As the overturning of Roe v Wade prompts a wave of interest in Aotearoa, Americans who made the leap post-Trump reveal the reality of their new lives
For most, “I’m moving to New Zealand” remains an expression of frustration, rather than a life plan. But what of those who follow through? Many of those Americans who absconded after Trump’s election have now spent several years in the country – and life in a liberal paradise, it seems, is not without tribulations of its own.“Probably the main thing I was surprised at is just how hard it is to find good Mexican food,” says Hawaiian creative director Chad Kukahiko.
For Kukahiko, the 2016 elections of Donald Trump left him feeling disgusted – and concerned that the country was on a bleak trajectory towards conflict. “For me it was visceral,” he says. “I was so shocked when 60-plus million people voted for this.” He was impressed by New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, he says, who – particularly after the Christchurch mosque shootings – seemed like the antithesis of Trump.
“The housing issues were something that we were aware of – but did not really sink in until we started looking for our first rental,” Nash says. “There were some houses that we went into that I felt like I needed a hazmat suit to be at.”Photograph: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images Even the sting of losing same-day delivery has mellowed out into an appreciation, she says for “a much less stressful, ‘Keeping Up with the Joneses’ lifestyle”.
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