Leisure and Lifestyle

Whether it’s indoors or outdoors, on the beach or at the theatre, on the playing fields or in the garden, New Zealand has an inexhaustible range of things to do, see and enjoy.

Drawing on the richness of a thousand years of South Pacific heritage, New Zealand culture is youthful and diverse.

Maori and Pacific cultural festivals and performing arts happily coexist with the more formal institutions like The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Royal New Zealand Ballet.

And if your passion is for shopping or for museums, libraries, art galleries, or the theatre, you can truly indulge yourself here.

Most of us live within half an hour’s drive of the coast, so swimming, boating, diving and fishing are almost national pastimes.

We also have 14 national parks and reserves where you can enjoy some of the world’s most breathtaking bush walks.

In winter, our 10 commercial ski fields and numerous club fields provide inexpensive yet challenging skiing, heli-skiing and snowboarding.

We’ve got more golf courses per capita than anywhere else in the world, and the average green fees are around NZ$30.

Our city and regional councils provide extensive, well-kept playgrounds, swimming pools and other recreational facilities.

On Saturdays, parks throughout the country host organised team sports like, rugby, netball, soccer, cricket and hockey.

New Zealanders are enthusiastic movie-goers. In fact we have one of the highest cinema attendance rates in the world.

We’re also heavily into the Internet with over 63 percent of us logging in on a regular basis. Of that number, 25 percent have used the Internet to make a purchase in the past year.

Source: New Zealand Immigration Service, accessed April 2006

Questions you might like to ask us:

	Jobsearch - Where can I get help with finding employment?
	Business for Sale - Can I buy an existing business?
	Study in New Zealand - Residence through studies?
	Open a bank account - how can I transfer my money?
	What are the English language requirements?
	Will I be eligible for public healthcare?
	What customs requirements are there?
	Will I be able to bring my pets?
	Will I be able to use my skills?