Chinese Chose to Come to New Zealand to Work After 15 Years in Canada
Staff Writer: Yiyi Xie
Image Source: Supplied
About 20 years ago, when Aimee was in middle school, she watched a TV series called Vancouver, which gave her a vivid image of life abroad.
In 2009, she set foot in Canada for the first time, determined to stay there. After more than a decade, she has now relocated to Oceania.
Life in a Small Canadian Town for Over a Decade
I was born in 1990, a true Beijing native, but the bustling city and fast-paced lifestyle didn’t suit me. I’ve always been drawn to pastoral life.
After graduating from high school, I made up my mind to go abroad, with Canada as my top choice, largely due to the influence of Vancouver.
I still remember the day before I left, calculating with pen and paper how many years it would take to gain Canadian citizenship. The young, naive version of me planned for five years.
From the moment I landed, Canada felt incredibly familiar, almost like returning home. I never experienced any discomfort or adjustment issues. My main concern was figuring out which field of study would allow me to stay: accounting, early childhood education, horticulture—I tried them all.
It wasn’t until a teacher told me I could no longer switch majors that I settled on studying media in Toronto. After graduation, I found a job in my field, but office work wasn’t my dream. I loved being outdoors, exercising, and doing physical labor, feeling free and unrestrained.
Leaving the 9-to-5 life behind, I took up sales jobs in malls and supermarkets, giving me the freedom to manage my own time. Disliking Toronto, I took a Greyhound westward to explore Canada’s provinces, searching for a new place to settle.
Eventually, I found myself in a small town nestled beneath the Rocky Mountains—Calgary. It was quiet, with mountains, rivers, and space for outdoor activities. I immediately knew this was my next home.
I met my partner Sean there, and after dating, living together, and getting married, I unexpectedly followed the path of "marriage-based residency." When I finally gained citizenship, ten years had passed since I first arrived in Canada.
Canada Isn’t What It Used to Be
In 2019, I returned to China to spend time with my family and found a job at the Canadian Embassy. For the first time, I was working in China. Many of my colleagues had previously done working holidays in New Zealand and Australia. Talking with them gave me a clearer picture of that lifestyle.
In my twenties, I had dreamed of living around the world, but I hadn’t had the opportunity to pursue it fully. That dream, however, never faded. Even when I was in a relationship with Sean, I often wondered, "Is this my life now, settled down forever?" I would think, "What if I were still single? What would my life be like? Would I feel freer, more at ease?"
At 29, I told Sean I wanted to try my luck in Australia, but he wasn’t interested in starting over in a new country. Perhaps my longing for freedom added instability to our relationship. I didn’t want to be confined to a traditional wife-and-mother role. We eventually separated after five years together, and I was devastated for a year.
The state of Canada also disheartened me. Over the years, the dreamland I had envisioned turned into a "refugee camp" for the world. Waves of immigrants and refugees poured in, relying on government aid for childbirth and welfare, leaving local workers overwhelmed.
Thousands of people were competing for $15-an-hour part-time jobs. Even food delivery was saturated, and many locals juggled two or three jobs while struggling with credit card debt. Quitting without another job lined up became a luxury, and staying employed felt like a blessing during the COVID crisis. At that time, flights to China were suspended as well.
All these factors pushed me to make a fresh start at 33, embarking on a working holiday in Australia (a privilege granted to Canadian citizens before 35). Though I was no longer in my twenties, I felt more mature and confident.
Leaving Canada felt much like when I left my hometown of Beijing—full of reluctance, but driven by the desire to chase the life I wanted, even if only temporarily.
I Earned More in Australia, But I Still Left
Upon arriving in Australia, I quickly realized Canada was in worse shape than I had imagined. I never expected the wage disparity between developed countries to be so vast. Australia’s minimum wage at the time was AUD 21 an hour, but most jobs offered even more, starting at AUD 24-25 or AUD 30 with certification. In contrast, similar jobs in Canada, like fast food or retail, only paid about CAD 15 an hour, often part-time. It was barely enough to survive.
Job opportunities were also more plentiful in Australia. Applications received responses, and there were interviews, unlike in Canada, where résumés often seemed to disappear into a void.
On my first day in Australia, I obtained a forklift license and found a warehouse job in Perth. Not only could I support myself, but I could also save money to pay off the mortgage on my Canadian house. After doing the math, I realized that working for three months in Australia was equivalent to six months of work in Canada.
However, despite the higher wages, I found Perth’s social atmosphere cold and unwelcoming, and I struggled with the racial discrimination toward Asians. I hadn’t found the idyllic farm life I envisioned, and with my working holiday visa time running out, I decided to leave Australia after six months and secured a job at a dairy farm on New Zealand’s South Island.
New Zealand is Where I Want to Live
Before arriving in New Zealand, I had heard that the cost of living here was 1.5 to 2 times higher than in Australia, with fewer job opportunities and lower wages. Upon landing in Christchurch, I found the high living costs to be true, which explained why so many Kiwis move to Australia for better opportunities.
But here in New Zealand, I rediscovered the feeling I had when I first settled in Calgary—peace, quiet, and a deep connection with nature. New Zealanders, or Kiwis, were warm and relaxed, much like how Canadians were when I first arrived over a decade ago.
Every interaction, whether at the bank or the supermarket, was friendly and laid-back, a stark contrast to the coldness I experienced in Perth. Older New Zealanders were kind and approachable, and the younger generation was polite, friendly, and outgoing.
Job opportunities in New Zealand might not be as plentiful as in Australia, but they are still better than in Canada, especially in farming and ranching. I now work on a dairy farm in Hurunui, about 100 kilometers north of Christchurch. My job involves feeding and watching over the cows.
Every morning, a colleague picks me up, and we spend the day feeding the cows and watching over the gates. Most of my time is spent enjoying the fresh air, surrounded by majestic snow-capped mountains, grazing cattle, and vast farmland. I’ve found my place. This is the life I want.
Before turning 35, I still hope to visit Ireland, which will be the final stop of my working holiday journey. Ireland is Sean’s homeland.
Will I return to Canada? Definitely. My love for Canada remains, but it breaks my heart to see what it has become now. Calgary will always be my home. I built a home and met my partner there, even though our relationship didn’t work out.
