New Zealand.

This article is about the country. For other uses, see New Zealand (disambiguation).

"NZ" redirects here. For other uses, see NZ (disambiguation).

New Zealand Aotearoa
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem:  "God Defend New Zealand" "God Save the Queen"[n 1]
The hemisphere centred on New Zealand
Capital		Wellington 41°17′S 174°27′E / 41.283°S 174.45°E / -41.283; 174.45
Largest city		Auckland
Official language(s)		English (95.9%)[n 2] Māori (4.2%) NZ Sign Language (0.6%)
National language		English (98%)
Ethnic groups		78% European/Other[n 3] 14.6% Māori 9.2% Asian 6.9% Pacific peoples
Demonym		New Zealander, Kiwi (colloquial)
Government		Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
-	Monarch	Elizabeth II
-	Governor-General	Sir Jerry Mateparae
-	Prime Minister	John Key
Independence		from the United Kingdom[n 4]
-	New Zealand Constitution Act 1852	17 January 1853
-	Dominion	26 September 1907
-	Statute of Westminster	11 December 1931 (adopted 25 November 1947)
-	Constitution Act 1986	13 December 1986
Area
-	Total	268,021 km2 (75th) 103,483 sq mi
-	Water (%)	1.6[n 5]
Population
-	September 2011 estimate	4,414,400[6] (122nd)
-	2006 census	4,027,947[7]
-	Density	16.5/km2 (202nd) 42.7/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$120.2 billion[8] (61st)
-	Per capita	$27,217[8] (32nd)
GDP (nominal)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$157.877 billion[8] (51st)
-	Per capita	$35,374[8] (24th)
Gini (1997)		36.2[9] (medium)
HDI (2011)		0.908[10] (very high) (5th)
Currency		New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Time zone		NZST[n 6] (UTC+12)
-	Summer (DST)	NZDT (UTC+13)
		(Sep to Apr)
Date formats		dd/mm/yyyy
Drives on the		left
ISO 3166 code		NZ
Internet TLD		.nz[n 7]
Calling code		+64

New Zealand (Māori: Aotearoa) is an island country located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses ‒ that of the North and South Islands ‒ as well as numerous smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometres (900 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans.
During its long isolation, New Zealand developed a distinctive biodiversity of both animal and plant life. Most notable are the large number of unique bird species, many of which became extinct after the arrival of humans and introduced mammals. With a mild maritime climate, the land was mostly covered in forest. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions caused by the Pacific and Indo-Australian Plates clashing beneath the earth's surface.
Polynesians settled New Zealand in 1250–1300 CE and developed a distinctive Māori culture, and Europeans first made contact in 1642 CE. The introduction of potatoes and muskets triggered upheaval among Māori early during the 19th century, which led to the inter-tribal Musket Wars. In 1840 the British and Māori signed a treaty making New Zealand a colony of the British Empire. Immigrant numbers increased sharply and conflicts escalated into the New Zealand Wars, which resulted in much Māori land being confiscated in the mid North Island. Economic depressions were followed by periods of political reform, with women gaining the vote during the 1890s, and a welfare state being established from the 1930s. After World War II, New Zealand joined Australia and the United States in the ANZUS security treaty, although the United States later, until 2010, suspended the treaty after New Zealand banned nuclear weapons. New Zealand is part of the intelligence sharing among the Anglosphere countries, the UKUSA Agreement. New Zealanders enjoyed one of the highest standards of living in the world in the 1950s, but the 1970s saw a deep recession, worsened by oil shocks and the United Kingdom's entry into the European Economic Community. The country underwent major economic changes during the 1980s, which transformed it from a protectionist to a liberalised free-trade economy. Markets for New Zealand's agricultural exports have diversified greatly since the 1970s, with once-dominant exports of wool being overtaken by dairy products, meat, and recently wine.
The majority of New Zealand's population is of European descent; the indigenous Māori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and non-Māori Polynesians. Māori and New Zealand Sign Language are the official languages, with English predominant. Much of New Zealand's culture is derived from Māori and early British settlers. Early European art was dominated by landscapes and to a lesser extent portraits of Māori. A recent resurgence of Māori culture has seen their traditional arts of carving, weaving and tattooing become more mainstream. Many artists now combine Māori and Western techniques to create unique art forms. The country's culture has also been broadened by globalisation and increased immigration from the Pacific Islands and Asia. New Zealand's diverse landscape provides many opportunities for outdoor pursuits and has provided the backdrop for a number of big budget movies.
New Zealand is organised into 11 regional councils and 67 territorial authorities for local government purposes; these have less autonomy than the country's long defunct provinces did. Nationally, executive political power is exercised by the Cabinet, led by the Prime Minister. Queen Elizabeth II is the country's head of state and is represented by a Governor-General. The Queen's Realm of New Zealand also includes Tokelau (a dependent territory); the Cook Islands and Niue (self-governing but in free association); and the Ross Dependency, New Zealand's territorial claim in Antarctica. New Zealand is a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Commonwealth of Nations, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Pacific Islands Forum, and the United Nations.

