My family lives in the north of the South Island which gets the most sunshine overall. Dunedin is colder and quite rural. Izabella is right about medical care, it can be scant as the gp deals with most things on the spot ..... minor ops, births, road accidents etc. Anything more serious or requiring surgery patients have to fly to centres in Wellington or Auckland often in small planes to avoid flying to high for oxygen levels to drop.
Care homes exist as in every town, as do small units adapted to the needs of the elderly. The provision seems good to me.
Living costs are expensive, not just houses but things like clothes. Having said that the quality is better in NZ. We find there is less choice in foods but what there is is fresh.
I can understand your dilemma, Australia is very different from New Zealand.
Another week, another Tory MP sex scandal!
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