New Zealand is a country of immigrants. The Maoris were the first settlers in the land approximately a thousand years ago, followed a few hundred years later by many Europeans. Immigration has been significant during the 20th and 21st centuries, particularly from Europe, Asia and Australia. It is estimated that almost 30% of the 4.5 million population was born in another country and the immigration. Around 30% of expats are from the UK and Ireland. In recent years immigration from Asian countries has increased so there are growing communities from Japan, China and Korea.

New Zealand has a very welcoming attitude towards expats and this is one of the reasons that many choose the country for their new life. The cultural diversity means that most people moving to the country will find it easy to fit in to their local community. In addition the quality of life which is available to them in New Zealand is considered to be one of the best worldwide. New Zealand has also been greatly influenced by British and European cultures, which makes it very familiar to expats moving from those areas.

It is the cities which attract most of the expats although there are growing communities in the smaller towns and rural areas. Auckland has been voted one of the top cities in the world and has one of the highest rankings in the Pacific area. The capital city of Wellington also ranks quite highly when compared with cities in other countries. These studies look at a wide variety of factors such as the economic situation, personal safety, healthcare, cost of living and education, among many others.

The cities are particularly popular with those who are working as there are more opportunities there. However, there are many people keen to move out of the cities after a while due to the higher house prices and in search of a more relaxed way of life. Areas such as Southland are popular with retirees looking for a quiet place to live. There are no cities in the area and property prices have remained fairly low due to a lack of demand as residents have moved away from the area in search of work. Other areas which are popular include Christchurch, the Bay of Plenty and Otago.

New Zealand as a whole always ranks highly on surveys of places to live and recent studies among UK expats show it has the highest satisfaction rating of most destination. This is due to steady property prices, the tax system, education and overall quality of life. It is also felt that New Zealand offers a much healthier lifestyle for expats. Surveys are also carried out within New Zealand to assess the quality of life experienced by residents in the cities and these regularly show that the vast majority of residents are happy with their quality of life and the facilities provided by the local authorities.

Those who want an outdoors lifestyle will find New Zealand ideal. There are plenty of opportunities to take part in sports, go hiking, horse riding, surfing and swimming.