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Source: New Zealand Immigration Service, accessed April
2006
In many ways it’s not what we have that’s
important to our quality of life – it’s what we don’t
have!
We don’t have high crime rates, our police don’t
carry guns and instances of corruption are virtually unheard of.
We don’t have abject poverty or hunger and we
don’t have the pollution, congestion, health issues and cramped
city living that we see elsewhere.
One of the things you will find here, and it’s
something we take very seriously, is our acceptance of different views
and ideas.
We are a modern, secular, democratic society with no
ingrained class system. Freedom of speech, expression and religious belief
is guaranteed in law.
We don’t judge people on how they sound, what
colour they are, how they vote, where they go to church, where they live
or the type of car they drive. Gender equality is something New Zealand
has led the world in.
Being tucked away in a corner of the South Pacific doesn’t
mean that New Zealanders don’t care deeply about events affecting
the rest of the world. We provide a significant sum in foreign aid, honour
our refugee responsibilities and make an enormous contribution to humanitarian
efforts.
New Zealand was a founding member of the United
Nations and has always played an active role in international affairs.
You’ll find us at the forefront of debate on the major issues affecting
the world community, such as global warming. We’ve shown that we’re
ready to stand up for those things we care passionately about even if,
as in the case of our anti-nuclear legislation, this comes at a cost.
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