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.

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia
41 00 S, 174 00 E
Oceania
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
about the size of Colorado
0 km
15,134 km
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
temperate with sharp regional contrasts
predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m ; highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m
natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone
arable land: 5.54% ; permanent crops: 6.92% ; other: 87.54% (2005)
2,850 sq km (2003)
397 cu km (1995)
Total: 2.11 cu km/yr (48%/9%/42%) ; Per capita: 524 cu m/yr (2000)
earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity
deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species
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
about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world
4,115,771 (July 2007 est.)
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.)
total: 34.2 years ; male: 33.5 years ; female: 35 years (2007 est.)
0.95% (2007 est.)
13.61 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
7.54 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
3.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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.)
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.)
total population: 78.96 years ; male: 75.97 years ; female: 82.08 years (2007 est.)
1.79 children born/woman (2007 est.)
0.1% (2003 est.)
1,400 (2003 est.)
less than 200 (2003 est.)
noun: New Zealander(s) ; adjective: New Zealand
European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander 4.4%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8% (2001 census)
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)
English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write ; total population: 99% ; male: 99% ; female: 99% (2003 est.)


conventional long form: none ; conventional short form: New Zealand ; abbreviation: NZ
parliamentary democracy
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
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
Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau
26 September 1907 (from UK)
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)
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
based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
18 years of age; universal
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
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
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; High Court; note - judges appointed by the Governor-General
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]
NA
ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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
chief of mission: Ambassador Roy N. FERGUSON ; chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008 ; telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800 ; FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227 ; consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York
chief of mission: Ambassador William P. McCORMICK ; embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington ; mailing address: 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

while not an official symbol, the Kiwi, a small native flightless bird, represents New Zealand



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 - and broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector. Per capita income has risen for eight consecutive years and reached $27,800 in 2007 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 were equal to about 22% of GDP in 2007, down from 33% 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. Inflationary pressures have built in recent years and the central bank raised its key rate 13 times since January 2004 to finish 2007 at 8.25%. A large balance of payments deficit poses another challenge in managing the economy.
$112.6 billion (2007 est.)
$104 billion (2007 est.)
3% (2007 est.)
$27,300 (2007 est.)
agriculture: 4.3% ; industry: 26.2% ; services: 69.6% (2007 est.)
2.23 million (2007 est.)
agriculture: 7% ; industry: 19% ; services: 74% (2006 est.)
3.5% (2007 est.)
NA%
lowest 10%: NA ; highest 10%: NA (1991 est.)
36.2 (1997)
2.5% (2007 est.)
22.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
revenues: $54.36 billion ; expenditures: $48.51 billion (2007 est.)
18.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
dairy products, lamb and mutton; wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef; fish
food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining
1.8% (2007 est.)
42.06 billion kWh (2006 est.)
fossil fuel: 31.6% ; hydro: 57.8% ; nuclear: 0% ; other: 10.7% (2001)
37.39 billion kWh (2006 est.)
0 kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
25,880 bbl/day (2006 est.)
156,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)
15,720 bbl/day (2004)
140,900 bbl/day (2004)
55.5 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
3.9 billion cu m (2006 est.)
3.7 billion cu m (2006 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005)
29.67 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
-$9.973 billion (2007 est.)
$28.12 billion (2007 est.)
dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery
Australia 20.5%, US 13.1%, Japan 10.3%, China 5.4%, UK 4.9% (2006)
$29.83 billion (2007 est.)
Australia 20.5%, China 12.3%, US 11.8%, Japan 9.2%, Germany 4.4%, Singapore 4.4% (2006)
ODA, $276 million (2006 est.)
$18.99 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
$50.02 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
$63.12 billion (2006 est.)
$NA
$40.62 billion (2005)
New Zealand dollar (NZD)
NZD
New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003)
1 April - 31 March ; note: this is the fiscal year for tax purposes

1.729 million (2005)
3.53 million (2005)
general assessment: excellent domestic and international systems ; domestic: NA ; international: country code - 64; the Southern Cross submarine cable system provides links to Australia, Fiji, and US; satellite earth stations - 1 InMarSat (Pacific Ocean), 7 other
AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998)
3.75 million (1997)
41 (plus about 700 repeaters) (1997)
1.926 million (1997)
.nz
1.433 million (2007)
36 (2000)
3.2 million (2006)

121 (2007)
total: 41 ; over 3,047 m: 2 ; 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 26 ; under 914 m: 1 (2007)
total: 80 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 31 ; under 914 m: 46 (2007)

condensate 224 km; gas 1,693 km; liquid petroleum gas 45 km; oil 280 km; refined products 288 km (2006)
total: 4,128 km ; narrow gauge: 4,128 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2006)
total: 92,931 km ; paved: 59,783 km (includes 171 km of expressways) ; unpaved: 33,148 km (2003)

total: 11 ships (1000 GRT or over) 108,667 GRT/89,458 DWT ; by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2 ; foreign-owned: 1 (Germany 1) ; registered in other countries: 8 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Cook Islands 1, Dominica 3, France 1, UK 1) (2007)
Auckland, Lyttelton, Marsden Point, Tauranga, Wellington, Whangarei

New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF): New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force (2006)
17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed until the age of 18 (2001)
males age 17-49: 984,700 ; females age 17-49: 965,170 (2005 est.)
males age 17-49: 809,519 ; females age 17-49: 802,069 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 29,738 ; females age 17-49: 28,523 (2005 est.)
1% (2005 est.)

asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)

significant consumer of amphetamines

