"Introducing Paradise Down Under"

Some years ago New Zealand was promoted as a "world in miniature". Now it flies under the banner of "100% pure". Both of these positioning statements are true for along the 1800 km length of these South Pacific islands are pristine golden sand beaches, harbours and picturesque bays ideal for boating, magnificent rainforests, lush green farmlands dotted with sheep and other farm animals, large rivers which were once highways for pre-European Maori canoes and clear streams with trophy trout and salmon in them. There are also high mountains ideal for hiking and skiing in season, very accessible glaciers, deep glacially formed lakes and fiords and a wonderfully friendly people.

New Zealand was settled by the Maori about 1,000 years ago. They are Polynesian and migrated in open canoes from the islands of "Hawaiki". The first Europeans to discover New Zealand were Dutchman Abel Tasman followed by English explorer Captain James Cook in 1769. Whalers and sealers followed and then came settlers and Missionaries. In 1840 local Maori and the British Government signed the Treaty of Waitangi, which gave birth to the nation of New Zealand.

Today New Zealand is a modern independent country and member but retaining links to England as a member of the British Commonwealth of nations. New Zealand's system of Government is based on the Westminster model except there is only one House of Parliament. Labour and National are the two main centralist parties though there are several minor parties such as the Greens also represented in Parliament under a proportional representation system.

English and Maori are the official languages and the population exceeds 4 million - about 8% of which are Maori. In recent years many Pacific Islanders have also come to New Zealand to find work and there are large Samoan, Tongan and other island communities which add hugely to New Zealand's multi-culturalism. In recent years there has also been a lot of Asian migration particularly to Auckland where 1 in 8 people are of Asian ethnicity. About 2/3 of the population lives in the North Island.

New Zealand has a free market economy and the New Zealand dollar floats so the rate of exchange against its major trading partners - Australia, the USA, British Pound and Euro is constantly changing. New Zealand is a world leader as far as electronic banking is concerned with most major credit and debit cards being widely accepted and "hole in the wall banking" (cash machines) are commonplace.

There is a good roading network throughout New Zealand. Though most of it is one lane in each direction on sealed roads there are extensive 2 lane motorways into and through Auckland extending about 40 kms north and 80 kms south; and also motorways into Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. They drive on the left side of the road in New Zealand (as in Britain) and the right hand give-way rule applies. The speed limit is 100 kmph on the open road.