Life in the UK is great – but there are some quirks (Image: Vita Molyneux)
In 2024, I relocated from the bottom of the world to one of its largest cities. I made the move from New Zealand to London and have enjoyed the benefits of a life in one of the biggest, most diverse cities in the world.
However, the move hasn’t been without its culture shocks. New Zealand and England have a lot of similarities — after all, New Zealand was colonised by Britain — but there are also some key differences that still surprise me, even after two years of living here. The first thing that struck me when I got settled into my new life over here was the sheer scale of plastic waste in supermarkets.
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In New Zealand, groceries might be prohibitively expensive (believe it or not, it’s actually far cheaper in the UK for a grocery shop) but there is nowhere near the level of single use plastic. New Zealand banned single use plastic bags all the way back in 2019, and bringing a reusable bag quickly became second nature for everyone heading to the supermarket.
In England, not only are there single-use plastic bags everywhere, but every second fruit or vegetable comes wrapped in plastic. Convenience is key here, and pre-chopped vegetables are ubiquitous across all the supermarket chains. Even if you try to avoid plastic, sometimes you have no choice but to pick up produce wrapped in it.
Things like potatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes and onions — almost every vegetable comes in its own sweaty little bag that just gets chucked in the bin. It blew my mind when I arrived here, and it still does now.
Plastic is everywhere here (Image: Getty)
The second thing that shocked me was seeing adverts for gambling literally everywhere. In the previews for films, on the tube, on the television, on billboards — anywhere that the UK can advertise gambling, it will.
I was, and still am, absolutely gobsmacked that something that can be so damaging is allowed to be promoted anywhere, anytime. Where I live in London, there are betting shops everywhere, and even more adverts for them. There appears to be a correlation between the prevalence of betting shops and lower socioeconomic areas that feels predatory. When I wander through Notting Hill, there is nowhere near the same level of saturation as in my neighbourhood, and I find that genuinely disturbing.
According to a May 2025 submission to Parliament, the Department of Health and Social Care is urging the Government to restrict advertising for gambling in the UK. However, the government has few plans to do so. A Labour spokesperson is quoted by the Guardian as saying: “The government does not currently have plans to legislate for restrictions to gambling advertising. However, we recognise that more work needs to be done to ensure that gambling advertising does not lead to harmful gambling.”
The third thing I find shocking about the UK is the fact that hospitality venues can serve alcohol without offering food. In New Zealand, it is a requirement of a liquor licence that venues offer non-alcoholic options, free water and “substantial” food.
That means it’s not enough to just serve a bowl of fries and call it a day — you need a real menu on offer whenever you are serving people alcohol.
The first time I saw a bar without a food menu I felt like I had entered an alternate universe where there were no rules. I personally totally agree that anywhere serving booze should serve food — but that’s because I am constantly starving.
My final culture shock was to do with public transport. In the UK, public transport is far more advanced than anything we have in New Zealand.
This country is great – but some things have blown my mind (Image: Vita Molyneux)
For example buses, by and large, run on time and I can get a train not only across the UK, but even overseas. That level of efficiency is unheard of in New Zealand. However, there is a downside.
I cannot believe that it is considered relatively normal to pay around £60 for a train somewhere, and you still aren’t 100% guaranteed a seat.
Last summer, I hopped on a train from Bristol back to London that I had paid full price for. Imagine my surprise when I found the entire train rammed with people, and I had to stand up for the whole hour and a half. To add insult to injury, the person I was crammed in next to was clearly developing a cold and sneezed on me the whole way home, which led to me also catching a cold. Fabulous.
All in all, my life in the UK is amazing. That doesn’t mean it’s without its foibles — there’s room for improvement everywhere, after all — but I wouldn’t change my decision to move here for anything.