UK's appeal survives threat of reduced time

Britain will remain on the itinerary of young New Zealand travellers even if the length of their working holiday is halved, a survey shows.

More than 80 per cent of the 200 New Zealanders questioned in London said it would still be worth visiting if Britain pushed ahead with plans to cut the length of the two-year working holiday visa by half.

But most would do things differently to fit everything into a year-long stay, said the survey, carried out by travel advisory group 1st Contact.

The British Government has announced a review of the working holiday scheme, including expanding it beyond "white Commonwealth" countries to include the rest of the Commonwealth and the European Union.

"Travellers don't want to waste time ... Kiwis will have to be travel-savvy and solve the big hassles such as finding a job and a place to live before they arrive in the United Kingdom," said 1st Contact's New Zealand founder Mike Kaye yesterday.

Prime Minister Helen Clark has asked her British counterpart Tony Blair to look into the matter and will put New Zealand's case to him at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Brisbane this weekend.

- NZPA