Terry,

If not a joke then that is interesting, John.

It is a very "English" joke. ;-) The joy and the hurt of New Zealand is that it is the most isolated country in the world geographically. In the modern world, a tiny distant population will find it difficult to match foreign economies of scale. NZ's economy is fairly agricultural with most produced goods imported, causing a balance of payments issue. Living in NZ is more of a lifestyle choice than an economic choice, though those who arrive with pounds from sale of their UK home will be able to buy something very nice in Auckland or a mansion anywhere else.