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New Zealand

*** Shopping-Tip: New Zealand
{{otheruses}} {{Infobox_Country| native_name = New Zealand
''Aotearoa''| common_name = New Zealand | image_flag = Flag of New Zealand.svg | image_coat = Coat of arms of New Zealand.png | image_map = LocationNewZealand.png | national_motto = None. Formerly "Onward"| national_anthem = God Defend New Zealand
God Save The Queen¹| official_languages = New Zealand English English, MÄ?ori language MÄ?ori | capital = Wellington |latd=41|latm=17|latNS=S|longd=174|longm=47|longEW=E| largest_city = Auckland | government_type=constitutional monarchy| leader_titles = Queen of New Zealand Head of State
Governor-General of New Zealand Governor-General
Prime Minister of New Zealand Prime Minister | leader_names = Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth II
Dame Silvia Cartwright
Helen Clark | area_rank = 74th | area_magnitude = 1 E11 | area=268,680 | areamiÂ²= 103,738 | percent_water = 2.1% | population_estimate = 4,035,461 | population_estimate_year = July 2005 | population_estimate_rank = 124th | population_census=3,737,277| population_census_year=2001| population_density = 15 | population_densitymiÂ² =39 | population_density_rank=163rd| GDP_PPP_year=2005 | GDP_PPP = $97.39 billion | GDP_PPP_rank = 59th | GDP_PPP_per_capita = $ 24,100 | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 41st | HDI_year = 2003| HDI = 0.933| HDI_rank = 19th| HDI_category = high| sovereignty_type = Independence | established_events = (From the United Kingdom U. K.) | established_dates = September 26, 1907 | currency = New Zealand dollar
| currency_code = NZD | time_zone= Time in New Zealand NZST² | utc_offset= +12 | time_zone_DST= Time in New Zealand NZDT (Oct-Mar) | utc_offset_DST= +13 | cctld= .nz | CCTLD= NZ | calling_code = 64 | footnotes = ¹ God Save The Queen is officially a national anthem but is rarely used as such in practice [http://www.mch.govt.nz/anthem/index.htm]
² The Chatham Islands are 45 minutes ahead of New Zealand time }} '''New Zealand''' is a country of two large islands (called the North Island North and South Islands) and many Islands of New Zealand much smaller islands in the south-western Pacific Ocean. New Zealand is called '''''Aotearoa''''' in MÄ?ori language MÄ?ori, and is directly translated as the ''Land of the Long White Cloud''. It is notable for its geographic isolation, being separated from Australia to the northwest by the Tasman Sea, some 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) across. Closest neighbours to the north are New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. The population of New Zealand is mostly of Pakeha European descent, with MÄ?ori being the largest minority. Non-MÄ?ori Polynesian and Asian peoples are also significant minorities, especially in the List of cities in New Zealand cities. Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II is the Queen of New Zealand and is represented in the country by a non-political Governor-General of New Zealand Governor-General; the Queen 'reigns but does not rule', so she has no real political influence. Political power is held by the Prime Minister of New Zealand Prime Minister, who is leader of the Government in the democratically-elected Parliament of New Zealand. The Realm of New Zealand also includes the Cook Islands and Niue, which are entirely self-governing, Tokelau, and the Ross Dependency, New Zealand's claim in Antarctica.

