About New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean made up of two main Islands - the North Island and the South Island - and numerous smaller islands. The first settlers, the Māori, named New Zealand Aotearoa or “The Land of the Long White Cloud.”
The population is mostly of European descent, with the Māori being the largest minority. However immigrants from all over the world have been moving to New Zealand since the early 1800’s and New Zealand is now made up of a cross section of many different cultural groups. Although things are not completely without tension for the most part these groups manage to live together in peace. Political power is held by the democratically elected government under the leadership of the Prime Minister.
New Zealand is the only country in the world in which all the highest offices in the land have been occupied simultaneously by women: Queen Elizabeth II, Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright, Prime Minister Helen Clark, Speaker of the House of Representatives Margaret Wilson and Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias were all in office between March 2005 and August 2006. New Zealand's largest listed company, Telecom New Zealand, had a woman - Theresa Gattung - as its CEO at the time.
Environment
New Zealand is well known for its “clean, green” image and nuclear free stance. Few countries in the world can boast the range of birdlife native to New Zealand shores. Unfortunately, many animals, birds and plants have become extinct over the last hundred years. Recently, New Zealand has taken a turn in its attitude and a great deal of effort is now being put into saving endangered wildlife and plants. New Zealand has led the world in island restoration projects, where offshore islands are cleared of introduced mammalian pests and native species are reintroduced.
With a population of a little over 4 million and a land mass roughly the same size as the UK, New Zealand has many rural areas and few cities. The Southern Alps that run the length of the South Island have some of New Zealand’s most “untouched” spots. While the famous towns of Rotorua and Queenstown offer tourists a glimpse into the culture and excitement that NZ has to offer. However there are chances for those wants to explore less touristy spots to get “lost in nature” virtually anywhere in the country. Few places are more than an hour or twos drive from the sea and mountains are as common as corner stores in other countries.
Language
New Zealand currently has 3 official languages (English, Maori and New Zealand Sign language), however less than 5% of the population are fluent in Maori and less than 1% in Sign. Most “Kiwis” (the common term for a New Zealander) speak a few words in Maori and it is now being taught in schools. A number of Maori words have been accepted into “Kiwi” English and are generally understood by the whole population. Most Kiwis are fluent only in English and tend to forget that those born in many other parts of the world learn several languages as a child. It is considered by many to be a “big deal” to speak a second language.
Money
Generally speaking, people in New Zealand earn less money for the same job than people in other countries. This gives Kiwis a different point of view. For example it is not common to give money as a present (like a $10 note in an envelope for a birthday etc.). Instead you would bring some food or snacks if you are invited to a friends house for a party.
But the handling of money is very easy in New Zealand. Most accounts are free of fees and you can pay for everything with your eftpos card (even a single beer in a pub). When you pay in the supermarket and some other shops you will be asked if you want to have “any cash out”? In this way you can get some money straight in the shop in addition to the amount you are paying. This saves you from going to the money machine and making an extra transaction.
All banks will change money for you and the rate is set so there is no need to “shop around” for the best deal. However we strongly recommend that you keep all but a little cash (say $50.00) in a bank account and use an eftpos card for most transactions.
Tips are not common here but some shops in the tourist areas have jars where you can put tips on the counter.
Food
For most families breakfast is a quick, simple meal of toast and or cereal with a drink. It is usual for each person (except young children) to get their own and in many houses this meal is eaten “on the run” rather than together. Even on the weekend there might not be much of a difference to weekday breakfasts. Lunch is mostly a “cut lunch” which is a sandwich on white bread, fruit and sometimes something sweet. It is not common to have a hot lunch, although that is slowly changing.
Dinner is the biggest meal of the day and most families would eat this together. It is common to eat meat of some sort at every evening meal. Most families also have a dessert every evening (pudding), often this is ice cream or fruit. Pre-packaged food or “TV dinners” are considered expensive and are not as common as in some other countries. Most meals are made from scratch, although packets and jars of “sauces” which you can add to your meat or vegetables are common.
Climate
The climate varies greatly from place to place in NZ although one thing is certain – the weather is always changeable! As most places are close to the sea the humidity is often higher that visitors are used to and the wind stronger. This makes people feel cold when they first arrive and we recommend that you wear layers at first to protect you from the wind and to help contain your body heat. Being in the Southern Hemisphere the season will be opposite for most visitors with summer Christmases and skiing in July.
NZ houses often have poor insulation and central heating is not common. This means that you may have to get used to wearing more clothing inside than you are used to. Those who will be working and or living in the bush should bring polypropylene tops and leggings to help keep warm – even in summer bush huts can be cold at night.
In New Zealand we have “Daylight Saving” during the summer time. Daylight Saving starts on the last weekend of September and ends on the first weekend of April. You have to put your clock/watch forward one hour in October and back one hour on the March in order to go back to the world-wide recognised time. During “Daylight Saving” time NZ’s time difference with your own country is one hour more than usual.
