, to fly out from FL to when we stopped off at a small town in Missouri to eat a picnic lunch. My mom loved the town so much that she begged my dad to let us stay there instead, so we did. 
Will always wonder how my life might have been different if that fateful decision had never been made. 
With my love of “critters” though and examining them, with my luck I would have been killed by one of “Aussie’s deadliest” … 
Most people I know refer to it as Kalifornia.
Cold weather weeds out the riffraff. Note the cultures of states and countries in cold climates vs. those in warm climates.
When I checked a coupla decades back, it was an unashamedly racist policy. If you were caucasian and spoke English – even what Americans call English – no problem. Not much luck getting in if you were Asian, though. Still that way?
I dunno about the 60’s, but in the 90’s the typical story would go like this: A man is a dentist, meaning he’s a trained professional and moves to the top of the list. His immigration is approved. As soon as he gets in-country, he finds out that his credentials as a dentist will not be accepted. He either needs to start his education over or end up flipping burgers somewhere.
The key point of that story is getting the $%^$# out of Kalifornia. Most of this country looks good by comparison. I have often mused that something like 90% of overseas visitors to the US touch down in either NYC or LA. We need a tourism campaign to encourage them to stay on the plane! Doesn’t matter where it goes next, it’s gotta be better than those two hellholes.
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Yep, my parents moved there for awhile back in the early '50s after they were married. They did not like living in the L.A./Long Beach area (esp. b/c of the quakes), so they headed north and just loved the rural mountains and giant redwoods of Plumas County. Unfortunately, the need for $$ required they move to the big city once more, so it was off to Oakland. Dad hoped with his recent teaching credential from El Camino College he could get a job teaching high school there, possibly machine shop. He said though that as soon as the principal showed him his predecessor’s desk drawer full of weapons confiscated from students (brass knucks, guns, shivs, etc. 
- and this was in the early '60s!) he said “hell no” and got out of there. After living a short time later in Hayward, they were soon wanting to leave CA entirely. 
Have to muse again what my life would have been like had they decided to stay in CA (I was 4 y.o. at the time). 
Well, I guess we’re getting into Pub land, so I better leave it here at that. 
A common misconception, partly a result of Crocodile Dundee movies ( very funny too ) and unofficial tourism promotion.
An average year will have one or two shark fatalities, maybe a couple of spider or snake bite victims and usually a couple of croc fatalities.
Makes nice and scary stories to terrify tourists.
Meanwhile a typical year produces 250 - 300 drownings - that is the real threat to careless tourists and a fair number of citizens.
And yes, Australia had some rather shameful immigration policies up to the later decades of the 19th century. It no longer has the appeal it used to have for European migrants, yet we have the fastest growing population % wise of OECD countries, and the main source is China and India.
Oops, should have said up to the 20th century.
When I was looking to emigrate, the policy itself bore no racist agenda, and as for the country being racist?
Aus seems about on par with here…
Our POTUS is cathing h… for thinking of “qualifying” I thought it was the law of the land???
Is it cold at times in NZ??? To me when the F’s’s drop under 70, it is getting cold. Not today, 100 f predicted…
CA is definitely not business friendly… small business feeling the crunch. some just gve up and retire…
Carl
Carl it depends where you are, we have the ‘winterless north’ and in the South Island heavy snow falls.
I’m in Auckland and we have an occasional frost during winter, although come to think of it we didn’t have one this year, probably due to our location. Temperature rarely breaches 30 deg C but with the humidity even 13 deg C can feel cold, maybe thats just old bones?
Being a small country every thing is within a 2 day drive, top of the NI to the bottom of the SI with thermal areas and ski fields in both islands. But don’t let our small size fool you, we still produce world class athletes and top notch drivers, Scott Dixon for one 
And Texas is WAAAAY too hot for me.
When I was there, one of their claims to fame was that you could go snow skiing in the morning and water skiing in the afternoon. The weather was balmy at the beach or in Christchurch proper, but it only took an hour’s drive to be up in the snowy mountains.
And if you were so inclined fly fish for trout and bag a stag between those two (well the stag may take a while, and the trout unless you did what my cousin did when she first arrived, use bait!!!)
Were you here after we opened up on the weekends or before when the country went to sleep?