New Zealand
New Zealand is a country in the south-western
Pacific Ocean consisting of two large islands (the
North Island and
South Island) and many
much smaller islands, most notably
Stewart Island and the
Chatham Islands. It is called
Aotearoa in
Māori, which translates as the
Land of the Long White Cloud, but this name, while in common usage, has no legal recognition.
It is notable for its geographic isolation, being separated from
Australia to the northwest by the
Tasman Sea, some 2000
kilometres (1250
miles) across. Its closest neighbours to the north are
New Caledonia,
Fiji, and
Tonga.
The population is mostly of
European descent, with
Māori being the largest minority. Non-Māori
Polynesian and
Asian peoples are also significant minorities, especially in the
cities.
Elizabeth II is the
Queen of New Zealand and is represented by a non-partisan
Governor-General; the Queen 'reigns but does not rule', so she has no real political influence. Political power is held by the
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
territorial claim in Antarctica).
New Zealand is one of the most recently settled major land masses.
Polynesian settlers arrived in their
waka some time between the
13th century and the
15th century to establish the
indigenous Māori culture. New Zealand's
Māori name,
Aotearoa, is usually translated as "Land of the long white cloud", reputedly referring to the cloud the explorers saw on the horizon as they approached. Settlement of the
Chatham Islands to the east of the 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 ('nation' or 'tribe').
Māori adapted to eating the local marine resources, flora and fauna for food, hunting the giant flightless
moa (which soon became extinct), and ate the
Polynesian Rat and
kumara (sweet potato), which they introduced to the country.
The first
Europeans known to have reached New Zealand were led by
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 seen in
1616 off the coast of
Chile.
Staten Landt appeared on Tasman's first maps of New Zealand, but this was changed by
Dutch 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. Captain
James Cook subsequently called the archipelago
New Zealand (a slight corruption, as
Zealand is not an alternative spelling of
Zeeland, a province in the
Netherlands, but of
Sjælland, the island in
Denmark that includes
Copenhagen), although the Māori names he recorded for the North and South Islands (as Aehei No Mouwe and Tovy Poenammu respectively
[The modern spelling for these names - still in use by Māori - are Te Ika a Maui and Te Wai Pounamu.]) 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, Māori 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 Māori 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.
Concerned about the exploitation of Māori by Europeans, the British
Colonial Office appointed
James Busby as British Resident to New Zealand in
1832. In 1834, Busby convened the
United Tribes of New Zealand to select a flag and declare their independence, which led to the
Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand. This declaration did not allay the fears of the
Church Missionary Society, who continued lobbying for British annexation. Increasing
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 Māori translation of the treaty promised the Māori 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 Māori 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 November
1840. 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 Māori. 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
Australasian colonies. New Zealand lost interest in joining
Australia in a federation following this convention.
In
1893 New Zealand became the first nation to grant women the right to vote on the same basis as men; however women were not eligible to stand for parliament until
1919.
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 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.
In 1951,
Australia, New Zealand and the
United States became allies with the signing of the
ANZUS Treaty. In 1985, New Zealand declared itself a
nuclear-free zone. As a result, US
warships could no longer enter New Zealand ports without declaring themselves to be free of nuclear weapons or power. As such a declaration would be against US Government policy, effectively the ships were banned from New Zealand. The United States suspended its obligations to New Zealand under the ANZUS Treaty.
New Zealand is a
constitutional monarchy with a
parliamentary democracy. Under the New Zealand Royal Titles Act (
1953),
Queen Elizabeth II is
Queen of New Zealand and is represented as
head of state by the
Governor-General. Until the Governor-General designate, Judge
Anand Satyanand, takes office, these duties will be performed by the
Administrator of the Government, Chief Justice Dame
Sian Elias.
New Zealand is the only country in the world in which all the highest offices in the land have been occupied simultaneously 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. This took place from March 2005 to August 2006.
The
New Zealand Parliament has only
one chamber, the
House of Representatives, which usually seats 120 Members of Parliament.
