Embassy of Switzerland in New Zealand

Embassy of Switzerland in New Zealand Grüezi, Bienvenue, Benvenuti, Bun di! Welcome. This is the Embassy of Switzerland in New Zealand. Thank you for your interest and for taking the time to visit.

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16/06/2026

Yes, you can study yodeling at university in Switzerland. 🇨🇭

Switzerland’s yodeling tradition is officially recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
And it is not only being preserved. It is also being taught.

At the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, this tradition has entered higher education. Students can major in yodeling as part of a Bachelor’s degree in folk music.

What was once associated with Alpine traditions continues to evolve through education, performance, and new generations of musicians. It shows how universities can help keep living traditions relevant while passing them on in a contemporary academic context.

What role can universities play in keeping living traditions alive?

What can you find in Swiss homes? 👀 🚨 Shelter - basement In many Swiss apartment buildings and individual homes, the ba...
05/06/2026

What can you find in Swiss homes? 👀

🚨 Shelter - basement
In many Swiss apartment buildings and individual homes, the basement includes a shelter intended for emergencies, such as armed conflict. In everyday life, it is often used as a cellar or leisure room.

🐈 Cat ladders - outdoor
In Switzerland, you might spot ladders of all shapes attached to building facades. But they’re not for humans; they’re for cats. Their purpose? To let felines come and go freely, without relying on their owners.

👞 Outdoor shoe cabinet - entrance
In many Swiss apartment buildings, it’s common to see shoe cabinets or neatly lined-up shoes left outside front doors in shared hallways. More than just a way to save space, the habit reflects a culture of trust and mutual respect between neighbors.

🤖 Robotic lawn mower - outdoor
In Switzerland, it’s not unusual to spot small things moving through residential gardens to cut the grass… You guessed it: they’re not sheep, but tiny robotic lawn mowers. Because the Swiss love of precision extends even to perfectly trimmed lawns.

🚿 Cleaning squeegee - bathroom
After a shower in Switzerland, you’re often expected to wipe down the glass walls to prevent limescale marks, a small habit that says a lot about the Swiss attachment to cleanliness.

🇨🇭 Swiss flag - outdoor
In Switzerland, especially in rural areas, Swiss flags are hard to miss: on balconies, in windows, or proudly displayed in gardens. More than decoration, they’re a visible sign of attachment to Swiss identity.

👚 Umbrella clothes dryer - outdoor
If you walk through Swiss neighborhoods, you’ll often notice umbrella-style clotheslines neatly set up in gardens. Invented in Switzerland, they let laundry dry in the open air and have become part of everyday Swiss life.

🧼 Shared laundry room - basement
In many Swiss apartment buildings, residents share a common laundry room, often located in the basement. With schedules, rules, and carefully respected time slots, this system reflects the Swiss attachment to order and communal living.

🧀 Gruyère, Emmental, Tilsiter... Why are Swiss cheeses famous around the world? 🇨🇭 Some Swiss cheeses are famous far be...
02/06/2026

🧀 Gruyère, Emmental, Tilsiter... Why are Swiss cheeses famous around the world? 🇨🇭

Some Swiss cheeses are famous far beyond Switzerland’s borders. But this reputation did not appear overnight...

Although the exact origins of cheese remain unknown, the Middle Ages saw the rise of cow’s milk in cheesemaking and the appearance of hard cheeses.

In rural Swiss communities, turning milk into butter and cheese was long a practical way to preserve it. During the summer months, milk from cows grazing on alpine pastures was transformed into dairy products that could last through the winter.

The spread of Swiss products and know-how beyond the country’s borders can be explained by three main factors:
🛣️ the opening of the Gotthard route in the 13th century;
🌎 the migration of young Swiss people;
⛪ the easing of Church rules in the 15th century, as it became more tolerant of cheese consumption and, consequently, its export.

From the 19th century onwards, many Swiss cheesemakers settled in France, the United States, Canada and Eastern Europe, where they helped develop local cheesemaking. In France, they established themselves in mountainous regions. In North America, they contributed to the rise of large-scale dairies. They played a major role in spreading the reputation of Gruyère, Emmental and Tilsiter.

Swiss cheeses continue to be enjoyed both in Switzerland and around the world, and Swiss cheesemakers regularly stand out in international competitions.

This recognised expertise is rooted in high-quality training. Every year, around a hundred new cheesemakers complete their training in Switzerland, helping to carry on the tradition.

What’s your favorite Swiss cheese? 👇

Did you know Switzerland is so well connected by train you can travel across the entire country in just a few hours? 🚆🇨🇭...
25/05/2026

Did you know Switzerland is so well connected by train you can travel across the entire country in just a few hours? 🚆🇨🇭

In around 4 hours, you can travel from Geneva to St. Gallen by train, crossing Switzerland from west to east through lakes, vineyards, mountains and cow-filled fields along the way. 🐄
Thanks to its dense network, travelling across Switzerland by train is simple and efficient. One of the easiest ways to explore the country!