History
{{main|History of New Zealand}} New Zealand is one of the most recently settled major land masses. Polynesian settlers arrived in their Waka (canoe) waka some time between the 13th century and the 15th century to establish the indigenous peoples indigenous MÄ?ori MÄ?ori culture culture. Settlement of the Chatham Islands to the east of the New Zealand mainland produced the Moriori people, but it is disputed whether they moved there from New Zealand or elsewhere in Polynesia. Most of New Zealand was divided into tribal territories called ''rohe'', resources within which were controlled by an ''iwi'' ('tribe'). Usually no two ''iwi'' had overlapping rohe. MÄ?ori adapted to eating the local marine resources, flora and fauna for food, hunting the giant flightless Moa (bird) moa (which soon became extinct), and ate the Polynesian Rat and sweet potato kumara (sweet potato), which they introduced to the country. The first Europeans known to reach New Zealand were led by Abel Tasman Abel Janszoon Tasman, who sailed up the west coasts of the South and North Islands in 1642. He named it ''Staten Landt'', believing it to be part of the land Jacob Le Maire had discovered in 1616 off the coast of Chile. ''Staten Landt'' appeared on Tasman's first maps of New Zealand, but this was changed by Netherlands Dutch Cartography cartographers to ''Nova Zeelandia'', after the Dutch province of Zeeland, some time after Hendrik Brouwer proved the supposedly South American land to be an island in 1643. The Latin ''Nova Zeelandia'' became ''Nieuw Zeeland'' in Dutch language Dutch. Captain James Cook Lieutenant James Cook subsequently called the archipelago ''New Zealand'', although the names he chose for the North and South Islands (Aehei No Mouwe and Tovy Poenammu respectively) were rejected, and the main three islands became known as North, Middle and South, with the Middle Island being later called the South Island, and the earlier South Island becoming Stewart Island. Cook began extensive surveys of the islands in 1769, leading to European whaling expeditions and eventually significant European colonisation. From as early as the 1780s, MÄ?ori had encounters with European sealers and whalers. Acquisition of muskets by those iwi in close contact with European visitors destabilised the existing balance of power between MÄ?ori tribes and there was a temporary but intense period of bloody inter-tribal warfare, known as the Musket Wars, which ceased only when all iwi were so armed. Concern about the exploitation of MÄ?ori by Europeans, Church Missionary Society lobbying and France French interest in the region led the British to annex New Zealand by Royal Proclamation in January 1840. To legitimise the British annexation, Lieutenant Governor William Hobson had been dispatched in 1839; he hurriedly negotiated the Treaty of Waitangi with northern iwi on his arrival. The Treaty was signed in February, and in recent years it has come to be seen as the founding document of New Zealand. The MÄ?ori translation of the treaty promised the MÄ?ori tribes "''tino rangatiratanga''" would be preserved in return for ceding kawanatanga, which the English version translates as "chieftainship" and "sovereignty"; the real meanings are now disputed. Disputes over land sales and sovereignty caused the New Zealand land wars, which took place between 1845 and 1872. In 1975 the Treaty of Waitangi Act established the Waitangi Tribunal, charged with hearing claims of Crown violations of the Treaty of Waitangi. Some MÄ?ori tribes and the Moriori never signed the treaty. New Zealand was initially administered as a part of the colony of New South Wales, and it became a separate colony in 1841. The first capital was Okiato or old Russell in the Bay of Islands but it soon moved to Auckland. European settlement progressed more rapidly than anyone anticipated, and settlers soon outnumbered MÄ?ori. Self-government was granted to the settler population in 1852. There were political concerns following the discovery of gold in Central Otago in 1861 that the South Island would form a separate colony, so in 1865 the capital was moved to the more central city of Wellington. New Zealand was involved in a Constitutional Convention in March 1891 in Sydney, New South Wales, along with the Australian colonies. This was to consider a potential constitution for the proposed federation between all the Australasia Australasian colonies. New Zealand lost interest in joining Australia in a federation following this convention, though the Australian constitution still includes provision for New Zealand to be included. In 1893 New Zealand became the first nation to grant full voting rights to women. New Zealand became an independent dominion on 26 September 1907 by royal proclamation. Full independence was granted by the United Kingdom Parliament with the Statute of Westminster 1931 Statute of Westminster in 1931; it was taken up upon the Statute's adoption by the New Zealand Parliament in 1947. Since then New Zealand has been a sovereign constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth of Nations. Compare Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand.

Politics
{{main|Politics of New Zealand}} {|align=right | Image:Ac.thequeen.jpg thumb|150px|Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand |- | Image:Hclark.jpg 150px|thumb|Helen Clark, Prime Minister |} New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy. Under the New Zealand Royal Titles Act (1953), Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of New Zealand and is represented as head of state by the Governor-General of New Zealand Governor-General, currently Dame Silvia Cartwright. New Zealand is the only country in the world in which all the highest offices in the land are occupied by women - The Sovereign Queen Elizabeth II of New Zealand, Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright, Prime Minister Helen Clark, Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Margaret Wilson and Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias. The New Zealand Parliament has only Unicameral parliament one chamber, the New Zealand House of Representatives House of Representatives, which seats 120 (or slightly more) members of Parliament. Parliamentary general elections are every three years under a form of proportional representation called Mixed Member Proportional (MMP). The New Zealand general election, 2005 2005 General Election created an 'overhang' of one extra seat (occupied by the MÄ?ori Party), due to that party winning more seats in constituencies than its proportional entitlement. There is no single written constitution; however, the ''Constitution Act 1986 (NZ) Constitution Act (1986)'' is the principal formal statement of New Zealand's constitutional structure. The Governor-General has the power to appoint and dismiss Prime Ministers and to dissolve Parliament. The Governor-General also chairs the Executive Council, which is a formal committee consisting of all ministers of the Crown. Members of the Executive Council are required to be Members of Parliament, and most are also in Cabinet. Cabinet is the most senior policy-making body and is led by the Prime Minister of New Zealand Prime Minister, who is also the Parliamentary leader of the governing party or coalition. The current Prime Minister is Helen Clark of the New Zealand Labour Party Labour Party. She has served two complete terms as Prime Minister and has begun her third. On 17 October 2005 she announced that she had come to a complex arrangement that guaranteed the support of enough parties for her Labour-led coalition to govern. The core of the coalition is a cabinet consisting of Labour Party ministers and Jim Anderton, the New Zealand Progressive Party Progressive Party's only MP. In addition to the parties represented in cabinet, the leaders of New Zealand First and United Future are ministers outside cabinet. An arrangement of this kind has never been attempted before in New Zealand. A further arrangement has been made with the Green Party, which has given a commitment not to vote against the government on motion of confidence confidence and supply. This commitment assures the government of a majority of seven MPs on confidence. The Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand) Leader of the Opposition is New Zealand National Party National Party leader Don Brash, who was formerly Governor of the Reserve Bank. Also in opposition are the MÄ?ori Party and ACT New Zealand. The highest court in New Zealand is the Supreme Court of New Zealand. The Supreme Court was established in 2004 following the passage of the ''Supreme Court Act'' in 2003. The Act abolished the option to appeal Court of Appeal rulings to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council Privy Council in London. The current Chief Justice is Sian Elias Dame Sian Elias. New Zealand's judiciary also includes the High Court of New Zealand High Court, which deals with serious criminal offences and civil matters, and the New Zealand Court of Appeal Court of Appeal, as well as subordinate courts.

