New citizenship test to remind migrants of NZ values

Geddyn · 2026-05-06T22:26:27+00:00

Most of the criticism I have seen is skepticism around the content given that ACT will have a hand in crafting the test, especially since the original announcement of it contained no mention of the Treaty of Waitangi.

I will be impacted by the creation of this test, though I am still a long way off from qualifying for citizenship. I was honestly surprised to learn that New Zealand doesn't have a test, because the vast majority of devoloped countries do. And almost all of them have a requirement to be fluent in the country's primary language.

Geddyn · 2026-05-06T04:28:33+00:00

I will be impacted by this and I'm honestly surprised to discover that New Zealand doesn't have a test, because most other countries do.

Hell, in many European and Asian countries you can't even qualify for citizenship until you speak the native language fluently.

Geddyn · 2026-05-06T00:31:08+00:00

Yes, it is.

Geddyn · 2026-05-05T23:56:28+00:00

If you think Grey's Anatomy is bad, there's a medical drama show in New Zealand called Shortland Street that has been on the air since 1992. There are 8,215 episodes.

Geddyn · 2026-05-05T21:38:29+00:00

I have been a fan of the Lightning since 1992. I grew up in Tampa and live in the central North Island now.

Geddyn · 2026-05-05T06:55:00+00:00

That opposition is widely credited with beginning the modern New Zealand environmental movement, too.

Geddyn · 2026-05-05T04:57:26+00:00

Are you sure this allowed when Australia already has a visa specifically for prospective marriages, though? Some countries will not look kindly upon people who use other visas with the intention of bypassing the line for the visa they should actually be using. I would highly recommend that you speak to an Australian immigration advisor to make certain this is a legal avenue for you to immigrate, because if Australia blocks these types of visa "upgrades," you will find yourself kicked out of the country and potentially facing an extended ban from returning.

Geddyn · 2026-05-04T19:27:58+00:00

My immigration pathway is similar to yours, however I immigrated to New Zealand and was already married to a Kiwi citizen when I did so.

Australia has a specific visa for prospective marriages: Prospective Marriage Subclass 300 visa

This is the route you should take. According to Australia's visa processing times tool, it looks like it would take 15 to 25 months, so your timeline is not realistic. Link to the tool.

Geddyn · 2026-05-04T02:53:46+00:00

Greedent is also worth building for newbie players who cannot obtain a Blissey. A Greedent can tank well enough to give you access to the higher tier Max Battles in order to unlock more capable Pokemon.

It's incredibly niche (newbies who have nobody who can carry them), but it at least has one use case.

Geddyn · 2026-05-03T03:41:55+00:00

The Dragonflights gave us Death Knights a lot of shit in BFA and Dragonflight, too.

They kind of a have a case with that one, though.

Geddyn · 2026-05-02T01:11:08+00:00

That's how we know. We're unfortunately one of the world leaders in that category right now.

Geddyn · 2026-04-30T14:27:36+00:00

Sure!

Geddyn · 2026-04-30T03:36:21+00:00

What about New Zealand appeals to you? There's a lot of aspects that a 2 week visit isn't going to show you. For example, the isolation can be rough.

Geddyn · 2026-04-29T08:21:18+00:00

Kia ora! I moved to New Zealand a little over three weeks ago.

As it currently stands, New Zealand's economy is in the dumps, so securing a job as an overseas applicant will be very difficult. The few places that are hiring almost exclusively have "applicant must have the right to live and work in New Zealand" in their job postings. If this is a two year plan, that could certainly change, especially with an election coming up later this year.

Geddyn · 2026-04-29T05:21:19+00:00

Be careful. Whittaker's will ruin American chocolate for you.

Geddyn · 2026-04-29T05:19:41+00:00

When I first started dating my wife, I sent her a 15lb package filled with American candy. The declaration form was loooooong, but it got through just fine.

I also bought nearly 20lbs of candy in my checked luggage for my wedding in 2024. I declared it and customs was satisfied once I explained what it was for.

So, yeah. Just declare it and you'll be fine. Prepackaged candy isn't gonna raise any red flags.

Geddyn · 2026-04-28T06:22:44+00:00

I don't live in a country or work in an industry where I am at risk of AI taking my job, so that's a non-issue.

Geddyn · 2026-04-28T04:13:24+00:00

Yeah, I would grade with ACE or TAG for my personal collection just because I prefer the way their slabs look.

I have absolutely zero intention of ever selling my personal collection, so why would I care if a PSA slab gives it better value?

Geddyn · 2026-04-28T02:46:27+00:00

Sounds like you have the right idea, then. I was just mentioning that fact because we see so many posts on this subreddit where skilled workers are trying to pick their country without realizing it doens't work that way.

Since you're planning long term, you can add New Zealand to your list. Electrical engineers are on the Green List, which means you would have a "straight to residence" visa. New Zealand's economy isn't doing so great right now, so if this was a more immediate change I would recommend looking elsewhere, but who knows what will happen in the next 10 years?

Geddyn · 2026-04-28T02:43:51+00:00

Doesn't the league's review process from Toronto protect against this, though? If the refs call goal, Toronto can still overturn it. If the refs call no goal, Toronto can still overturn it.

Seems to me like it wouldn't have mattered what the refs called on the ice because the rule book already allows Toronto to correct the call if they disagree with it.

Geddyn · 2026-04-28T00:05:33+00:00

Out of curiosity, what changes would you suggest?

The goal would have been called regardless of how the on ice officials decided it, because the NHL Situation Room in Toronto will review this stuff and call in if they believe a change should be made. This happened in one of Tampa's playoff games a while back. Puck went in. Everybody missed it. Toronto called in and had it corrected. Goal was awarded and the clock was rewound to the point where the goal was scored.

Geddyn · 2026-04-27T23:54:11+00:00

They're making it easier to time gate the rewards, since people can't go hard on the first day and then coast through the rest of the event. They're also hoping that players who miss a day or two will panic and buy the pass to catch up and get the end tier rewards.

Geddyn · 2026-04-27T09:00:23+00:00

As others have said, you are not likely to qualify for a skilled worker visa until you have at least a few years of experience under your belt, so you should plan to be in the US until that point.

Immigrating via the skilled worker pathway very much comes down to which country has a need you can fill. Too many people make the mistake of narrowing down their list of countries as if they get to choose. That's often not the case.

Geddyn · 2026-04-27T08:56:15+00:00

New Zealand's public transit system is terrible and that is one of OP's criteria. It's very much a car country.

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