Why New Zealand
New Zealand – also known as Aotearoa, “Land of the Long White Cloud”.
New Zealand is an independent island country in the south Pacific Ocean, 1,600km (1,000 miles) east of Australia. It consists of two main islands and a number of smaller ones and has a total land area of 268,000 sq km.
The climate is temperate with average temperatures ranging from 16°C in the north of the North Island to 10°C in the south of the South Island. February is the warmest month and July is the coldest. Annual rainfall is generally between 600mm and 1600mm.
Why New Zealand is a must-see:
- A land of spectacular scenic beauty including mountains, glaciers, beautiful lakes, volcanoes and sandy beaches.
- Friendly people with a great reputation for hospitality and a unique Maori culture ensure a memorable experience for the visitor.
- Superb trout and big game fishing, hunting, a fascinating bird life and an opportunity for a wonderful holiday are just some of the other reasons to visit New Zealand.
- New Zealand is a major exporter of dairy products, meat, forest products, fruit and vegetables, fish and wool.
- Unsubsidised, low cost farming systems based on pasture are a feature of New Zealand agriculture. New Zealand has highly skilled innovative farmers who are world leaders in primary production.
- Our farms are large by comparison with many in the northern hemisphere. An average dairy farm is 155 hectares with 441 milking cows. Hill country sheep and cattle farms average between 400 and 700 hectares and high country properties average 11,000 hectares.
- New Zealand has a population of 5 million and we farm 26.8 million sheep, 6.3 million dairy cattle, 3.9 million beef cattle and 893,000 deer. We have well developed kiwifruit and pip-fruit industries and 1.7 million hectares of planted forest, most of which is Pinus Radiata.
- In addition to the opportunity to learn about our agriculture, horticulture and forestry, a range of industries attract people to New Zealand keen to learn from our experience and to develop business contacts.
