New Zealand

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New Zealand

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Aotearoa/New Zealand Area 268,680 sq km/103,737 sq mi Capital Wellington Language English (official), Maori Religion Christian (Anglican 18%, Roman Catholic 14%, Presbyterian 13%) Time difference GMT +12 Major holidays 1, 2 January, 6 February, 25 April, 25–26 December; variable: Good Friday, Easter Monday, Queen's Birthday (June), Labour (October)


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Auckland, Hamilton, Christchurch, Manukau, North Shore, Waitakere Major ports Auckland, Wellington Physical features comprises North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands, and minor islands; mainly mountainous; Ruapehu in North Island, 2,797 m/9,180 ft, highest of three active volcanoes; geysers and hot springs of Rotorua district; Lake Taupo (616 sq km/238 sq mi), source of Waikato River; Kaingaroa state forest. In South Island are the Southern Alps and Canterbury Plains Territories Tokelau (three atolls transferred in 1926 from former Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony); Niue Island (one of the Cook Islands, separately administered from 1903: chief town Alafi); Cook Islands are internally self-governing but share common citizenship with New Zealand; Ross Dependency in Antarctica Airports three international airports and about 32 domestic airports; total passengers carried: 12.3 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 3,898 km/2,422 mi; total passenger journeys: 12.3 million (2003) Roads total road network: 92,662 km/57,577 mi, of which 63.8% paved (2003 est); passenger cars: 730 per 1,000 people (2003 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Queen Elizabeth II from 1952, represented by Governor General Anand Satyanand from 2006 Head of government Helen Clark from 1999 Political system liberal democracy Political executive parliamentary Administrative divisions 93 counties, nine districts and three town districts Political parties Labour Party, moderate, left of centre; New Zealand National Party, free enterprise, right of centre; Alliance Party bloc, left of centre, ecologists; New Zealand First Party (NZFP), centrist; United New Zealand Party (UNZ), centrist Death penalty abolished in 1989 Armed forces 8,700; plus 10,800 reservists (2006 est) Conscription military service is voluntary Defence spend (% GDP) 1 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 6.7 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 6.3 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency New Zealand dollar GDP (US$) 109 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 1.3 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 106.7 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 23,030 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 3% (2006 est) Unemployment 3.9% (2006 est) Labour force 7.1% agriculture, 22% industry, 70.9% services (2005) Major trading partners Australia, USA, Japan, China Resources coal, clay, limestone, dolomite, natural gas, hydroelectric power, pumice, iron ore, gold, forests Industries food processing, machinery, textiles and clothing, fisheries, wood and wood products, paper and paper products, metal products; farming, particularly livestock and dairying, cropping, fruit growing, horticulture Exports dairy products, meat, wool, fish, timber and wood products, fruit and vegetables, aluminium, machinery. Principal market: Australia 21.4% (2005) Imports machinery and mechanical appliances, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, fertilizer, consumer goods. Principal source: Australia 20.6% (2005) Arable land 5.5% (2006 est) Agricultural products barley, wheat, maize, fodder crops, exotic timber, fruit (kiwi fruit and apples); livestock and dairy farming


POPULATION

Population 4,062,500 (2006 est) Population growth rate 0.7% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 15 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 86 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 21%, 15–59 62%, 60+ 17% (2005 est) Ethnic groups around 75% of European origin, 15% Maori, 3% Pacific Islander Life expectancy 78 (men); 82 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 6 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 12 Literacy rate 99% (men); 99% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 22.3 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 6.1 (2003 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.1 (2005 est) AIDS deaths <100 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 100 (urban); 100 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 45.1 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 87.6 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 997 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 586 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 48.2 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 82.6 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

1642 Dutch explorer Abel Tasman reached New Zealand but indigenous Maori prevented him from going ashore. 1769 English explorer James Cook surveyed coastline of islands. 1773 and 1777 Cook again explored coast. 1815 First British missionaries arrived in New Zealand. 1826 New Zealand Company founded in London to establish settlement. 1839 New Zealand Company relaunched, after initial failure, by Edward Gibbon Wakefield. 1840 Treaty of Waitangi: Maori accepted British sovereignty; colonization began and large-scale sheep farming developed. 1845–47 Maori revolt against loss of land. 1851 Became separate colony (was originally part of the Australian colony of New South Wales). 1852 Colony procured constitution after dissolution of New Zealand Company; self-government fully implemented in 1856. 1860–72 Second Maori revolt led to concessions, including representation in parliament. 1891 New Zealand took part in Australasian Federal Convention in Sydney but rejected the idea of joining the Australian Commonwealth. 1893 Became the first country to give women the right to vote in parliamentary elections. 1898 Liberal government under Richard Seddon introduced pioneering old-age pension scheme. 1899–1902 Volunteers from New Zealand fought alongside imperial forces in Boer War. 1907 New Zealand achieved dominion status within British Empire. 1912–25 Government of Reform Party, led by William Massey, reflected interests of North Island farmers and strongly supported imperial unity. 1914–18 130,000 New Zealanders fought for the British Empire in World War I. 1916 Labour Party of New Zealand established. 1931 Statute of Westminster affirmed equality of status between Britain and dominions, effectively granting independence to New Zealand. 1935–49 Labour governments of Michael Savage and Peter Fraser introduced social reforms and encouraged state intervention in industry. 1936 Liberal Party merged with Reform Party to create National Party. 1939–45 New Zealand troops fought in World War II, notably in Crete, North Africa, and Italy. 1947 Parliament confirmed independence of New Zealand within British Commonwealth. 1951 New Zealand joined Australia and USA in ANZUS Pacific security treaty. 1965–72 New Zealand contingent took part in Vietnam War. 1973 British entry into European Economic Community (EEC) forced New Zealand to seek closer trading relations with Australia. 1985 Non-nuclear military policy led to disagreements with France and USA. 1986 USA suspended defence obligations to New Zealand after it banned entry of US warships. 1988 Free-trade agreement signed with Australia. 1991 Alliance Party formed to challenge two-party system. 1998 Government ordered to return more than £2 million worth of land confiscated from its Maori owners more than 30 years earlier. 1999 Conservative government replaced by centre-left coalition of Labour Party and New Zealand Alliance, with Helen Clark, leader of the Labour Party, as prime minister. 2000 Dame Silvia Cartwright named as next governor general, to take office in April 2001, when all top political offices will be held by women. 2002 Prime minister apologized to Samoa for poor treatment of Samoans during colonial times. Helen Clark won second term in general elections. 2004 New Zealand suspended high-level contacts with Israel, after two Mossad agents jailed for illegally trying to obtain New Zealand passports; suspected spies later deported. Parliament passed a bill recognizing civil unions between gay couples. 2005 Prime Minister Clark won narrow election victory over revitalized National Party. 2006 New Zealand troops assisted in mission to quell unrest in East Timor. A week of mourning followed death of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, queen of the indigenous Maori population.


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