# Moving from US to Napier NZ



## shutter_bug71

Hello all!
We were just notified that our family will be possibly relocating to Napier on the North Island. I have a son who is 17 and will be finishing high school there. My biggest concern is, how are Americans treated? Will he be bullied because he is American? We are a very outgoing family and love change so I don't see this as being a huge problem , but am still a bit uneasy. I do know where we currently live, racism is huge, we live in a very small town in the Bible Belt of America,which has its own issues entirely . Any information would be appreciated! I am excited for a new adventure but am trying to do as much research as I can. I also realize every country has its issues and we here in the US have a ton.
Thanks!


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## jsharbuck

My husband is from Louisiana and we have been here a year. We have not felt treated any different here because we are American. We are outgoing and find Kiwis quite friendly. I had a chance to help at a children's holiday camp here in Rotorua a few months ago and came across a 14 yr old boy from Florida who had lived here two years and a girl of 16 from Georgia. I asked how they liked it here and how school was for them. Both said that they would not go back to the States. The boy said that he had gone back for a few weeks on vacation and couldn't wait to get back here. 

Best of luck to you


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## anski

shutter_bug71 said:


> Hello all!
> We were just notified that our family will be possibly relocating to Napier on the North Island. I have a son who is 17 and will be finishing high school there. My biggest concern is, how are Americans treated? Will he be bullied because he is American? We are a very outgoing family and love change so I don't see this as being a huge problem , but am still a bit uneasy. I do know where we currently live, racism is huge, we live in a very small town in the Bible Belt of America,which has its own issues entirely . Any information would be appreciated! I am excited for a new adventure but am trying to do as much research as I can. I also realize every country has its issues and we here in the US have a ton.
> Thanks!



Hi & welcome to the forum. 

I live in Napier & let me reassure you it is a lovely place. It has a wonderful climate and is a very attractive Art Deco town with lovely scenery in the surrounding areas.
I moved here from Auckland in March & I have yet to meet anyone that is unfriendly, quite the opposite. Everyone is treated nice, don't know why Americans always ask this question.
I think people treat people as you treat them, so as long as you are friendly you will have no problems.
As for bullying it seems a worldwide thing these days & more up to the school & how they treat it.
NZ schools have students from all parts of the world, so I don't think being an American would make your son a target.
I know of 2 other American couples here.

Feel free to ask any questions.

cheers,


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## Kimbella

shutter_bug71 said:


> Hello all!
> We were just notified that our family will be possibly relocating to Napier on the North Island. I have a son who is 17 and will be finishing high school there. My biggest concern is, how are Americans treated? Will he be bullied because he is American? We are a very outgoing family and love change so I don't see this as being a huge problem , but am still a bit uneasy. I do know where we currently live, racism is huge, we live in a very small town in the Bible Belt of America,which has its own issues entirely . Any information would be appreciated! I am excited for a new adventure but am trying to do as much research as I can. I also realize every country has its issues and we here in the US have a ton.
> Thanks!



Good luck on the move! Your son will probably be fine, most likely treated like a rock star, in fact. I have 2 teen kiwi step-daughters, and their friends are enamored with me because I'm American--Californian at that, so it's even "cooler." The kids here definitely have a more global, open perspective on the US, and view America with starry eyes. You might find that some of the grown-up kiwis are a bit more naive, and skewered in their perceptions--but that is generally from only knowing "Americans" from how tv projects us. You will read online a lot of anti-American comments, but I have not experienced any personal anti-Americanism. I was subjected to some during a peace rally (a portion of the crowd was shrieking death to American), but I have yet to meet anyone who didn't seem to like me, and being from America has been more a source of a curiosity than anything else. I have stealthily cleared up some misconceptions about the US that came to light during the course of general conversation. Many people tend to think of America as this incredibly wealthy country (which translates into all Americans being wealthy), that does nothing for its poor, and crime is Mad Max like--everywhere. lol There is a delightful naivety to the people at times, I think that comes from their isolation, and small size and population. Good people, polite, helpful, pretty friendly overall. You also might there to be what I call "casual racism" that is more open here than what I was used to in California, at least. The "joking" here can include ribbing about where you are from, your race, etc...it will really depend on the social circle you connect with. I came from a very large California city, so my adjustment took some time, even though I moved to Christchurch, the second largest city in the country. You may find coming from a smaller community that you transition right in perfectly. Cheers!


