Living in the world’s happiest country
Kiwi Michael Mead says residing in Finland is not much different to living in New Zealand. Damian George reports.
Finland is officially the happiest country in the world but New Zealandborn Michael Mead reckons the Scandinavian country is not much different to his homeland.
The World Happiness Report, produced by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, has ranked Finland top of the list of happiest countries, with New Zealand also in the top 10.
The rankings were based on six criteria: GDP (gross domestic product) per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perceptions (not reality) of corruption.
Mead, who grew up in Christchurch and has lived in Finland’s Lapland region for the past four years, sees many similarities between his new home and Aotearoa.
‘‘There’s a lot of relaxing in summer and barbecues and outdoors stuff. For being so far away, we are quite similar.’’
Mead lives with his fiancee, Annika, and their 1-year-old son, Elija, in the Lapland capital of Rovaniemi.
He works for a tour company and as a freelance photographer, with his work for the tour company previously taking him on frequent trips to see the northern lights.
His four-year visa affords him many of the benefits of being a citizen, including free health care, but he can only gain full citizenship if he learns the Finnish language.
certain times of the year.
Mead says that in the darkest month, December, the sun will appear for only about two hours in the middle of the day.
In the lightest months, June and July, it is always light.
‘‘I love the daylight hours in the summer. I don’t find it a problem but some people might find that a bit difficult. It can get a bit depressing in December but the months around it are super nice.’’
Venetian blinds keep the light out during the summer and heated walls keep the cold out in the winter, Mead said. ‘‘The warmest living I’ve had is here.’’
One unique feature of Finnish life was heading off to lakeside cabins owned by most families – usually passed down through the generations.
People were generally standoffish at first but always helpful and friendly once you got to know them, he said. ‘‘They can be pretty quiet and come across as not very talkative at first. They take a lot of opening up.’’
Mead lives in a two-bedroom, 68-square-metre apartment, for which he and Annika pay 750 euros (NZ$1300) per month.
‘‘It is mostly apartment living here, so that does reduce the cost.’’
Prices were generally comparable to those in New Zealand, Mead said.
This article is part of the Good Life Guide, an editorial project sponsored by Skoda. We have produced it independently, to the same standards applied to the rest of our journalism.