New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (commonly called the North Island and the South Island), and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud. The Realm of New Zealand also includes the Cook Islands and Niue (self-governing but in free association); Tokelau; and the Ross Dependency (New Zealand's territorial claim in Antarctica).

New Zealand is notable for its geographic isolation: it is situated about 2000 km (1250 miles) southeast of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and its closest neighbours to the north are New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. During its long isolation New Zealand developed a distinctive fauna dominated by birds, a number of which became extinct after the arrival of humans and the mammals they introduced.

The population of New Zealand is mostly of European descent; the indigenous Māori are the largest minority. Asians and non-Māori Polynesians are also significant minority groups, especially in urban areas. The most commonly spoken language is English.

New Zealand is a developed country that ranks highly in international comparisons on human development, quality of life, life expectancy, literacy, public education, peace, prosperity, economic freedom, ease of doing business, lack of corruption, press freedom, and the protection of civil liberties and political rights.Its cities also consistently rank among the world's most liveable.

Elizabeth II, as the Queen of New Zealand, is the country's head of state and is represented by a non-partisan Governor-General. The Queen has no real political influence, and her position is essentially symbolic besides five reserve powers.Political power is held by the democratically elected Parliament of New Zealand under the leadership of the Prime Minister, who is the head of government.

New Zealand, a relatively new player to the medical travel market, focuses on orthopedic, cardiac, general surgery, urological and gynecological surgical procedures. Like other Commonwealth countries, New Zealand's medical system is based on the British health system. Most of its specialist physicians have received training in New Zealand and the US or the UK, and all use English as their first language. The costs of surgeries are significantly cheaper than the US or the UK, with major procedures like hip replacement and coronary artery bypass costing approximately 15% to 20% the procedure cost in the US. Many private hospitals in New Zealand are accredited by the national accreditation agency Quality Health New Zealand (QHNZ). QHNZ, like JCI, is a member of the International Society for Quality in Healthcare or ISQua. Medical travel to New Zealand markets itself on its safe, green and politically stable image while sharing a medical and cultural affinity with other English speaking countries such as North America and other Commonwealth countries.

Why is medical care so affordable in New Zealand?

Having a total population of only 4 million, the New Zealand economy is much smaller and more geographically isolated than the USA with lower wage costs. There are two medical systems in New Zealand; a publicly funded system which is essentially free to New Zealand residents and a private system for those who don't wish to wait and are willing to pay. The effect of the health insurance industry on the medical system is therefore less prevalent than in the USA, with market prices being led by the biggest funder of health care, the New Zealand Government. In addition to this the private hospital system in New Zealand only treats non-acute arranged surgical patients. It does not have to cope with (or need the infrastructure for) trauma and chronic conditions, which are handled by the parallel public system. As a result the costs for running a private hospital are much less.

Popular surgeries & procedures:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Cardiac Operations and Procedures
• Atrial Septal Defect Repair (ASD, or hole in the heart)
• Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG)
• Cardiac Valve Replacement Surgery
• CABG + Valve Replacement
• Coronary Interventions and Procedures
• PCI + Cardiac Stents (DES)
• Pacemaker Insertion-single chamber
• Percutaneous Aortic Valve Replacement (PAVR)
• General Surgery
• Gynecological Surgery
• Plastic Surgery
• Urological Surgery

The history of New Zealand dates back at least 700 years to when it was discovered and settled by Polynesians, who developed a distinct Māori culture. The first European explorer came to New Zealand in 1642. From the late 18th century, the country was regularly visited by explorers and other sailors, missionaries, traders and adventurers. In 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the British Crown and various Māori chiefs, bringing New Zealand into the British Empire and giving Māori equal rights with British citizens. There was extensive European and some Asian settlement throughout the rest of the century. War and the imposition of a European economic and legal system led to most of New Zealand's land passing from Māori to European ownership, and most Māori subsequently became impoverished.