Contents  [hide]  1 Etymology 2 History 3 Politics 3.1 Government 3.2 Foreign relations and the military 3.3 Local government and external territories 4 Environment 4.1 Geography 4.2 Climate 4.3 Biodiversity 5 Economy 5.1 Trade 5.2 Infrastructure 6 Demography 6.1 Ethnicity and immigration 6.2 Language 6.3 Education and religion 7 Culture 7.1 Art 7.2 Literature 7.3 Entertainment 7.4 Sports 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External links

Etymology

Main article: New Zealand place names

Detail from a 1657 map showing the western coastline of "Nova Zeelandia"

Aotearoa (often translated as "land of the long white cloud")^[11] is the current Māori name for New Zealand, and is also used in New Zealand English. It is unknown whether Māori had a name for the whole country before the arrival of Europeans, with Aotearoa originally referring to just the North Island.^[12] Abel Tasman sighted New Zealand in 1642 and called it Staten Landt, supposing it was connected to a landmass of the same name at the southern tip of South America.^[13] In 1645 Dutch cartographers renamed the land Nova Zeelandia after the Dutch province of Zeeland.^[14][15] British explorer James Cook subsequently anglicised the name to New Zealand.^{[n 8]}
Māori had several traditional names for the two main islands, including Te Ika-a-Māui (the fish of Māui) for the North Island and Te Wai Pounamu (the waters of greenstone) or Te Waka o Aoraki (the canoe of Aoraki) for the South Island.^[16] Early European maps labelled the islands North (North Island), Middle (South Island) and South (Stewart Island / Rakiura).^[17] In 1830 maps began to use North and South to distinguish the two largest islands and by 1907 this was the accepted norm.^[18] The New Zealand Geographic Board discovered in 2009 that the names of the North Island and South Island had never been formalised, but there are now plans to do so.^[19] The board is also considering suitable Māori names,^[20] with Te Ika-a-Māui and Te Wai Pounamu the most likely choices according to the chairman of the Māori Language Commission.^[21]

History

Main article: History of New Zealand

The Māori people are most likely descended from people who emigrated from Taiwan to Melanesia and then travelled east through to the Society Islands. After a pause of 70 to 265 years, a new wave of exploration led to the discovery and settlement of New Zealand.^[22]

New Zealand was one of the last major landmasses settled by humans. Radiocarbon dating, evidence of deforestation^[23] and mitochondrial DNA variability within Māori populations^[24] suggest New Zealand was first settled by Eastern Polynesians between 1250 and 1300,^[16][25] concluding a long series of voyages through the southern Pacific islands.^[26] Over the centuries that followed these settlers developed a distinct culture now known as Māori. The population was divided into iwi (tribes) and hapū (subtribes) which would cooperate, compete and sometimes fight with each other. At some point a group of Māori migrated to the Chatham Islands (which they named Rēkohu) where they developed their distinct Moriori culture.^[27][28] The Moriori population was decimated between 1835 and 1862, largely because of Māori invasion and enslavement, although European diseases also contributed. In 1862 only 101 survived and the last known full-blooded Moriori died in 1933.^[29]
The first Europeans known to have reached New Zealand were Dutch explorer Abel Tasman and his crew in 1642.^[30] In a hostile encounter, four crew members were killed and at least one Māori was hit by canister shot.^[31] Europeans did not revisit New Zealand until 1769 when British explorer James Cook mapped almost the entire coastline.^[30] Following Cook, New Zealand was visited by numerous European and North American whaling, sealing and trading ships. They traded food, metal tools, weapons and other goods for timber, food, artefacts, water, and on occasion sex.^[32] The introduction of the potato and the musket transformed Māori agriculture and warfare. Potatoes provided a reliable food surplus, which enabled longer and more sustained military campaigns.^[33] The resulting inter-tribal Musket Wars encompassed over 600 battles between 1801 and 1840, killing 30,000–40,000 Māori.^[34] From the early 19th century, Christian missionaries began to settle New Zealand, eventually converting most of the Māori population.^[35] The Māori population declined to around 40 percent of its pre-contact level during the 19th century; introduced diseases were the major factor.^[36]

