LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND

Getting to know the real New Zealand is an important part of migration

Climate & Demographics

New Zealand is in the same hemisphere as South Africa and Australia, having a temperate climate with moderate, year-round rainfall and in the North Island especially, an absence of extreme temperatures. Read more...

Economy & Shopping

New Zealand has a very open economy and Government no longer has a direct involvement in price fixing, wage bargaining, industrial relations, interest rate setting etc. Read more...

Education & Employment

New Zealand's economy can best be described as a mixed economy. The country has moved away from a reliance on farming as the principal generator of wealth and employment. Read more...

Government

The New Zealand structure is similar to that of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries. Read more...

Health

New Zealand operates a world class health system which is a mixture of both public and private health providers. Read more...

Retirement & Welfare

New Zealanders do not yet have to pay any compulsory retirement contribution during their working life and the universal pension is funded out of income taxes. Read more...

Salaries

Between 2003 and 2008 some 264,000 new jobs were created in New Zealand. Close to 100,000 in 2007 alone which anecdotally between 25,000 and 30,000 of which were successfully filled. Read more...

Tax

All worldwide income is taxable whether your funds/capital and investments are held in New Zealand or elsewhere. There are penalties for those not declaring offshore income if the Tax Department catches you. Read more...

Housing

By international standards housing in New Zealand is affordable. There are significant regional differences in house prices however these are best illustrated by the table at the bottom of this page. Read more...

Letters from Southern Man

Why I Do This Job...

While it might be stating the obvious that I am not the biggest fan of bureaucrats it is interesting some of the questions I get privately from regular readers of this blog. Two spring to mind. The first, almost always from Singaporeans is, doesn’t the Government of New Zealand treat your clients more harshly because of what you say in your blogs? How very Singaporean I always chuckle ...
Earth to Zog

What a week in the world of immigration. I often find when I meet a potential client for the first time they announce with great confidence that their case is ‘straight forward.’ Although the analogy might not be reassuring to my clients I confess those two words make me recoil as a vampire to garlic. There is literally no case that is straight forward, or perhaps I should qualify that...
What To Do About Skill Shortages?

The local media are increasingly reporting worsening skills shortages and a mismatch of the skills available for the vacancies requiring filling. I have written on a number of occasions and advise many clients in consultations that they should not be put off coming to New Zealand to find work when they read the unemployment rate is still around 6.2%...

Who is IMMagine NZ?

With a residence success rate higher than 99% and more than 20 years of experience, you are in the right place if you're looking to live and work in New Zealand. We have a team of fully licensed advisors available to assist you with your move. Read more...

Immigration Seminars

If you want to learn more about New Zealand as a migration destination, New Zealand Immigration policy and process see if we have seminars planned for your city. If we don’t, how about registering for a free online e-Seminar? Read more...

Watch Our Video

We've put together a really comprehensive video with all the information you'll need about New Zealand and about what it takes to move here, including information on healthcare, education, employment and the economy. Read more...