[audeyisaacs]

Safest place to be in case of nuclear war (due to low number of nearby potential targets, opposite hemisphere of most targets, good wind patterns to avoid fallout from potential targets).

There's probably more playing into it. But being a relatively geographically far, politically stable country probably has a fair bit to do with it.

I'm not sure if NZ is a net food importer/exporter, but IIRC AU can produce enough food to cover AU population so I wouldn't be surprised if NZ was similar.