Foreign relations and military
{{main articles|Foreign relations of New Zealand and Military of New Zealand}} New Zealand maintains a strong profile on environmental protection, human rights and free trade, particularly in agriculture. New Zealand is a member of the following geo-political organisations: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation APEC, East Asia Summit, Commonwealth of Nations, OECD and the United Nations. It has signed up to a number of free trade agreements, of which the most important is Closer Economic Relations with Australia. For its first hundred years, New Zealand followed the United Kingdom's lead on foreign policy. "Where she goes, we go, where she stands, we stand", said Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage Michael Savage, in declaring war on Germany on 3 September 1939. However New Zealand came under the influence of the United States of America for the generation following the war. New Zealand has traditionally worked closely with Australia, whose foreign policy followed a similar historical trend. In turn, many Pacific Islands such as Western Samoa Samoa have looked to New Zealand's lead. The American influence on New Zealand was weakened by the disappointment with the Vietnam War, the nuclear danger presented by the Cold War, the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior by France, and by disagreements over environmental and agricultural trade issues. New Zealand is a party to the ANZUS security treaty between Australia, New Zealand and the United States. In 1984 New Zealand refused nuclear power nuclear-powered or nuclear weapon nuclear-armed ships access to its ports. In 1986 the United States announced that it was suspending its treaty security obligations to New Zealand pending the restoration of port access. The ''New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control Act of 1987'' prohibits the stationing of nuclear weapons on the territory of New Zealand and the entry into New Zealand waters of nuclear armed or propelled ships. This legislation remains a source of contention and the basis for the United States' continued suspension of treaty obligations to New Zealand. In addition to the various wars between iwi, and between the British settlers and iwi, New Zealand has fought in the Second Boer War, World War I, (sustaining the highest casualties per head of population of any combatant nation), World War II, the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency (and committed troops, fighters and bombers to the subsequent confrontation with Indonesia), the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and the Afghanistan War, and briefly sent a unit of army engineers to help with rebuilding Iraqi infrastructure. The New Zealand military has three branches: the New Zealand Army, the Royal New Zealand Navy, and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. New Zealand considers its own national defence needs to be modest; it dismantled its air combat capability in 2001. New Zealand has contributed forces to recent regional and global peacekeeping missions, including those in Cyprus, Somalia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Sinai, Angola, Cambodia, the Iran/Iraq border, Bougainville and East Timor.

Local government and external territories
{{main articles|Realm of New Zealand, Regions of New Zealand, and Territorial authorities of New Zealand}} Image:New Zealand map.PNG thumb|200px|right|A map of New Zealand showing the major cities and towns The early European settlers divided New Zealand into Provinces of New Zealand provinces. These were abolished in 1876 so that government could be centralised, for financial reasons. As a result, New Zealand has no separately represented subnational entity subnational entities such as provinces, states or territories, apart from its local government. The spirit of the provinces however still lives on, and there is fierce rivalry exhibited in sporting and cultural events. Since 1876, local government has administered the various regions of New Zealand. In 1989, the government completely reorganised local government, implementing the current two-tier structure of Regions of New Zealand regional councils and Territorial Authorities of New Zealand territorial authorities. Today New Zealand has 12 regional councils for the administration of environmental and transport matters and 74 territorial authorities that administer roading, sewerage, building consents, and other local matters. The territorial authorities are 16 city councils, 57 district councils, and the Chatham Islands County Council. Four of the territorial councils (one city and three districts) and the Chatham Islands County Council also perform the functions of a regional council and thus are known as unitary authority unitary authorities. Territorial authority districts are not subdivisions of regional council districts, and a few of them straddle regional council boundaries. Regions of New Zealand Regions are (asterisks denote unitary authorities): Northland (region), New Zealand Northland, Auckland (region) Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne*, Hawke's Bay (region) Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, Manawatu-Wanganui, Wellington Region Wellington, Marlborough, New Zealand Marlborough*, Nelson, New Zealand Nelson*, Tasman, New Zealand Tasman*, West Coast, New Zealand West Coast, Canterbury, New Zealand Canterbury, Otago, Southland, New Zealand Southland, Chatham Islands*. As a major Pacific Ocean South Pacific nation, New Zealand has a close working relationship with many Pacific Island nations, and continues a political association with the Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau. New Zealand operates Scott Base in its Antarctica Antarctic territory, the Ross Dependency. Other countries also use Christchurch to support their Antarctic bases and the city is sometimes known as the "Gateway to Antarctica".

