Introduction to New Zealand

Welcome - Haere Mai

New Zealanders welcome committed migrants from across the globe and value the skills you bring and your capacity to add colour and diversity to its nation.

New Zealand is in the Southern Hemisphere and lies in the south-west of the Pacific Ocean. It is comprised of two major Islands (North and South) and a number of lesser islands, the largest of which is called Stewart Island. The country is approximately 1600 kilometres in length and the total land area is 270,000 square kilometres. The coastline has a length of 15,134 kilometres.

New Zealand is a relatively mountainous nation with ranges in both the North and South. The Cook Strait, 20 kilometres wide at its narrowest point, separates the two major islands. After the North and South Island, the next largest island is Stewart Island, which is 30 kilometres south of the South Island across Foveaux Strait.
 

New opportunities in a new land

New Zealand's growing economy is characterised by a willingness to innovate, adapt and try new ideas. In less than a decade, our film industry has grown from tiny beginnings into a producer of such international successes as The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Whale Rider and The World’s Fastest Indian.

Similarly, our once unknown wine industry now consistently produces award winning vintages that are sought after internationally. Over the years we have chalked up an impressive record of technical breakthroughs in science and technology and the range and diversity of our commercial products has burgeoned.

Our companies are small and less formally structured and this calls for broadly - based skills rather than narrow specialisation. Diversity and adaptability and the opportunities that come with this more flexible approach to work are essential to the way we do business.

Our lifestyle is also open and expansive. New Zealand has a thriving cultural life, with a unique mix of European, Maori, Polynesian, Asian, and increasingly, other traditions. Traditional social constraints and class structures are less evident.

We have a firm belief in social equality and a dislike of formality and stuffiness. The differences between high and low income people are not pronounced and most New Zealanders have access to a range of affordable social and sporting activities. We are passionate about sport and have a great love of the outdoors.

The range of activities available from sailing to fishing to mountaineering is huge. Easy access to the great outdoors is a feature of our way of life and even those living in the major cities are often within less than a twenty-minute drive of open and unspoilt countryside.

Our roads are usually limited to two lanes and in the country often have a gravel or metalled surface. We are also a do- it-yourself culture. If you want things done about the house, you must generally do them yourself. Home decorating and renovation is a national obsession and you’ll need to take a hands-on approach to most things.

Domestic servants are not easily available and status counts for little. As a New Zealander you will be expected not to stand on your dignity and ‘muck in’ like a good Kiwi, whatever the occasion.

Don't delay, let us help you :

- Online Accommodation booking facilities

- Plan your Trip to New Zealand

- FREE Immigration Department booklets explaining the process, remember to contact a registered agent to do your paperwork.

-New Zealand Tourist Information

- Online MAPS of New Zealand

- Newsletters to keep you up to date on news in New Zealand

Information on this page was obtained from the official NZ Government - Immigration website as well as Tourism NZ website respectively.

Useful Links

- Check the Local NZ Time
- Check out NZ weather
- Currency Converter
- World Climate Info
- World Clock Info
- Check out the online telephone directory
- Survey: Motivation for migration in NZ