Going Dutch

The Netherlands has lurched further to the right politically, but Amsterdam is still a beacon for Kiwis wanting to experience European life.

- GREGOR THOMPSON

Winter shows up early in Amsterdam. Along the quays of the outer canals, cyclists wearing gloves and scarves pedal W about, unfazed by the puddles. Underneath rainbow flags, hunched-over coffee drinkers brave the bitter cold and breathe fog between sips. Far from the boisterous and tourist-infested anarchy that is the city centre, this place is orderly, understated and, so it seems, alluring.

While it's no Australia or Britain, the Netherlands has established itself as another place putting out the welkom mat to Kiwis seeking an OE. According to data from the Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid (Ministry of Justice and Security), which regulates migration in the country, the number of New Zealanders applying for working holiday visas and work permits in the Netherlands nearly doubled between 2016 and 2023 to about 500 a year. Add these newcomers to those who have pitched up over the past two decades and you'll get quite a sizeable Kiwi community.

But, under the surface of this charming progenitor of progress, change is brewing.

On November 22, the Dutch gave far-right Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom (PVV) 23.49% of the vote - more than any other party in the notoriously fractured parliamentary system.

During his campaign, Wilders spelt out his desire to tear up environmental regulations, used the words "zero tolerance for street scum" and spoke of bans on mosques, Islamic headscarves in public buildings and possession of the Qur'an. Even if Wilders' place in government is far from a given (the PVV was the largest party with 37 seats but needs support from other parties to form a coalition government), his electoral success indicates that much of the population is vehemently opposed to how things have been going.