Why New Zealand?
Balanced Lifestyle
New Zealand is famous for its quality of life and it has a work-life balance that is just right.
Many surveys that have been conducted time and again have made New Zealand enviable for its work-life balance.
HSBC's 2021 Expat Explorer survey has ranked us:
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1st in the world for future outlook,
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2nd for lifestyle, and
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3rd best place overall for expats to live and work.
Expat Explorer League Table 2021 | HSBC
New Zealanders prioritize balancing work with time spent with family and friends and also believe in enjoying the recreational opportunities and wide open spaces the country offers.
Even in New Zealand's biggest cities, you will never be too far from a beach, bike trail, or national park.
Leave entitlement
New Zealanders have a great work-life balance because every worker by law gets:
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at least 20 days (four weeks) of paid annual leave
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an additional 11 days off a year for public holidays (on top of annual leave)
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access to bereavement and sick leave (depending on how long they have worked for the same employer, and their entitlement date)
Parents may be able to take up to 52 weeks of leave from work to care for their new child, and the government provides up to 26 weeks of paid parental leave for qualifying parents.
Shorter commutes
Another reason New Zealanders have so much free time is because they spend less time traveling to and from work.
Our cities and towns are smaller and less crowded than other places around the world which makes our commutes easier and shorter.
Great Career Prospects
New Zealand is a well-developed, well-connected country with many opportunities to advance your career.
Internations' Expat Insider 2021 survey of expats in 186 countries ranked us the 2nd overall best place in the world for expats to work and 4th for our work-life balance.
Expats at Work | Internations Expat Insider 2021
New Zealand has been welcoming people from overseas to come and work here for a number of years. Our growing economy continues creating more jobs. Moreover, we have ongoing shortages of skills in particular areas.
The job market in New Zealand is predicted to be strong in the next few years as a result of steady economic growth.
The government’s Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) predicts average annual GDP growth of about 2.7 percent and 2.5 percent over 2018-23 and 2023-28.
Household spending, residential investment, a resumption of tourism along with strong growth in exports will be the guiding force behind this GDP performance.
Growth at these rates means New Zealand will need nearly 40,000 new workers a year.
With an aging population meaning more people leaving the workforce, it is expected many of those new jobs will have to be filled by people coming to New Zealand from overseas.
Almost half of the 40,000 new jobs in New Zealand each year will be in either Accommodation and Food services, Business services, Construction or Retail trade.
Transport and logistics and non-farm manufacturing sectors are also expected to grow.
Employment growth will be strongest for highly-skilled occupations, including managers and professionals,
There will still be opportunities for less skilled workers, with the fastest growing occupations in this category being drivers, construction and mining laborers, and delivery drivers.
Is your profession on the green list?
Some high-need roles in various industries are currently on INZ's fast-tracked Residency Green list.
Learn more about these new Skilled Residence Pathways.
Safe, Peaceful & Secure
New Zealanders have become accustomed to feeling safe. This is because as compared to many other parts of the world, New Zealand is largely free of personal violence and strife between communities.
The 2021 Global Peace Index, which compares 162 countries for the risk of personal violence, rates New Zealand as the world's second safest country just after Iceland.
Transparency International’s 2021 Corruption Perception Index ranks us the least corrupt country in the world, equal with Denmark and Finland.
Since New Zealand is so safe and secure, you along with your family are free to get out and enjoy everything New Zealand has to offer. You can walk or cycle the streets, play in playgrounds, catch public transport, and generally do the things you want to do without fear.
You can enjoy the open spaces that New Zealand has to offer, discover the beaches, have fun in the playgrounds and parks, picnic, explore the bush, climb mountains and cycle to your heart’s content.
Global Peace Index | Vision of Humanity
Corruption Perception Index | Transparency International
Family Friendly
Many New Zealanders who spend time living abroad come back home to start a family.
Children here enjoy many things that other countries don't offer which makes New Zealand the perfect place to bring up children.
It’s more stable, peaceful, and safe than most countries. In New Zealand, young people can grow up with easy access to sports and the outdoors.
New Zealand's wide open spaces give you the choice of every style of living you and your family could want - from suburban homes with room for kids to run around in, to places by the seaside or even a spot out in the country with your own farm animals.
