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| New Zealand | Plants and Animal | Back to Top |
The first white settlers, who arrived early in the 19th century, found a type of dog and a black rat, both of which had been brought by the Maori (see the Population section below) about 500 years earlier. The only wild mammals at present are descended from deer, rabbits, goats, pigs, weasels, ferrets, and opossums—all of which were imported. No snakes and few species of insects inhabit New Zealand. The tuatara, a lizardlike reptile that emerged more than 200 million years ago, survives exclusively on a few islands off the coast of New Zealand. New Zealand has a large population of wild birds, including 23 native species. Among the native species are songbirds, including the bellbird and tui, and flightless species, including the kiwi, kakapo, takahe, and weka. The survival of the flightless birds is attributed to the absence of predatory animals. The sparrow, blackbird, thrush, skylark, magpie, and myna are well-acclimated imported species. New Zealand abounds in a great variety of seabirds and numerous migratory birds.
| New Zealand | Communications | Back to Top |
excellent domestic and international systems domestic: NA international: submarine cables to Australia and Fiji; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
| New Zealand | Culture | Back to Top |
The cultural milieu in New Zealand is complex: it is predominantly European but also contains elements from many other peoples, particularly the Maori. Immigrant groups have generally tended to assimilate into the European life-style, although traditional customs are still followed by many Tongans, Samoans, and other Pacific Islanders. The Maori, however, have found themselves torn between the pressure to assimilate and the desire to preserve their own culture. The loss of much of their land in the 19th century undermined their political structures, and large-scale conversion to Christianity resulted in the abandonment of traditional religious observances; but there has been a determined effort—especially in the second half of the 20th century—to preserve and revive artistic and social traditions. A renaissance has occurred in Maori wood carving and weaving and in the construction of carved and decorated meeting houses. Maori songs and dances have become increasingly popular, especially among the young. Maori meetings—whether hui or tangi —are conducted in traditional fashion, with ancient greeting ceremonies strictly observed. The general public has become familiar with Maori art, which is displayed in numerous galleries and museums.
The earliest cultural tradition in New Zealand was that of the Maori. The literature consisted of history, tales, poems, and myths handed down by oral tradition. The indigenous art of New Zealand is also Maori. European settlers, particularly the English, brought with them their own traditions, which came to dominate the cultural life of the country. Since the 1950s significant numbers of Pacific Islanders, particularly Polynesians, have contributed to a growing ethnic diversity in New Zealand. More recently, greater diversity has been fostered by increased immigration from Asia since the mid-1980s.
European cultural life has progressed rapidly since the early 20th century. Numerous writers were active in the late 19th century, the most successful of whom were historians, such as William Pember Reeves, and ethnologists, including S. Percy Smith and Elsdon Best. The work of the first genuinely original writers of fiction, the short-story writer Katherine Mansfield and the poet R.A.K. Mason, did not appear until the 1920s. During the harsh years of the Great Depression of the 1930s a group of poets appeared and established a national tradition of writing. Although influenced by contemporary English literature—T.S. Eliot and W.H. Auden were greatly respected—they wrote about their New Zealand experience. The most notable member of this group was Allen Curnow. A.R.D. Fairburn, Denis Glover, and Charles Brasch were other major poets. At the same time Frank Sargeson began writing the superb stories in New Zealand vernacular for which he became well known.
| New Zealand | Defence | Back to Top |
Military branches: New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,000,102 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 841,915 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 26,480 (2001 est.)
| New Zealand | International Disputes | Back to Top |
territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)
| New Zealand | Economy | Back to Top |
New Zealand governments have pursued economic policies that have transformed a strongly regulated welfare state into an open-market economy. The economy has been deregulated by the removal of subsidies, tariffs, import duties, and fiscal controls. In addition, the state has withdrawn progressively from direct involvement in production, service provision and delivery, welfare support, and manipulation of currency and financial markets. Primary production is becoming less significant as a direct contributor to export receipts and gross domestic product (GDP). Service industries, especially those associated with a booming tourist industry, are becoming much more prominent. New Zealand is a prosperous country with a high standard of social services. The country’s GDP was $54.7 billion in 1999. Some 67 percent of the GDP derives from services, 26 percent from industry, and 7 percent from agriculture, forestry, and fishing. The national economy is largely dependent on the export of raw and processed foods, timber, and wool. Any fluctuation in world prices and demand affects the economy. In 1998 the government budget included revenues of about $18.1 billion and expenditures of $17.7 billion.
