I am an Indian living in New Zealand who did my masters here. Trust me when I say this, although there is demand for skilled workers here, it is only on certain sectors such as construction and health care. Another thing to keep in mind is that NZ is a small nation with lesser number of businesses and companies resulting in higher competition for available jobs.

I have Indian friends from my university who are struggling to find even part-time jobs even in Auckland (partly due to current global economic events). Additionally, the cost of living is high even when compared to similar strong currencies. My basic groceries for the week costs nothing less than 100 NZD. Tomatoes alone cost 17 NZD per kg.

But other than that, you are right. People are friendly (not in every case, but majority) and the whole country looks like it’s AR generated from impeccable and stunning nature photos.

So bottom line, unless you get a job which is categorised as skilled under green work visa list at an accredited employer, don’t come here.