About New Zealand
Living and life in New Zealand … what can I expect? Read on and you'll find out more.
NZ defined
The essence of New Zealand is difficult to explain. You have to experience New Zealand to understand my passion for this place.
What's New Zealand all about?
Spectacular scenery, wide open spaces, clear blue sky and warm sunlight, the sweet smell or the earth and green grass, our lifestyle … all these factors are important to understand the New Zealand perspective of our country.
For New Zealanders, it's not just the beautiful surroundings, the fact that it's roughly the same size as the United Kingdom, yet has only around 4 million people as opposed to the 60.5 million people in the U.K, and offers open spaces and a relaxed lifestyle. It's not even the fact that getting to and from work, school and leisure activities is so easy.
What makes New Zealand an experience is the character of the people. 'Kiwis' are laid-back, we're ambitious and despite our small size, we expect to be prominent in world terms. We have a 'can-do' attitude that harks back to our pioneer roots, that's helped us be at the forefront of innovation in many sectors.
And because our environment is so important to our lifestyle, we're fiercely protective of it, including our rugged coastline. Our mission is to preserve our clean green environment for many generations to come even if it means the government saying "No" to coastline development.
Speaking of environment, we take our weekends seriously. A lot of New Zealanders like to get outdoors - hiking, climbing, fishing, skiing or just leisurely picnics at uncrowded beaches - because they're right on our doorstep. Of course, there's high-quality arts and theatre as well, with festivals, events and galleries that rank well internationally.
If you want a more relaxed lifestyle, space, a good place to raise children in a stunningly beautiful environment, consider New Zealand.
Celebrities comment
"I think every person dreams of finding an enchanted place with beautiful mountains and breathtaking coastlines and clear lakes and amazing wildlife but most people give up on it, because they've never been to New Zealand."
Former US President, Bill Clinton
"The scope, the natural lay of the land is actually spectacular. It's almost a wonder of nature the way the rivers and mountains and skylines weave into each other. It becomes more like visual art. That's pretty dazzling. Your first impression is not just the beauty but the scope of the beauty and the depth of the beauty."
John Travolta
When asked, "what would you most like to inherit?" Moby Dick replied, "New Zealand."
GQ UK Magazine
Media impressions
New Zealand won 'Dream Destination' at the 2006 British Travel Awards, held in London in November. Nearly 100,000 consumers voted in the 'Dream Destination' category, which was introduced for the first time this year and featured nine other nominees - Barbados, Brazil, Dubai, Fiji, Hawaii, the Maldives, the Seychelles, South Africa and Australia.
This was hot on the heels of the UK Superbrands 'Coolest Destination' award in September. New Zealand also recently won 'Favourite Long Haul Destination' at the Guardian/Observer Awards.
What the migrants themselves say
"We have been all over the world - Europe, America, Africa - and this place is the best. I wish we had known about New Zealand 20 years ago when we were younger. It's like finding paradise in a safe and civilized community. There's something so special here, a kiwi spirit where people help without expecting anything back".
Chris and Janet Watmore
"It's a lot easier to do business in New Zealand with things being completed so much quicker. Life and work are a lot less stressful, and we enjoy regular holidays away together."
Stewart and Gill Moss
"We now have plenty of time to enjoy life and the NZ lifestyle of tramping, rugby and going to the beach. We have been made very welcome by our neighbours and are making new friends. Sarah has settled into her school well."
Simon and Jacquie Chapman
"New Zealand is a wonderful place… we're very pleased we took the step to move here. It is a great place to invest in the future, both for ourselves and our children."
Bill and Lynda Davey
"New Zealand is a wonderful country… with huge opportunities. I came here on a working holiday and fell in love with the place. You are encouraged to produce and rewarded for success, and the lifestyle is second to none in the world."
Richard Wright
"We were mesmerised by the beauty. People are so nice and relaxed, even the officials help you!"
Michael and Georgina Rudge
"We were looking for somewhere relatively underpopulated, but relatively modern. The quality of life, lack of bureaucracy and friendliness of the community in New Zealand made the choice easy."
James and Clare Halford
click here to read some stories of recent migrants to New Zealand.
NZ Weather/ Climate
The weather and climate is interesting, ever changing, never a dull moment and quite pleasant. Because New Zealand is made up of long, narrow islands, the climate has quite a prominent place in the New Zealand psyche. Most New Zealanders are very aware of the weather and its effects, especially as much of our economy is based on primary industries. We find the climate in New Zealand quite enjoyable. The South Island is cooler in the winter than the North Island. In the south, there are strong seasonal differences that the tourism industry capitalises on.
Overall, the climate is temperate, with summer temperatures rarely exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. The winters are not too cold, even in the south and the true reward for a frosty southern morning is a sparkling sunny day with beautiful vistas of the snow-capped Southern Alps.
For more information on New Zealand's climate visit click here
Why Invest in New Zealand?
There is no capital gains tax, no stamp duty, no wealth tax and no inheritance (death) duty. Isn't that reason enough? For more information click here.
I Want to Move to New Zealand
New Zealand especially welcomes people who can contribute skills and talent and as a skilled migrant you can obtain permanent residence. Your skills, qualifications and experience are assessed through a points system. For the last few years the United Kingdom has been by far the largest source of migrants into New Zealand.
For more information on Immigrating to New Zealand click here.
Planning to visit New Zealand?
If you haven't visited New Zealand before we suggest you do. It's the best way to get a feel for the country.
If you're planning a road-trip, here's a good site to visit. Click here.
If you want to have a look at some property while you are in New Zealand make sure you contact us before you go and we'll make the whole process much easier for you. Click here.
Helpful Links
http://www.purenz.com/
The official website of Tourism New Zealand. A good source of information on the lifestyle that New Zealand has to offer, together with information on the different regions.
http://www.tradenz.govt.nz/
The official website of Trade New Zealand. A good source of information on economic information on New Zealand.