Parliamentary general elections are held every three years under a form of
proportional representation called
Mixed Member Proportional. The
2005 General Election created an '
overhang' of one extra seat (occupied by the
Māori Party), due to that party winning more seats in constituencies than the number of seats its proportion of the party vote would have given it.
There is no written
constitution: the
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, who is also, by convention, the Parliamentary leader of the governing party or coalition.
The current Prime Minister is
Helen Clark, leader of the
Labour Party. She has served two full 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 formal coalition consists of the Labour Party and
Jim Anderton, the
Progressive Party's only MP. In addition to the parties in formal coalition,
New Zealand First and
United Future provide confidence and supply in return for their leaders being ministers outside cabinet. A further arrangement has been made with the
Green Party, which has given a commitment not to vote against the government on
confidence and supply. This commitment assures the government of a majority of seven MPs on confidence.
The
Leader of the Opposition is
National Party leader
Don Brash, formerly Governor of the
Reserve Bank. The
ACT party and the
Māori Party are both also in opposition. The Greens, New Zealand First and United Future all vote against the government on some legislation.
Major political parties:
*
Labour Party (50 seats)
*
National Party (48 seats)
Minor political parties (in Parliament):
*
ACT New Zealand (2 seats)
*
Green Party (6 seats)
*
Jim Anderton's Progressive Party (1 seat)
*
Māori Party (4 seats)
*
New Zealand First (7 seats)
*
United Future (3 seats)
The highest court in New Zealand is the
Supreme Court of New Zealand, which 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
Privy Council in
London. The current Chief Justice is
Dame Sian Elias. New Zealand's judiciary also includes the
High Court, which deals with serious criminal offences and civil matters, and the
Court of Appeal, as well as subordinate courts.
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: 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 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 (although New Zealand does still have a good working relationship with the UK).
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 have looked to New Zealand's lead. The American influence on New Zealand was weakened by the disappointment with the
Vietnam War, the
sinking of the Rainbow Warrior by France, and by disagreements over environmental and agricultural trade issues and New Zealand's nuclear-free policy.
New Zealand is a party to the
ANZUS security treaty between Australia, New Zealand and the United States. In February 1985 New Zealand refused
nuclear-powered or
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,
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.
 |
A map of New Zealand showing the major cities and towns |
The early European settlers divided New Zealand into
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 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
regional councils and
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 authorities. Territorial authority districts are not subdivisions of regional council districts, and a few of them straddle regional council boundaries.
Regions are (asterisks denote unitary authorities):
Northland,
Auckland,
Waikato,
Bay of Plenty,
Gisborne*,
Hawke's Bay,
Taranaki,
Manawatu-Wanganui,
Wellington,
Marlborough*,
Nelson*,
Tasman*,
West Coast,
Canterbury,
Otago,
Southland,
Chatham Islands*.
As a major
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
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".
 |
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
Māori) and a number of
smaller islands. The total land area of New Zealand, 268,680
square kilometres (103,738
sq miles), is a little less than that of Italy and
Japan, and a little more than the
United Kingdom. The country extends more than 1600 kilometres (1000 miles) along its main, north-north-east axis, with approximately 15,134 km of coastline. 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.
[Ministry for the Environment. 2005. Offshore Options: Managing Environmental Effects in New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone. Introduction]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 at 3754
metres (12,316
ft). There are 18 peaks of more than 3000 metres (9800 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 (2797 m / 9176 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 programmes and
films, including the
Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The
climate throughout the country is mild, mostly
cool temperate to warm temperate, with temperatures rarely falling below 0°
C (32°
F) or rising above 30°C (86°F). Conditions vary from wet and cold on the
West Coast of the
South Island to dry and
continental in the
Mackenzie Basin of inland
Canterbury and
subtropical in
Northland. Of the main cities, Christchurch is the driest, receiving only some 640 mm (25
in) of rain per year. Auckland, the wettest, receives a little less than three times that amount.
 |
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 genera.
[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] The two main types of forest have been dominated by
podocarps including the giant
kauri and
southern beech. The remaining vegetation types in New Zealand are grasslands of
tussock and other grasses, usually in sub-alpine areas, and the low shrublands between grasslands and forests.
