Travelogues  
New Zealand Diary
Kiwi Trivia
by Neha Girotra

Interesting Facts you wouldn’t have known about New Zealand:

• From the early 1980's, when NZ was home to over 70 million sheep, the population has declined to around 40 million. This means the oft-quoted statistic, that NZ has 20 sheep for each human, is wrong! Nowadays it's only about 10 to 1. This decline hasn't stopped NZ from cornering 50% of all international trade in sheep meat.

• 10% of New Zealand's economy, as measured by GDP, is dependent on tourism. Tourism supports more than 10% of New Zealand jobs.

• It's a fact: at 41.2o South, Wellington is the most southerly capital city on the planet. Cities on similar latitudes in the Northern hemisphere are Barcelona, Istanbul and Chicago.

• For each person who lives here, New Zealand produces 100 kg of butter and 65 kg of cheese each year.

• Graduates from New Zealand's universities who tend to earn the highest salaries are those qualified in sciences, management and commerce and engineering. Creative arts, food, hospitality and personal services graduates tended to have lower salaries.

• The highest rainfall in a year in New Zealand was a drenching 18.4 metres (60 feet) in 1997-1998 at Cropp River on the west of the South Island. By contrast, the lowest rainfall was a miserly 167 mm (6.6 inches) in 1963-1964 at Alexandra, Central Otago.

• New Zealand's Head of State is Queen Elizabeth. 'God Save The Queen' and 'God Defend New Zealand' are New Zealand's two official national anthems. Although they have equal status, 'God Defend New Zealand' is sung at 100% of sporting occasions. Part of the ceremony at which immigrants become New Zealand citizens involves singing 'God Defend New Zealand'. Everyone at the ceremony sings it together, so you don't have to sing on your own.

• According to SPARC, the most popular sports in New Zealand, measured by club memberships, are as follows:
         Golf:             128,860
         Netball:         120,440
         Soccer:        105,023
         Rugby Union: 98,543
         Cricket            87,100

• 30% of New Zealand's land is forested. Forestry accounts for 12% of New Zealand's exports. This is expected to increase as more plantations mature.

• One fact about New Zealand that is a relief to all Kiwis is that New Zealand's sheep are free of scrapie. Scrapie is a brain disease similar to BSE that's present in sheep in many other countries. It's thought BSE was caused by scrapie jumping the "species barrier" from sheep to cows. Cattle in NZ are free of BSE.

• The biggest contributors to New Zealand's Tourism earnings, accounting for 55% of all money spent, are:
          Australians    16%
          British            14%
          Americans     13%
          Japanese       12%

• Due to the moderating effect of the ocean, summer and winter temperatures in most NZ locations differ by less than 10 degrees C. The most continental climate is found in the South Island, in Central Otago, inland from Dunedin.
  Here the temperature reaches 24 degrees C on an average day in summer while in winter it falls to minus 2 degrees C on an average night. Rainfall is a semi-arid 350 mm a year. In comparison, rainfall in other New Zealand locations is:
           Christchurch 635 mm.
           Wellington 1250 mm.
           Auckland 1200 mm.

• With 2.5 million cars for four million people, including children, New Zealand's car ownership rate is one of the world's highest. New Zealanders make only about 2% of their journeys by bus and less than 1% by rail.

Immigration Process

If you wish to migrate to New Zealand, you must apply to the New Zealand Immigration Service (NZIS) to be a resident. Resident status entitles you to live, study and work indefinitely in New Zealand. When you are approved residence, you will be issued a Residence Visa if you apply outside New Zealand, or a Residence Permit if you apply in New Zealand. A Residence Visa is normally valid for one year and is for a single entry. This visa should be used before its expiry in order to activate your resident status. This visa allows you to travel to New Zealand and be granted a Residence Permit on arrival. A Residence Permit allows you to reside in New Zealand for an indefinite period. However, this permit will expire once you leave New Zealand. There are a number of categories, which have special eligibility requirements, including Business Migrants (Investors, Entrepreneurs, Relocating employees), the Samoan Quota and Pacific Access schemes.

Studying In New Zealand

Whether you’re planning to study at secondary school, take a university degree, or a short course in English language, New Zealand has a lot to offer. Lots of people come here to study and there are plenty of opportunities for you to reach your goals and enjoy the ‘kiwi’ way of life too. What could be better than balancing hard work with your choice of sport and recreation? It’s easy to do in New Zealand.
The country has many educational institutions, more than you would expect for a small population. So there's a lot of choice. The educational standards are high and all the qualifications are internationally recognized. You can study in a clean, healthy, safe environment. Some of the leading universities are Massey and Victoria.              

March 5, 2006

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