1. New Zealand consistently features amongst the very top best countries in the world to live in.
2. All new Zealanders are migrants or descendent of migrants, so newcomers are always welcome. The first settlers in New Zealand were the Maori, some 700 years ago. The next wave of migrants came from the United Kingdom in the 19th century, followed by an influx of European migrants at the end of World War II. More recently, the country has welcomed many new residents from various countries such as South Africa, Zimbabwe and India.
3. New Zealand has a modern, prosperous, developed economy with an estimated GDP of US $128 billion. The country has a high standard of living with GDP per capita estimated at US $32,000.
4. Despite New Zealand’s ever-growing economy and motivated workforce, the country is still in need of skilled workers in various fields. The door is therefore open for workers from overseas to bring their skills to New Zealand and enjoy its unrivalled quality of life.
5. New Zealand’s population consists of just over 4.3 million people, with a further 1 million New Zealanders living abroad.
6. New Zealand was ranked 6th in the 2013 Human Development Index and 15th in The Economist’s 2005 Worldwide Quality of Life index. Most Recently, New Zealand was named the second most peaceful country in the world in The Economist’s Global Peace Index.
7. The New Zealand landscape is spectacular, and includes stunning bays, lakes forests and mountain ranges. Areas of particularly breath-taking scenery include the Bay of Islands, Milford Sound and the Fiordland National Park.
8. Sport, leisure and an outdoor lifestyle are regarded extremely highly in New Zealand. The national sport is Rugby Union and other popular sports include cricket, rugby league, netball, soccer, golf, tennis, rowing, skiing, snowboarding and a variety of water sports, particularly sailing.
9. There is no ingrained class system in New Zealand, but more a belief in every individual’s ability to contribute to society in their own positive way.
10. New Zealand cares greatly about the world and is always at the forefront of global issues of major debate. The country is particularly passionate about its anti-nuclear stance and had introduced legislation to reinforce this belief.
