Wellington

Go, but pay attention.

Numbeo's Safety Index puts Wellington at 67/100 for crime — that makes it read sketchier than New Zealand's national picture overall (81/100 vs 84/100).

Verified Sep 9, 2026Confidence high
81Sketch Score

City page · part of New Zealand

The one number a country page can't give you

What people who actually live in Wellington report

Numbeo aggregates thousands of resident-submitted perception surveys into a per-city Crime Index (higher = worse) and its inverse, a Safety Index — the only real city-granularity crime signal feeding this page, alongside New Zealand's national advisory, political, health, and police-trust data.

Crime Index

33.3

Safety Index

66.7

Source: Numbeo, user-submitted →

Sub-scores

Same real inputs as New Zealand's national page, with crime swapped for Wellington's own Numbeo number above.

100advisoryConsensus
73Political Stability
83Police Trust
76Health
82Road Safety
59Natural Disaster
90LGBTQ+
67Crime

Local know-how

Staying safe in Wellington, specifically

  • • Wellington is reasonably safe at night, but common sense should prevail, especially on Friday and Saturday nights.
  • • Occasionally, tourists relax security in New Zealand, thinking that it is a crime-free paradise.
  • • Vehicle break-ins are common, especially in shopping malls and 'park and ride' type car parks.
  • • Wellington has a homelessness problem, and wandering drunkards are not uncommon around town. Most will ignore you, but others may be aggressive.
Source: Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA) →

Legal status (national law)

Legal since 1986+ UN decl. sign.

Source: Wikipedia — LGBTQ rights by country →

Pack this, know this

The little things that trip people up

🔌

Plug & voltage

I · 230V

🚗

Driving side

left

🚨

Emergency

police: 111 / ambulance: 111 / fire: 111

💵

Tipping

Tipping is not part of New Zealand culture and is often treated with suspicion or actively frowned upon, as many people view it as an Americanism that over-compensates certain workers while others are left out. Give the waiter a smile and a thank you instead.

Cash vs. Card

The currency used in New Zealand is the New Zealand dollar, denoted by the symbol "$" or "NZ$" (ISO code: NZD). It is divided into 100 cents. In this guide, the "$" symbol denotes New Zealand dollars unless otherwise indicated.

How this compares to New Zealand

Numbeo's Safety Index puts Wellington at 67/100 for crime — that makes it read sketchier than New Zealand's national picture overall (81/100 vs 84/100).

See the full New Zealand page and all receipts →

Other New Zealand cities on SKETCH.WORLD