Geography
{{main|Geography of New Zealand}} Image:Satellite image of New Zealand in December 2002.jpg Lake Taupo.html" title="Meaning of left left|thumb|200px|A satellite image of New Zealand. [[Lake Taupo and Mount Ruapehu are visible in the centre of the North Island. The Southern Alps and the rain shadow they create are clearly visible in the South Island.html" title="Meaning of thumb|200px|A satellite image of New Zealand. [[Lake Taupo">left|thumb|200px|A satellite image of New Zealand. [[Lake Taupo and Mount Ruapehu are visible in the centre of the North Island. The Southern Alps and the rain shadow they create are clearly visible in the South Island">thumb|200px|A satellite image of New Zealand. [[Lake Taupo">left|thumb|200px|A satellite image of New Zealand. [[Lake Taupo and Mount Ruapehu are visible in the centre of the North Island. The Southern Alps and the rain shadow they create are clearly visible in the South Island New Zealand comprises two main islands (called the North and South Islands in English, Te-Ika-a-Maui and Te Wai Pounamu in MÄ?ori language MÄ?ori) and a number of Islands of New Zealand smaller islands. The total land area of New Zealand, 268,680 square kilometres (103,738 square mile sq mi), is a little less than that of Japan and a little more than the United Kingdom. The country extends more than 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) along its main, north-north-east axis. The most significant of the smaller inhabited islands of New Zealand include Stewart Island/Rakiura; Waiheke Island, in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf; Great Barrier Island, east of the Hauraki Gulf; and the Chatham Islands, named Rekohu by Moriori. The country has extensive marine resources, with the fifth-largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world, covering over four million square kilometres (1.5 million sq mi), more than 15 times its land area.{{mn|MFE|2}} The South Island is the largest land mass, and is divided along its length by the Southern Alps, the highest peak of which is Aoraki/Mount Cook, 3,754 metres (12,316 foot (unit of length) ft). There are 18 peaks of more than 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) in the South Island. The North Island is less mountainous than the South, but is marked by volcanism. The tallest North Island mountain, Mount Ruapehu (2,797 m / 9,176 ft), is an active cone volcano. The dramatic and varied landscape of New Zealand has made it a popular location for the production of television program television programmes and films, including the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy. Image:Aoraki-Mount Cook from Hooker Valley.jpg Aoraki/Mount_Cook.html" title="Meaning of right right|thumb|220px|[[Aoraki/Mount Cook is the tallest mountain in New Zealand.html" title="Meaning of thumb|220px|[[Aoraki/Mount Cook">right|thumb|220px|[[Aoraki/Mount Cook is the tallest mountain in New Zealand">thumb|220px|[[Aoraki/Mount Cook">right|thumb|220px|[[Aoraki/Mount Cook is the tallest mountain in New Zealand The climate throughout the country is mild, mostly temperate climate cool temperate to warm temperate, with temperatures rarely falling below 0Â°Celsius C (32Â°Fahrenheit F) or rising above 30Â°C (86Â°F). Conditions vary from wet and cold on the West Coast, New Zealand West Coast of the South Island to dry and continental climate continental in the Mackenzie Basin of inland Canterbury, New Zealand Canterbury and subtropical in North Auckland Peninsula Northland. Of the main cities, Christchurch is the driest, receiving only some 640 mm (25 inch in) of rain per year. Auckland, the wettest, receives a little less than three times that amount.

Flora and fauna
{{main articles|New Zealand animals, New Zealand plants, Biodiversity of New Zealand, and List of extinct New Zealand animals}} Image:Trounson_Two_Kauris_n.jpg thumb|250px|left|Crowns of two kauri trees Because of its long isolation from the rest of the world and its island biogeography, New Zealand has extraordinary flora and fauna. About 80% of the New Zealand flora occurs only in New Zealand, including more than 40 endemic (ecology) endemic genus genera.{{mn|Allan1982|3}} The main two types of forest have been dominated by podocarps including the giant kauri and southern beech. The remaining vegetation types in New Zealand are grassland of grass and tussock, usually associated with the sub-alpine areas, and the low shrublands between grasslands and forests. Until the arrival of the first humans, 80% of the land was forested and, barring two species of bat, there were no non-marine mammals. Instead, New Zealand's forests were inhabited by a diverse range of birds including the flightless Moa (bird) moa (now extinct), and the kiwi, kakapo, and Takahe takahÄ“, all endangered due to human actions. Unique birds capable of flight include the Haast's eagle, which was the world's largest bird of prey, now extinct, and the large kÄ?kÄ? and kea parrots. Reptiles present in New Zealand include skinks, geckos and tuatara. There are no snakes but there are many species of insects, including the weta, which may grow as large as a house mouse and is the heaviest insect in the world. New Zealand has led the world in clearing offshore islands of introduced mammalian pests and reintroducing rare native species to ensure their survival.