Most minerals, metallic and nonmetallic, occur in New Zealand, but few are found in sufficient quantities for commercial exploitation. The exceptions are gold, which in the early years of organized settlement was a major export; coal, which is still mined to a considerable extent; iron sands, which are exploited both for export and for domestic use; and, most recently, natural gas. In addition to mining, construction materials, with which the country is well endowed, are quarried. Apart from gold's brief heyday, biological resources have always been more significant than minerals. Domestic animals introduced from Europe have thrived in New Zealand. Forestry has always been important, but the emphasis has swung from felling the original forest for timber to afforestation with pine trees for both timber and pulp.
Since 1984 the government has accomplished major economic restructuring, moving an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access toward a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes, broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector, and contained inflationary pressures. Inflation remains among the lowest in the industrial world. Per capita GDP has been moving up toward the levels of the big West European economies. New Zealand's heavy dependence on trade leaves its growth prospects vulnerable to economic performance in Asia, Europe, and the US. With the FY00/01 budget pushing up pension and other public outlays, the government's ability to meet fiscal targets will depend on sustained economic growth.
| New Zealand | Education | Back to Top |
Education is free and compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 16 years, but children may enter school at 5 and continue until they are 19. In some areas subsidized kindergartens are maintained for children between three and five years of age. Primary education consists of infant classes during the first two years and six annual grades designated standards 1, 2, 3, and 4 and forms I and II. Free secondary education is available to all children who have completed form II or who have attained the age of 14. On the completion of the third year of secondary education, pupils take a national examination for a school certificate.
| New Zealand | Government | Back to Top |
New Zealand has a parliamentary system of government closely patterned on that of the United Kingdom and is a fully independent member of the Commonwealth. It has no written constitution.
Executive authority is vested in a Cabinet led by the prime minister, who is the leader of the political party or coalition of parties holding the majority of seats in Parliament. All Cabinet ministers must be members of Parliament and are collectively responsible to it.
The unicameral Parliament (House of Representatives) has 120 seats, six of which currently are reserved for Maori elected on a separate Maori roll. However, Maori also may run for, and have been elected to, nonreserved seats. Parliaments are elected for a maximum term of 3 years, although elections can be called sooner.
The judiciary consists of the Court of Appeals, the High Court, and the District Courts. New Zealand law has three principal sources--English common law, certain statutes of the U.K. Parliament enacted before 1947, and statutes of the New Zealand Parliament. In interpreting common law, the courts have been concerned with preserving uniformity with common law as interpreted in the United Kingdom. This uniformity is ensured by the maintenance of the Privy Council in London as the final court of appeal and by judges' practice of following British decisions, even though, technically, they are not bound by them.
Local government in New Zealand has only the powers conferred upon it by Parliament. The country's 12 regional councils are directly elected, set their own tax rates, and have a chairman elected by their members. Regional council responsibilities include environmental management, regional aspects of civil defense, and transportation planning. The 74 "territorial authorities"--15 city councils, 58 district councils in rural areas, and one county council for the Chatham Islands--are directly elected, raise local taxes at rates they themselves set, and are headed by popularly elected mayors. The territorial authorities may delegate powers to local community boards. These boards, instituted at the behest either local citizens or territorial authorities, advocate community views but cannot levy taxes, appoint staff, or own property.
| New Zealand | History | Back to Top |
Archaeological evidence indicates that New Zealand was populated by fishing and hunting people of East Polynesian ancestry perhaps 1,000 years before Europeans arrived. Known to some scholars as the Moa-hunters, they may have merged with later waves of Polynesians who, according to Maori tradition, arrived between 952 and 1150. Some of the Maoris called their new homeland "Aotearoa," usually translated as "land of the long white cloud."
In 1642, Abel Tasman, a Dutch navigator, made the first recorded European sighting of New Zealand and sketched sections of the two main islands' west coasts. English Captain James Cook thoroughly explored the coastline during three South Pacific voyages beginning in 1769. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries lumbering, seal hunting, and whaling attracted a few European settlers to New Zealand. In 1840, the United Kingdom established British sovereignty through the Treaty of Waitangi signed that year with Maori chiefs.
In the same year, selected groups from the United Kingdom began the colonization process. Expanding European settlement led to conflict with Maori, most notably in the Maori land wars of the 1860s. British and colonial forces eventually overcame determined Maori resistance. During this period, many Maori died from disease and warfare, much of it intertribal.
