Testimonial

 

"Once we had decided that we wanted to work in New Zealand we had no idea then how to go about it. We found OES on the internet who swiftly established our needs and put us in touch with their NZ member. Within weeks they had found me the perfect job, my husband following only weeks later. They have been brilliant and guided us every step of the way. Nothing has been too much trouble and they have been there to give advice whenever we've needed it, including fashion tips for my daughter! ..." Pam and Ray

To get the most up to date information on vacancies in this country, we recommend you complete our short registration form.

We urgently require mental health nurses for nursing jobs in New Zealand, call the team today for a fast track decision

 

Living in New Zealand

New Zealand is a genuinely beautiful country with a landscape that contains an unrivalled variety of landforms. In a couple of days' drive it is possible to see everything from mountain ranges to sandy beaches, lush rainforests, glaciers and fiords and active volcanoes.

The two main islands are together about the size of Japan or Great Britain. However, a population of only 3.8 million means a population density of only 14 people per sq km, as opposed to Great Britain's 240 or Japan's 332. About 75 per cent of the population live in the North Island, and about one million people live in the Auckland urban area.

Summer and winter temperatures vary by only about 10єC over most of the country - away from the mountains, New Zealand winters are mild and temperatures generally do not fall below freezing.

There are no snakes or dangerous wild animals and most insects are harmless, despite what they might look like! There are no health risks, and in all cities and towns tap water is fresh and safe to drink.

New Zealand’s society reflects many years of migration from all parts of the globe. The majority are of British descent, along with other European cultures such as Greek, Italian, French, Dutch, Dalmatian, Scandinavian and German. More recently people from islands throughout the Pacific, such as Samoa and Fiji, have also migrated here, along with immigrants from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The largest non-European group of people are the Maori, the first settlers of New Zealand, known as the 'tangata whenua' (the people of the land) who make up around 15 percent of the population. Maori culture, art and traditions are an important part of New Zealand’s heritage and culture.

Language

New Zealand’s two official languages are English and Maori. About 50,000 Maori New Zealanders speak Maori as their first language, though almost all also speak English, which is the main New Zealand language in daily usage. Even if you speak English well, you will probably have some difficulty with the New Zealand accent, so you will need to give yourself some time to listen and get used to it.

Recreation & Sport

New Zealand is a great country for sports and leisure – its countryside offers limitless possibilities, and New Zealanders enjoy playing sport. You can explore the outdoors with tramping, skiing and cycling, or take up team sports such as rugby, basketball and netball. New Zealanders are very serious about rugby particularly, and their national team, the All Blacks, are world renowned. Gymnasiums operate throughout the country if you want to start a personal fitness programme. If you enjoy fishing, swimming or golf, you’ll find plenty of opportunities. Ever since American writer Zane Grey dubbed New Zealand the 'Angler's Eldorado', making annual fishing pilgrimages here in the 1920's, New Zealand's coast, lakes and rivers have been the mecca of game fishermen world-wide. New Zealand golf courses are of international standard, not at all overcrowded, and charge very reasonable green fees.

Many New Zealanders own their own yachts, from small “p-class” children's vessels, right through to ocean going luxury and sports yachts. Auckland has the highest level of boat ownership per capita in the world, and the country currently holds the Americas Cup, yachting’s most sought after international sporting trophy. And for the adventurous, there’s always bungy jumping, white-water rafting, para-gliding, hang-gliding and skydiving! Recently several international extreme sports events have been held in the South Island, where contestants race from one coast to the other across the Southern Alps! So, there is plenty to do!

Culture & Arts

As well as the National Opera, Royal New Zealand Ballet and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, many cities have theatres, orchestras and sometimes opera companies of their own. Auckland is home to several professional modern dance companies, while Wellington is acknowledged as the theatre capital, with three full time professional theatres operating.

Wellington is also home to the huge biannual International Festival of the Arts, while Christchurch, New Plymouth and Tauranga also host Arts Festivals. Nelson is home to the internationally acclaimed “Wearable Arts Awards”. Recently the new Museum of New Zealand ('Te Papa') opened in a huge specially designed building on Wellington’s waterfront, and showcases New Zealand Art and culture, as well as hosting international exhibitions.

New Zealand has a lively film and television industry with a huge international profile- the cult series “Hercules” and “Xena” were both filmed in Auckland, and the international teenage hit “The Tribe” is filmed out of Cloud Nine studios in Wellington. The trilogy “Lord of the Rings” (the first of the three films was released in December 2001) was filmed entirely in New Zealand, with a New Zealand director and crew. The first film picked up 13 Oscar nominations, winning 4. Anna Paquin, then only 11, became the country's youngest Oscar winner a few years ago for her performance in “The Piano”, shot entirely in New Zealand.

Shopping & Food

Shops in New Zealand open most days of the year. Most open at 9am and close at 5.30pm from Monday to Friday (although supermarkets open earlier and close later). Some shops have a late night during the week - usually Thursday or Friday depending on the city or town they are in.

Most open at least on Saturday during the weekend, and shopping malls are open 7 days. Some shops (such as some takeaway food outlets and petrol stations) stay open 24 hours a day. You can buy almost every type of food in New Zealand – from specialty stores such as butchers and delicatessens to large supermarkets. New Zealand has most international fast food chain outlets.

