QUALITY OF LIFE SURVEY 2007 (from www.bigcities.govt.nz)

New Zealand is the fourth-best place in the world to live, according to an international quality of life study. The International Living travel website ranked New Zealand fourth out of 193 countries, with only France, the Netherlands and Australia rating higher.

Kiwis call it ‘Godzone' – because we know it's the best place in the world to live.

This belief is consistently backed up by research, where New Zealand's major cities are currently listed among the top places in the world to live.

“New York, Paris and London may be the epitome of cool, but Wellington and Auckland outrank them all on quality of life.” – Wellington newspaper headline.

In the 2006 Mercer Quality of Living survey of 215 world cities, Auckland and Wellington ranked 5th and 12th respectively for quality of life. The top five were: Zurich, Geneva, Vancouver, Vienna and Auckland. Sydney stayed at 9th. Paris ranked 33rd. Baghdad ranked last.

The analysis was based on an evaluation of 39 criteria, including political, social, economic, and environmental factors, personal safety and health, education, transport, and other public services. The scores for personal safety and security were based on relationships with other countries, as well as internal stability and crime, including terrorism. Law enforcement, censorship, and limitations on personal freedom were also taken into account.