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Five Interesting Facts About Wellington, New Zealand
Many people choose to move to New Zealand because it is a safe and friendly environment for families, offers great career opportunities and extraordinary possibilities for exploration and travel. The high quality of life New Zealand offers is what draws immigrants from all over the world to the country, and the capital of Wellington is no exception. As experts when it comes to international removals to Wellington, Hamiltons Removals have come up with five interesting facts about the country’s capital.
1. It’s Named After the English Duke
Although the area did have previous inhabitants, the Māori’s, as well as the Polynesian explorer Kupe, the modern city owes its name to the English Duke of Wellington.
English settlers from The New Zealand Company (who also colonised other parts of the region) suggested the name in 1840. The theory behind the founding of the modern city was that capitalists would provide the finance, and the local population the workforce.
2. It’s the Southernmost Capital of the World
The city lies at the south-western tip of the country’s North Island and, even though the country’s South Island contains the cities of Invercargill and Christchurch, Wellington can still lay claim to being the southernmost capital of the world.
Originally, Okiato (also known as Old Russell), then Auckland, was the country’s capital. However, the NZ Parliament wanted a more central location for their headquarters; they couldn’t agree on where so three Australian commissioners were brought in to make the ruling. With coordinates of 41°17′20″S 174°46′38″E Wellington beats Canberra in Australia, and Cape Town in South Africa, to the accolade.
3. It’s Also the Windiest City
For all the talk of Chicago being The Windy City, Wellington is actually the windiest; known as ‘Windy Welly’ by the locals.
It has an average wind speed of more than 16 miles per hour and it owes that status to its position on the Cook Strait, between the north and south islands, which creates a sort of wind tunnel through which ocean breezes strengthen.
This isn’t necessarily bad news – it means the coast around the city is popular with surfers, windsurfers and sailors. Air pollution is non-existent as any industrial fumes are quickly blown away and the wind power can easily be harnessed for electricity, helping to contribute to sustainability and clean energy.
4. The Parliament Building was Designed on the Back of a Napkin
When Wellington became the country’s capital in 1865, most of the Parliament buildings were made of timber. However, the harsh climate of the city took its toll – and the wooden structures made the buildings a fire risk. There was a huge blaze in 1907, and it was originally intended that the buildings would be replaced by a new, classically Edwardian structure; however, for a variety of reasons the project was never completed.
It wasn’t until the 1960s that Scottish architect Sir Basil Spence convinced then Prime Minister Keith Holyoake to complete the project with the modern ‘beehive’ design – allegedly taken from the logo on a box of a Bryant & May Beehive Safety Matches. The shape is reminiscent of a traditional woven form of beehive known as a skep.
Sir Basil persuaded the then PM with a drawing on the back of a napkin while they were having a meal together. The work was completed in stages, and it was finally opened in 1981 – it includes function rooms, cabinet meeting rooms, debating chambers and catering facilities. It is one of the most distinctive parliament buildings in the world as can be seen from the picture.
5. There’s an Excellent Quality of Life
In recent years the city has scored consistently highly in Quality of Life reports, topping Deutsche Bank’s survey in 2017 and 2018.
The survey looked at factors such as purchasing power, safety, health care, cost of living, property price to income ratios, traffic commutes, pollution and climate. Aside from the surveys, there’s plenty to enjoy here including galleries, museums and theatres aplenty.
Wellington is also well known as a culinary capital and is famed for its tucked-away bars, quirky cafés and award-winning restaurants.
Moving House to New Zealand with Hamiltons Removals
If you are considering moving to New Zealand, then Hamiltons Removals can help you. We offer deep sea removals to both the two countries, so you can be assured that all your belongings will make it over safely and swiftly.
Whether you’re looking to move to Wellington, Aukland, Christchurch or anywhere else in the country – and this applies to domestic and commercial moves – we offer dedicated shipping containers, groupage (meaning your belongings are shared with others en-route) and air freight, giving you lots of options for your international move.
If you have any questions, call Hamiltons on 01379 855203.
