Entertainment
Night LifeLively DJ and bands, particularly in the larger cities, make New Zealand's night life a vibrant entertainment option - and there is usually something to suit everyone's tastes. You will find a variety of night-clubs, cabarets, pubs, concerts and live performances to choose from, and there are also four casinos, in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin and Queenstown. |
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Alcohol & Legal Drinking Age
Most night-spots, restaurants and cafes serve liquor seven days a week. You can purchase alcohol from liquor outlets (beer, wine and spirits) and supermarkets (beer and wine only) seven days a week. Legally you must be 18 years old to buy alcohol or consume it in a public place, and you may be asked for a photo-ID.
Smoking
Smoking in all hospitality venues, including bars, restaurants, cafes, and casinos, is prohibited in New Zealand.
Events
New Zealand hosts a number of national and international festivals, concerts and events at venues across the country. For information about what's on in each area or to buy tickets, visit one of the following web sites:
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Television
New Zealand has the following "free" TV channels: TV One, TV2, TV 3, Prime, C4 and Maori TV.
TV One and TV2 are both run by TVNZ, the largest television company in the country. TV One features a combination of news, current affairs and sports programming, along with quality comedy and drama from the UK and the America.
TV3 and C4 are run by MediaWorks NZ. TV3 features news, current affairs and sports programming along with traditional entertainment programming. C4 is New Zealand's free to air music channel and features music videos and music related programmes.
Prime is the newest channel. Maori TV, funded by the New Zealand government, was launched in 2004 and was designed to promote Maori language and culture through broadcasting. In addition to these channels, a new Freeview digital service has recently been introduced and there is also satellite television provided by Sky TV.
Radio
Radio New Zealand is the country's public radio broadcaster, similar to BBC radio in the UK. It is a crown entity and controlled and funded by the government. It has two main channels, Radio New Zealand National and Radio New Zealand Concert. RNZ National offers a range of news, current affairs and arts programmes. RNZ Concert is a music channel playing classical music and jazz.
In addition to these state run stations New Zealand also has a range of commercial stations offering music to meet all tastes, which are run by either the Radio Network or MediaWorks.
Newspapers
New Zealand newspapers have a strong regional focus but the main papers are sold nationally. They include all the national news with regionally targeted editorial and advertising.
Each region has its own newspaper, but they four main papers are The New Zealand Herald (Auckland), The Dominion Post (Wellington), The Press (Christchurch), and The Otago Daily times (Dunedin).
You can also access stories from most fo the provincial newspapers by visiting Scoop.