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## anski

Reminds me of when I moved from South Africa to Scotland I was asked where I had bought my clothes from before my arrival? I thought the question was a joke but when she went on to ask if I did not normally wear animal skins l knew this is was how she perceived people were attire d. I was quite shocked at her ignorance. But could not resist telling her I carried a rifle in case there were lions roaming the street outside the department stores in the city. LOL


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## Kimbella

anski said:


> Reminds me of when I moved from South Africa to Scotland I was asked where I had bought my clothes from before my arrival? I thought the question was a joke but when she went on to ask if I did not normally wear animal skins l knew this is was how she perceived people were attire d. I was quite shocked at her ignorance. But could not resist telling her I carried a rifle in case there were lions roaming the street outside the department stores in the city. LOL



Omg, that is GLORIOUSLY funny!!  haha!


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## shutter_bug71

Thanks for all of the replies! This is something we are excited about and did find that misconceptions about the US are rampant and knew it would be the same with New Zealand. We had an exchange student live with us from Italy last school year. She was very disappointed that the US was NOT like the movies haha! So we did get to see these misconceptions first hand and it was interesting. My son is 17 and naturally has had more questions. His biggest is, how is the internet there? He is concerned if he will be able to "game" online with his buddies.
My husband did make a trip to Napier last year for business and said he loved the town, I look forward to getting there!


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## inhamilton

Good luck with your move. You may find the odd idiot making a derogatory comment. There are those sort of people in every country, of course. When I was a kid I had an American friend, so spent quite a bit of time in the home of his family. I don't remember any problems with them being American, although that was a long time ago.
Good luck with your move.


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## anski

shutter_bug71 said:


> Thanks for all of the replies! This is something we are excited about and did find that misconceptions about the US are rampant and knew it would be the same with New Zealand. We had an exchange student live with us from Italy last school year. She was very disappointed that the US was NOT like the movies haha! So we did get to see these misconceptions first hand and it was interesting. My son is 17 and naturally has had more questions. His biggest is, how is the internet there? He is concerned if he will be able to "game" online with his buddies.
> My husband did make a trip to Napier last year for business and said he loved the town, I look forward to getting there!


Tell your son that Napier has been undergoing Fibre Optic rollout over the last few months. Our street was one of the first way back in July. By next year all should be up & running. At the moment WiFi is very good, not that I am into gaming but I am sure all the local kids are.


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## naposhian

You will love Napier! I moved here a year and a half ago from Southern California. The people are very friendly and welcoming, and the country is beautiful. The nice thing about Kiwi teenagers is that they're not obsessed with fashion labels or status symbols. Girls look healthy and not so body conscious. It's very refreshing! There are orchards and vineyards everywhere and you will enjoy the weekend farmers markets and the amazing fresh produce. We love cooking in NZ. One thing I notice about the schools here is that the classes go on lots of field trips. As a former teacher, I love to see the classes out and about at local parks and museums. I haven't noticed many expats on this forum from Hawkes Bay, so if you have any questions I'd be happy to help.


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## Angou

Napier is small but since you are from a small town this shouldn't be a shock. It's a beautiful city, very friendly, very laid back and welcoming. I suspect that the only issue your son is likely to have is that as a foreigner he will be in high demand - expect the 16 year old girls to be falling all over him  

Americans aren't uncommon or unusual in New Zealand (in recent years in particular, its hard to go anywhere without meeting someone that has immigrated from the US). 

Yes, in some circles, there is considerable anti-American sentiment BUT it's not anti the American people. This, I think, is an important distinction to make. NZ'ers are very globally aware and keep informed about politics and trade. When I was living in the US I found I knew more about US politics, the parties, the politicians and the issues than most of the American's I interacted with. Many of us don't like what the US is doing in some areas but we know that many Americans don't like these either. Disliking a country's politics and policies is very far removed from disliking its people. American PEOPLE are well-received, American policies are not.


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