# how's it for the kiddos?



## MrsRose (May 23, 2012)

So must husband and I have a little girl, and are hoping to have more children. So I'm curious about New Zealand as a place to raise children.

Is it family friendly? 

How are the childcare centers/preschools/schools? do children receive a good education? are schools safe? is schooling free, or do you have to pay? 

are vaccinations mandatory for children in NZ?

Are things like braces, or glasses affordable if needed?


Any input on raising children in NZ would be great.


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## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

New Zealand is a terrible place to raise children, the local natives have cannibalistic instincts and view young children as a specific delicacy, so, you must spend much of your time guarding young children against being caught and consumed. Childcare centres are basically breading grounds for succulent roasts!... Lol! 

New Zealand is no better or worse than any "western" culture for education. School is "free" (barring mandatory donations) for citizens/residents and is at what I would deem an acceptable level; of course school is as much what you (parent and child) put in as to what you get out.

I have over half a dozen nieces and nephews educated in New Zealand (all but one, who was on a scholarship, public school educated), and they are all as well off as their North American counterparts.


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## Song_Si (Jun 11, 2010)

> Are things like braces, or glasses affordable if needed?


unsure what you'd rate as 'affordable' - my only exp re orthodontic treatment was my niece, braces, more than $6000 in her case plus ongoing visits; of course will vary patient to patient, but by reputation, expensive. Many offer finance options, similar to a house mortgage!

Glasses - it's the frames that are the biggest cost, and again, v expensive in my opinion. I was in an employer welfare scheme which helped (contributed about $8 a week), plus the employer had their own subsidy for people using pcs as part of their daily work that covered initial eye test ($75) and $150 towards lens costs - my last pair came to about $600. 
If you have good frames the option is there just to have lenses replaced.


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## brand180208 (Jun 20, 2012)

*4 year old Daughter*

Hello

Betime we get over to NZ - our Daughter will be 4 years old
Looking at the site, it seems that she won't start school until she has turned 5 years old - does that mean that she would go into a pre-school for a year?
If so - is this "free" as the UK gives 15 hours pw and then you can "top up" the hours if needed/wanted

Regards
Rebecca


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## carosapien (Oct 16, 2011)

MrsRose said:


> So must husband and I have a little girl, and are hoping to have more children. So I'm curious about New Zealand as a place to raise children.
> 
> Is it family friendly?
> 
> ...


Braces are expensive, depending on what's needed they average out at about $6,000. 

Vaccinations are not mandatory. But some kindy's won't let your kid join unless they're up to date. There have been outbreaks of measles and whopping cough recently. 

Define "good education" and "safe" It will be very different to what you have in America and prepare your kids to take some flack about their accents. Most immigrant children will attract attention for this so the quicker they learn to talk Kiwi the better for them.

There have been incidents of harassment and bullying at some schools, I'm sure you've heard that New Zealand doesn't do too well at this. Chose your school with care and be prepared to move them until you find the right one. Talk to other recent arrivals and find out where they send their kids. I know heaps of families who home school, this is very popular in New Zealand.

The school donation can be burdensome if you have more than one child. If you don't pay it your kid may be excluded from some activities or you may have to pay more for them. It's not really a donation. You may also have to pay for uniforms try to buy second hand if you can otherwise it can set you back hundreds of dollars. 

I can't answer about the specs, mine don't wear them.


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## Weta (Feb 11, 2012)

Song_Si said:


> Glasses - it's the frames that are the biggest cost, and again, v expensive in my opinion. I was in an employer welfare scheme which helped (contributed about $8 a week), plus the employer had their own subsidy for people using pcs as part of their daily work that covered initial eye test ($75) and $150 towards lens costs - my last pair came to about $600.


Since Specsavers joined the NZ scene the cost of glasses and eyetests has dropped dramatically with the local companies moving to meet the market and other Australian budget brands joining the fray. You can get deals of two pairs of specs for $299 or less. Eyetests are now free to AA members at Specsavers and they have endless offers on with 50% off or free tests.


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## MrsRose (May 23, 2012)

carosapien said:


> Braces are expensive, depending on what's needed they average out at about $6,000.
> 
> Vaccinations are not mandatory. But some kindy's won't let your kid join unless they're up to date. There have been outbreaks of measles and whopping cough recently.
> 
> ...


I'm not too worried about the accent thing. Our daughter will only be three or four when we arrive, so she may have already picked up on the accent a bit prior to beginning schooling. 

What I mean by asking if the schools are safe is: Here in the US, our public schools have problems with drugs, violence and weapons, etc... I guess I'm hoping NZ schools are better off in that way.


