Governmental ethics
New Zealand has an excellent reputation for transparent
government and lack of corruption. The international agency
Transparency International works to promote transparent government
and to counter corruption in government. Each year it issues
a report ranking countries in terms of transparency and lack of
corruption. In 2007, New Zealand shared the top spot with
Finland and Denmark, scoring 9.4 on a scale of 0-10. New
Zealand was also a winner in 2006, along with Finland and
Iceland.
Opportunity
New Zealand has low unemployment and a prosperous economy.
One problem in New Zealand is skills shortages - the jobs are here,
but qualified people are difficult to find. If you already
have the qualifications, welcome! If you do not, you can get
them here - educational opportunities, whether academic or
trade-focused, are plentiful in New Zealand.
Worksite:
read all about employment and training opportunities in New
Zealand (external website)
Lifestyle
New Zealand has a low population density and relaxed pace of
life compared to many other countries. New Zealand birth
rates are not high enough to maintain our population level without
migration. Although population growth is expected, it is
manageable. Migrants find that life proceeds at a more
leisurely pace than in many other industrialised nations. We
like to think that New Zealand has the best of both worlds: it is
modern and progressive, but not too crowded, busy or
dirty.
New Zealand stacks up favourably against many other countries in
terms of life expectancy, infant mortality and unemployment
rates.
Read what Immigration New Zealand has to say about
New Zealand (external website)
From this link, you can navigate to read about the famous New
Zealand lifestyle, see a map of New Zealand and find out whether
you qualify to immigrate to New Zealand from elsewhere.
Tourism New Zealand homepage (external
website)
This site covers
- transportation and travel times,
- activities and events,
- accommodation information,
- FAQs about visiting New Zealand
- and much more.
How are we doing in New Zealand?
What are the emerging social trends?
How do we compare to other countries?
Read the Ministry of Social Development 2007 Social
Report - indicators of social wellbeing in New
Zealand (external website)
This report covers a range of social wellbeing indicators such
as income, education, ethnicity, housing, and health issues such as
water quality, cigarette smoking and obesity. You can
navigate from here to see how New Zealand compares to other OECD
countries. The "Conclusion" section has those comparisons
summarised in text and diagram formats.
Location
Palmerston North is centrally located. Palmerston North is
located between our capital city Wellington to the south, scenic
Taupo to the north, sunny Hawkes Bay to the east and rugged
Taranaki to the west. It is only a short drive to the nearest
beach for a swim and ski fields are within a few hours travel time
as well. Palmerston North's central location makes it a
desirable place to live and do business.
Destination Manawatu - travel and tourism in the
Manawatu region (external website)
From this site, you can access :
- maps (with travel distances from Palmerston North),
- an events calendar
- and transportation information about the Manawatu region.
Opportunities
Palmerston North offers great opportunities for study and
work.
Many Palmerston North residents are students. Students and
staff of Massey University and the Universal College of Learning
(UCOL) get free bus transportation.
Our tertiary educational providers include:
Massey
University (external website)
Universal College
of Learning (UCOL) (external website)
International
Pacific College (IPC) (external website)
Te Wananga a
Aotearoa (external website)
Employment opportunities are also excellent in Palmerston North,
whether you are a seasoned professional or a brand-new
jobseeker.
Affordability
Palmerston North is an affordable place to live. Housing
is more affordable here than in most other major cities in New
Zealand. Parking in the Central Business District is easy,
students and staff of Massey University and the Universal College
of Learning (UCOL) get free bus transportation, and the cost of
ordinary activities is reasonable.
The Amenities of a Major City
Palmerston North has the amenities of a major city with the ease
of a smaller town; as well as many other community activities and
events, generally with free parking nearby and travel time of only
ten minutes from your doorstep.
That's the beauty of Palmerston North - we have the city perks
without the city frustrations.
The Palmerston North social scene
Palmy
Chicks (external website)
This is a social networking organisation for Palmerston North
women. Check out the events and meetings schedule.
Student
City website (external website)
This site has information about local nightlife and other events -
not just for students.
How are we doing in Palmerston North?
The Ministry of Social Development reports on a range of social
wellbeing indicators such as income, education, ethnicity, housing,
and health issues.
Social wellbeing data for Palmerston North from
the Ministry of Social Development 2007 Social Report (external
website)
See how the Manawatu-Wanganui region compares to
other regions in terms of social wellbeing (external
website)
Please keep in mind that this tool displays information about a
wider region than just Palmerston North. If you see anything
that interests or concerns you, check whether it is specific to
Palmerston North in the Palmerston North social well-being data
tables.
Weather
- The weather in Palmerston North is pretty ordinary for New
Zealand.
- Most of our climate measures are middle-of-the-road.
- We have less wind than Wellington and New Plymouth.
- We have more sunshine hours per year than Invercargill and
Dunedin.
- We have fewer wet days than Auckland and Hamilton.
- Our mean temperatures are warmer than Rotorua and Nelson.
- We have fewer days of ground frost than Hamilton and
Tauranga.
Information for migrants to Palmerston North can be found at www.settlementsupportpalmerstonnorth.co.nz