Quick facts
Population: 5.7 million
Size: 719kmsq
Capital city: None
Year of independence: 1965
Currency: Singapore dollar (S$1 = NZ$0.99)
National airline: Singapore Airlines
Culture
Official languages: English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil
Main ethnic groups: Chinese (70%), Malay (13%), Indian (9%), Other (3%)
Religion: Buddhist (33%), Christian (18%), No religion (17%), Muslim (15%), Taoist (11%), Hindu (5%)
Median age: 34 years
Politics
Prime Minister: Lee Hsien Loong, leader of the People’s Action Party (Facebook, Twitter)
Deputy Prime Minister(s): Teo Chee Hean, Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Ministries: Communications And Information; Culture, Community and Youth; Defence; Education; Finance; Foreign Affairs; Health; Home Affairs; Law; Manpower; National Development; Social And Family Development; Environment and Water Resources; Trade and Industry; Transport
Media
News media: While the state has firm control over the press, Singapore has a bustling media space.
- The Straits Times
- TODAY
- Business Times
- The Online Citizen (citizen media)
Blogs: Singapore is home to a diverse blogging community, the most popular include:
- mrbrown (comedy, culture, tech)
- LadyIronChef (food and travel)
- DanielFoodDiary (food)
- Miss TamChiak (food and travel)
- Parka Blogs (art books, reviews)
Bilateral relations
Singapore is one of New Zealand’s top defence partners in the Asia-Pacific, and our ninth largest trading partner. New Zealand’s free-trade agreement with Singapore — the ANZSCEP, signed by former prime ministers Helen Clark and Goh Chok Tong in 2000 — is one of our most comprehensive.
Singaporeans in New Zealand
2013 Census: 5,370 Singapore-born residents
Tourism
Year ending June 2013: 37,696 visitors from Singapore
Year ending June 2017: 57,696 visitors from Singapore
Tourist profile: Traditional peak travel seasons for Singapore residents are from mid-November to the end of December; the last week of May to the last week of June; Chinese New Year; Hari Raya in July or October; and Deepavali in early November. The majority of Singaporean travellers prefer free independent travel over group tours (source: Tourism New Zealand).
Useful links
Kiwis in Singapore
New Zealand High Commission Singapore
- Website | Facebook
- Contact: +65 6235 9966, [email protected]
Australian and New Zealand Association
- Website | Facebook | Twitter
- Contact: +65 6223 7992, [email protected]
Singaporeans in New Zealand
New Zealand Chamber of Commerce Singapore
- Website | Facebook | Twitter
- Contact: +65 6235 7119, [email protected]
Singapore Students’ Association (Auckland)
- Contact: [email protected]
– Asia Media Centre
