With a patchwork history of Māori, European, Pacific Island and Asian cultures, New Zealand has become a melting-pot population – but one with some uniting features that make it unique in the world.
Today, of the 4.4 million New Zealanders (informally known as Kiwis), approximately 69% are of European descent, 14.6% are indigenous Māori, 9.2% Asian and 6.9% non-Māori Pacific Islanders.
Geographically, over three-quarters of the population live in the North Island, with one-third of the total population living in Auckland. The other main cities of Wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton are where the majority of the remaining Kiwis dwell.
New Zealand has a temperate climate with moderately high rainfall and many hours of sunshine. While the far north has subtropical weather during summer, and inland alpine areas of the South Island can be as cold as -10°C (14°F) in winter, most of the country lies close to the coast, which means mild temperatures.
New Zealand has a market economy that is greatly dependent on international trade, mainly with Australia, the European Union, the United States, China, South Korea and Japan. It has only small manufacturing and high-tech sectors, being strongly focused on tourism and primary industries such as agriculture.
New Zealand may be an English-speaking country with a generous smattering of ex-pats but it is another world.
The health system is different. There is no Health Insurance, you will have to pay for prescriptions, ambulances and doctor visits.
The school system is different. The school year starts in January/February.
Housing is different. Depending on where you settle will determine what is available. In certain areas, you may not be able to find a home which is brick built, has central heating or has double glazing. You may not have main line water, main line gas or main line sewerage.
Climate is different. New Zealand is a long thin country which has a variety of climates and landscapes from tip to toe. The North is considered subtropical and can be wet during the colder months, and down South is close to the Artic and can be extremely cold in winter.
The work environment is different. People are more laid back, there is less of a hierarchical working structure and there is a lot less pressure than you may experience at home.
The cost of living is different. Remember, New Zealand is an island nation. Therefore, anything which is not sourced form within has to be imported, making the price of such items to be a lot more expensive. The mentality onshore is to very much reuse and recycle.
The laws are different. You may wish to think about how this may affect you and your family.
Kiwis are sports-mad. Rugby union and rugby league (for the boys) and netball (for the girls) are a religion in New Zealand – so it’ll be handy to know some rules…
You may not be able to afford to go home for a while – and you may not even want to! But when you do, bear in mind the emotional side of things and that it may not be easy to leave it all behind again.
We strongly recommend that you arrange your personal meeting with our qualified counselors to interpret and analyze your requirements. GEPSI Consultancy specializes on all types of Visa and has helped thousands of people from across the country.