Until the arrival of humans, 80% of the land was
forested and, barring three species of
bat (one now extinct), there were no non-marine
mammals. Instead, New Zealand's forests were inhabited by a diverse range of birds including the flightless
moa (now extinct), and the
kiwi,
kakapo, and
takah", 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
kākā and
kea parrots. Reptiles present in New Zealand include
skinks,
geckos and
tuatara. There are four endemic species of
primitive frogs. There are no
snakes but there are many species of insects, including the
weta, one species of 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. A more recent development is the mainland
ecological island.
New Zealand has a modern, developed economy with an estimated GDP of $97.39 billion (2005).
The country has a high standard of living with GDP per capita estimated at $24,100. The standard of living has also been measured in other forms, including being ranked 19th on the 2005 Human Development Index and 15th in The Economist's 2005 world-wide quality-of-life index.
The
Tertiary sector is the largest sector in the economy and constitutes 67.6% of GDP, followed by the
Secondary sector on 27.8% and the
Primary sector on 4.7% (2005 estimate).
New Zealand is a country heavily dependent on trade (particularly in agricultural products) as almost 20% of the country's
output is exported. This leaves New Zealand particularly vulnerable to global
economic slowdowns and slumps in commodity prices. Its principal export industries are agriculture, horticulture, fishing and forestry making up about half of the countries exports. Its major export partners are Australia 22.4%, US 11.3%, Japan 11.2%, China 9.7%, Germany 5.2% (2004). This is a dramatic change from 1965 when the United Kingdom received over half of New Zealand's exports; this ended mostly because of the UK's entry to the
European Community in 1973.
Due to changing economic conditions, 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. Pursuant to this policy, during the late
1980s and early
1990s, the New Zealand Government sold a number of former government owned enterprises including its
telecommunications company,
railway network, a number of
radio stations, and two financial institutions. However, the New Zealand Government continues to own a number of significant businesses, collectively known as
State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). These SOEs are operated through arms-length shareholding arrangements and are required to operate profitably, just like any other privately owned enterprise.
The current New Zealand government's economic objectives are centred on pursuing free-trade agreements and building a "
knowledge economy". In
2004 the government began discussing a free trade agreement with the
People's Republic of China, one of the first countries to do so.
Ethnic groups
New Zealand has a population of about 4.1 million. About 70% of the population are of European descent. New Zealanders of European descent are collectively known as
Pākehā - this term is used variously and some Māori use it to refer to all non-Māori New Zealanders. Most European New Zealanders are of
British,
Irish or
Dutch ancestry. Indigenous Māori people are the largest non-European ethnic group (the percentage of the population of full or part-Māori ancestry is 14.7%; those who checked Māori only are 7.9%). Between the 1996 and 2001 census, 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 was positive about immigration and is committed to increasing its population by about 1% per annum. At present, migrants from the
United Kingdom constitute the largest single group (30%) but new migrants are drawn from many nations, and increasingly from
East Asia.
Religions
Christianity is the predominant religion in New Zealand, although nearly 40% of the population has no religious affiliation. The main
Christian denominations are
Anglicanism,
Roman Catholicism,
Presbyterianism and
Methodism. There are also significant numbers who identify themselves with
Pentecostal and
Baptist churches and with the
LDS (Mormon) church. The New Zealand-based
Ratana church has many adherents among Māori. According to census figures, other significant minority religions include
Hinduism,
Judaism,
Buddhism and
Islam (see
Desi).
|
Twilight bagpipe band practice, Napier |
Contemporary New Zealand has a diverse culture with influences from English, Scottish, Irish, and Māori cultures, along with those of other European cultures and - more recently - Polynesian (including Samoan, Tongan, Niuean, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian, and Hawaiian), southern Asian (Indian), southeast Asian (Filipino, Malaysian, Cambodian, and Vietnamese), and east Asian (Chinese, Korean, 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
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 Māori culture had no metal tools, relying on stone and wood. Māori culture survives as Māori continue to support and develop their culture on their own terms and conditions - much as any other living and thriving culture does in the world.