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## MrsRose (May 23, 2012)

When you guys mention bullying in schools, what do you mean? 

Do you mean just kids picking on kids kinda stuff? Or actual physical abuse?


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## MrsRose (May 23, 2012)

scottjames84 said:


> Both.
> 
> I was bullied a lot all through the school system in NZ; I was had my head slammed into a concrete floor given a concussion.
> I also had my arm practically shattered; both times were in High school but nothing happened to the bullies, no suspensions nothing.


I'm so sorry to hear that! That's terrible. It's so heartbreaking that people so young are capable of such violence and cruelty. 

Not sure that it's any less terrible here in the States though. There is a lot of violence in schools here too. (physical fights, sexual assault and even rape, shootings, etc...) 
My husband and I are pretty sure we want to home-school our little girl.


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## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

According to my wife (former teacher), mother (former teacher) and two friends (currently active teachers), home schooling is the worst thing you can do to a child.

School is about learning, and not just from text books in classrooms.


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## Song_Si (Jun 11, 2010)

any country exempt from some level of school bullying? Appears to be an issue everywhere

article in today's news


> *Outrage over bus bullying video*
> Almost $300,000 has been raised to send a New York bus monitor, who was verbally assaulted by children, on a holiday. The attack has generated international outrage and an outpouring of support for the victim, who has told police she does not want the boys to face criminal charges.
> . . .
> This year, the White House held a conference on bullying prevention, estimating that it affects 13 million students, or about a third of those attending school. President Barack Obama said he hoped to "dispel the myth that bullying is just a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part of growing up. It's not."


and a survey being undertaken on bullying in NZ


> Nationwide survey to tackle school bullying
> 
> A nationwide school survey on bullying hopes to shine a spotlight on the strategies being used by teachers to stop hurtful and destructive school yard antics.
> 
> The Victoria University research is thought to be the first of its kind to harness information on the perceptions of bullying in schools and how it is being dealt with. Led by associate professor in child development Vanessa Green, it is hoped that close to every single teacher and principal in every school across New Zealand will respond.


Australia news today


> *
> Bullying needs laws to set the boundaries*
> The Australian June 22, 2012
> 
> TOUGHER laws may be crucial in the fight against insidious and dangerous bullying.


UK



> *UK schools worst in Europe for bullying*
> 
> *Bullying in secondary schools is worse in the UK than the rest of Europe, a new British Council survey has found.
> *
> ...


the nature of bullying has changed since my schooldays - cyber-bullying via social networks, Facebook etc, and text messaging.


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## MrsRose (May 23, 2012)

G-Mo said:


> According to my wife (former teacher), mother (former teacher) and two friends (currently active teachers), home schooling is the worst thing you can do to a child.
> 
> School is about learning, and not just from text books in classrooms.


I think to make the statement that it's "the worst thing you can do to a child" is a bit much. But everyone is entitled to their opinion.
The value of homeschooling is something that I suppose is dependent upon the goals and values of a particular family. I have 3 good friends who are also currently teachers in the public school systems here in the States who are advocates of homeschooling and/or private schools over public schooling. 

For our family, choosing whether or not to put our child in public school has more to do with all of the things we do _not _want our child learning/being subjected to. 

If you go about it right, it's possible to home school a child in such a way that they will be just as well educated and socially well adjusted as any other child. Where we live, there are many groups of homeschooling parents who have created a network of support for home school families. They create a more formal curriculum, take educational field trips together, and some even work with local private schools and/or youth groups to include their kids in various extracurricular activities. 
So their children are learning, in and out of the classroom, and receiving the necessary socialization and extracurricular experiences as well.


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## Weta (Feb 11, 2012)

MrsRose said:


> I think to make the statement that it's "the worst thing you can do to a child" is a bit much. But everyone is entitled to their opinion.


Like all parents you do what you think is best for your children, when the kids grow up they are the best judge of their parents choices. I really couldn't imagine anything worse than if my parents had home schooled me, I would rather they have sent me to boarding school.

Besides the missing out on a whole host of interactions, social skills, the pranks and misbehaviour, fun and experiences that you could never recreate at home, most of the time I was glad to be out of the house and away from them.


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## Song_Si (Jun 11, 2010)

*Home Schooling in New Zealand*

some info, links/resources for Home Schooling in NZ 



> *Ministry of Education: Home schooling*
> 
> Parents and caregivers who wish to educate their child at home must first have approval from their local office of the Ministry of Education and prove that either:
> 
> ...



Kiwi Home Educator
Home Education New Zealand
Home Schooling NZ


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