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NEW ZEALAND

STUDY VISA CONSULTANTS FOR NEW ZEALAND IN CHANDIGARH

New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses- North and South Islands. Also, numerous smaller islands are a part of it. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometers (900 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometers (600 mi) south of the Pacific island nations ofNew Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long isolation, New Zealand developed a distinctive biodiversity of animal, fungal and plant life; most notable are a large number of unique bird species. The country’s varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions.

Polynesians settled New Zealand in 1250–1300 CE and developed a distinctive Maori culture. The first non-Maori contact with New Zealand happened when Dutch explorer Abel Tasman sighted the island in 1642 CE. The introduction of potatoes and muskets triggered upheaval among Maori early during the 19th century, which led to the inter-tribal Musket Wars. In 1840 the British and Maori signed a treaty making New Zealand a colony of the British Empire. Immigrant numbers increased sharply and conflicts escalated into the New Zealand Wars, which resulted in much Maori land being confiscated in the mid-North Island. Economic depressions were followed by periods of political reform, with women gaining the vote during the 1890s, and a welfare state being established from the 1930s. After World War II, New Zealand joined Australia and the United States in the ANZUS security treaty, although the United States later suspended the treaty. New Zealanders enjoyed one of the highest standards of living in the world in the 1950s, but the 1970s saw a deep recession, worsened by oil shocks and the United Kingdom’s entry into the European Economic Community. The country underwent major economic changes during the 1980s, which transformed it from a protectionist to a liberalized free trade economy; once-dominant exports of wool have been overtaken by dairy products, meat, and wine.

The majority of New Zealand’s population is of European descent; the indigenous Maori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and non-Maori Polynesians. English, Maori, and New Zealand Sign Language are the official languages, with English predominant. Much of New Zealand’s culture is derived from Maori and early British settlers. Early European art was dominated by landscapes and to lesser extent portraits of Maori. A recent resurgence of Maori culture has seen their traditional arts of carving, weaving, and tattooing become more mainstream. The country’s culture has also been broadened by globalization and increased immigration from the Pacific Islands and Asia. New Zealand’s diverse landscape provides many opportunities for outdoor pursuits and has provided the backdrop for a number of big budget movies.

New Zealand is organized into 11 regional councils and 67 territorial authorities for local government purposes; these have less autonomy than the country’s long defunct provinces did. Nationally, executive political power is exercised by the Cabinet, led by the Prime Minister. QueenElizabeth II is the country’ shead of state and is represented by a Governor-General. The Queen’sRealm of New Zealand also includes Tokelau (dependent territory); theCook Islands and Niue (self-governing but in free association); and theRoss Dependency, which is New Zealand’s territorial claim in Antarctica. New Zealand is a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Commonwealth of Nations, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Pacific Islands Forum, and the United Nations.

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To be eligible for a permanent resident visa the principal applicant in your original residence application must: hold a resident visa, or have held one in the last three months hold, or have held, that resident visa for at least two years continuously have met any conditions that your resident visa was subject to under section 49(1) of the Immigration Act, and have met one of five commitment to New Zealand criteria set out below. If you were not the principal applicant in the original residence application, you normally cannot apply for a permanent resident visa unless you apply at the same time as the principal applicant or later. See our immigration instructions for RV1.20 for exceptions to this requirement. Commitment to New Zealand criteria
  1. You have spent enough time in New Zealand

    You have been in New Zealand as a resident for a total of 184 days or more in each of the two 12-month portions of the 24 months immediately preceding your permanent resident visa application. You do not have to provide any extra evidence, other than your passport(s).

  2. You have tax residence status

    You have been in New Zealand as a resident for a total of 41 days or more in each of the two 12-month portions of the 24 months immediately preceding your permanent resident visa application, and you are assessed by Inland Revenue (IR) as holding tax residence status for the two years preceding your application for a permanent resident visa.

    You must include evidence of your tax residence status with your application. Acceptable evidence includes a statement from IR for the period for which you have been assessed as having tax residence status, or the INZ form Confirmation of Tax Resident Status (INZ 1006) completed and endorsed by IR.

    Note: If under the provisions of a double tax agreement, you also have tax residence status in another country, you will not be considered to have tax residence status in New Zealand for the purpose of meeting the requirements for a permanent resident visa.

    A list of countries New Zealand has a double tax agreement with can be found on the Inland Revenue website.

  3. Investment in New Zealand

    You have been approved residence under the Investor Category and met any conditions imposed under section 49(1) of the Immigration Act 2009, or you obtained residence under another category and maintained an investment of NZ$1,000,000 or more in New Zealand for two years.

    The funds must be lawfully obtained and owned solely by you, or jointly with your partner or dependent children included in the residence application. The funds must originally have been transferred to New Zealand through the trading bank system, or have been earned or acquired in New Zealand.

    They must be invested in New Zealand currency in a venture capable of providing a commercial return. This does not include a home, car, boat or similar items. The funds may not be used as collateral for any loan during the two-year investment period, unless the money loaned remains within New Zealand and in New Zealand dollars only.

    The funds may be transferred from one investment to another provided each investment meets these rules.

  4. Business in New Zealand

    You have obtained residence under any category and have successfully established or purchased a business in New Zealand at least 12 months ago that is trading successfully and benefiting New Zealand in some way.

