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.