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New life, New Zealand

Catherine Deshayes

New Zealand has topped a poll as the ideal place to live, ranking best for both quality of life and cost of living...

The land of the long white cloud may be the newest country on earth but Brits emigrating to New Zealand's shores is nothing new.

Constantly topping polls of worldwide quality of living standards, New Zealand reigns supreme in the heaven on earth category, with its friendly people, stable political and economic stance, stunning scenery and outdoorsy lifestyle.

1250 miles southeast of Australia across the Tasman Sea, New Zealand's closest neighbours are New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. Its geographical isolation is a dream for many, especially when crushed into someone's armpit on the London underground.

Mercer's 2008 Worldwide Quality of Living Survey gave New Zealand gold, and Transparency International just voted it the least corrupt country on Earth.  

A new study from Alliance & Leicester International (ALIL), the offshore savings bank, ranks New Zealand as top dog for cost of living and quality of life. The country has one of the lowest average property prices (£105,750) and low costs for food, drink and fuel. 

It also boasts one of the more favourable tax regimes, with the highest band at 39 per cent - significantly lower than its neighbour Australia (50 per cent) and the ever popular expat destination, France (48 per cent).

New Zealand - a country with a population of under five million - also boasts a low crime rate, favourable working hours and generous annual leave.

The Mercer Human Resource Consulting survey voted Auckland, or The City of Sails, the fifth best city to live in the world, making it by far the highest ranked city in the Asia-Pacific region. They based their findings on an evaluation of 39 quality of living criteria, including political, social, economic and environmental factors, personal safety and health, education, transport and other public services.

Auckland is home to 1.37 million people and is the fastest growing region in the country. About 70 per cent of new migrants to New Zealand settle in the Auckland region with one-third of all people who call Auckland home born overseas. Nearly a quarter of the world's Fortune 500 companies have a presence in the region.

New Zealand's capital, Wellington, is home to just under 500,000 residents, about 11 per cent of the total national population, and more than half were born outside New Zealand. It is the capital city where Parliament resides and employment growth is driven by the government sector, property and business services, construction and retail trade.

Wellington is built around a sparkling clean harbour and surrounded by hills. It is a city where culture and art is cherished and home to the ‘Lord of the Rings' award winning Weta Studios.

Simon Ripton, Acting Managing Director of Alliance & Leicester International, said, "Costs and quality of life are often not the primary reason that many UK citizens decide to move abroad, particularly if work takes them to another country. 

"However these are certainly important factors once they are in their new home.   Most places have their unique attractions, so while one country might be someone's idea of heaven, it might be another's idea of hell.   "That said, New Zealand does on average appear to offer a high quality of life at a reasonable cost - attributes that many people value in their country of residence.  Its strong cultural links to the UK also make it highly attractive to many UK movers," added Mr Ripton.

But it's not all beautiful coastline and hokey-pokey ice-cream. New Zealand's isolation and tranquility may grow dull for some. It's a long way from the UK for any Brits that are considering making the move and the shopping isn't anything to write home about. Nor will it ever be a thriving metropolis for business or nightlife.

Who am I kidding? I'm a country lover living in a concrete jungle. When the latest NZ Tourist Board's advertising campaign screamed, "What do you say, UK?" The latest survey, and I, say ‘yes, please.'

Picture by andrew conn