You will find restaurants, cafйs and bars throughout New Zealand, of all nationalities, especially in the larger cities. Wellington has more cafes and bars per capita than New York. Most restaurants are licensed, which means they can sell you alcohol, and some are BYO (or Bring Your Own), which means you can bring your own alcohol (usually wine only) with you. Alcohol is available from supermarkets and specialty Liquor outlets 7 days.

Public Transport

With the exception of air travel, which is extensive and regular, New Zealand's public transport system is not as extensive or developed as one might expect. This is because the small population and high level of car ownership make it increasingly uneconomic for public transport companies to operate. For example, despite commuter trains and public bus services, Auckland's huge urban sprawl means it is difficult to move around unless you travel by car. In other cities also, most people find it more convenient to drive themselves, rather than use public transport. In the country the high level of car ownership has made it uneconomic for extensive train and bus services to compete, although national bus and train services do operate between most cities and towns. Regular ferry services operate (three or four times per day) that take travellers, vehicles and even goods trains across Cook Strait (the 25 mile stretch of water between North and South Islands). There are also many luxury tour buses that take tourists throughout the country on specialised tours.

Private Transport

Cars are the most popular way of getting around in New Zealand, (2.3 million vehicles for a total population of 3.8 million people) particularly for long distances. Many families own two cars. Up until around 1970 most cars and motorbikes were of British (or Australian products of General Motors or Ford) origin, but today the market is dominated by Japanese vehicles. However, other makes are readily available, such as Fords, Holdens, Mercedes, BMW’s, Jaguars, Land Rovers and Harley Davidson, Ducati, BMW and Triumph motorcycles. If you have a driver’s licence in your home country and also have an international driving permit, you can drive in New Zealand for a maximum of one year. After one year, you will need to apply for a New Zealand driver’s licence and pass a theory test and a practical test. However, if you come from Australia, Canada, Norway, countries in the European Union, South Africa, Switzerland, or the United States, you can apply for an exemption from sitting the practical part of the licence test as long as you meet certain criteria. You will need to get specific licences if you ride a motorcycle or drive a heavy transport (HT) vehicle.

New Zealanders drive on the LEFT side of the road.

Road conditions in New Zealand are generally good - most roads are sealed “two lane blacktops”, although in country areas many secondary roads are still unsealed. The maximum speed limit ranges from 50 kilometres per hour (30 mph) in urban built up areas to 100 kilometres per hour (60 mph) on the open road. There are no motorways or autobahns except around major cites but even then, the speed limit is 100 km.

Do not drink alcohol and drive. This is a very serious offence in New Zealand, and police can and will stop you for random checks to see if you have been drinking. They may also set up checkpoints at random places and stop every vehicle for checking, at any time day or night. You will not be entitled to any insurance cover if you have an accident after you have been drinking more than the legal alcohol limit. If you are convicted, you will automatically lose your licence and will be heavily fined, and you may be put in jail.

Banking

You do not need to be a resident of New Zealand to open a bank account. It is an easy process – most banks will open an account for you within a matter of days. To avoid a high rate of tax on interest earned by the account, you will need to provide a New Zealand IRD (tax) number to the bank. You will also need to give the bank your permanent address details.

New Zealand has a wide variety of banks and banking services are quite competitive, especially in the mortgage market. Most banks open to the public at 9.00am and close at 4:30pm. Most also operate automatic teller machines (ATMs) which dispense cash and are everywhere in cities, shopping malls and many petrol stations. You don’t need to be a customer of any particular bank to use the machines - they will all accept other banks cards, as well as major credit cards, although you may have to pay extra fees to use another bank's ATMs. Most banks offer telephone banking services, which means you can access your accounts 24 hours a day by telephone, and also most offer their services through the Internet. Many banks offer special services for new migrants and have staff who can help you with information, advice and useful introductions.

All major retail outlets and many smaller ones operate a system called EFTPOS (Electronic Fund Transfer at Point of Sale). This allows you to pay for goods and services by swiping your card through a small reader at the checkout and entering your pin number. If you have enough funds in your account, the money is automatically debited from your account and credited to the retailer, so it is like paying in cash. New Zealand was the first country in the world to have this system in common use (because it was first trialed here) and many New Zealanders rarely use actual cash.

Television and Radio

New Zealand has four national free to air television channels. There are also regional television stations and some other private, specialist channels. You can pay to get Sky (satellite) Television, which has channels showing movies, sports, documentaries, international news (such as CNN and BBC), magazine programmes and teenage drama programmes. Currently a number of local cable television companies offer these and many other channels, some in different languages. You also have to pay for these, and they are only in the bigger cities. There are two main State-owned radio stations and about 120 privately owned radio stations including ones that provide programmes in different languages.

Telecommunications and Internet

New Zealand has many competing providers of telecommunications services – the biggest are Telecom New Zealand and Telstra-Saturn. Telecom operates most of the “local call” network, although several firms compete in this market now, as well as in the market for national and international toll calls. There are about 20 telecommunications companies providing international toll or long-distance services to New Zealand, including a large number of “callback” operators – companies that usually connect calls through the United States. All offer very competitive pricing plans – it’s a good idea to compare prices, especially for international toll calls. The more often you call and the longer you talk, the cheaper it can be per minute. Telephone books are supplied free by Telecom. There are several versions – each one covers a particular area or region. There are both analogue and digital mobile communications networks covering most of the country.

Religion

New Zealand has a wide variety of religions, although the country is predominantly Christian in one of many forms including Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian. However many New Zealanders attend church only rarely. Anyone can attend any place of worship they choose. Many ethnic groups also have their own places of worship.