January 29 - February 27, 2025 New Zealand February 17

Today we take the ferry to the North Island to Wellington.

Wellington, officially known as Wellington City (Māori Te Whanganui-a-Tara, referring to the Wellington Harbour and its surroundings), is the capital of New Zealand and, along with the adjacent cities of Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, and Porirua, constitutes the second-largest metropolitan area in the country after Auckland. The city of Wellington itself has approximately 213,000 inhabitants.

Wellington was named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. The Māori name Te Whanganui-a-Tara refers to the nearby Wellington Harbour and translates to “The great harbor of Tara,” while Pōneke is merely the transcribed version of “Port Nick,” the former name of the city. Due to its location – Wellington is situated exposed at the southern tip of the North Island – the city is susceptible to strong wind currents and downdrafts, hence its nickname: “Windy City.”

Wellington is more influenced by the Central Business District than other cities. The New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZX) is located near the waterfront. In a ranking of major financial centers worldwide, Wellington ranked 44th (as of 2018).[ Numerous state and private companies have their headquarters in the city, including Telecom New Zealand, Radio New Zealand, New Zealand Post, and the Bank of New Zealand. In Wellington, the company Hell Pizza was founded in 1996.

In the cultural economy sector, between 4300 and 5380 people were employed in 2009, accounting for 3.1% of the city's workforce and 2.3% of the Wellington region.

Almost 2000 people work in the clothing industry across more than 400 companies. Nearly 2000 computer companies, including international giants like Hewlett-Packard and IBM, have a presence in the region, employing over 11,000 people, which is 23% of all employees in New Zealand's IT sector. In the manufacturing sector, 15,000 workers are employed in 1600 companies. Important companies include Fraser Engineering, Formway, Metallion. In the biotechnology sector, which is an important and emerging factor for the region, 400 people are employed. Several Crown Research Institutes (CRIs), such as the Institute of Environmental Science & Research, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Landcare Research New Zealand, and the New Zealand Forest Research Institute conduct their research here.