I have lived in New Zealand for a few years in various cities and I was really impressed by this lovely country. I have discovered that this beautiful place is not just a tourist haven but also an excellent(but highly under-rated) place to settle down permanently.
New Zealand is a really beautiful and scenic country, which has so much to offer in terms of tourism, outdoor activities etc. Life is good! It has a diverse range of landscape and climate from North to South. It is a magnificent mosaic of parks, gardens, nature, greenery, scenery, beaches, hills, mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, National Parks, flora and fauna, residential houses, commercial buildings, country side etc. There are lot of places to go and see, and lot of interesting outdoor activities to do like boating, kayaking, snorkeling, trekking, mountaineering, swimming, skiing, bungee jumping, walking, running etc.
It has a superb transport system as well. The roads and highways are excellent and well-maintained, so driving in cities as well as country-side, is a breeze. All cities and towns are very well connected by road, air, and railway at reasonable prices. For railway enthusiasts/tourists, there is a nice, reasonably priced luxury train that can take you almost across the the whole South Island. Besides, there are a lot of ferry services for inter city as well as intra city travel. Excellent bus services are also available for inter city as well as intra city travel. All this makes it a great, fun experience to live and travel in New Zealand. Driving is from the left side of road. So it is convenient for those coming from commonwealth. Being low in population density, traffic jams are rare, and pollution is almost non-existent. It is neither too big nor too small a country. So you can pretty much traverse it comfortably in a reasonable amount of time. NZ cities too are of medium size. Hence travel times, traffic, pollution are minimal. Thus NZ cities give you the best blend of both the worlds.
It uses metric system not only for measuring distances but also for almost everything including grocery items, fuel etc. Thus it is convenient and comfortable.It has a relatively nice, pleasant, moderate climate. So it does not get too hot, nor too cold.
New Zealand is a well developed country with excellent standard of living, which is almost similar to that of many other developed countries.
NZ job market is very good when you consider its size and population. For talented people with good experience and skills, good jobs are available. NZ work culture is generally not very intense. There is good work life balance. It is a more informal, relaxed ambiance.
New Zealand also has a decent standard of education, and seems to be a good place to bring up kids. Kiwis are generally known to be quite humble, modest, warm, friendly, compassionate, easy going people. I love such people very much.
Being a native english speaking country it is easy to communicate with everyone either from cities or countryside. Also since english is the international language of the modern world, there are advantages of living in an anglophone country like NZ as it also automatically hones your command over english language at a subconscious level.
It is a cricket playing country. So those who come from cricket playing nations it is a good thing as they can relate this way to Kiwis and also watch cricket matches hosted in various cities of NZ(or can even quickly travel to Australia for some crucial matches like World Cup etc.).
One of the best thing is that New Zealand has probably the lowest property prices among all developed countries. In residential properties you get a whole range of types from independent villas, townhouses, apartments, studios, farmhouses, plots and so on. You also get a good choice in terms of choosing the terrain and climate as per your comfort and liking.
New Zealand currency being lower than many other countries like Australia, USA, UK, Euro etc. it is quite economical for travelers from these countries to tour and live in NZ.
And last but not the least - getting permanent residency in NZ is relatively easier!