The Waitangi sheet from the Treaty of Waitangi

The British Government appointed James Busby as British Resident to New Zealand in 1832^[37] and in 1835, following an announcement of impending French settlement by Charles de Thierry, the nebulous United Tribes of New Zealand sent a Declaration of the Independence to King William IV of the United Kingdom asking for protection.^[37] Ongoing unrest and the dubious legal standing of the Declaration of Independence prompted the Colonial Office to send Captain William Hobson to claim sovereignty for the British Crown and negotiate a treaty with the Māori.^[38] The Treaty of Waitangi was first signed in the Bay of Islands on 6 February 1840.^[39] In response to the commercially run New Zealand Company's attempts to establish an independent settlement in Wellington^[40] and French settlers "purchasing" land in Akaroa,^[41] Hobson declared British sovereignty over all of New Zealand on 21 May 1840, even though copies of the Treaty were still circulating.^[42] With the signing of the Treaty and declaration of sovereignty the number of immigrants, particularly from the United Kingdom, began to increase.^[43]
New Zealand, originally part of the colony of New South Wales, became a separate Crown colony in 1841.^[44] The colony gained a representative government in 1852 and the 1st New Zealand Parliament met in 1854.^[45] In 1856 the colony effectively became self-governing, gaining responsibility over all domestic matters other than native policy. (Control over native policy was granted in the mid-1860s.)^[45] Following concerns that the South Island might form a separate colony, premier Alfred Domett moved a resolution to transfer the capital from Auckland to a locality near the Cook Strait.^[46] Wellington was chosen for its harbour and central location, with parliament officially sitting there for the first time in 1865. As immigrant numbers increased, conflicts over land led to the New Zealand Wars of the 1860s and 1870s, resulting in the loss and confiscation of much Māori land.^[47] In 1893 the country became the first nation in the world to grant all women the right to vote^[48] and in 1894 pioneered the adoption of compulsory arbitration between employers and unions.^[49]
In 1907, at the request of the New Zealand Parliament, King Edward VII proclaimed New Zealand a dominion within the British Empire, reflecting its self-governing status. In 1947 the country adopted the Statute of Westminster, making New Zealand a Commonwealth realm.^[45] New Zealand was involved in world affairs, fighting alongside the British Empire in the First and Second World Wars^[50] and suffering through the Great Depression.^[51] The depression led to the election of the first Labour government and the establishment of a comprehensive welfare state and a protectionist economy.^[52] New Zealand experienced increasing prosperity following World War II^[53] and Māori began to leave their traditional rural life and move to the cities in search of work.^[54] A Māori protest movement developed, which criticised Eurocentrism and worked for greater recognition of Māori culture and the Treaty of Waitangi.^[55] In 1975, a Waitangi Tribunal was set up to investigate alleged breaches of the Treaty, and it was enabled to investigate historic grievances in 1985.^[39] The government has negotiated settlements of these grievances with many iwi, although Māori claims to the foreshore and seabed have proved controversial in the 2000s.