What’s your favorite train ride in Switzerland? 👇

🌼 Among chocolate, mountains, and cows, the edelweiss stands as one of Switzerland’s most iconic symbols. 🇨🇭 You can fin...
21/05/2026

🌼 Among chocolate, mountains, and cows, the edelweiss stands as one of Switzerland’s most iconic symbols. 🇨🇭

You can find it on the 5-franc coin, on military insignia, and even in the logo of a Swiss airline. Today, it grows in the Alps at 2,000 to 3,000 meters of altitude, on exposed limestone slopes, where it withstands strong winds and intense sunlight. 🏔️

However, the edelweiss is not originally from the Alps: it is believed to have migrated from Asia during the Ice Age. 🌏

In the 19th century, it became a symbol of courage, as picking it often required climbing steep and dangerous rock faces. With the rise of tourism, the flower was threatened by over-picking. While it is no longer considered endangered at the federal level, it remains protected in several cantons.

Considered “kitsch” in the 20th century, it experienced a revival in the 1990s, driven by renewed interest in tradition and authenticity. Today, the edelweiss represents simplicity, quality, and a deep connection to the Alpine landscape.


18/05/2026

The Swiss Pacific Team (Embassies in New Zealand, Australia and the Philippines) has just concluded a week of exchanges and engagements in Fiji.

The visit formed part of Switzerland’s broader engagement in the Pacific: ensuring Pacific perspectives are heard in international forums, particularly in International Geneva; advancing local community-focused initiatives through Swiss small grants projects across the region; and deepening Switzerland’s understanding of the Pacific and its priorities through continued dialogue and partnership.

As a regional hub for international organisations and cooperation, Fiji provides an important opportunity to engage with partners from across government, international and regional organisations, and civil society.

We were particularly honoured to meet Fiji’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Hon Sakiasi Ditoka, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Hon Lenora Qereqeretabua, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Mrs Dr Raijeli Taga, and Deputy Secretary Mr Anare Leweniqila. We also had the pleasure of meeting with the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretariat, Baron Waqa to exchange views on current regional developments and priorities across the Pacific.

During the visit, we further met with the Pacific Community (SPC), the Resident Coordinator of the UN Multi-Country Office, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the UNDP Pacific Office, the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), as well as Pacific and European Heads of Mission. We also exchanged with the Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (PIANGO) and Nakau.

The programme included a symposium at the University of the South Pacific (USP) on multilateralism, democracy and human rights, bringing together academics, practitioners and students for an exchange on global cooperation and the role of International Geneva.

We leave Fiji with a deeper appreciation of the perspectives and priorities of Pacific partners, and with renewed commitment to continued dialogue and cooperation across the region.

We thank all our partners in Fiji for the warm welcome and valuable exchanges throughout the week.

🐮 Today Happy Lilly made her way to the Swiss federal city Bern, and she is standing in front of the Federal Palace! 🇨🇭S...
16/05/2026

🐮 Today Happy Lilly made her way to the Swiss federal city Bern, and she is standing in front of the Federal Palace! 🇨🇭

She feels so tiny next to this true symbol of Swiss democracy! This is where Parliament sits, and it is also home to the Federal Council.
The 26 water jets represent Switzerland’s 26 cantons. She couldn’t resist a little splash to hydrate and cool off her hooves! 💦

Have you ever visited the Federal Palace? 👇

Switzerland is getting ready to welcome the world’s biggest ice hockey nations 🇨🇭🏒From packed arenas to a deep-rooted ho...
14/05/2026

Switzerland is getting ready to welcome the world’s biggest ice hockey nations 🇨🇭🏒

From packed arenas to a deep-rooted hockey culture, the 2026 IIHF World Championship will bring the sport to the heart of Switzerland.

Discover why ice hockey plays such a special role in Switzerland.

What comes to mind when you think of Switzerland? Cows, mountains… or watches? ⌚ Swiss watchmaking began with tower clo...
11/05/2026

What comes to mind when you think of Switzerland? Cows, mountains… or watches? ⌚

Swiss watchmaking began with tower clocks and pocket watches between the 14th and 16th centuries.

In the 16th century, Jean Calvin banned ostentatious jewellery but encouraged clocks to help regulate religious life. Genevan jewellers then partnered with French refugee watchmakers, combining decorative craftsmanship with technical expertise to create smaller, more refined watches.

The spread of watchmaking from Geneva to the Jura Arc region marked a turning point.

In the late 17th century, Daniel Jeanrichard of Le Locle played a key role in developing watchmaking’s division of labour, known as “établissage”. In this decentralized system, specialists, including Jura farmers idle in winter, produced standardized components that were later assembled in a central location. ⚙️

In the 1970s, quartz technology and foreign competition triggered a crisis in the Swiss watch industry.

In response, the Swiss watch industry reinvented itself: Swatch, launched by Nicolas G. Hayek in the 1980s, developed affordable, stylish watches, while traditional brands repositioned mechanical watches as luxury symbols of craftsmanship and status.

Switzerland is home to more than 700 watchmaking companies and six schools dedicated to training future watchmakers. 🎓

The craftsmanship of mechanical watchmaking and art mechanics has been inscribed on UNESCO's List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2020.

Do you know any other facts about Swiss watchmaking?

Thank you for the warm welcome to Fiji!🇨🇭🤝🇫🇯
08/05/2026

Thank you for the warm welcome to Fiji!
🇨🇭🤝🇫🇯

Address

Maritime Tower Level 12/10 Customhouse Quay, Wellington Central
Wellington
6011

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 12pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 12pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 12pm
Thursday 8:30am - 12pm
Friday 8:30am - 12pm

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