Economy
{{main|Economy of New Zealand}} Image:DowntownAucklandNight.jpg Auckland.html"_title="Meaning of thumb thumb|250px|[[Auckland_at night, with the Sky Tower in the background.html" title="Meaning of 250px|[[Auckland">thumb|250px|[[Auckland at night, with the Sky Tower in the background">250px|[[Auckland">thumb|250px|[[Auckland at night, with the Sky Tower in the background New Zealand has a thriving, modern developed economy. The country has a high standard of living, ranking 19th on the 2005 Human Development Index and 15th in ''The Economist'''s 2005 world-wide quality-of-life index. Since 1984 successive governments have engaged in major macroeconomic restructuring, transforming New Zealand from a highly protectionist and regulated economy to a liberalised free-trade economy. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the New Zealand Government sold a number of major trading enterprises, including its telecommunications company, railway network, a number of radio stations and two financial institutions in a series of asset sales. Although the New Zealand Government continues to own a number of significant businesses, collectively known as State-Owned Enterprises of New Zealand State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), they are operated through arms-length shareholding arrangements as stand-alone businesses that are required to operate profitably, just like any privately owned enterprise. Unfortunately, due in part to the sudden transition to a market economy, an economic bubble developed in the New Zealand stock market starting in 1984. This burst in October 1987 and the total value of the market halved within a year (it has still to recover this lost value). The effect of this bubble was a period of poor economic growth which lasted until the mid 1990s. It also led the government to begin a programme of massive immigration to boost Gross domestic product GDP. However, since 1999 New Zealand has enjoyed a period of relatively strong and sustained growth, and contained inflation inflationary pressures. The current New Zealand government's economic objectives are centred on moving from being ranked at the lower end of OECD countries to regaining a higher placing; pursuing free-trade agreements; "closing the gaps" between ethnic groups; and building a "knowledge economy." In 2004 it began discussing free trade with People's Republic of China China, one of the first countries to do so. New Zealand is heavily dependent on trade—particularly in agricultural products—to drive growth, and it has been affected by global economic slowdowns and slumps in commodity prices. Since agricultural exports are highly sensitive to currency values and a large percentage of consumer goods are imported, any change in the value of the New Zealand dollar has a strong impact on the economy. Its primary export industries are agriculture, horticulture, fishing and forestry. There are also substantial tourism and International student education industries. The film and wine industries are considered to be up-and-coming.

Demographics
{{main|Demographics of New Zealand}} New Zealand has a population of about 4.1 million. About 70% of the population are of European descent. New Zealand-born Europeans are collectively known as Pakeha PÄ?keha - this term is used variously and some MÄ?ori use it to refer to all non-MÄ?ori New Zealanders. Most European New Zealanders are of British, Irish people Irish or Dutch people Dutch ancestry. MÄ?ori people are the second-largest ethnic group (the percentage of the population of full or part-MÄ?ori ancestry is 14.7%; those who checked MÄ?ori only are 7.9%). Between the 1996 and 2001 censuses, the number of people of Asian origin (6.6%) overtook the number of people of Pacific Island origin (6.5%) (note that the census allowed multiple ethnic affiliations). New Zealand is positive about immigration and is committed to increasing its population by about 1% per annum. At present migrants from the United Kingdom UK constitute the largest single group (30%) but new migrants are drawn from many nations, increasingly from east Asia. Christianity is the predominant religion in New Zealand, although nearly 40% of the population has no religious affiliation. The main Christianity Christian denominations are Anglicanism, Presbyterianism, Roman Catholic Church Roman Catholicism and Methodism. There are also significant numbers who identify themselves with Pentecostal and Baptist churches and with the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints LDS (Mormon) church. The New Zealand-based Ratana church has many adherents among MÄ?ori. According to census figures, other significant minority religions include Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam (see Desi).

Culture
{{main articles|Culture of New Zealand, MÄ?ori culture and Cinema of New Zealand}} Image:Napier Bagpipe Practice.jpg thumb|250px|left|Twilight bagpipe band practice, NapierContemporary PÄ?kehÄ? New Zealand has a diverse contemporary culture with influences from British, Irish, and MÄ?ori cultures, along with those of other European cultures and - more recently - Polynesian (including Samoan, Tongan, Niuean, Cook Islands MÄ?ori, Tahitian, and Hawai'ian) and southern and southeast Asian (Indian, Chinese, Korean, Cambodian, and Japanese) cultures. There were many people from Scotland amongst the early British settlers and elements of their culture persist; New Zealand is said to have more bagpipe pipebands than Scotland. Cultural links between New Zealand and the UK are maintained by a common language, sustained migration from the UK and the fact that many young New Zealanders spend time in the UK on their "overseas experience" (OE). Pre-European contact MÄ?ori culture had no metal tools, relying on stone and wood. MÄ?ori culture survives and the Government actively promotes it to all New Zealanders, and much is protected under the terms of the Treaty of Waitangi. Use of the MÄ?ori language (Te Reo MÄ?ori) as a living, community language remained only in a few remote areas in the post-war years, but is currently going through a renaissance, thanks in part to generous state support for MÄ?ori language medium schools and a MÄ?ori MÄ?ori Television television channel. MÄ?ori television is the only nationwide television channel in New Zealand to have the majority of its prime time content delivered in MÄ?ori (with English sub-titles). MÄ?ori Television is also the only television channel that tries to generate new content in MÄ?ori and subtitles English programmes in MÄ?ori. None of the other television channels present a substantial number of MÄ?ori programmes, or subtitle English language programmes in MÄ?ori, despite the fact that it is an official language equal to English. New Zealand's landscape has appeared in a number of television program television programmes and List of New Zealand Feature Films films. In particular, the television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' and Xena: Warrior Princess ''Xena: Warrior Princess'' were filmed around Auckland, and the film ''Heavenly Creatures'' in Christchurch, New Zealand Christchurch. The television series ''The Tribe'' is set and filmed in New Zealand. New Zealand director Peter Jackson shot the epic ''The Lord of the Rings film trilogy'' in various locations around the country, taking advantage of the spectacular and relatively unspoiled landscapes, and Mount Taranaki was used as a stand-in for Mount Fuji in ''The Last Samurai''. The latest of such major international films to be released are King Kong (2005 film) ''King Kong'', ''The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' and ''River Queen''.

