New Zealand comprises three
main islands, North Island,
South Island and Stewart
Island and is located 1600km
east of Australia and extends
from latitude 34ºS to 47ºS.
New Zealand became a Dominion
in 1907, and its forces took
part in both World Wars. The
country is a member of the
Commonwealth and also several
other international
organisations, including
ANZUS, the Five Power Defence
Agreement and the South
Pacific Forum.
The north of New Zealand is
subtropical and the south
temperate. The warmest months
are December, January and
February, and the coldest
June, July and August. In
summer, the average maximum
temperature ranges between
20-30ºC and in winter between
10-15ºC.
New Zealand’s society
reflects many years of
migration from all parts of
the globe. The majority are
of British descent, along
with other European cultures
such as Greek, Italian,
French, Dutch, Dalmatian,
Scandinavian and German.
More recently people from
islands throughout the
Pacific, such as Samoa and
Fiji, have also migrated
here, along with immigrants
from China, Taiwan and Hong
Kong.
The largest non-European
group of people are the
Maori, the first settlers of
New Zealand, known as the
'tangata whenua' (the people
of the land) who make up
around 15 percent of the
population. Maori culture,
art and traditions are an
important part of New
Zealand’s heritage and
culture.
English and Maori are both
official languages, though
the vast majority of people
speak only English.
One of the last places in the
world to be discovered and
settled, New Zealand today is
a modern high-tech western
nation with a well-developed
economy and a government
structure based on the
British parliamentary system.
New Zealand is a great
country for sports and
leisure - its countryside
offers limitless
possibilities, and New
Zealanders enjoy playing
sport. Outdoor sports include tramping, skiing and
cycling; team sports include rugby,
basketball and netball.
New Zealanders are very
serious about rugby
particularly, and their
national team, the All
Blacks, are world renowned. Gymnasiums operate throughout the country for personal fitness.
New
Zealand's coast, lakes and
rivers have been the mecca of
game fishermen world-wide.
New Zealand golf courses are
of international standard,
not at all overcrowded, and
charge very reasonable green
fees.
Many New Zealanders own their
own yachts, from small
"p-class" children's vessels,
right through to ocean going
luxury and sports yachts.
And for the adventurous,
there’s always bungy jumping,
white-water rafting,
para-gliding, hang-gliding
and skydiving!
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Culture & Arts
As well as the National
Opera, Royal New Zealand
Ballet and New Zealand
Symphony Orchestra, many
cities have theatres,
orchestras and sometimes
opera companies of their own.
Auckland is home to several
professional modern dance
companies, while Wellington
is acknowledged as the
theatre capital, with three
full time professional
theatres operating.
New Zealand has a lively film
and television industry with
a huge international profile-
the cult series "Hercules"
and "Xena" were both filmed
in Auckland, and the
international teenage hit
"The Tribe" is filmed out of
Cloud Nine studios in
Wellington. Currently the
trilogy "Lord of the Rings"
is in post production in
Wellington, having been
filmed entirely in New
Zealand, with a New Zealand
director and crew. The first
film picked up 13 Oscar
nominations, winning 4. Anna
Paquin, then only 11, became
the country's youngest Oscar
winner a few years ago for
her performance in "The
Piano", shot entirely in New
Zealand.
Shops in New Zealand open
most days of the year. Most
open at 9am and close at
5.30pm from Monday to Friday
(although supermarkets open
earlier and close later).
One can
buy almost every type of food
in New Zealand - from
specialty stores such as
butchers and delicatessens to
large supermarkets. New
Zealand has most
international fast food chain
outlets.
You will find restaurants,
cafés and bars throughout New
Zealand, of all
nationalities, especially in
the larger cities. Wellington
has more cafes and bars per
capita than New York. Most
restaurants are licensed,
which means they can sell you
alcohol, and some are BYO (or
Bring Your Own), which means
you can bring your own
alcohol (usually wine only)
with you. Alcohol is
available from supermarkets
and specialty Liquor outlets
7 days.
With the exception of air travel, which is extensive and regular, New Zealand's public transport system is not as extensive or developed as one might expect. This is because the small population and high level of car ownership make it increasingly uneconomic for public transport companies to operate.
Cars are the most popular way of getting around in New Zealand, (2.3 million vehicles for a total population of 3.8 million people) particularly for long distances. Many families own two cars. If you
have a driver’s licence in
your home country and also
have an international driving
permit, you can drive in New
Zealand for a maximum of one
year. After one year, you
will need to apply for a New
Zealand driver’s licence and
pass a theory test and a
practical test. However, if
you come from Australia,
Canada, Norway, countries in
the European Union, South
Africa, Switzerland, or the
United States, you can apply
for an exemption from sitting
the practical part of the
licence test as long as you
meet certain criteria. You
will need to get specific
licences if you ride a
motorcycle or drive a heavy
transport (HT) vehicle.
You do not need to be a
resident of New Zealand to
open a bank account. It is an
easy process - most banks
will open an account for you
within a matter of days. To
avoid a high rate of tax on
interest earned by the
account, you will need to
provide a New Zealand IRD
(tax) number to the bank. You
will also need to give the
bank your permanent address
details.
New Zealand has a wide variety of banks and banking services and are quite competitive, especially in the mortgage market.
Many banks offer special
services for new migrants and
have staff who can help you
with information, advice and
useful introductions.
All major retail outlets and
many smaller ones operate a
system called EFTPOS
(Electronic Fund Transfer at
Point of Sale). This allows
you to pay for goods and
services by swiping your card
through a small reader at the
checkout and entering your
pin number. If you have
enough funds in your account,
the money is automatically
debited from your account and
credited to the retailer, so
it is like paying in cash.
New Zealand was the first
country in the world to have
this system in common use
(because it was first trialed
here) and many New Zealanders
rarely use actual cash.
New Zealand has four national
free to air television
channels. There are also
regional television stations
and some other private,
specialist channels. New Zealand has many competing providers of telecommunications services - the biggest are Telecom New Zealand and Telstra-Saturn. Telecom operates most of the "local call" network, although several firms compete in this market now, as well as in the market for national and international toll calls. w Zealand.
New Zealand has a wide
variety of religions,
although the country is
predominantly Christian in
one of many forms including
Catholic, Anglican, Baptist,
Methodist and Presbyterian.
However many New Zealanders
attend church only rarely.
Anyone can attend any place
of worship they choose. Many
ethnic groups also have their
own places of worship.
Smoking is banned in New
Zealand on public transport
(including airlines) and in
public places such as meeting
rooms and shopping malls.
Also schools are smoke free.
Shops are prohibited from
selling cigarettes to persons
under 18.
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