There is a wide range of housing options in New Zealand in terms of style, quality, and price depending on location.
Developed public services
Families in New Zealand get great support from a range of public services.
They can access welfare and support if someone has an accident or if a parent can’t work because of sickness or unemployment.
Healthcare
New Zealand's healthcare is of good quality, affordable and accessible.
New Zealand residents can get free or low-cost healthcare because of Government subsidies.
Non-residents can also use healthcare services, but at a cost.
If you are injured in an accident, much of your medical and recovery costs are likely to be covered by New Zealand's Accident Compensation scheme (ACC) — even if you were at fault.
World-class education
New Zealand has an excellent education system from preschool to postgraduate.
New Zealand is in the world’s top 20 nations for the quality of our schools according to the OECD in 2016.
All eight of our universities are ranked in the top 500 QS World University Rankings 2016/17.
Over 90% of parents in HSBC's 2015 Expat Explorer survey say that the quality of New Zealand education is 'the same' or even 'better' (50% of respondents) than at home. Nearly 70% of them say their children are more confident and well-rounded from their time spent living in New Zealand.
2015 Expat Explorer Survey | HSBC
World University Rankings 2022 | QS Top Universities
Clean, Serene & Beautiful
New Zealand's natural beauty is not just concentrated in a few remote corners, it is surrounded by great scenery, even in its biggest cities.
Environmental guardianship
The connection between people and the land is central to the identity of Māori - the indigenous people of New Zealand. This influence of the spiritual connection has also affected non-Māori New Zealanders. New Zealanders are passionate about sports and outdoor activities because they get us close to things that nourish us spiritually.
New Zealanders feel a strong sense of guardianship for our environment. They have strong controls over land development, fishing, water quality, and conservation. They have dedicated over 30% of our land to national parks and other protected areas.
Spectacular scenery
New Zealand’s spectacular scenery can take a lifetime to explore. Many New Zealanders who’ve lived here for their whole lives haven’t seen or done it all.
Over 90% of migrants find that New Zealand's scenery exceeds or meets their expectations, according to a recent Immigration New Zealand survey.
New Zealand's scenery features heavily in the following films:
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The Lord of the Rings trilogy
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The Hobbit trilogy
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The Chronicles of Narnia
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Whale Rider
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The World’s Fastest Indian
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The Piano
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Mission Impossible 6: Fallout
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Disney's live-action remake of Mulan
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The Last Samurai
You can experience all of this beauty by car, on foot, by boat, on horseback, by helicopter, by rail, or by rubber raft.
It's easy to lose the crowds and have the wide open spaces to yourself.
Low population density
New Zealand is less crowded than many countries around the world. New Zealand is slightly larger than the UK and slightly smaller than Japan but has a fraction of their population. On average you’ll find just 18 people for every square kilometer in New Zealand. In comparison, the UK has 281 per square kilometer and Japan has 347.
Temperate climate
New Zealand's climate is not extreme. It does not have months of baking heat or intense snow. It has a predominantly temperate climate which means relatively mild, wet winters and warm dry summers.
It can be sunny and warm on the east coast, and cloudy and wet over the mountains on the west.
New Zealand has southern hemisphere seasons, with winter from June to August and Summer from December to February.
Friendly People
Most New Zealanders are warm and friendly.
New Zealand's sense of community is ranked 8th in the OECD Better Life Index measuring 41 different countries.
Nine out of ten migrants find the welcome they receive meets or exceeds their expectations, according to a recent Immigration New Zealand survey.
The welcoming spirit in New Zealand comes from a core principle of Māori culture, Manaakitanga, which means, hospitality, kindness, generosity, support - the process of showing respect, generosity, and care for others.
Manaakitanga extends far beyond the Māori tradition as it is recognized by the Government as one of the two core values of the tourism strategy.
Social events often involve eating, including;
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picnics on the beach
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morning teas with work colleagues
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a hāngi (food cooked in an earth oven) at your child's school, or
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a barbeque with your neighbours
New Zealand is diverse, combining influences from around the world, especially the Pacific and Asia.
It's a country of open, welcoming people, and a place where you’ll make lasting friendships.