Use of the Māori language (Te Reo Māori) as a living, community language remained only in a few remote areas in the post-war years, but is currently undergoing a renaissance, thanks in part to Māori language medium schools and a
Māori Television channel after being set up from recommendations set down by the Waitangi Tribunal. Māori Television is the only nationwide television channel in New Zealand to have the majority of its prime time content delivered in Māori ( sometimes with sub-titles in English). Māori Television is also the only television channel that tries to generate new content in Māori and subtitles English programmes in Māori. None of the other television channels present a substantial number of Māori programmes, or subtitle English language programmes in Māori, despite the fact that it is an official language equal to English.
New Zealand's landscape has appeared in a number of
television programmes and
films. In particular, the television series
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and
Xena: Warrior Princess were filmed around
Auckland, and the film
Heavenly Creatures in
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 movies shot in New Zealand are
King Kong and
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu is the longest Māori word. It is the name of a hill in the
Hawke's Bay region of the North Island. The Guinness Book of World Records lists this as the longest geographical name in the world.
New Zealand's national sport is
rugby union, with other popular
sports including,
cricket,
netball,
lawn bowling,
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 sports, particularly
surfing,
sailing,
whitewater kayaking,
surf lifesaving skills and
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 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. They hosted and won the inaugural
Rugby World Cup in 1987 (and New Zealand will host the
2011 world cup). Variations of the phrase "All Black" have been adapted by several other national sporting codes such as the
basketball team (the
Tall Blacks), the
cricket team (
Black Caps) and the
hockey team (
Black Sticks). The
soccer team is called the
All Whites. New Zealand's national sporting colours are black and white (silver). The
silver fern is a national emblem worn by New Zealanders representing their country in sport and also features as the name of New Zealand's highly successful national
netball team, the
Silver Ferns. The
haka, a traditional
Māori challenge, is often performed at sporting events and the All Blacks traditionally perform a haka before the start of international matches. See
Haka of the All Blacks.
Yachting, America's Cup
New Zealand is one of the leading nations in world yachting, especially open-water long-distance or round-the-world races. Round-the-world 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 outside 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.
There are two types of public holidays in New Zealand:
*Statutory Holidays, which are legislated by law;
*Provincial Anniversary Days, which commemorate the founding of the province or an early settlement event.
Under current legislation, workers who work on a public holiday must be given equivalent time off on another day, and be paid
time-and-a-half.
Political and economic rankings
|
New Zealand is one of the least corrupt countries in the world. |
*
Political freedom ratings - Free; political rights and civil liberties both rated 1 (the highest score available)
**
Press freedom - 12th freest in the world at 2.00
*
GDP per capita - 27th highest in the world at
I$24,769
*
Human Development Index - 19th highest in world at 0.933
*
Income Equality - 53rd most equal in world at 36.2 (
Gini Index)
*
Literacy Rate - Equal first with a ranking of 99.9%
*
Unemployment rate - 22nd lowest in the world at 3.40%
*
Corruption - 2nd equal least corrupt in world at 9.6 on index
*
Economic Freedom - 9th equal freest at 1.84 on index
Health rankings
*
Fertility rate- 140th most fertile in the world at 1.79 per woman
**
Birth rate - 140th most births in the world at 13.90 per 1000 people
***
Infant mortality - 192nd most deaths in the world at 5.85 per 1000 live births
*
Death rate - 115th highest death rate in the world at 7.52 per 1000 people
*
Life Expectancy - 22nd highest in the world at 78.81 years
**
Suicide Rate - 35th highest suicide rate in the world at 19.8 for males and 4.2 for females
*
HIV/AIDS rate - 149th most cases in the world at 0.10%
Other rankings
*
CO2 emissions - 32nd highest emissions in world at 8.7 tonnes per capita
*
Electricity Consumption - 48th highest consumption of electricity in world at 37,030,000,000 kWh
*
Broadband uptake - 22nd highest uptake in
OECD at 8.1%
*
Beer consumption - 16th highest at 77.0 litres per capita
*
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*
New Zealand weather*
NZHistory.net.nz New Zealand history website*
Statistics New Zealand - Official statistics.
*
Tourism New Zealandzh-yue:紐西蘭
