Latest news from New Zealand's neighbour

A wharf has collapsed and more than 12 boats have run aground in wild weather lashing Sydney Harbour.
NSW Maritime chief executive Chris Oxenbould said more than a dozen vessels had broken free of their moorings in high winds and torrential rain and had run aground on beaches and in bays.
"More than 30 vessels have required towing since the gale-force conditions began yesterday," he said today.
"The Cremorne Point Wharf has also collapsed and partially sunk overnight.
"A contractor is currently alongside assessing the damage and planning a recovery."
Mr Oxenbould said it was too early to indicate what potential damage the vessels may have caused.
He said weather conditions could further deteriorate with a front expected to come through this afternoon.
"People need to be advised that if they're in doubt of the integrity of their mooring -- especially in those bays and coves that are exposed to these current conditions -- then they should check their vessel, when conditions are safe for them to do so," Mr Oxenbould said.
The majority of problems with moorings had been at east-facing locations at Abbotsford, Mosman, Balmoral, Manly, North Harbour, Little Sirius Cove, Shell Cove and Neutral Bay.
Meanwhile, Sydney ferry services remain severely disrupted.
The Manly Ferry and Jetcat services were cancelled again today due to dangerous conditions at Manly wharf and will be replaced by buses, a Sydney Ferries spokesman said.
Passengers are advised to go to Old Cremorne wharf until Cremorne Point wharf is assessed for damage.
The spokesman encouraged the public to call the Transport Information line before attempting to catch ferries as services were constantly changing due to the unpredictable weather.from New Zealand Herald

Points to get into New Zealand

I have just checked the immigration site to immigrate into New Zealand and at the time of writing the minimum points required are 100, and going through a quick check on the website I have come up with a score of 115. I have also checked more job websites in New Zealand, and Electricians are needed. The only drawback is the fees that have to be paid for the various stages of the process,which is not cheap.!!!

Just a few photos around New Zealand

A little bit further in New Zealand.

When I have looked on the immigration site one of the first things I looked at was do they require my trade, being an electrician I quickly established that this is a trade that was in short supply and New Zealand is a country needing electricians.
This can be found out on the immigration site and is pretty straight forward to find out if you can be a skilled migrant and checking if an area of New Zealand has a skills shortage. One other thing I did check before I went any further was to see if I had enough points to apply for immigration, the system they use is that you have to have a certain amount of points via a questionnaire before proceeding, I passed that bit.

A bit more about New Zealand

New Zealand is a country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two large islands (the North Island and the South Island) and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. In Māori, New Zealand has come to be known as Aotearoa, which is usually translated into English as The Land of the Long White Cloud. The Realm of New Zealand also includes the Cook Islands and Niue, which are 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, being separated from Australia to the northwest by the Tasman Sea, approximately 2000 kilometres (1250 miles) across. Its closest neighbours to the north are New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga.

The population is mostly of European descent, with the indigenous Māori being the largest minority. Non-Māori Polynesian and Asian people are also significant minorities, especially in the cities. Elizabeth II, as the Queen of New Zealand, is the Head of State and, in her absence, is represented by a non-partisan Governor-General.This is taken from Wikipedia

History about New Zealand

It is estimated the Maori inhabited New Zealand around 800AD. Around eight hundred years later the Western world discovered New Zealand. In 1642, in a bid to locate the mysterious, rich land Australia, the Dutch Explorer, Abel Tasman caught sight of the West Coast of the South Island.

The First European to set foot on New Zealand soil was Captain James Cook of England, in 1769. He also made the first, but inaccurate map of the country.

Settlers from England started to arrive in the 1830's, and by 1840 a Treaty was signed between the crown and the chiefs of the Maori tribes. The Treaty of Waitangi handed sovereignty of New Zealand to the Crown, and is a matter of dispute even today, as the Maori translation is not quite the same as the English.

One hundred and seven years later, in 1947 New Zealand declared independence, and became its own country, after Britain did not let New Zealand troops return to defend their home against the possibility of Japanese invasion in the Second World War.

Though all New Zealanders became New Zealand citizens, until 1977 they were still British subjects. In 1983, New Zealand was declared "The Realm of New Zealand", and in 1986 the Constitution Act removed all power from the United Kingdom to legislate for New Zealand when it was requested.

Today, Queen Elizabeth holds the title of Queen of New Zealand, and is represented by the Honourable Anand Satyanand, our Governor General. New Zealand remains part of the Commonwealth, but as an independent country.
from www.NZ.Com