New Zealand has voted, following a national referendum, to keep its current flag, which features the British Union Jack alongside the Southern Cross star constellation.
Britain has a rich history with New Zealand. People, commerce and ideas have flowed between the two countries for many generations. The first British settlers arrived in the early 1800s but it was from a post-World War Two depressed UK, that immigration from Britain to NZ ramped up with thousands of men, women and children moving to a new life, under the assisted immigration scheme.
These days the attractions of New Zealand continue to appeal to Brits looking for a better life in acountry that is consistently ranked at the top of global quality of life surveys thanks to its laid-back lifestyle, friendly Kiwi nature, positive work-life balance and short commuting time together with the relatively low cost of living, a leading education system, spacious housing, a favourable climate and stunning scenery.
Recent figures show that New Zealand’s annual net-migration gain once again hit record levels in February 2016 – making it the 19th consecutive month in a row to show a record net gain. According to Statistics New Zealand data the annual net gain of migrants hit 67,400 in the year to the end of February 2016.
Over half of these arrivals settled in Auckland and the migrants are led by those coming from the UK, France, Germany and Australia.
