Wellington as a home

 Wellington is a very special city. For a start, it's the world's southernmost capital city.

It's also the geographic, political and cultural heart of New Zealand with a sense of community hard to rival in other cities. The centre of government and the home of many corporate headquarters, it's said that its hard-working residents are extra friendly because many were born elsewhere.

Wellington is also home to many museums, theatres and live music venues as well as the national museum, Te Papa; the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra; the Royal New Zealand Ballet; and the renowned biennial International Festival of the Arts.

Wellington is the leading centre for the creative industries such as film and computer technologies, as well as the location of the New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZX).

Its homes, cafes, shops and bars are spread on the waterfront, bays and hills that hug picturesque Wellington Harbour.

Wellington is a delightfully concentrated city, meaning it's also just a short drive to stunning beaches and tranquil countryside.

NATURAL BEAUTY:
Nearly all Wellingtonians live within three kilometres of the coastline, and the city has some 109 parks and playgrounds.

As a region Wellington has a diverse range of landscapes including 50,000 hectares of regional parks and forests.

Wellington City: 28,990 hectares
Wellington Region: 813,005 hectares

POPULATION:
Wellington City: 163,824
Wellington Region: 451,700

ETHNICITY:
European 81.7%
Asian 10.8%
Maori 7.6%
Pacific Island 5.3%

Note: These statistics total more than 100% because the New Zealand Census allows people to identify with more than one ethnicity.

CLIMATE:
Wellington has a wonderfully temperate climate with more sunshine hours than London and less rainfall than Auckland.

Mid-summer average daily maximum: 20.3º C
Mid-winter average daily maximum: 5.9º C
Average annual sunshine: 2,025 hours
Average annual rainfall: 1,270mm

ECONOMY:
Average hourly earnings (from December 2004 quarter): $25.64

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS:
New Years Day: 1 January
Day after New Years Day: 2 January
Wellington Anniversary Day: closest Monday to 22 January
Waitangi Day: 6 February
Good Friday: varies
Easter Monday: varies
ANZAC Day: 25 April
Queen's Birthday: first Monday in June
Labour Day: fourth Monday in October
Christmas Day: 25 December
Boxing Day: 26 December