Study abroad in New Zealand
New Zealand is renowned for its natural beauty, scenic landscapes, and
clean, green environment. Made up of three islands – the North Island, South
Island and Stewart Island – New Zealand is home to four million people. The
capital city is Wellington, situated at the bottom of the North Island,
although, the country’s largest city is Auckland six hours north.New Zealand
is a popular tourist destination for those in search of adventure – white
water rafting, skydiving and bungy jumping. And since The Lord of the Rings
trilogy was filmed, many have come to explore Hobbiton, and horse trek or
helicopter through the different film locations.New Zealand’s economy relies
on agriculture. Its primary exports include New Zealand beef and lamb, New
Zealand wool and a range of fruit such as Zespri – the golden kiwifruit. The
country’s population consists of Europeans, Maori, and growing Pacific
Island and Asian populations. The country is perhaps most well known for
it’s rugby team, the All Blacks, and the fact that there are more sheep than
people, but despite it’s size, New Zealand offers a quality of lifestyle
that can not be found anywhere else on the globe.
New Zealand has seven universities, three of which appeared in the 2007
World University Ranking Top 200
University of Auckland (50)
University of Otago (=114)
University of Canterbury (=188)
Universities are strong in medicine, engineering, law, management and
agriculture and most universities place a strong emphasis on incorporating
New Zealand studies within each of their disciplines.
Research within each of New Zealand’s universities is increasing as well due
to the Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF) which funds each university on
it’s quality and output of research.
The universities rely heavily on the international student population for
the funds they bring in, but all ensure the students are well looked after
as a result.
|
|
|
 Affordable
living costs
Range
of internationally recognized qualifications
Support
networks for international students |
 Limited
financial support & scholarships available for international students
Far
away from home and other countries (although this could be a pro!)
Current
high NZ $ |
New Zealand universities have very good accommodation facilities for their
students. There are halls of residence, mainly for first year students, and
self-catered flats available for those in their second or third year. A
number of students go flatting in their second year of study and each
university has an accommodation advisory service that can help students to
find and set up those flats.
International Offices also arrange accommodation for students. This is
mainly in the form of a home stay where international students are billeted
with local families. They have a strong support network and meet up on a
regular basis with other international students and their host families.
New Zealand's climate is complex and varies from warm subtropical in the far
north to cool temperate climates in the far south, with severe alpine
conditions in the mountainous areas.
Skiing is a popular winter sport due to the annual snow fall both in the
North and South Islands. During the summer months, people head for the
golden sandy beaches and sunbathing and water sports become the focus. The
New Zealand sun is incredibly hot and the sunburn time is often only a
matter of minutes. The country has a high rainfall, which is ideally suited
for the farming regions, but seasonal differences aren’t as disparate as in
the Northern Hemisphere.
There is very limited public transport available in New Zealand. Air travel
is expensive and trains are unreliable, however, the scenery you see while
traveling is spectacular. There are relatively good but slightly infrequent
bus services between towns and cities. The majority of New Zealanders travel
by car, and the road networks on both islands are well maintained. The
islands are linked by ferry and it takes between two and three hours to
cross the Cook Strait. Students tend to rely on cheap cars, which can be
found in ‘Buy, Sell and Exchange’ type newspapers and websites. Bikes,
skateboards and scooters are also popular methods of transport around the
student areas of each city.
| |
Item |
Price |
| |
small bottle
of beer |
NZ$3.50
|
| |
Small bottle
of water |
NZ$2.50 |
| |
Movie Ticket |
NZ$15.00 |
| |
Souvenir
t-shirt |
NZ$20.00 |
| |
Meat pie |
NZ$3.00 |
| |
Cup of
coffee |
NZ$3.50 |
| |
Glass of
local tap beer |
NZ$3.80 |
| |
Motel/Hotel
double |
NZ$100.00 |
|
