1. Invercargill
Invercargill has an incredible list of attributes for families, including New Zealand’s most affordable housing and extremely low unemployment and crime levels.
Educational achievement is high for National Standards and university entrance level for school leavers – and they can choose to study for free at the Southern Institute of Technology.
Huge marine reserves and conservation land mean you’re always connected to nature, sometimes more closely than you might like when the weather turns bad.
But although it’s cold, Southland has more daylight hours than any other part of New Zealand. For outdoor types, that means extra time for skiing, tramping, mountain biking, motocross, horse riding, and more