Key Cultural Differences Between the USA and Canada
Although they share a common border, and a common language, there are lots of key cultural differences between Canada and its southern neighbour the United States of America. Here Hamiltons Removals, experts at business and home removals to Canada, outline some of the key differences between the two if you are thinking of moving to either country.
Holidays
Many public holidays such as Christmas, New Year, Easter are celebrated in both the US and Canada in the same way that we celebrate them here in the UK. Both countries also celebrate Labor Day (or Labour Day, as both the UK and Canada would say) on the first Monday in September. And while both countries celebrate Thanksgiving, they are celebrated at slightly different times – the holiday is celebrated in October in Canada and November in the USA.
Despite all the similarities, there are several differences. The US celebrate:
- Martin Luther King Day in January (after the famous civil rights leader, whose statue in Washington DC is pictured)
- President’s Day in February (originally to commemorate George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, but since extended to all presidents)
- Memorial Day in May (honouring war dead) Independence Day on July 4th
- And Columbus Day in October (to celebrate the explorer’s arrival in the continent in 1492).
The Canadians, in contrast, mark:
- Victoria Day in May (originally to mark Queen Victoria’s birthday, but now to recognise the Canadian monarch’s official birthday)
- Canada Day on July 1st (to mark the day the country became a dominion independent of the USA in 1857)
- August 1st is also a civic holiday to mark the end of slavery in the British Empire in the 1830s
- The Canadians also mark the November 11th as Remembrance Day instead of Memorial Day.
The English Influence Lives On
The Canadian holidays are more in line with English or UK ones – not just because of the timing but also the spelling (as mentioned above with Labour/Labor Day).
Canada was part of the British Empire and remains part of the Commonwealth today. Some say Canadians take after the English and are more reserved/less brash than their US counterparts, who they humourously regard as ‘noisy neighbours’.
Certainly, some Canadian expressions have more in common with the UK than the US – they still use ‘petrol stations’ and not ‘gas stations’, ‘flat’ rather than ‘apartment,’ and they ‘go on holiday’ rather than ‘take a vacation’.
In the Workplace
On the subject of holidays, in Canada there is a sliding scale of entitlement for employment leave – usually two weeks of paid leave after you have been with the company for a year, three weeks after you’ve been with them for five years, and four weeks after 10 years’ service (this can vary slightly from province to province).
In the USA, there is no federal or national stipulation – it’s all down to the individual employer how much paid leave they offer. Although, in reality, it may not differ much from the Canadian model (and many US businesses operate a similar sliding scale based on years’ service) it is underpinned by a free enterprise culture where workers’ rights are not at the forefront.
On a micro level, Canadian employees are legally entitled to a 30-minute break every five hours. No such stipulation exists in the US where workers have the (probably undeserved) reputation of being ‘chained to their desks’. Some studies have suggested that Americans don’t use all their annual leave for fear of being replaced or giving the impression of laziness.
Sport and Leisure
In America, it’s the big four sports which dominate; American football (some of you may have just caught the Superbowl, which took place early Monday morning), baseball, basketball and ice hockey.
In Canada, only ice hockey (above) has the same place in the national psyche, with every city, school and college having its own rink. Lacrosse is the country’s summer sport, but ice hockey is comfortably the country’s most popular sport almost all year round (the NHL season typically wraps up in June and starts up again in early October).
They do play the other top three sports in America but either not to the same standard or the same rules (for instance, Canadian football rather than its US equivalent).
Away from that, both Americans and Canadians list watching TV and reading as their favourite pastimes (although reading may count as looking at a tablet, laptop or Kindle rather than an actual book or publication).
However, in terms of overall health, Canada has higher life expectancy (around 80 years old for men, and 84 for women, compared to 73 and 79 in the USA). This may reflect a sportier lifestyle (certainly Canada has more of a flourishing winter sports industry) or a healthier diet.
Overseas Removals to the USA and Canada with Hamiltons Removals
If you are considering removals to Canada or the USA, then Hamiltons Removals can help you. We offer deep sea removals to both the two countries, so you can be assured that all your belongings will make it over safely and swiftly.
We offer dedicated shipping containers, groupage (meaning your belongings are shared with others en-route) and air freight, giving you lots of options for your international move.
Any questions, call Hamiltons on 01379 855203.