Sport
{{main|Sport in New Zealand}} New Zealand's most popular sports are rugby union, cricket, netball, lawn bowling, football (soccer) soccer (perhaps surprisingly, the most popular football code in terms of participation in NZ) and rugby league. Also popular are golf, tennis, cycling and a variety of Water sport (recreation) water sports, particularly sailing, whitewater kayaking, Surf Lifesaving New Zealand surf lifesaving skills and Sport rowing rowing. In the latter, New Zealand enjoyed an extraordinary magic 45 minutes when winning four successive gold medals at the 2005 world championships. Snow sports such as skiing and snowboarding are also popular. Equestrian sportsmen and sportswomen make their mark in the world, with Mark Todd (equestrian) Mark Todd being chosen international "Horseman of the Century", and many juniors at pony club level.

Olympic Games
The country is internationally recognised for performing extremely well on a medals-to-population ratio at Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games. See, for example, New Zealand Olympic medallists and New Zealand at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Rugby union
Rugby union is closely linked to New Zealand's national identity. The national rugby team, the All Blacks, has the best winning record of any national team in the world, including being the inaugural winner of the 1987 Rugby Union World Cup World Cup, in 1987. The style of name has been followed in naming the national team in several other sports: for instance, the nation's basketball team is known as the Tall Blacks. New Zealand is to host the 2011 Rugby Union World Cup. New Zealand's national sporting colours are not the colours of its flag, but are black and white (silver). The silver fern is a national emblem worn by New Zealanders representing their country in sport. The haka—a traditional MÄ?ori challenge—is often performed at sporting events. The All Blacks traditionally perform a haka before the start of international matches.

Yachting, America's Cup
New Zealand is one of the leading nations in world yachting, especially open water long distance or around the world races. Round-the-world yachtsman Peter Blake (yachtsman) Sir Peter Blake was a national hero. In inshore yachting, Auckland hosted the last two America's Cup regattas (2000 and 2003). In 2000, Team New Zealand successfully defended the trophy they had won in 1995 in San Diego, which made them the only team ouside the United States to successfully defend a challenge, but in 2003 they lost to a team headed by Ernesto Bertarelli of Switzerland, whose Alinghi syndicate was skippered by Russell Coutts, the former skipper of Team New Zealand. Team New Zealand will compete for the America's Cup at the next regatta in Valencia in 2007. The team manager is Grant Dalton.

Public holidays
{{main|Holidays in New Zealand}} '''Statutory Holidays'''
(These holidays are legislated by several Acts of Parliament, such as the Holidays Act. New Zealand statutes can be viewed at [http://www.legislation.govt.nz/browse_vw.asp?content-set=pal_statutes legislation.govt.nz]) {| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |- style=background:#efefef; ! Date ! Holiday |- | January 1¹ | New Year's Day |- | January 2² | Day after New Year's Day |- | February 6 | Waitangi day |- | The Friday before Easter Sunday | Good Friday |- | The first Sunday after the first full moon
following the vernal equinox March equinox | Easter Sunday |- | The day after Easter Sunday | Easter Monday |- | April 25 | ANZAC Day |- | The first Monday in June | Queen's Birthday |- | The fourth Monday in October | Labour Day |- | December 25¹ | Christmas Day |- | December 26² | Boxing Day |- | colspan="2" align="left" | ('''1''') or the following Monday if it falls on a weekend |- | colspan="2" align="left" | ('''2''') or the following Monday or Tuesday if it falls on a Sunday or Monday |} There are also ''Provincial Anniversary Days'' to celebrate the founding days or landing days of the first colonists of the various colonial provinces. The observance of Anniversary days can vary within each province due to local custom, convenience or the proximity of seasonal events or other holidays. This may differ from the historical observance day, and may be several weeks from the historic date of the events being commemorated. A full list of Anniversary days is listed in the article ''Holidays in New Zealand''.

International rankings
*UN Human Development Index (HDI), 2005: 19th out of 177 behind Norway; United Nations Development Programme (pdf) [http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2005/pdf/HDR05_complete.pdf] *Quality of Life Index, 2005: 15th out of 111 behind Canada; The Economist Intelligence Unit (pdf) [http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/QUALITY_OF_LIFE.pdf] *Environmental Sustainability Index, 2005: 14th (out of 146) behind Finland; Yale University Center for Environmental Law and Policy & Columbia University Center for International Earth Science Information Network (pdf) [http://www.yale.edu/esi/ESI2005_Main_Report.pdf] *Index of Economic Freedom, 2005: 5th= (out of 155) behind Hong Kong; Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal [http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/] *Gross domestic product GDP per person at Purchasing power parity PPP, 2005: 25th out of 111 behind Spain; The Economist Intelligence Unit (pdf) [http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/QUALITY_OF_LIFE.pdf] *Transparency International 2005: 2nd= (out of 159) behind Iceland on its list of Index of perception of corruption least corrupt countries in the world. [http://ww1.transparency.org/cpi/2005/cpi2005_infocus.html#cpi] *Broadband Ranking June 2005: 22nd (out of 30) [http://www.oecd.org/document/16/0,2340,en_2649_34225_35526608_1_1_1_1,00.html] *Reporters without Borders Press Freedom Index 2005: 2.00 (Tied for 12th with Hungary, Sweden, Trinidad & Tobago) For comparison, the U.K. is 5.17 at #24, and the U.S. is 9.50 at #44. Lower is better. [http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=554]

