Living in New Zealand

Geography

The snow-capped Southern Alps dominate the South Island, while the North Island's Northland Peninsula stretches towards the subtropics.

The Southern Alps, which stretch for 500 kilometres down the South Island with Aoraki / Mount Cook being the highest point of New Zealand, at 3,754 metres.

New Zealand is made up of two main islands and a number of smaller islands. The two main islands the North Island and the South Islandare separated by the Cook Strait.  Besides the North and South Islands, the five largest inhabited islands are Stewart Island, the Chatham Islands, Great Barrier d'Urville Island and Waiheke Island.   New Zealand is long and narrow (over 1,600 kilometres along its north-north-east axis with a maximum width of 400 kilometres with about 15,000 km of coastline] and a total land area of 268,000 square kilometres.

The South Island is the largest landmass of New Zealand, and is divided along its length by the Southern Alps. There are 18 peaks over 3,000 metres, the highest of which is Aoraki / Mount Cook at 3,754 metres.  Fiordland's steep mountains and deep fiords record the extensive ice age glaciation of this south-western corner of the South Island.

The North Island is less mountainous but is marked by volcanism.   The highly active Taupo Volcanic Zone has formed a large volcanic plateau, punctuated by the North Island's highest mountain, Mount Ruapehu (2,797 metres). The plateau also hosts the country's largest lake, Lake Taupo.

Climate

New Zealand has a mild and temperate with mean annual temperatures ranging from 10 °C (50 °F) in the south to 16 °C (61 °F) in the north.   Conditions vary sharply across regions from extremely wet on the West Coast of the South Island to almost semi-arid in Central Otago.  Of the seven largest cities, Christchurch is the driest, receiving on average only 640 millimetres of rain per year and Auckland the wettest, receiving almost twice that amount.  Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch all receive a yearly average of more than 2,000 hours of sunshine. The southern and south-western parts of the South Island have a cooler and cloudier climate, the northern and north-eastern parts of the South Island are the sunniest areas of the country.  The general snow season is about early June until early October in the South Island. Snowfall is less common on the North Island, although it does occur.

Demography

As of June 2015, the population of New Zealand is estimated at 4.597 million.  New Zealand is a predominantly urban country, with 72 percent of the population living in 16 main urban areas and 53 percent living in the four largest cities of Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, and Hamilton.

Ethnicity and Immigration

In the 2013 census, 74.0% of New Zealand residents identified ethnically as European, and 14.9% as Māori. Other major ethnic groups include Asian (11.8%) and Pacific peoples (7.4%).  The population has become more diverse in recent decades: in 1961, the census reported that the population of New Zealand was 92 percent European and 7 percent Māori, with Asian and Pacific minorities sharing the remaining 1 percent.

While the demonym for a New Zealand citizen is New Zealander, the informal "Kiwi" is commonly used both internationally and by locals.  The Māori loanword Pākehā has been used to refer to New Zealanders of European descent, although others reject this appellation.  The word Pākehā today is increasingly used to refer to all non-Polynesian New Zealanders.

Some useful information on working and living in New Zealand

Language

English is the predominant language in New Zealand, spoken by 98 percent of the population.

After the Second World War, Māori were discouraged from speaking their own language (te reo Māori) in schools and workplaces and it existed as a community language only in a few remote areas.  It has recently undergone a process of revitalisation, being declared one of New Zealand's official languages in 1987, and is spoken by 4.1 percent of the population.   Many places have both their Māori and English names officially recognised. Samoan is one of the most widely spoken languages in New Zealand (2.3 percent), followed by French, Hindi, Yue (Cantonese, Spoken in Hong Kong) and Northern Chinese.  New Zealand Sign Language is used by about 28,000 people. It was declared one of New Zealand's official languages in 2006.[261]

Education

Primary and secondary schooling is compulsory for children aged 6 to 16, with the majority attending from the age of 5.  There are 13 school years and attending state (public) schools is free to New Zealand citizens and permanent residents from a person's 5th birthday to the end of the calendar year following their 19th birthday. New Zealand has an adult literacy rate of 99 percent, and over half of the population aged 15 to 29 hold a tertiary qualification.  There are five types of government-owned tertiary institutions: universities, colleges of education, polytechnics, specialist colleges, and wānanga, in addition to private training establishments.  In the adult population 14.2 percent have a bachelor's degree or higher, 30.4 percent have some form of secondary qualification as their highest qualification and 22.4 percent have no formal qualification. The OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment ranks New Zealand's education system as the 7th best in the world, with students performing exceptionally well in reading, mathematics and science.

Religion

Christianity is the predominant religion in New Zealand, although its society is among the most secular in the world.  In the 2013 Census, 55.0 percent of the population identified with one or more religions, including 49.0 percent identifying as Christians.  Another 41.9 percent indicated that they had no religion.  The main Christian denominations are Roman Catholicism (12.6 percent), Anglicanism (11.8 percent), Presbyterianism (8.5 percent) and "Christian not further defined" (i.e. people identifying as Christian but not stating the denomination, 5.5 percent).  The Māori-based Ringatū and Rātana religions (1.4 percent) are also Christian.  Other significant minority religions include Hinduism (2.3 percent), Buddhism (1.5 percent) and Islam (1.2 percent). The indigenous Māori Christians tend to be associated with the Anglican and Catholic churches, while Pacific people tend to be Presbyterian, Methodist, Catholic and Latter-day Saint adherents.

Culture

Social organisation was largely communal with families (whanau), sub-tribes (hapu) and tribes (iwi) ruled by a chief (rangatira) whose position was subject to the community's approval.  The British and Irish immigrants brought aspects of their own culture to New Zealand and also influenced Māori culture, particularly with the introduction of Christianity.  However, Māori still regard their allegiance to tribal groups as a vital part of their identity, and Māori kinship roles resemble those of other Polynesian peoples.  More recently American, Australian, Asian and other European cultures have exerted influence on New Zealand. Non-Māori Polynesian cultures are also apparent, with Pasifika, the world's largest Polynesian festival, now an annual event in Auckland.

Sports

Most of the major sporting codes played in New Zealand have British origins. Rugby union is considered the national sport and attracts the most spectators.  Golf, netball, tennis and cricket have the highest rates of adult participation, while netball, rugby union and football (soccer) is popular among young people.  Around 54 percent of New Zealand adolescents participate in sports for their school.  Horseracing was also a popular spectator sport and became part of the "Rugby, Racing and Beer" culture during the 1960s.

New Zealand is known for its extreme sports, adventure tourism and strong mountaineering tradition.  Other outdoor pursuits such as cycling, fishing, swimming, running, tramping, canoeing, hunting, snow sports and surfing are also popular.  The Polynesian sport of waka ama racing has increased in popularity and is now an international sport involving teams from all over the Pacific.

Driving In New Zealand

Driving in New Zealand is different to driving in other countries. What do you need to know before getting behind the wheel?

Exploring New Zealand’s beautiful landscapes by car, campervan or motorhome is a popular way to get around. Even if you’re used to driving in other places, you need to be well aware of things like weather extremes, narrow, windy roads and different road rules before you begin on your journey.

For more information on driving in New Zealand Please follow this link.