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Is it easy making friends in New Zealand?


Stephanie Katz's picture
By Stephanie Katz - Posted on
16 May 2011
I'm a self-appointed social butterfly and I'm being dragged along with my boyfriend to the South Pacific while he finishes his PhD. Just wondering if it's easy to make friends in New Zealand and if there's any cultural barriers I'll need to overcome?
Dave's picture
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Last seen: 3 weeks 6 days ago
Joined: 02/19/2009

Living in:
Claremont, Cape Town

From:
Johannesburg

Dave's Website
A lot of expats there find it hard to connect with locals, but the expat community is very friendly and open. Its very tough to belong in NZ, unless you were born there. The only way "in" is to develop strong interests and give of yourself to the community - so maybe a church or charity is a good option to break down those barriers. Kiwis are good people, but insular, so you will need to be persistent about making friends with the locals.
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Garret's picture
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Last seen: 8 weeks 5 days ago
Joined: 02/04/2012

It depends where you are going to be living. I would assume that you will be going to one of the major cities, so the social life should be fun for you. It depends on what you are looking for. The Kiwis are generally very friendly people and easy to befriend, so look forward to a good time.

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