See also
{| align="center" id="toc" cellspacing="0" |- bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | colspan="2" align="center" | '''List of New Zealand-related topics Topics in New Zealand''' |- ! align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | History of New Zealand History | align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | timeline of New Zealand history Timeline | Treaty of Waitangi .html">New Zealand land wars Land Wars | Timeline of New Zealand's links with Antarctica Antarctic history |- ! align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | Geography of New Zealand Geography | align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | Time in New Zealand Time | National parks of New Zealand National Parks | Marine reserves of New Zealand Marine reserves | List of islands of New Zealand Islands | List of New Zealand lakes Lakes | List of rivers of New Zealand Rivers | List of caves of New Zealand Caves | List of cities in New Zealand Cities | List of towns in New Zealand Towns |- align="center" ! align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | Politics of New Zealand Politics | align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | New Zealand constitution Constitution | Queen of New Zealand Queen | New Zealand Parliament Parliament |Prime Minister of New Zealand Prime Minister | Political parties in New Zealand Political parties | New Zealand elections Elections | Supreme Court of New Zealand Supreme Court | Foreign relations of New Zealand Foreign relations |- align="center" ! align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | Economy of New Zealand Economy | align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | Transport in New Zealand Transport | Rogernomics .html">Tourism in New Zealand Tourism | List of New Zealand companies Companies | Communications in New Zealand Communications |- align="center" ! align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | Culture of New Zealand Culture |align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | MÄ?ori culture .html">New Zealand English English | New Zealand cinema Cinema | New Zealand literature Literature | Music of New Zealand Music | Education in New Zealand Education | Sport in New Zealand Sport | Holidays in New Zealand Holidays |- align="center" ! align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | List of cities in New Zealand Main cities |align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | Auckland .html">Hamilton, New Zealand Hamilton | Wellington .html">Christchurch _Dunedin |- align="center" |align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | List of New Zealanders | align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | |}

Notes
{{mnb|McGlone1999|1}}McGlone, S.M. and Wilmshurst, J.M. 1999. Dating initial MÄ?ori environmental impact in New Zealand. ''Quaternary International'' 59:5 - 16
{{mnb|MFE|2}}Ministry for the Environment. 2005. Offshore Options: Managing Environmental Effects in New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone. [http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/water/offshore-options-jun05/html/page3.html Introduction]
{{mnb|Allan1982|3}}Allan, H.H. 1982. ''Indigenous Tracheophyta - Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledons'', Flora of New Zealand Volume I. Botany Division, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research

