New Zealand Immigration

• New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the right to vote, in 1893.
• New Zealand’s national day, February 6, is know as Waitangi Day. The Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840 between Maori chiefs and representatives of the British Crown, is considered the county’s founding document.
• New Zealand has more bookstores per head of population than any other country.
• The kiwi, New Zealand’s national symbol, is the only bird in the world to have nostrils at the tip of its bill instead of at the base. It’s a flightless, nocturnal bird, and now engangered so you’re unlikely to see it in the wild. Although they look cute, kiwis can be fierce and very territorial.
• Famous New Zealanders include the leading nuclear physicist Ernest Rutherford, soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Everest, and actor Russell Crowe.
• New Zealand has the most southerly railway station in the world, the most southerly pub and the most southerly vineyard. Wellington is the most southerly capital city.
• Rugby Union is considered a national religion in New Zealand. It’s been said that Kiwis consider being selected to play for the All Blacks is a greater honour than becoming prime minister.

New Zealand’s seasons are the complete opposite from the UK. Winter lasts from June until August and summer is between December and February. In most areas of the country the climate is neither uncomfortably hot nor unbearably cold; temperatures range from 68-86F (20-30C) in summer to 41-59F (5-15C) in winter.

New Zealand’s education system is very similar to that of the UK. School is compulsory for children aged between 5 and 15, and the country’s schools have an excellent reputation and offer a wide range of learning options. All children are entitled to free places at state schools; there are also private (fee-paying) schools. Most schools, even those in inner city areas, have their own playing fields, gymnasiums and swimming pools. Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, spent two years at Wanganui Collegiate School during his 'gap' year as a junior master.

The school year begins in late January or early February and ends in December. It has four terms with breaks of two to three weeks between. Students have a six week summer holiday.

New Zealand’s higher education system includes universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and private training establishments. Universities receive around 70 percent of their funding from the government, with the balance made up by fees.

Average Housing Costs in New Zealand

Two-thirds of New Zealanders own their own home – one of the highest home-ownership rates in the world. Most people choose to live in the suburbs, but inner-city apartments and semi-rural locations are becoming increasingly popular.

Typical median house prices by region:

• Auckland $390,000 (�152,000)
• Wellington $315,000 (�123,000)
• Northland $253,000 (�99,000)
• Waikato/Bay of Plenty/Gisborne $275,000 (�107,000)
• Manawatu/Wanganui $187,000 (�73,000)
• Taranaki $205,000 (�80,000)
• Hawke's Bay $265,000 (�103,000)
• Canterbury/Westland $270,000 (�105,000)
• Otago $215,000 (�84,000)
• Central Otago Lakes $400,000 (�156,000)
• Nelson/ Marlborough $265,000 (�103,000)
• Southland $129,000 (�50,000)

Source: Based on Real Estate Institute of New Zealand figures from November 2005. Read The New Zealand Herald's article 16/12/2005