Regardless of the gender of the person you are meeting, shaking hands is the standard professional greeting in Auckland. A firm grip, good eye contact and a smile will provide a great first impression.
If you are too serious in your interactions, it might turn people off to the idea of developing a professional relationship. Be warm and generous, and don't speak badly of others behind their back.
If there is alcohol provided, feel free to have a drink or two. Aucklanders love their beer and wine. Of course, if you aren't a drinker, don't feel pressured, as no one will look down on you either way. Just be moderate, and don't get too sloppy in a professional environment.
If you have business cards, feel free to hand them out to people. Although they aren't as common as they once were, people still like the ease of having your information easily available to them.
After you have met someone in a professional environment, it's perfectly acceptable to add them on LinkedIn. Add a message saying where you met them, so it's not out of the blue.
Class distinctions are not very strong in Auckland and so treating serving staff poorly will reflect very badly on you. Say please and thank you, and treat each person with the respect you would expect.
Business casual is the go-to for most industry events. However, be aware that some people with tattoos and piercings in a t-shirt and jeans may well be the most senior person in the room.
Don't go straight for a hug with people in a professional meetup. You can ask about family and hobbies to get to know people, but don't start inviting people over to dinner unless you've got to know them fairly well.
There is a distinction in Auckland that Facebook is primarily for friends and family. So save the friend request for when you feel like you have become good friends with someone.
As mentioned above, you never know if someone who looks different from what you would expect is actually an industry bigwig. It is always better to play it safe than to embarrass yourself in front of someone important.
It is not considered polite to disparage Kiwi political figures, as you never know what values people may have. Play it safe and stick to less controversial topics.
As mentioned previously, Auckland has a pretty small population. You can't guess who knows who, so you better stick to the golden rule: if you have nothing nice to say, just smile and nod politely.
In general, networking is about reciprocity. As with networking in any country, remember that forging productive professional relationships involves considering what you might be able to do for other people, not just how they can assist you. A network is, by definition, an interconnected form rather than a one-way street. So, in Auckland, as in any professional setting, remind yourself of how you can behave, which reinforces this idea of reciprocity.
If you attend a networking event in Auckland, adhering to some of the following tenets might help you forge enduring professional relationships: