Two islands, five million people, and a short drive between the mountains and the sea almost anywhere you stand.
Kettle on. About 4 minNew Zealand sits in the south-western Pacific, around 1,900 km south-east of Australia. It is roughly the size of the United Kingdom with a thirteenth of the population.
The country is long and narrow, so the climate changes as you go: subtropical in the far north, alpine in the Southern Alps. Most people live within half an hour of the coast.
- Subtropical — Northland & Auckland: warm, humid summers, mild winters
- Temperate — most of the North Island: warm dry summers, cooler wet winters
- Continental — Canterbury & Otago: hot dry summers, cold frosty winters
- Alpine — the Southern Alps: cold year-round with heavy winter snowfall
A temperate, four-season year
The average temperature decreases as you travel south. January and February are the warmest months; July is the coldest.
The culture
New Zealanders — Kiwis — are known for being warm, direct and easy-going, with a deep love of the outdoors and a strong respect for work-life balance. People are easy to get to know, and finishing on time is normal rather than something you negotiate.
Māori culture sits alongside influences from Europe, the Pacific and Asia. You will hear te reo Māori in everyday speech, at work and on the news, and tikanga (customs) and manaakitanga (care for others) shape how people treat each other. It is part of how the country runs, not a heritage display.
- Te Tiriti o Waitangi (1840) — the founding agreement between the Crown and Māori, widely understood today as the document that guides the partnership between government and Māori. You’ll hear it referenced often.
- The Tiaki Promise — a shared commitment to care for New Zealand’s land, sea and culture. "Tiaki" means to care for; the idea is simple — treat the place, and its people, with respect.
- Three official languages — English, te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language.
- Stable & progressive — a parliamentary democracy with a strong culture of human rights, environmental care and dependable public services.
Ten small things that make New Zealand, New Zealand
A few of the quirks and claims to fame you’ll pick up not long after you arrive.
Ethicare Resourcing
This chapter is part of a bigger guide — and we’re here for the rest of it
We place healthcare professionals across New Zealand and Australia, and stay with the move through registration, visas and the first months after you land.