New Zealand

Haere Mai, Welcome to New Zealand!

Population: 4 million
Currency: New Zealand Dollar (NZD)

The Land

We are surrounded by sea, meaning that our climate doesn’t get uncomfortably hot or unbearably cold in the areas where the majority of us live. Overall, our temperature tends to range from 20-30 degrees Celsius (68-86 degrees F) in summer and from 5 – 15 degrees Celsius (41 – 59 degrees F) in winter.
Being in the Southern Hemisphere, our summer is between December and February and our winter lasts from June until August.

New Zealand has 14 national parks, in fact a third of New Zealand is protected in parks and reserves – in such a small country you’ll find incredible variety in our landscape and vegetation. Majestic mountain ranges, sweeping plains, towering forests, azure lakes, and secluded bays dotted around its lengthy coastline, a recurring theme with many tourists and migrants is New Zealand’s stunningly beautiful countryside. Aside from our people, the diversity and accessibility of our countryside are our greatest assets and they offer an enormous range of leisure and lifestyle options. New Zealanders embrace them all – from swimming and boating to skiing and hiking.

The People

New Zealand is a multicultural society where everyone is either an immigrant or descended from one – people from over 145 different countries call New Zealand home, but it was the Maori who first arrived here over 600 years ago. The Maori people are the indigenous people of New Zealand (Aotearoa) and they make up 14% of the population. Their language and culture has a major impact on all facets of life in New Zealand.
We embrace and celebrate the richness and diversity of people who choose to make New Zealand their new home.

In spite of our geographical isolation we regularly succeed on the world stage. You’ll see us represented in the fields of arts, science and technology as well as on the sports field. Rugby is closely linked to the country’s national identity. The All Blacks are well known for their Haka (traditional Maori challenge) performed before the start of international matches.

New Zealand is a member of the British Commonwealth as well as numerous international organisations such as the OECD, UNESCO and WHO, as well as being party to a number of international agreements like the Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol and Ozone Layer Protection.

We may be slightly biased but we think you’d be hard pressed to find a country that offers as much or a people as welcoming and friendly!