Overview

Geographical Conditions

New Zealand is home to one of the most beautiful natural environments in the world and its citizens are famous for their kindness and willingness to accommodate all kinds of visitors. The country’s relative geographic isolation has allowed it to avoid many of the problems faced by other nations today. 

New Zealand is located to the southeast of Australia and is separated from the continent by a 2,000-mile stretch of the Tasman Sea. It is an island country and consists of two main landmasses—the North Island (Te Ika-a-M?ui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu)—and more than 700 smaller islands.  New Zealand`s capital city is Wellington, and its most populous city is Auckland. 

Although geographically located on a distant corner of the world, the country is in no way a boring or backward place. On contrary, Arts and culture form a lively part of New Zealand life. Traditional Maori arts can be enjoyed throughout the country, while professional theatre companies, orchestras, and opera can be found in the main centres.

The climate is New Zealand is predominantly temperate with mean annual temperatures ranging from 10 °C (50 °F) in the south to 16 °C (61 °F) in the north. Conditions vary sharply across regions from extremely wet on the West Coast of the South Island to semi-arid in Central Otago and the Mackenzie Basin of inland Canterbury, and subtropical in Northland. It may be noted that amongst the country`s cities, Christchurch is the driest, receiving on average only 640 millimetres (25 in) of rain per year and Wellington the wettest, receiving almost twice that amount. Snow season is early June until early October, though cold snaps can occur outside this season. Snowfall is common in the eastern and southern parts of the South Island and mountain areas across the country.

Political & Legal System:

New Zealand is identified as one of the world`s most stable and well-governed states. It is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy. Elizabeth II is the queen of New Zealand and thus the head of state and is represented by the governor-general, whom she appoints on the advice of the prime minister. The powers of the monarch and the governor-general are limited by constitutional constraints, and they cannot normally be exercised without the advice of ministers.

New Zealand Parliament holds legislative power and consists of the queen and the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives is democratically elected, and a government is formed from the party or coalition with the majority of seats. The parliament has supremacy over the crown and other government institutions. The Prime Minister is the parliamentary leader of the governing party or coalition. It is worth noting that a parliamentary general election must be called no later than three years after the previous election.

The Chief Justice heads the country`s judiciary which includes the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, the High Court, and subordinate courts. The appointment of judges and judicial officers is non-politically and under strict rules regarding tenure to help maintain judicial independence. Thus the judiciary can interpret the law based solely on the legislation enacted by Parliament without other influences on their decisions.

The realm of New Zealand is divided into a two-tier structure of regional councils and territorial authorities. There exist 67 territorial authorities and 11 regional councils. The regional councils` role is to regulate "the natural environment with particular emphasis on resource management” while territorial authorities are responsible for sewage, water, local roads, building consents, and other local matters. The territorial authorities consist of 13 city councils, 53 district councils, and the Chatham Islands Council.

Economic Status:

New Zealand is a high-income economy with a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of US$36,254. The currency used here is the New Zealand dollar and is also informally known as the "Kiwi dollar". The country`s early economy was strongly based on extractive industries focussing at different times on sealing, whaling, flax, gold, kauri gum, and native timber. After suffering a severe economic depression in the late 70s, the government deregulated its agricultural sector by phasing out subsidies over a three-year period in 1980. The steps taken along this route by successive government has turned fruitful and transformed from a protectionist and highly regulated economy to a liberalised free-trade economy.

The country is heavily dependent on international trade, particularly in agricultural products. It is particularly vulnerable to international commodity prices and global economic slowdowns. The service sector is the largest sector in the economy, followed by manufacturing and construction and then farming and raw material extraction. Tourism plays a significant role in the economy. Exports from the country include meat (8.8%), wood and wood products (6.2%), fruit (3.6%), machinery (2.2%) and wine (2.1%).

Society and Culture

Language:

The predominant language in New Zealand is English which is spoken by 95.4% of the population and its accent is similar to Australian English. The endemic Maori language, which faced much discouragement initially is now re-emerging and was declared one of New Zealand`s official languages in 1987. About 4% of the populations speak this language. Many places in the country presently have their names officially recognized in Maori and English. 

The other languages prevalent in the country include Samoan which is the most widely spoken non-official language (2.2%), followed by "Northern Chinese" (including Mandarin, 2.0%), Hindi (1.5%), and French (1.2%). New Zealand Sign Language is one of New Zealand`s official languages in 2006 and is reportedly understood by 22,986 people (0.5%). 

Cuisine:

New Zealand`s cuisine is made of the native M?ori cuisine and diverse culinary traditions introduced by settlers and immigrants from Europe, Polynesia, and Asia. The distinctive ingredients or dishes include lamb, salmon, k?ura (crayfish), Bluff oysters, whitebait, p?ua (abalone), mussels, scallops, pipi and tuatua (types of New Zealand shellfish), k?mara (sweet potato), kiwifruit, tamarillo, and pavlova (considered a national dessert).

