Enjoying small city life

My name is Moazzam Zaidi, and originally I'm from Pakistan. I was in Abu Dhabi, UAE when I met Prof. Dr. Rob Griffiths. He was a Professor from University of Otago, and I was looking forward to do a PHD. My only reservation was that I didn't want to leave my job. I was the Chief Occupation Health Physician in the hospital, and we had around 4, 000 employees. 

I was professionally in a position I didn't want want to leave. The department of Occupational Aviation medicine in the University of Otago specializes in distance learning, the world's best modules of doing a Master's program, doing a Diploma in Occupational Medicine, and even the PHDs. That's how I started doing the PHDs with the university of Otago from New Zealand, staying within UAE. 

And after the PHD started after two years, it came to a stage that we felt that it was important for me to come to New Zealand, because the research work was completed and I had to write the thesis. Rob Griffiths, who's my professor was kind enough to say that he can get me a job at ACC. So I and my family in 2010 came to New Zealand for the first time. 

I came here with my family, my wife, and my three daughters. They went to school over here and it was a wonderful experience, the school was very positive, they just accepted us as we were. 

Fariya meet some friends in the city and for her I think it was very positive because later on she joined the woman group in New Zealand and Whanganui, and she's pretty active, four days a week she's out. The provincial parts of New Zealand are a great place to be because there are not that many specialists and consultants available over here in specialized fields, there's still the opening. 

You can achieve a lot, you can make a change, and you can see the difference in the signs what you've practiced. 

New Zealand gives you the opportunity that you can stay within the provincial cities like Whanganui, when your kids are young as I am doing, because my kids are going to school, up until they go to university. 

So I think that's what New Zealand offers. New Zealand offers a place where every ethnic group, religion, and race is is welcomed. 

I felt that when we arrived in New Zealand, we felt like home. We had no bias, or racial discrimination at any stage from entering to the airport, to the kid's school, or a park, or an amusement park. And I think that's one very important part, because if you can be accepted as who you are in a new work and home, I think that's ideal, that's New Zealand.