Ah, the great north/south divide. I guess it's horses for courses when deciding where to live. What I would normally advise anyone is to go where the work is. Many people arrive in NZ with pre-conceived ideas about where they want to settle, but it's easier said than done if you can't find work in your ideal location.
Also, if you have the opportunity, it's always a good idea to try to tour around NZ, both to look for job opportunities and also to see how you feel about the different places. There's nothing like being there in person to get good or bad vibes about a place.
Certainly there is a smaller population in SI, but there's also great places in NI where you can still 'get away from it all'. If you don't drive, you would preferably need to be near a town or city so that your commute wouldn't be too difficult.
The weather in SI can be quite a bit colder than NI with snow in winter, but there's plenty of sunny days as well. It can snow in the centre of NI, too.
As you will read on here from time to time, there are several members who've settled in both NI and SI and all seem to be very happy with their choices.
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Mother Bear 
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