Politics

Main article: Politics of New Zealand

John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand since 2008

Government

Main article: Government of New Zealand

New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy,^[56] although its constitution is not codified.^[57] Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of New Zealand and the head of state.^[58] The Queen is represented by the Governor-General,^[59] whom she appoints on the advice of the Prime Minister.^[60] The Governor-General can exercise the Crown's prerogative powers (such as reviewing cases of injustice and making appointments of Cabinet ministers, ambassadors and other key public officials)^[61] and in rare situations, the reserve powers (the power to dismiss a Prime Minister, dissolve Parliament or refuse the Royal Assent of a bill into law).^[62] The powers of the Queen and the Governor-General are limited by constitutional constraints and they cannot normally be exercised without the advice of Cabinet.^[62][63]

Elizabeth II

Sir Jerry Mateparae

The Queen of New Zealand and her representative, the Governor-General

The Parliament of New Zealand holds legislative power and consists of the Sovereign (represented by the Governor-General) and the House of Representatives.^[63] It also included an upper house, the Legislative Council, until this was abolished in 1950.^[63] The supremacy of the House over the Sovereign was established in England by the Bill of Rights 1689 and has been ratified as law in New Zealand.^[63] The House of Representatives is democratically elected and a Government is formed from the party or coalition with the majority of seats.^[63] If no majority is formed a minority government can be formed if support from other parties during confidence and supply votes is assured. The Governor-General appoints ministers under advice from the Prime Minister, who is by convention the Parliamentary leader of the governing party or coalition.^[64] Cabinet, formed by ministers and led by the Prime Minister, is the highest policy-making body in government and responsible for deciding significant government actions.^[65] By convention, members of cabinet are bound by collective responsibility to decisions made by cabinet.^[66]
Judges and judicial officers are appointed non-politically and under strict rules regarding tenure to help maintain constitutional independence from the government.^[57] This theoretically allows the judiciary to interpret the law based solely on the legislation enacted by Parliament without other influences on their decisions.^[67] The Privy Council in London was the country's final court of appeal until 2004, when it was replaced with the newly established Supreme Court of New Zealand. The judiciary, headed by the Chief Justice,^[68] includes the Court of Appeal, the High Court, and subordinate courts.^[57]

New Zealand government "Beehive" and the Parliament Buildings (right), in Wellington

Almost all parliamentary general elections between 1853 and 1996 were held under the first past the post voting system.^[69] The elections since 1930 have been dominated by two political parties, National and Labour.^[69] Since 1996, a form of proportional representation called Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) has been used.^[57] Under the MMP system each person has two votes; one is for the seventy electoral seats (including seven reserved for Māori),^[70] and the other is for a party. The remaining fifty seats are assigned so that representation in parliament reflects the party vote, although a party has to win one electoral seat or 5 percent of the total party vote before it is eligible for these seats.^[71] Between March 2005 and August 2006 New Zealand became the only country in the world in which all the highest offices in the land (Head of State, Governor-General, Prime Minister, Speaker and Chief Justice) were occupied simultaneously by women.^[72]

Foreign relations and the military

Main articles: Foreign relations of New Zealand and New Zealand Defence Force

Early colonial New Zealand allowed the British Government to determine external trade and be responsible for foreign policy.^[73] The 1923 and 1926 Imperial Conferences decided that New Zealand should be allowed to negotiate their own political treaties, with the first successful commercial treaty being with Japan in 1928. Despite this independence New Zealand readily followed Britain in declaring war on Germany on 3 September 1939 with then Prime Minister Michael Savage proclaiming, "Where she goes, we go; where she stands, we stand."^[74]

Māori Battalion haka in Egypt, 1941

In 1951 the United Kingdom became increasingly focused on its European interests,^[75] while New Zealand joined Australia and the United States in the ANZUS security treaty.^[76] The influence of the United States on New Zealand weakened following protests over the Vietnam War,^[77] the refusal of the United States to admonish France after the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior,^[78] disagreements over environmental and agricultural trade issues and New Zealand's nuclear-free policy.^[79][80] Despite the USA's suspension of ANZUS obligations the treaty remained in effect between New Zealand and Australia, whose foreign policy has followed a similar historical trend.^[81] Close political contact is maintained between the two countries, with free trade agreements and travel arrangements that allow citizens to visit, live and work in both countries without restrictions.^[82] Currently over 500,000 New Zealanders live in Australia and 65,000 Australians live in New Zealand.^[82]
New Zealand has a strong presence among the Pacific Island countries. A large proportion of New Zealand's aid goes to these countries and many Pacific people migrate to New Zealand for employment.^[83] Permanent migration is regulated under the 1970 Samoan Quota Scheme and the 2002 Pacific Access Category, which allow up to 1,100 Samoan nationals and up to 750 other Pacific Islanders respectively to become permanent New Zealand residents each year. A seasonal workers scheme for temporary migration was introduced in 2007 and in 2009 about 8,000 Pacific Islanders were employed under it.^[84] New Zealand is involved in the Pacific Islands Forum, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (including the East Asia Summit).^[82] New Zealand is also a member of the United Nations,^[85] the Commonwealth of Nations,^[86] the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development^[87] and the Five Powers Defence Arrangements.^[88]

