Send Money To New Zealand

About The New Zealand Dollar

The New Zealand dollar is the official currency and legal tender of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, the Ross Dependency, Tokelau, and a British territory, the Pitcairn Islands. It was introduced in 1967.

Consistently one of the 10 most traded currencies in the world, the New Zealand dollar accounted for roughly 2% of global foreign exchange market daily turnover in 2013. In early November 2019, it was valued as NZ$1 = US$0.63.

Fun fact: The New Zealand dollar is often informally called the ‘Kiwi’ or ‘Kiwi dollar’. Why? New Zealand is commonly associated with the kiwi, and the one-dollar coin shows the indigenous bird on its reverse.

NZD Denominations

Notes: $100, $50, $20, $10, $5 Coins: $2, $1, 50c, 20c, 10c

About New Zealand

Population: 5 million Capital city: Wellington Popular tourist locations: Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Rotorua, Queenstown

Because of how far it is from everywhere else, New Zealand was one of the last lands to be settled by humans – by Polynesians between 1250 and 1300. During its long period of isolation, the country developed huge biodiversity of animal, fungal, and plant life. New Zealand is packed with sharp mountain peaks, like the Southern Alps, thanks to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions.

UK citizens can stay in New Zealand for six months without a visa. If you want to move for the long-term, you’ll need a Resident Visa. This allows you to live and work in the country indefinitely, as well as access most publicly funded services. To get this, you’ll need to be categorised as a ‘skilled migrant’ under a points-based system. This measures work experience, qualifications, and requires you to have a job offer of skilled employment. You must also be under 55, and meet various language, health and character requirements.

Property taxes are set by local authorities, based on the rateable value of properties. You’ll get a bill at the beginning of the financial year, payable by whoever occupies the property – whether it’s the owner or a tenant. If you occupy a property for just part of a year, you only need to pay a proportion of the bill. As a guide, the annual bill for an average family house is between NZ$1,000 and $2,000.

5 Interesting Facts About New Zealand

• No part of the country is more than 128km (79 miles) from the sea
• Only 5% of NZ's population is human – the rest are animals
• It has three official languages: English, Māori and New Zealand Sign Language
• Auckland is one of the most affordable cities in the world to live in
• Although similar in size to the UK, New Zealand only has a population of about 5 million (compared to 67 million in the UK)