    You must either:

    • Have established or purchased the business operating in New Zealand, or
    • Own a minimum 25 percent shareholding in an existing business in New Zealand.

    With your application, you will have to provide a set of your latest business accounts certified by a New Zealand chartered accountant and a statement from them confirming that in their view your business is a “going concern”.

  5. Established base in New Zealand

    You have been in New Zealand as a resident for a total of at least 41 days in the 12-month period immediately before lodging your permanent resident visa application, and all members of your immediate family who were included in your residence application have resided in New Zealand for a total of at least 184 days in the two-year period immediately before lodging your permanent resident visa application.

    Also, either you own and maintain a family home in New Zealand, or you have been genuinely employed full-time in New Zealand, in paid employment, for a total of at least nine months in the two-year period immediately before lodging your permanent resident visa application. Employment involving payment by commission and/or retainer is not acceptable.

    With your application you will have to provide evidence of owning and maintaining a home or evidence of employment.

    Evidence of owning and maintaining a home may include your residential property title deed, mortgage documents, rate demands, home insurance papers, and accounts for the telephone, electricity, gas or water.

    Evidence of employment may include written confirmation of your full-time employment from your employer(s). If you are self-employed, you should provide evidence you have established, purchased or hold shares in a business in New Zealand, and are actively involved in managing or operating that business.

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 (public) schools 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.
New Zealand has an adult literacy rate of 99 percent,[136] and over half of the population, aged 15 to 29 hold a tertiary qualification. There are five types of government-owned tertiary institutions: universities, colleges of education, polytechnics, specialist colleges, and wananga, in addition to private training establishments.
In the adult population, 14.2 percent have a bachelor’s degree or higher, 30.4 percent have some form of secondary qualification as their highest qualification and 22.4 percent have no formal qualification. 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.
  • Waiariki Institute of Technology, Rotorua (NZ Govt. Institute)
  • Design & Arts College
  • Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, Nelson (NZ Govt. Institute)
  • Institute of Applied Learning (IAL, Auckland)
  • The University of Sydney
  • International Pacific College
  • Bay Of Plenty Polytechnic, Tauranga (NZ Govt. Institute)
  • Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, Nelson
  • Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin (NZ Govt. Institute)
  • New Zealand College
  • Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki (WITT), New Plymouth
  • Kingsland Institute of New Zealand
  • Queens Academy, Auckland
  • New Zealand Tertiary College
  • MFH International, Wellington
  • Natcoll Design Technology (Christchurch)
  • Bethlehem Tertiary Institute, Tauranga
  • Newton College of Business & Technology
  • Auckland Institute of Studies
  • New Zealand School of Travel & Tourism
  • AWI International Education Group (Auckland)
  • New Zealand Academy of Studies (NZSE)
  • Bay Of Plenty Polytechnic, Tauranga (NZ Govt. Institute)
  • Kiwi Institute of Training and Education (KITE)
  • Crown Institute of Studies (Auckland)
Fertile soil and excellent growing conditions coupled with sophisticated farming methods and advanced agricultural technology provide the ideal environment for pastoral, forestry and horticulture activities. Agricultural commodities account for around half of all goods exports, and New Zealand is one of the top five dairy exporters in the world. Complementing our highly efficient agricultural sectors are sizable manufacturing and service sectors. We have a low-inflation environment, with monetary policy managed by an independent central bank charged with maintaining price stability. We have a long-standing flexible exchange rate. There are no exchange controls or restrictions on bringing in or repatriating funds.

Resilient Economy

Rating us first in their 2012 Best Countries for Business list, Forbes commented that “New Zealand’s economy is closely tied to Australia’s, and both held up better than most during the global financial crisis. The downside to this resilience in the economy is that the New Zealand dollar has appreciated”.

Forbes also noted that New Zealand stock market investors have prospered recently. The country’s benchmark stock index, the NZX 50, rose almost 25 percent in 2012, outpacing Wall Street and Australia. By June 2013, it was reporting its best year since 2004.

Pre-Crisis Performance

Between 2000 and 2007, the New Zealand economy expanded by an average of 3.5% each year as private consumption and residential investment grew strongly. Annual inflation averaged 2.6%, inside the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s 1% to 3% target range, while the current account deficit averaged 5.5% of GDP.

Handling the Crisis

Like most OECD countries, New Zealand’s economy experienced an economic slowdown following the global financial crisis in September 2008. As in other advanced economies, business and consumer confidence declined.

Unlike most OECD countries, however, after a 2% decline in 2009, the economy pulled out of recession. It achieved 1.7% growth in 2010, 2% in 2011 and 3% in 2012.

Recovery has been led by exports, with strong demand from major trading partners Australia and China, who have been less affected by the crisis. Relatively strong Government accounts and a well-capitalized banking system have provided a stable base for the economy.

Strongly Placed

A range of measures have stabilized the situation and New Zealand now enjoys sound macroeconomic foundations.

  • New Zealand has a relatively strong fiscal position and a commitment to reduce net debt to 20 percent of GDP by the early 2020s.
  • Legislative requirements are in place to maintain public debt at prudent levels.
  • The Kiwi dollar was amongst Standard and Poor’s top 25 rated sovereign currencies in the world as at 31 December 2012.
  • The New Zealand Treasury and Reserve Bank forecast that New Zealand’s economy can expect to grow 2 to 3% per year over the four years 2012–16.