Infantry from the 2nd Battalion, Auckland Regiment in the Battle of the Somme, September 1916.

The New Zealand Defence Force has three branches: the Royal New Zealand Navy, the New Zealand Army and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.^[89] New Zealand's national defence needs are modest because of the unlikelihood of direct attack,^[90] although it does have a global presence. The country fought in both world wars, with notable campaigns in Gallipoli, Crete,^[91] El Alamein^[92] and Cassino.^[93] The Gallipoli campaign played an important part in fostering New Zealand's national identity^[94][95] and strengthened the ANZAC tradition it shares with Australia.^[96] According to Mary Edmond-Paul, "World War I had left scars on New Zealand society, with nearly 18,500 in total dying as a result of the war, more than 41,000 wounded, and others affected emotionally, out of an overseas fighting force of about 103,000 and a population of just over a million."^[97] New Zealand also played key parts in the naval Battle of the River Plate^[98] and the Battle of Britain air campaign.^[99][100] During World War II, the United States had more than 400,000 American military personnel stationed in New Zealand.^[101]
In addition to Vietnam and the two world wars, New Zealand fought in the Korean War, the Second Boer War,^[102] the Malayan Emergency,^[103] the Gulf War and the Afghanistan War. It has contributed forces to several regional and global peacekeeping missions, such as those in Cyprus, Somalia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Sinai, Angola, Cambodia, the Iran–Iraq border, Bougainville, East Timor, and the Solomon Islands.^[104] New Zealand also sent a unit of army engineers to help rebuild Iraqi infrastructure for one year during the Iraq War.

Local government and external territories

Main articles: Local government in New Zealand and Realm of New Zealand

Realm of New Zealand

The early European settlers divided New Zealand into provinces, which had a degree of autonomy.^[105] Because of financial pressures and the desire to consolidate railways, education, land sales and other policies, government was centralised and the provinces were abolished in 1876.^[106] As a result, New Zealand now has no separately represented subnational entities. The provinces are remembered in regional public holidays^[107] and sporting rivalries.^[108]
Since 1876, various councils have administered local areas under legislation determined by the central government.^[105][109] In 1989, the government reorganised local government into the current two-tier structure of regional councils and territorial authorities.^[110] The 249 municipalities^[110] that existed in 1975 have now been consolidated into 67 territorial authorities and 11 regional councils.^[111] The regional councils' role is to regulate "the natural environment with particular emphasis on resource management",^[110] while territorial authorities are responsible for sewage, water, local roads, building consents and other local matters.^[112] Five of the territorial councils are unitary authorities and also act as regional councils.^[113] The territorial authorities consist of 13 city councils, 53 district councils, and the Chatham Islands Council. While officially the Chatham Islands Council is not a unitary authority, it undertakes many functions of a regional council.^[114]
The Realm of New Zealand is one of 16 realms within the commonwealth^[115][116] and comprises New Zealand, Tokelau, the Ross Dependency, the Cook Islands and Niue.^[116] The Cook Islands and Niue are self-governing states in free association with New Zealand.^[117][118] The New Zealand Parliament cannot pass legislation for these countries, but with their consent can act on behalf of them in foreign affairs and defence. Tokelau is a non-self-governing territory that uses the New Zealand flag and anthem, but is administered by a council of three elders (one from each Tokelauan atoll).^[119][120] The Ross Dependency is New Zealand's territorial claim in Antarctica, where it operates the Scott Base research facility.^[121] New Zealand citizenship law treats all parts of the realm equally, so most people born in New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau and the Ross Dependency before 2006 are New Zealand citizens. Further conditions apply for those born from 2006 onwards.^[122]
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