New Zealand is made up of two main islands: The North Island and The South Island.
There are a total of 14 cities in the North Island including Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Tauranga, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Hastings, Napier, New Plymouth, Whangarei, Wanganui, Gisborne, Taupo and Ruapehu
There are a total of 11 cities in the South Island including Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson, Invercargill, Blenheim, Queenstown, Greymouth, Wanaka, Cromwell, Kaikoura and Mount Cook Village
Climate
New Zealand has a mild and temperate maritime climate with mean annual temperatures ranging from 16 °C (61 °F) in the north and 10 °C (50 °F) in the south.
Economy
New Zealand has a modern, prosperous and developed market economy with an estimated gross domestic product (GDP) at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita of roughly US$28,250. The currency is the New Zealand dollar (NZD), informally known as the “Kiwi dollar”
Education
Primary and secondary schooling is compulsory for children aged 6 to 16, with the majority attending from the age of 5. There are 13 school years and attending state school is free to New Zealand citizens and permanent residents from a person’s 5th birthday to the end of the calendar year following their 19th birthday. There are five types of government-owned tertiary institutions: universities, colleges of education, polytechnics, specialist colleges, and wananga in addition to private training establishments. The OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment ranks New Zealand’s education system as the 7th best in the world, with students performing exceptionally well in reading, mathematics and science.
Sport
Rugby is considered New Zealand’s national sport. The All Blacks, the national men’s rugby union team are the most successful in the history of international rugby and are the reigning Rugby World Cup champions.