A lot changed over the weekend. Not only did the fuel excise tax cut come to an end on July 1, but a raft of other changes took effect, some of which you might feel in your wallet.
tldr:
- End of fuel excise tax cut
- Public transport back to full price
- $5 prescription charges scrapped
- Parental leave payments increased by 7.7%
- Plastic produce bags in supermarkets gone
- Clean car discount changed
- Alcohol tax increases by 6.6%
- Working holiday visas extended
- NZ post have increased their prices
- NZ citizens living in Aussie can apply for citizenship after four years
Public transport back to full price
It’s not in the article but I believe on 1 Jul free public transport for kids 12 and under kicked in, and those aged 13-25 will continue to get half price fares indefinitely.
What a terrible time to turn 26 :(
You’ve also got the next 39 years to watch NZ super collapse into dust before you get a chance to have it.
Pains me to say it but I can’t imagine I’ll be in NZ in 10 years. I love this country but the grass is looking a lot greener elsewhere.
Every country has their failings. But if you are in a position to be able to head overseas, I encourage you to do so!
You might go forever or it might turn out the grass wasn’t as green, but it will be a life shaping experience either way.
I’m a kiwi but hold a dual citizenship so have spent a fair amount of time overseas. End up coming back cause I miss NZ too much but as I’m getting older and need to pick somewhere to base myself for a while it feels hard to justify NZ, from a career perspective. That said, it’s also hard to imagine leaving again.
100% agree though, I find a lot of my peers who endlessly talk about how much they hate NZ haven’t really lived outside of the country. Not that that’s a reason not to criticize NZ but at the very least living somewhere else for a while gives good perspective.
