Here is a Stuff article about safe places - btw you would be nuts to live in Kaitaia for seismic safety reasons as I think it is a less than safe … The Safest place to live in New Zealand Hey all.

I am travelling to New Zealand on a student VISA and I want to complete my education and head back to my home country [India] after completing it. We're perched on the Pacific's Ring of Fire, sandwiched between two tectonic plates in the middle of the Roaring Forties. We recommend that you visit Water Safety or AdventureSmart for advice on how to stay safe on New Zealand's beaches and waterways. Hamilton could be the safest place to live in New Zealand. That depends on the type of lifestyle you like. I've heard a lot about New Zealand being a safe country to live in and that's my prime reason to pursue my education there. Hamilton’s weather is hot in the summer and reasonably mild in the winter. We just had to start with a bit of a hiss and roar with the adventure capital – as it’s known – of New Zealand. New Zealand is an easy country to travel around, but there are some mistakes you shouldn't make. Here are the top 10 mistakes tourists make when they visit New Zealand. New Zealand’s extensive coastline and network of waterways provide ample opportunity for swimming, boating and fishing.


Hamilton is a fine city to live in. New Zealand’s homicide rate is just 1.3 in every 100,000 people – the OECD average is 3.6. “What NZ has to offer us NOW & in the FUTURE” and How do we compare NZ with India in terms of LIFE. I've also heard that the crime rate in NZ is very low. Since the earthquakes all of Christchurch has been completely shaken up and transformed to a state none of us ever expected. House prices and rent are cheaper than Auckland.

If in doubt, stay out. New Zealand is second out of 163 countries on the 2018 Global Peace Index.
Improve your trip by avoiding these pitfalls.

New Zealand is ranked 6th on SafeAround.coms’s list of world’s safest countries, with a safety index score of 90.2%.

However many people are unprepared for the potential dangers of the water.