Wellington: Absolutely Positively Wellington
Settlement Support Co-ordinator
Laura Cendak
City Service Centre
Council Building,
101 Wakefield Street
Wellington
phone: 04 803 8330
email:settlementsupport@wcc.govt.nz
Visit the Wellington Settlement Support website
Compare with another region
In 2011 Lonely Planet called Wellington "the coolest little capital in the world", and placed it fourth in its Top 10 Cities to Visit in 2011.
As the capital, Wellington has many national institutions, head offices, and central government agencies, which drives a demand for qualified professionals.
One result is that three of the country’s top Universities have campuses here, and average salaries, and the proportion of residents with tertiary qualifications, are the highest in New Zealand.
Despite only having one third as many people, Wellington almost equals Auckland for people employed in the CBD. Yet the capital’s business area is much smaller, bound by both the hills and the harbour.
The result is a compact central city with excellent shopping and cafés, professional offices, apartments and recreation grouped together in an area you can walk across in 25 minutes.
The affluent educated populace has supported a thriving arts and cultural community, complemented by strong growth in Information Technology - a mix that helped spark the Peter Jackson-led digital film industry for which Wellington is now well known.
This success has enhanced a reputation for entertainment and café-culture that was already substantial. Wellington has more cafés per capita than New York, and the Courtenay Place entertainment area is acknowledged as New Zealand’s ‘party central’.
With short commuting times from local suburbs that have great views across the harbour, a network of ‘Green belts’ and parks covering over 50 sq.km, excellent schools and recreational facilities, fibre-optic internet connectivity, free WIFI across most of the CBD, and the country’s only electrified buses, it is easy to see why Wellington is consistently listed in ‘Top 10 Cities’ lists around the world.
The government also provides support for newcomers to create their own local networks.
To find out more, visit the Newcomers Network.
The Newcomers Network is supported by Settling In, an initiative of Family and Community Services (Ministry of Social Development).