Constitutional government began to develop in the 1850s. In 1867, the Maori won the right to a certain number of reserved seats in Parliament. During this period, the livestock industry began to expand, and the foundations of New Zealand's modern economy took shape. By the end of the 19th century, improved transportation facilities made possible a great overseas trade in wool, meat, and dairy products.
By the 1890s, parliamentary government along democratic lines was well-established, and New Zealand's social institutions assumed their present form. Women received the right to vote in national elections in 1893. The turn of the century brought sweeping social reforms that built the foundation for New Zealand's version of the welfare state.
The Maori gradually recovered from population decline and, through interaction and intermarriage with settlers and missionaries, adopted much of European culture. In recent decades, Maori have become increasingly urbanized and have become more politically active and culturally assertive.
New Zealand was declared a dominion by a royal proclamation in 1907. It achieved full internal and external autonomy by the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act in 1947, although this merely formalized a situation that had existed for many years.
| New Zealand | Introduction | Back to Top |
New Zealand (in Maori, Aotearoa, "Land of the Long White Cloud"), independent island country in the South Pacific Ocean, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, situated about 1,600 km (1,000 mi) south-east of Australia. It comprises two large islands-the North and South islands-separated by the narrow Cook Strait and numerous smaller islands, including Stewart Island to the south of the South Island. The area of New Zealand is 270,534 sq km (104,454 sq mi). Overseas territories governed by New Zealand are the Ross Dependency, in Antarctica, and Tokelau in the Pacific Ocean, to the north of Samoa. The Cook Islands and Niue, also in the Pacific, are self-governing territories in free association with New Zealand. The capital of the country is Wellington, the largest city Auckland; both are located on the North Island.
Population 3,618,500 (1996 census) Population Density 13 people/sq km (35 people/sq mi) (1996 census) Urban/Rural Breakdown 80%Urban 20%Rural Largest Cities Auckland991,796 Wellington334,051 Christchurch325,250 (1996 census) Ethnic Groups 72%European 15%Maori 7%Other 6%Pacific Islanders Languages Official Languages English Maori Other Languages Polynesian languages, other European languages Religions 29%Other 26%No faith specified 18%Anglicanism 14% Roman Catholicism 13%Presbyterianism includes Methodism Protestant denominations, Judaism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and Maori Christian churches
| New Zealand | Land | Back to Top |
N/A
| New Zealand | Languages | Back to Top |
A majority of the New Zealand population is Christian. The primary denominations are Anglican (22 percent), Presbyterian (16 percent), and Roman Catholic (15 percent). Methodist, Baptist, and other Protestant denominations are also represented. Most of the Maori are members of the Ratana and Ringatu Christian sects. Jews, Hindus, and Buddhists constitute small minorities. About 21 percent profess no religious faith. English and Maori are the official languages, although the country is predominantly English-speaking. Almost all of the Maori speak English, and only about 50,000 (about 15 percent) are considered fluent Maori speakers. Other Polynesian and European languages are spoken by a small percentage of the population.
| New Zealand | Legal | Back to Top |
Legal system: based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for Maoris; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Silvia CARTWRIGHT (since 4 April 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December 1999) and Deputy Prime Minister James (Jim) ANDERTON (since 10 December 1999) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general for a three-year term; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (120 seats; members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 27 November 1999 (next must be called by November 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NZLP 49, NP 39, Alliance 10, ACT New Zealand 9, Green Party 7, NZFP 5, UNZ 1 note: NZLP and Alliance formed the government coalition; the National Party became the opposition party Judicial branch: High Court; Court of Appeal
| New Zealand | Life | Back to Top |
New Zealand live in bungalows, single-story, single-unit dwellings on small lots. High-rise residential development is a recent phenomenon confined mainly to Auckland and Wellington. Most New Zealand families have a vegetable and fruit garden on their lot where they grow some of their food. It is common for families to have animals as pets, especially cats and dogs. New Zealanders are keen sport participants and followers. Primary winter sports are rugby, soccer, rugby league, hockey, netball (a variant of basketball, played by women), skating, skiing, and mountain climbing. The most popular summer sports are cricket, tennis, swimming, sailing, tramping.
| New Zealand | organization | Back to Top |
ABEDA, ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
| New Zealand | People | Back to Top |
approximately 73 percent of the population of New Zealand is of European (mainly British) descent. About 12 percent (some 430,000) are Maori, a Polynesian group, whose ancestors migrated to New Zealand about ad 1200. About 4 percent of the population is of other Polynesian descent, and various other Asian ethnicities make up the rest of the population.
