New Zealand

New Zealand, an island nation is located in the Pacific Ocean at the southeast of Australia, consisting of the North Island, the South Island, and several smaller islands. The Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau and the Ross Dependency are included into the Realm of New Zealand. Wellington is the capital of the nation. New Zealand ranks 20th in the 2006 Human Development Index, 15th in The Economist's 2005 world-wide quality-of-life index, 1st in life satisfaction, and 5th in overall prosperity in the 2007 Legatum Institute prosperity index. Auckland island is ranked 5th and Wellington is ranked 12th in the world in the 2007 Mercer Quality of Living Survey.

HISTORY:- The Maoris were the first inhabitants of New Zealand around 1000. In 1642, the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman was the first European explorer to land on the island. Later the British captain James Cook explored the island twice first in 1769. Initially the British started trade. By 1840, the island was formally occupied by the British. British and several Maori tribes signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, under the condition that if the Maoris recognized British rule, the British would protect them in return. New Zealand was incorporated in the colony of the New South Wales in the same year. But increasing settlements by the British in the island led to skirmishes between the Maoris and the British. During Maori land wars of the 1860s, this conflict reached to its zenith. But the British strongly resisted the Maori rebellion. During 1890s, parliamentary government was established. New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women’s suffrage in 1893. In 1907, New Zealand declared a dominion by a royal proclamation. The nation gained full internal and external autonomy under the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act of 1947.

GEOGRAPHY:- New Zealand is located at 41 00 S, 174 00 E in the Oceania. New Zealand is an archipelago, comprising the North and South Islands, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. The North and South Islands are separated by the Cook Strait. The coastline is 15,134 km long along with the Pacific Ocean. The lowest point is Pacific Ocean (0 m) and the highest point is Aoraki-Mount Cook (3,754 m). The islands are predominately mountainous with some plains along the coasts.

CLIMATE:- The climate of New Zealand is predominantly temperate with sharp regional contrasts.

GOVERNMENT:- New Zealand has a parliamentary democracy. The constitution was adopted in 1987 and it is a blend of the acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, and the Constitution Act of 1986. The legal system is based on the English law. The three major branches of the government of the island nation are:

Executive branch comprises the Queen (chief of state), the Governor General, the Prime minister (head of government), the Deputy Prime Minister Michael, and the Executive Council. The monarch is hereditary. The governor general is appointed by the monarch, and the monarch is represented by him. The leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is generally appointed the prime minister. Both the Prime minister and the deputy prime minister are appointed by the governor general. The Executive Council is appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister.

Legislative branch comprises unicameral House of Representatives or Parliament (120 seats).

Judicial branch comprises the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, and the High Court. All the judges are appointed by the governor general.

Labour party, National, Progressive Party, New Zealand Green Party, New Zealand First, ACT, United Future New Zealand, and Maori Party are the principal political parties of New Zealand. Suffrage is universal at the age of 18.

Head of State   Queen Elizabeth II

Governor-General  Anand Satyanand

 Prime Minister  Helen Clark

Speaker   Margaret Wilson

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:- New Zealand is divided into 16 regions and 1 territory.

CULTURE:- New Zealand culture is derived from the British, American, Australian and Mâori cultures. Rugby union, cricket, bowls, netball, soccer, golf, swimming and tennis are most widely practiced in the nation.

ECONOMY:- New Zealand has a developed economy.

GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $111.7 billion; per capita $26,400.

Real growth rate: 3%.

Inflation: 2.4%.

Unemployment: 3.6%.

Arable land: 6%.

Agriculture: Wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef, lamb and mutton, dairy products; fish.

Labor force: 2.23 million: services 74%, industry 19%, agriculture 7% (2006).

Budget:  

Revenues: $57.84 billion

Expenditures: $53.7 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt: 20.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Debt - external: $50.07 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Industries: Food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining.

Natural resources: Natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone.

Exports: $28.12 billion (2007 est.): dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, and machinery.

Imports: $29.83 billion (2007 est.): machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics.

Major trading partners: Australia, U.S., Japan, China, UK, Singapore, Germany (2006).

Monetary unit: New Zealand dollar

LANGUAGE:- English spoken by 98%, Mâori spoken by 4.2%, and New Zealand Sign Language spoken by 0.6% of the total population are the official languages of New Zealand.

CITIES:- The capital of New Zealand is Wellington while the largest city of the country is Auckland. Other large cities are Christchurch and Hamilton.

POPULATION:- The approximate population of New Zealand is 4,115,771 with an average growth rate of 1.0%.

Density per sq mi: 40

Literacy rate: 99% (2003 est.).

RACE:-

European 69.8%

Maori 7.9%

Asian 5.7%

Pacific islander 4.4%

Other 0.5%

Mixed 7.8%

Unspecified 3.8% (2001).

RELIGION:-

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).

HEALTH:-

Birth rate: 14.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 4.99 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80.24 years

Total fertility rate: 2.11 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.)

Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2005): 2,223

UNICEF:- UNICEF in New Zealand focuses on children health, nutrition, protection of women and children etc.

TRANSPORTATION:-

Railways: total: 4,128 km (2006).

Highways: total: 92,931 km; paved: 59,783 km (includes 171 km of expressways); unpaved: 33,148 km (2003).

Waterways: 1,609 km; of little importance to transportation.

Ports and harbors: Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Tauranga, Wellington.

Airports: 121 (2007); paved runways: total: 41; unpaved runways: total: 80.