Why escape to Wellington

Located in the middle of New Zealand, getting to Wellington is easy. The city boasts a vibrant arts and entertainment scene, thriving industries, and world-class education institutes. Its award-winning restaurants are complimented by excellent coffee roasteries, wineries, and craft beer breweries. Renowned for its diverse cultural scene, Wellington is proud of its prestigious title as a UNESCO City of Film.

Barista at pour and twist creating their custom coffee on the counter.
On set of a movie at Avalon Studios in Lower Hutt where they are filming inside a car, with purple lighting surrounding.
Person holding an iPad at the NZ Game Developers Conference held at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
Person holding a box of Fix a& Fogg Peanut butter in the factory.

Whether your area of expertise is in tech, engineering, business and finance, health, construction, screen, game development, or hospitality, Wellington is a place of opportunity.

Outside of work, the Wellington region is an outdoor lover’s paradise. There are dozens of mountain bike tracks, walking trails and surfing beaches to explore, all within easy access from the central business district.

Live the good life

The Wellington region offers a relaxed, easy-going lifestyle with short commutes, good public transport options, low levels of pollution, and a culture focused on work-life balance.

Sitting quietly between the sea and acres of regional parks, forests, and mountains, the city is not just surrounded by nature, it’s immersed in it. There are hundreds of walking and biking trails and hundreds more within an hour’s drive of the city. Regional Wellington includes the Kāpiti Coast, Porirua, Hutt Valley, and Wairarapa. Each area boasts treks, bike trails, horse trails, surf beaches, and river swims.

Two cyclists are riding on a wooden bridge on the Green Jersey Cycling Tour on the Remutaka Cycle Trail in Upper Hutt in the Wellington region.
3 people leaning against a boardwalk rail admiring the view in the native bush of Te Whiti Riser.
A young family stop along a gravel path to admire a bird flying through the lush green trees of Zealandia.
A person leaps across a stream while another follows, on the East harbour Regional park Kowhai Street track.

If you’ve got kids, there’s more great news. There are over 100 playgrounds and parks in Wellington city alone. It’s no wonder Wellingtonians never sit idle. It’s also why Wellingtonians top the charts when it comes to quality of life. A recent Nielsen Quality of Life survey shows 89% of those questioned perceive the Wellington region as a great place to live, and 89% rate their overall quality of life as “very good”.

Wellington is one of the only capital cities in the world accredited as a ‘Safe Community’

Endorsed by the World Health Organisation

Wellington’s vibrant hospitality and nightlife scene gives you plenty of options to have fun. Wellington boasts talented brewers, world-famous wineries, and top-notch cafés and restaurants. Cuba Street and Courtenay Place contain many of these venues making it easy to hop between them. Take in a show from one of the grand concert halls, a play from one of the professional theatres, or live music from the thriving gig-scene. The local cocktail lounges, bars and craft breweries will provide a great atmosphere to suit everyone.

2 bartenders stand behind a bar, both pouring and mixing cocktails. A large collection of bottles sit behind them on a shelf.
Looking over the crowd inside the busy San Fran club while a band plays under the Pink lights.
The Orchestra Wellington performing at the Michael Fowler Centre to a full audience.

As for food, the city covers everything from casual to fine dining. Pizza, dumplings, burgers, Asian, Italian, Mediterranean, Indian, are all well represented. There are several food festivals based in the city, meaning there’s always something creative and new to try. The foodie’s paradise isn’t just found on the central streets of Wellington city. Lower Hutt, Petone, Porirua and Wellington’s suburbs boast some of New Zealand’s top restaurants and cafés.

Diverse and welcoming

Wellington’s rich food and cultural scene makes it as exciting for singles as it is welcoming for couples and families. There are more than 80 nationalities represented in the region, with Statistics New Zealand figures showing about 25% of people in the city were born overseas.

You’ll find Wellingtonians among the most welcoming and accepting people you’ll meet. Locals love new people and are quick to learn and celebrate different cultures, identities, and abilities in their communities and workplaces. A multitude of civic events celebrate diverse backgrounds, creative spirit, and artistic flair.

Wellington’s talent pool of well-educated, worldly, and skilled people is the region’s greatest asset. Wellington workers are better educated and more highly paid than the average New Zealander.

Two people cross the street at the Rainbow Crossing on Cuba Street in Te Aro, Wellington.

The Rainbow Crossing on Cuba Street, Wellington Central.