New Zealand was one of the last sizable land areas suitable for habitation to be populated by human beings. It was first settled by Polynesians who came from somewhere in eastern Polynesia, possibly from what is now French Polynesia. They remained isolated in New Zealand until the arrival of European explorers, the first of whom was the Dutchman Abel Janszoon Tasman (1642). During that time they grew in numbers to between 100,000 and 200,000, living almost exclusively on North Island. They had no name for themselves but eventually adopted the name Maori to distinguish themselves from the Europeans, who, after the voyages of the Englishman Capt. James Cook
Most of the 3.9 million New Zealanders are of British origin. About 18% claim descent from the indigenous Maori population, which is of Polynesian origin. Nearly 75% of the people, including a large majority of Maori, live on the North Island. In addition, 231,800 Pacific Islanders live in New Zealand. During the late 1870s, natural increase permanently replaced immigration as the chief contributor to population growth and has accounted for more than 75% of population growth in the 20th century. Nearly 85% of New Zealand's population lives in urban areas (with almost one-third in Auckland alone), where the service and manufacturing industries are growing rapidly. New Zealanders colloquially refer to themselves as "Kiwis," after the country's native bird.
| New Zealand | Politics | Back to Top |
ACT, New Zealand [Richard PREBBLE]; Alliance (a coalition of the New Labor Party, Democratic Party, New Zealand Liberal Party, and Mana Motuhake) [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS and Rod DONALD]; National Party or NP [Jenny SHIPLEY]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; United New Zealand or UNZ [Peter DUNNE]
| New Zealand | Provinces | Back to Top |
93 counties, 9 districts*, and 3 town districts**; Akaroa, Amuri, Ashburton, Bay of Islands, Bruce, Buller, Chatham Islands, Cheviot, Clifton, Clutha, Cook, Dannevirke, Egmont, Eketahuna, Ellesmere, Eltham, Eyre, Featherston, Franklin, Golden Bay, Great Barrier Island, Grey, Hauraki Plains, Hawera*, Hawke's Bay, Heathcote, Hikurangi**, Hobson, Hokianga, Horowhenua, Hurunui, Hutt, Inangahua, Inglewood, Kaikoura, Kairanga, Kiwitea, Lake, Mackenzie, Malvern, Manaia**, Manawatu, Mangonui, Maniototo, Marlborough, Masterton, Matamata, Mount Herbert, Ohinemuri, Opotiki, Oroua, Otamatea, Otorohanga*, Oxford, Pahiatua, Paparua, Patea, Piako, Pohangina, Raglan, Rangiora*, Rangitikei, Rodney, Rotorua*, Runanga, Saint Kilda, Silverpeaks, Southland, Stewart Island, Stratford, Strathallan, Taranaki, Taumarunui, Taupo, Tauranga, Thames-Coromandel*, Tuapeka, Vincent, Waiapu, Waiheke, Waihemo, Waikato, Waikohu, Waimairi, Waimarino, Waimate, Waimate West, Waimea, Waipa, Waipawa*, Waipukurau*, Wairarapa South, Wairewa, Wairoa, Waitaki, Waitomo*, Waitotara, Wallace, Wanganui, Waverley**, Westland, Whakatane*, Whangarei, Whangaroa, Woodville note: there may be a new administrative structure of 16 regions (Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wanganui-Manawatu, Wellington, West Coast) that are subdivided into 57 districts and 16 cities* (Ashburton, Auckland*, Banks Peninsula, Buller, Carterton, Central Hawke's Bay, Central Otago, Christchurch*, Clutha, Dunedin*, Far North, Franklin, Gisborne, Gore, Grey, Hamilton*, Hastings, Hauraki, Horowhenua, Hurunui, Hutt*, Invercargill*, Kaikoura, Kaipara, Kapiti Coast, Kawerau, Mackenzie, Manawatu, Manukau*, Marlborough, Masterton, Matamata Piako, Napier*, Nelson*, New Plymouth, North Shore*, Opotiki, Otorohanga, Palmerston North*, Papakura*, Porirua*, Queenstown Lakes, Rangitikei, Rodney, Rotorua, Ruapehu, Selwyn, Southland, South Taranaki, South Waikato, South Wairarapa, Stratford, Tararua, Tasman, Taupo, Tauranga, Thames Coromandel, Timaru, Upper Hutt*, Waikato, Waimakariri, Waimate, Waipa, Wairoa, Waitakere*, Waitaki, Waitomo, Wanganui, Wellington*, Western Bay of Plenty, Westland, Whakatane, Whangarei)
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