The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances.
Location
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia
Geographic coordinates
41 00 S, 174 00 E
Map references
Oceania
Area
total
268,680 sq km
land
268,021 sq km
water
NA
note
includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands
Area - comparative
about the size of Colorado
Land boundaries
0 km
Coastline
15,134 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
contiguous zone
24 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
continental shelf
200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate
temperate with sharp regional contrasts
Terrain
predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains
Elevation extremes
lowest point
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point
Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m
Natural resources
natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone
Land use
arable land
5.54%
permanent crops
6.92%
other
87.54% (2005)
Irrigated land
2,850 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards
earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity
Environment - current issues
deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species
Environment - international agreements
party to
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified
Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note
about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world
Population
4,115,771 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
20.8% (male 437,547/female 417,698)
15-64 years
67.3% (male 1,393,057/female 1,378,358)
65 years and over
11.9% (male 214,189/female 274,922) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
34.2 years
male
33.5 years
female
35 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
0.95% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
13.61 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
7.54 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
3.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.048 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.011 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.779 male(s)/female
total population
0.987 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
5.67 deaths/1,000 live births
male
6.48 deaths/1,000 live births
female
4.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
78.96 years
male
75.97 years
female
82.08 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.79 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
1,400 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality
noun
New Zealander(s)
adjective
New Zealand
Ethnic groups
European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander 4.4%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8% (2001 census)
Religions
Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census)
Languages
English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official)
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
99%
male
99%
female
99% (2003 est.)
Country name
conventional long form
none
conventional short form
New Zealand
abbreviation
NZ
Government type
parliamentary democracy
Capital
name
Wellington
geographic coordinates
41 28 S, 174 51 E
time difference
UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time
+1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in March
note
New Zealand is divided into two time zones, including Chatham Island
Administrative divisions
16 regions and 1 territory*; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Chatham Islands*, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast
Dependent areas
Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau
Independence
26 September 1907 (from UK)
National holiday
Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840); ANZAC Day (commemorated as the anniversary of the landing of troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I at Gallipoli, Turkey), 25 April (1915)
Constitution
consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, as well as The Constitution Act 1986, which is the principal formal charter; adopted 1 January 1987, effective 1 January 1987
Legal system
based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for the Maori; 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 Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006)
head of government
Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December 1999); Deputy Prime Minister Michael CULLEN (since July 2002)
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; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general
Legislative branch
unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies including 7 Maori constituencies, and 51 proportional seats chosen from party lists; to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 17 September 2005 (next to be held not later than 15 November 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NZLP 41.1%, NP 39.1%, NZFP 5.7%, Green Party 5.3%, Maori 2.1%, UF 2.7%, ACT New Zealand 1.5%, Progressive 1.2%, other 1.3%; seats by party - NZLP 50, NP 48, NZFP 7, Green Party 6, Maori 4, UF 3, ACT New Zealand 2, Progressive 1
note: results of 2005 election saw the total number of seats increase to 121 because the Maori Party won one more electorate seat than its entitlement under the party vote
Judicial branch
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; High Court; note - judges appointed by the Governor-General
Political parties and leaders
ACT New Zealand [Rodney HIDE]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS]; Maori Party [Whatarangi WINIATA]; National Party or NP [John KEY]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; Progressive Party [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; United Future or UF [Peter DUNNE]
P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP 96531-1034
telephone
[64] (4) 462-6000
FAX
[64] (4) 499-0490
consulate(s) general
Auckland
Flag description
blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation
Government - note
while not an official symbol, the Kiwi, a small native flightless bird, represents New Zealand
Economy - overview
Over the past 20 years the government has transformed New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes (but left behind many at the bottom of the ladder), broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector, and contained inflationary pressures. Per capita income has risen for eight consecutive years and reached $26,000 in 2006 in purchasing power parity terms. Consumer and government spending have driven growth in recent years, and exports picked up in 2006 after struggling for several years. Exports are equal to about 24% of GDP, down from 33 percent of GDP in 2001. Thus far the economy has been resilient, and the Labor Government promises that expenditures on health, education, and pensions will increase proportionately to output.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$106.9 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$98.39 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
1.5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$26,200 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
4.3%
industry
26.9%
services
68.8% (2006 est.)
Labor force
2.18 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
10%
industry
25%
services
65% (1995)
Unemployment rate
3.8% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
NA
highest 10%
NA (1991 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
36.2 (1997)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.8% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
22% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$41.51 billion
expenditures
$36.99 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
Public debt
19.9% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products
Industries
food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining
Industrial production growth rate
1.2% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production
41.1 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
31.6%
hydro
57.8%
nuclear
0%
other
10.7% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
38.22 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production
27,860 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption
150,600 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
30,220 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports
119,700 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves
89.62 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production
4.35 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
4.349 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
33.36 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance
-$7.944 billion (2006 est.)
Exports
$23.69 billion (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities
dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery
Exports - partners
Australia 20.5%, US 13.1%, Japan 10.3%, China 5.4%, UK 4.9% (2006)
Imports
$25.23 billion (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities
machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics
Imports - partners
Australia 20.5%, China 12.3%, US 11.8%, Japan 9.2%, Germany 4.4%, Singapore 4.4% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$10 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external
$47 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid - donor
ODA, NA (2006 est.)
Currency (code)
New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Currency code
NZD
Exchange rates
New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002)
Fiscal year
1 April - 31 March
note: this is the fiscal year for tax purposes
Telephones - main lines in use
1.8 million (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular
3.53 million (2005)
Telephone system
general assessment
excellent domestic and international systems
domestic
NA
international
country code - 64; submarine cables to Australia and Fiji; satellite earth stations - 1 InMarSat (Pacific Ocean), 7 other
Radio broadcast stations
AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios
3.75 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations
41 (plus about 700 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions
1.926 million (1997)
Internet country code
.nz
Internet hosts
1.05 million (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
36 (2000)
Internet users
3.2 million (2005)
Airports
118 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
45
over 3,047 m
2
2,438 to 3,047 m
1
1,524 to 2,437 m
11
914 to 1,523 m
27
under 914 m
4 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
73
1,524 to 2,437 m
2
914 to 1,523 m
31
under 914 m
40 (2006)
Pipelines
condensate 224 km; gas 1,693 km; liquid petroleum gas 45 km; oil 280 km; refined products 288 km (2006)
Railways
total
4,128 km
narrow gauge
4,128 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2005)
Roadways
total
92,931 km
paved
59,783 km (includes 171 km of expressways)
unpaved
33,148 km (2003)
Merchant marine
total
13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 136,361 GRT/124,972 DWT
by type
bulk carrier 3, cargo 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned
4 (Australia 2, Germany 1, Isle of Man 1)
registered in other countries
8 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Cook Islands 1, Dominica 4, France 1, UK 1) (2006)
