Hah, that's my town =P
It's a pretty cool place, it is completely flat apart from some very big hills off to one side though (the Port Hills).
Also we aren't the most capitalistic place in the world, the state sector is very strong. We have state owned enterprises (for things like railways and power) and also all the hospitals and prisons for example are state owned, run and payed for. We also do have a very strong and free private sector (perhaps that is less regulated than in America which may be what you mean).
Other things you should probably know, Christchurch is the home of bizarre murders in New Zealand
Also the quality of politicians being lower only means they are less likely to be deceitful lying bastards. Both our current Prime Minister and our last Prime Minister are actually extremely well liked by the populace. New Zealands political system is extremely different to yours though, in my opinion its a hell of a lot more transparent and efficient - I think you're probably going to like it.
It's a University town so there is a very strong student presence there, especially in the suburbs of Ilam and Riccarton.
And finally New Zealand as a whole has a bit of a binge drinking problem. Don't be surprised when you go into town on a saturday and its absolute chaos.
Essay Pro