Tourist Attractions:

Since the release of the worldwide hit Lord of the Rings trilogy, New Zealand has become a major tourist attraction. Given its geological isolation it has flora and fauna that’s absolutely unique to itself. Other than visiting exotic natural locations, the country is a hotspot for adrenaline-fueled sports. There are numerous outdoor adventure activities available in the country including and not limited to white water rafting, luging, jet boating, heli-skiing, skydiving, mountain biking round and much more. Incidentally, the country is home to one of the highest bungee jumps in the world.

 It is worth noting that travelling in New Zealand is a breeze and is popular for self-drive vacations. The country offers diverse accommodation options ranging from a simple bed and breakfast inns and eco-lodges to some of the world`s most luxurious hotels. Some of the most visited tourist location in New Zealand includes Abel Tasman National Park, Wellington, Rotorua, Christchurch, Auckland, Queenstown and Lake Tekapo.

Lifestyle:

New Zealand is a multicultural country with the five largest ethnic groups being New Zealand European, M?ori, Chinese, Samoan and Indian are very welcoming and friendly towards visitors from other ethnicities, making it easy to assimilate into their society. Although Christianity is the predominant religion in New Zealand, there is ethnic diversity and many different religions being followed here with many also following Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, as well as Ringat? and R?tana.

The M?ori people were the first inhabitants of New Zealand and their culture is still at the core of the nation’s identity. They are recognised by New Zealand law due to their strong connection and traditional relationship with the land. Their population has experienced strong growth and their presence, history and culture has become increasingly recognisable in everyday life in New Zealand.

New Zealand is a well-developed, well connected country with plenty of opportunities. Working hard and getting ahead is important to the people here. But they also believe life is for living and balancing a good day’s work with time for family and friends plus all the recreation and wide open spaces the country offers.

Health Care:

Hospital and specialist care in New Zealand is totally covered by the government if the patient is referred by a general or family practitioner. Those earning less than certain amounts, depending on the number of dependents in their household, can qualify for a Community Services Card (CSC) which reduces the cost of after-hours doctors` visits, and prescription fees, as well as the cost of visits to a person`s regular doctor.

The health care system of New Zealand is a mixed public-private system. The relatively extensive and high-quality system of public hospitals treats citizens or permanent residents free of charge and is managed by district health boards. However, costly or difficult operations often require long waiting list delays unless the treatment is medically urgent. The Accident Compensation Corporation covers the costs of treatment for cases deemed `accidents`, including medical misadventure, for all people legally in New Zealand (including tourists). 

The Ministry of Health is responsible for the oversight and funding of the twenty-one district health boards which in turn are responsible for organising healthcare in the district and meeting the standards set by the Ministry of Health. 

Education in New Zealand

New Zealand`s education system is considered to be the seventh-best in the world by the OECD`s Programme for International Student Assessment, with students performing exceptionally well in reading, mathematics and science. There are five types of government-owned tertiary institutions: universities, colleges of education, polytechnics, specialist colleges, and w?nanga, in addition to private training establishments. The adult literacy rate is 99% in the country. 

A New Zealand citizen or a permanent resident`s children gets free education between the ages of 5 and 19 at state schools. Besides, Schooling is compulsory from age 6–16. Most schools in New Zealand are owned and funded by the state (state schools), teach the national curriculum and are secular (non-religious). 

New Zealand has 8 state funded universities and all of them are well recognised internationally. Each university offers degrees in a large choice of subjects and has strengths in specialised professional degrees. The top universities are University of Auckland, AUT University, Victoria University of Wellington, University of Otago, Massey University, University of Canterbury, University of Waikato and more.

Reasons to Study in New Zealand

• New Zealand universities provide globally recognised qualifications with all eight universities of New Zealand consistently rank high in many global rankings including QS World Rankings
• The pedagogy is influenced by the UK education system, and hence focuses on research-based teaching wherein, the student learns dealing with situations in a systematic and an organised manner
• New Zealand has highly experienced faculty, well-equipped laboratories, access to latest technology, equipment and provides abundant opportunities in research for students
• Studying in New Zealand is affordable due to its lower annual tuition fees and low cost of living for many courses. The living expenses in New Zealand are cheaper than other study abroad destination like Canada, UK, the U.S and Australia
• New Zealand Universities have minimal entry requirements for many programs and there  is not much competition to get admission in a university. Students with passing marks and moderate grades can study there easily. Also, there is no age bar to study in New Zealand.
• PhD scholars have great scope here since they enjoy additional privileges. They are eligible to pay the same tuition fee as locals and unlike other degree students, and can work full-time during your studies
• Speaking of social tolerance and political stability of the Kiwi democracy, New Zealand ranks second on the Global Peace Index 2018 and is safe and peaceful. Also, there are no snakes in New Zealand.
• New Zealand offers a wonderful multi-cultural environment and provides every student a chance to grow with its diverse culture and natural beauty all at once
• A student can work to support their studies in New Zealand and as an international student, one can work for up to 20 hours every week during your semesters and full-time during breaks. Besides, students pursuing research masters or a doctoral degree, are allowed to work full-time

Approximate Cost of the Course at Universities:

Approximate Cost of Living: NZ $ 12,000 – NZ $ 15,000 per annum