Planning your elective-New Zealand

Nisheeth Rajpal gives the lowdown on the land of the All Blacks, kiwis, and the great Maori tribes

New Zealand lies in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, 1600 km south east across the Tasman Sea from Australia. New Zealand consists of two main islands - the North Island and the South Island - and several dozen much smaller islands. The North and South Islands are the most heavily populated, although the North Island is three times as populous as the South Island. The Cook Strait, 20 km wide, separates the two islands.

New Zealand has 5100 km of coastline. No place anywhere in the country is further than 130 km from the coast. Outdoor activities are a big part of New Zealand culture. Kiwis spend many a weekend camping, hiking, hunting, and mountain climbing. All the large cities are a short journey from unspoiled countryside, and New Zealand’s government has made a point of commissioning numerous national park projects. From surfing in the summer to skiing in the winter just a hundred kilometres away, such is the diversity of New Zealand’s outdoors.

Government

An ex-British Colony, New Zealand remains a member of the Commonwealth. The nation recognises the Queen as its head of state. The Queen’s representative in New Zealand is the governor general. The New Zealand legislature and the Prime Minister and the Cabinet run the government. The 1999 elections resulted in a victory for the New Zealand Labour party.

New Zealand prides itself upon its longstanding tradition of equal rights and benefits for all its citizens. Back in 1893, New Zealand was the world’s first nation to give women the right to vote. It was also among the first countries to provide social security benefits and old age pensions for its people.

People

Of New Zealand’s population, 90% live in urban areas and one third of the whole country’s population lives in Auckland. Around 85% of Kiwis have European ancestry. The Maori people are New Zealand’s largest minority group, although there are few - pure blooded - Maori remaining. Their culture is kept alive mainly through tourism, and the Maori language is taught in schools up to secondary level. There is a large South Asian contingent in the bigger cities, and this adds to New Zealand’s mix of many cultures.

Wildlife

New Zealand is famous for having more sheep than people and - a little known fact - as many possums as sheep. Possums were introduced to New Zealand’s countryside two centuries ago from Australia - at the time the trade in possum furs was a flourishing industry. Since then, the fur trade had diminished and the population of possums exploded. Ironically, you would be hard pushed to see a live possum in New Zealand. Possums can be found in wildlife reserves and zoos. Possums, despite their cute, cuddly, furry, Valentine’s Day gift-like appearance, are apparently quite vicious and have razor sharp teeth that they love to dig into people. Most of the possums you will encounter in New Zealand make up most of the country’s road kill. Every few kilometres (yes, Kiwis are metric) you will have to dodge yet another flattened possum. Possums are a pest. They consume several hundred acres of woodland daily. They have become the scourge of the New Zealand countryside, and New Zealand’s government is desperately trying to keep their numbers down, thus the Kiwi road sport of possum flattening.

Much of New Zealand’s wildlife on the land has been introduced from other countries. Europeans brought over cattle, sheep, rabbits, deer, and pigs. It is worth noting that New Zealand has no poisonous snakes, fish, or spiders outside of zoos if you are in a dilemma about which country down under to visit.

The kiwi is probably the best known of all New Zealand birds, also lending its name to the human population. The kiwi is flightless and has nostrils in the tip of its bill. It is a nocturnal bird and seldom spotted in the wild.

Health system

New Zealand’s healthcare system is similar to the United Kingdom’s; hospitals are funded through tax. New Zealand residents do not have to pay directly for primary care services, admission to hospital, or emergency treatment. Moreover, all New Zealand residents are eligible for - accident compensation. - The monetary benefits of the compensation vary depending on the treatment provider and the nature of the treatment required.

The medical career ladder again more or less mirrors that of the United Kingdom. New graduates begin their working lives as trainee interns and after a year progress to House Officers. As in the United Kingdom, consultant status is the very top of the ladder.

Getting around

Travel by air and by road is the most reliable way to get around in New Zealand. Air travel is not cheap, but flights to most big cities are frequent. Car hire is cheap by European standards, but rates fluctuate with seasonal demand with long term hire being good value. Travelling by bus is a great way to meet other travellers and quite inexpensive. Tour operators such as Kiwi Experience and Magic cater especially for young, independent travellers and provide set tours. The ticket is open for many months, and travellers are free to get on and off the bus as they please and spend anything from one night to several months in a particular place.

This year New Zealand hosts the America’s Cup, in which Team New Zealand will be defending their title. And in case you didn’t know, New Zealand gave the world Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Russel Crowe, Sam Neill, Peter Jackson (film director, currently making Lord of the Rings), and those singing cows from Anchor butter!

Practical information

Nationals of the United Kingdom do not require a visa for a visit of up to six months. Most hospitals in New Zealand hospitals will ask for provision of malpractice insurance before you can start your elective. Membership in the Medical Protection Society covers this for NZ. Clearance for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is mandatory before starting work at some institutions.