From the 1890s the New Zealand parliament enacted a number of progressive initiatives, including women's suffrage and old age pensions. From the 1930s the economy was highly regulated and an extensive welfare state was developed. Meanwhile, Māori culture underwent a renaissance, and from the 1950s Māori began moving to the cities in large numbers. This led to the development of a Māori protest movement which in turn led to greater recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi in the late twentieth century. In the 1980s the economy was largely deregulated and a number of socially liberal policies, such as decriminalisation of homosexuality, were put in place. Foreign policy, which had previously consisted mostly of following Britain or the United States, became more independent. Subsequent governments have generally maintained these policies, although tempering the free market ethos somewhat.

New Zealand's cuisine draws inspiration from Europe, Asia and Polynesia. This blend has created a mouth-watering range of flavours and food in cafes and restaurants nationwide. For dishes that have a distinctly New Zealand style, there's lamb, pork and cervena (venison), salmon, crayfish (lobster), Bluff oysters, paua (abalone), mussels, scallops, pipis and tuatua (both are types of New Zealand shellfish), kumara (sweet potato), kiwifruit, tamarillo and pavlova, the national dessert.

New Zealand offers a huge variety of tourist attractions and sightseeing experiences for you to choose from. Whether you want to enjoy a relaxing boat cruise on the beautiful Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown or climb New Zealand's tallest mountain Mt Cook (or something in between), you can find it here. We have compiled a comprehensive listing of memorable NZ sight seeing attractions in New Zealand - including Whale watching in Kaikoura, Sailing in the Marlborough Sounds, Kayaking the Abel Tasman, Scenic day tours of Auckland, Hiking on the Franz Josef / Fox Glaciers and visiting glowworm caves near Te Anau in Fiordland.

New Zealand offers a wide range of accommodation options, from top-class hotels, exclusive lodges, motels, guest houses, and farm or homestays, to holiday parks and backpacker hostels.

New Zealand is a good value destination, particularly for visitors from Australia, Europe and the United States of America. Visitors can spend as little as NZ$65 per day or as much as they like. As a general rule, a main meal may cost NZ$15 to NZ$45. A night’s accommodation will cost anywhere from NZ$30 to NZ$300 and above.

5 Star Hotel

• The SkyCity Grand, Auckland
• Hilton Auckland Hotel

4 Star Hotels

• Novotel Hotel

3 Star Hotels

• Best Western Airport Garden Inn Hotel
• Best Western Airport Gateway Hotel
• Best Western Mount Richmond Lodge

Credit & debit cards

All major international credit cards can be used in New Zealand and Traveler's Checks are accepted at hotels, banks and some stores. If your credit card is encoded with a PIN number you will be able to withdraw cash from automatic teller machines (ATMs) situated at banks and shopping centers throughout the country.

Banks are open from 9.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday. Automated Teller Machines (ATM) are widely available at banks, along main shopping streets and in malls. International credit cards and ATM cards will work as long as they have a four-digit PIN encoded. Check with your bank before leaving home.

NZ$ travelers checks are not available for purchase. International visitors who wish to travel to New Zealand with travelers checks should bring a major currency type of travelers checks with them in the future. For travel to our region AUS$ travelers checks can be purchased.

Shopping

New Zealand offers a huge variety of shopping from arts and craft markets, galleries and museum shops to exclusive designer stores. For traditional New Zealand souvenirs look for examples of superb Maori carvings in wood, bone and pounamu (greenstone). You can also find jeweler and ornaments made from the iridescent paua shell (abalone), treasured by Maori for centuries. Shop in local markets and stop for off-the-beaten-path artist studios for wonderful surprises. Other popular picks are music, rugs, sweaters, fleece jackets, greenstone jewelry and ornaments, jams, and wine.

New Zealand potters have been recognized as among the world's finest ceramicists and today many fine artisans are also working in stone, wood, glass and metals. The country's vast wool industry makes it possible to find wonderful hand-knitted wool sweaters, beautiful wall hangings, homespun yarns and top-quality sheepskins.

Alongside top international fashion in boutique stores in the main city areas, you will also find New Zealand's own award-winning fashion labels, including Zambesi, NomD, Karen Walker and World.