The name, Wellington, is a representation of the marked influence that Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) exacted over the New Zealand Company. The intended name had been Britannia, but the defeater of Napoleon took a greater liking to his own. Reclamation of land from the sea began in earnest in 1852 and continues. Auckland was the first major capital of New Zealand but the colonial administration grew fearful that the gold rich southern regions would try to form a separate colony. In November 1863 Alfred Domett moved a resolution in the Parliament at Auckland that “it has become necessary that the seat of government…should be transferred to some suitable locality in Cook Strait.” Wellington became the capital of New Zealand in 1863 and was conferred city status in 1886.

The history books slow down on major events from there on. The history of Wellington is the history of most of New Zealand, and most other British colonies. Developing slowly and closely modeling themselves on the British systems of governance, full independence was attained in 1947, after being a self-governing colony and then dominion. New Zealand, however, is part of the few that retain strong Commonwealth ties to the United Kingdom and classify themselves as a constitutional monarchy with the reigning British monarch represented by a governor-general. Until the 1980’s the progress of New Zealand had been slow and inefficient and the state of the country had reached a level in need of radical reform. That restructuring occurred in 1984 under Labour and then National governments transforming New Zealand from a welfare-state, government involved economy to the direction of a private open-market economy. New Zealand has also diversified not only its economy from solely agricultural exports but also their trading partners, moving towards closer ties with Asian nations. The move towards privatization has been, at times, painful as was evident by the near collapse of Air New Zealand, in 2001, and New Zealand rail, in 2003, before a bail-out. 

Present day Wellington displays all the bared teeth of a hunting tigress, as presented through the city’s ambitious youth. 28.8% of the population of Wellington is aged between 20-34, compared with 20.5% for the rest of the country. Almost 25% speak at least two languages, well below the national average of less than 20%. Wellington has the highest levels of education, personal income and lowest unemployment levels when placed alongside the rest of New Zealand. The varied ethnic composition of Wellington boasts a large array of minorities but not as satisfactory a margin as Sandra Day O’Connor would deem diverse enough. A sizeable 72.6% (NZ 69.8%) are the Pakeha, the Maori word for those of European descent, 7.3% Maori (NZ 14.1%), 4.5% Pacific Islanders (NZ 5.4%), and 10% (NZ 6.1%) are Asian. Not that I ever think race makes much difference in New Zealand. New Zealand, and especially Wellington, is easily the most colour-blind nation I have ever come across.

I hadn’t been in Wellington long. Just long enough to know I liked something about it, but I needed to know more. The most common reply from immigrants when asked why they decided to stay in New Zealand was consistently, “The people here are wonderful.” I found myself agreeing too often. “Nice people” is something you can find anywhere. Agreeable people, polite people, smiling people, willing to point out directions people, hold the elevator for you people; there’s always a stiff waiting room full of them to be found in a dentist’s office in almost any country. Nah, we’re talking about ‘Wonderful people’. The people who look at you like they got out of bed that morning just to see if you needed anything. They’ll laugh, smile, tell you jokes, recommend a good movie, invite you to join them on a weekend mountain trek and all you wanted out of the operator was the number for a store that sells ski-masks close to the banks. The bizarre aspect of it all to a cynic, like me, is how it’s all managed with unobtrusiveness, charm, and what, undoubtedly, must be kindness. After many goggle-eyed, gaping-mouth encounters and a ballpark million thankyou’s I decided to investigate the phenomena. 

I was standing in line at the downtown immigration office clutching my work-permit form. In Wellington standing in line is just about as pleasant an experience as everything else. The Korean gentleman in front of me and I were discussing our possible job prospects along with the American who had just ambled up behind us. All systems in New Zealand work strictly and efficiently by their written guidelines. It’s hard to come across anyone willing to take a bribe, and much harder to find someone who would know what to do with it except perhaps report you to the police. This makes bureaucratic processes in New Zealand just a simple matter of completing paperwork. Trying to apply this policy, just about any place, while holding an Indian passport, however, irrefutably makes the bearer feel as if they have committed a minor, yet inconsequential, misdemeanor. I wasn’t worried, though. I had everything required: a letter certifying a job offer, a contract specifying all duties, a letter from the employer stating why they thought a New Zealander couldn’t perform this job, proof that the employer had attempted to find New Zealanders qualified for the position, and copies of my resume and degrees. The Korean gentleman had a much lighter load since his job offer fell under the “Occupational Shortages List” set out by the government. Heavy on agricultural and information technology, the occupations listed here are the ones that don’t require much more than proof of the candidate’s qualifications and a job offer for a work permit.

I shifted my attention towards the American behind me. He introduced himself as Mike and handed out a business card. It had the name of a very prestigious auditing firm and under his profession it said in bright gold: Chartered Public Accountant. At 6’3”, with a strong, muscular build, and no signs of a pocket-protector nor eye-glasses this was the least convincing accountant I had ever come across. He was in here just to pick up his Permanent Resident papers. I lowered my head with mock admiration. He had gotten through the process relatively quickly. Due to the huge backlog of applicants, to even be considered for permanent residency there is a waiting period of 6 months before the applicant’s file is even touched. Mike was walking out with his residency at 8 months after the application date. Credit for this goes to recent changes in the immigration policy. Using a point-based system immigration can decide whether to allow residency based on the sum of education, age, years of New Zealand employment experience, available funds, and a few other factors to a total number of points. Currently, if that total reaches 29 out of more than 50 points using any combination of factors, you qualify. Simple, straightforward, and fair.

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