External links
{{portal}} {{sisterlinks|New Zealand}}
- Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of New Zealand
- Te Puna Web Directory - A directory to New Zealand web sites
- Ministry for Culture and Heritage - includes information on flag, anthems and coat of arms.
- New Zealand Government Portal
- Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding New Zealand * {{wikitravelpar|New Zealand}}
- New Zealand weather
- NZHistory.net.nz New Zealand history website
- Statistics New Zealand - Official statistics.
- Tourism New Zealand
- www.zoomin.co.nz Maps of New Zealand {{Pacific Islands}}
{{Commonwealth Realms}} {{Polynesia}} Category:New Zealand Category:Members of the Commonwealth of Nations Category:Former British colonies Category:Monarchies Category:Oceanian countries Category:Polynesia af:Nieu-Seeland als:Neuseeland ang:NÄ«we SÇ£land ar:Ù†ÙŠÙˆØ²ÙŠÙ„Ù†Ø¯Ø§ an:Nueba Zelanda zh-min-nan:Aotearoa bg:Ð?Ð¾Ð²Ð° Ð—ÐµÐ»Ð°Ð½Ð´Ð¸Ñ? ca:Nova Zelanda cs:NovÃ½ ZÃ©land cy:Seland Newydd da:New Zealand de:Neuseeland et:Uus-Meremaa el:Î?ÎÎ± Î–Î·Î»Î±Î½Î´Î¯Î± es:Nueva Zelanda eo:Nov-Zelando eu:Zeelanda Berria fr:Nouvelle-ZÃ©lande ga:An Nua-ShÃ©alainn gl:Nova Celandia - New Zealand ko:ë‰´ì§ˆëžœë“œ hi:à¤¨à¥?à¤¯à¥‚à¤œà¤¼à¥€à¤²à¥ˆà¤‚à¤¡ hr:Novi Zeland id:Selandia Baru is:NÃ½ja-SjÃ¡land it:Nuova Zelanda he:× ×™×• ×–×™×œ× ×“ kw:Mordir Nowydh ht:NouvÃ¨l Zelann la:Nova Zelandia lv:JaunzÄ“lande lt:Naujoji Zelandija li:Nui-Zieland hu:Ãšj-ZÃ©land mk:Ð?Ð¾Ð² Ð—ÐµÐ»Ð°Ð½Ð´ mi:Aotearoa ms:New Zealand na:New Zealand nl:Nieuw-Zeeland ja:ãƒ‹ãƒ¥ãƒ¼ã‚¸ãƒ¼ãƒ©ãƒ³ãƒ‰ no:New Zealand nn:New Zealand nds:Niegseeland pl:Nowa Zelandia pt:Nova ZelÃ¢ndia ro:Noua ZeelandÄƒ ru:Ð?Ð¾Ð²Ð°Ñ? Ð—ÐµÐ»Ð°Ð½Ð´Ð¸Ñ? sm:Nusila sco:New Zealand sq:Zelanda e Re simple:New Zealand sk:NovÃ½ ZÃ©land sl:Nova Zelandija sr:Ð?Ð¾Ð²Ð¸ Ð—ÐµÐ»Ð°Ð½Ð´ sh:Novi Zeland su:Selandia Baru fi:Uusi-Seelanti sv:Nya Zeeland tl:New Zealand ta:à®¨à®¿à®¯à¯‚à®šà®¿à®²à®¾à®¨à¯?à®¤à¯? th:à¸›à¸£à¸°à¹€à¸—à¸¨à¸™à¸´à¸§à¸‹à¸µà¹?à¸¥à¸™à¸”à¹Œ vi:New Zealand tpi:Niusilan to:Nu'usila tr:Yeni Zelanda uk:Ð?Ð¾Ð²Ð° Ð—ÐµÐ»Ð°Ð½Ð´Ñ–Ñ? wa:Nouve Zelande yi:× ×™×™ ×–×™×™×œ×?× ×“ zh:æ–°è¥¿å…°
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The Realm of New Zealand .html">Image:Flag of New Zealand.svg 50px|Flag of New Zealand |- | align="center" style="font-size: 90%;" colspan="2" | Cook Islands .html">New Zealand Niue | Ross Dependency | Tokelau |} {{sisterlinkswp|Category:New Zealand}} '''New Zealand''' is a country formed of two major islands and a number of Islands of New Zealand smaller islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. See the ''':Portal:New Zealand New Zealand Portal''' for an alternative presentation of 's New Zealand content. Category:Polynesia Category:Oceanian countries Category:Island nations ar:ØªØµÙ†ÙŠÙ?:Ù†ÙŠÙˆØ²ÙŠÙ„Ù†Ø¯Ø§ bg:ÐšÐ°Ñ‚ÐµÐ³Ð¾Ñ€Ð¸Ñ?:Ð?Ð¾Ð²Ð° Ð—ÐµÐ»Ð°Ð½Ð´Ð¸Ñ? ca:Categoria:Nova Zelanda cs:Kategorie:NovÃ½ ZÃ©land da:Kategori:New Zealand de:Kategorie:Neuseeland el:ÎšÎ±Ï„Î·Î³Î¿Ï?Î¯Î±:Î?ÎÎ± Î–Î·Î»Î±Î½Î´Î¯Î± eo:Kategorio:Nov-Zelando es:CategorÃa:Nueva Zelanda et:Kategooria:Uus-Meremaa eu:Kategoria:Zeelanda Berria fi:Luokka:Uusi-Seelanti fr:CatÃ©gorie:Nouvelle-ZÃ©lande gl:Category:Nova Celandia he:×§×˜×’×•×¨×™×”:× ×™×• ×–×™×œ× ×“ hu:Kategoria:Zeelanda Berria id:Kategori:Selandia Baru is:Flokkur:NÃ½ja-SjÃ¡land it:Categoria:Nuova Zelanda ja:Category:ãƒ‹ãƒ¥ãƒ¼ã‚¸ãƒ¼ãƒ©ãƒ³ãƒ‰ ko:ë¶„ë¥˜:ë‰´ì§ˆëžœë“œ kw:Category:Mordir Nowydh la:Categoria:Nova Zelandia lt:Kategorija:Naujoji Zelandija mi:Category:Aotearoa na:Category:New Zealand nl:Categorie:Nieuw-Zeeland nn:Kategori:New Zealand no:Kategori:New Zealand pl:Kategoria:Nowa Zelandia pt:Categoria:Nova ZelÃ¢ndia ru:ÐšÐ°Ñ‚ÐµÐ³Ð¾Ñ€Ð¸Ñ?:Ð?Ð¾Ð²Ð°Ñ? Ð—ÐµÐ»Ð°Ð½Ð´Ð¸Ñ? simple:Category:New Zealand sk:KategÃ³ria:NovÃ½ ZÃ©land sl:Kategorija:Nova Zelandija sr:ÐšÐ°Ñ‚ÐµÐ³Ð¾Ñ€Ð¸Ñ˜Ð°:Ð?Ð¾Ð²Ð¸ Ð—ÐµÐ»Ð°Ð½Ð´ sv:Kategori:Nya Zeeland wa:Categoreye:Nouve Zelande zh:Category:æ–°è¥¿å…° zh-min-nan:Category:Sin JiaÌ?t-lÃ¢n-jia see New Zealand {| width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="10" style="background:#f9f9ff; border-style:solid; border-width:1px; border-color:#EF1818;" | width="55%" valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0;" | __NOTOC__ __NOEDITSECTION__ {{browsebarcountry|New Zealand|New Zealand}}

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