New Zealand

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

New Zealand is a country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two large islands (the North Island and the South Island) and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. In Māori, New Zealand has come to be known as Aotearoa, which is usually translated into English as The Land of the Long White Cloud. The Realm of New Zealand also includes the Cook Islands and Niue, which are self-governing, but in free association; Tokelau; and the Ross Dependency (New Zealand's territorial claim in Antarctica).

New Zealand is notable for its geographic isolation, being separated from Australia to the northwest by the Tasman Sea, approximately 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 the indigenous Māori being the largest minority. Non-Māori Polynesian and Asian people are also significant minorities, especially in the cities. Elizabeth II, as the Queen of New Zealand, is the Head of State and is represented, in her absence, 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 democratically-elected Parliament of New Zealand under the leadership of the Prime Minister who is the Head of Government.

Contents 1 Name 2 History 3 Government 4 Foreign relations and the military 5 Local government and external territories 6 Geography 7 Flora and fauna 8 Economy 8.1 Recent economic history 9 Demographics 10 Culture 11 Sports 12 Public holidays 13 International rankings 14 Bibliography 15 See also 16 References and notes 17 External links

[edit] Name

Main article: New Zealand place names

There is no known pre-contact Māori name for New Zealand, although Māori referred to the North Island as Te Ika-a-Māui (the fish of Māui) and the South Island as Te Wai Pounamu (the waters of jade) or Te Waka-a-Māui (the canoe of Māui). Until the early 20th Century, the North Island was also referred to as Aotearoa, (often glossed as 'long white cloud'); in modern Māori usage this is the name for the whole country.

The name 'New Zealand' originated with Dutch cartographers, who called the islands 'Nova Zeelandia', after the Dutch province of Zeeland. British explorer James Cook subsequently Anglicised the name to New Zealand.

[edit] History

Main article: History of New Zealand

New Zealand is one of the most recently settled major land masses. The first New Zealand settlers were Eastern Polynesians who came to New Zealand, probably in a series of migrations, sometime between around 800 and 1300 AD. Over the next few centuries they developed a distinct culture now known as Māori. The population was divided into hapū (subtribes) which would co-operate, compete and sometimes fight with each other. At some point a group of Māori migrated to the Chatham Islands where they developed their own distinct culture, known as the Moriori.^[1]

The first Europeans known to have reached New Zealand were Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman and his crew, in 1642. Several of the crew were killed by Māori, and no Europeans returned to New Zealand until British explorer James Cook's voyage of 1768. Following Cook, New Zealand was visited by numerous European and North American whaling, sealing and trading ships. They traded European food and goods, especially metal tools and weapons, for Māori timber, food, artifacts, water and sex.^[2] Māori agriculture and warfare were transformed by the potato and the musket, although the resulting Musket Wars died out once the tribal imbalance of arms had been rectified. From the early 19th century, Christian missionaries began to settle in New Zealand, eventually converting most of the Māori population.

After several ineffectual attempts in the 1830s to control European visitors and settlers without actually establishing British law in New Zealand, the British government sent William Hobson to New Zealand to claim sovereignty and negotiate a treaty with Māori.^[3] The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in the Bay of Islands on 6 February 1840. The drafting and translation was done hastily and inexpertly, leading to ongoing confusion and disagreement. The Treaty is regarded as New Zealand's foundation as a nation, and is revered by Māori as a guarantee of their rights.

From 1840, European settlers streamed into New Zealand. At first Māori were eager to trade with the 'Pakeha', as they called them, and many iwi (tribes) became wealthy. As settler numbers increased, conflicts over land led to the New Zealand Land Wars of the 1860s and 1870s. The wars and the subsequent imposition of British land law led to massive Māori land loss. The wars took place in the North Island; the South Island, with its low Māori population, was fairly peaceful and experienced huge European (and some Chinese) immigration as a result of gold discoveries in the early 1860s.

New Zealand was granted limited self-government in the 1850s, and by the late 19th century was a fully self governing country in most senses. In 1893 it became the first nation in the world to give women the vote. In 1907, New Zealand became an independent Dominion, and a fully independent nation in 1947 when the Statute of Westminster (1931) was ratified, although in practice Britain had ceased to play any real role in the government of New Zealand much earlier than this. As New Zealand became more politically independent, it became more dependent economically; in the 1890s refrigerated shipping allowed New Zealand to base its entire economy on the export of meat and dairy products to Britain.

New Zealand was an enthusiastic member of the British Empire, fighting in the Boer War, World War One and World War Two, and supporting Britain in the Suez Crisis. The country was very much a part of the world economy, and suffered as others did in the Great Depression of the 1930s. The depression led to the election of the first Labour government, which established a comprehensive welfare state and a protectionist economy.

New Zealand became wealthy following World War II. However some social problems were developing. Māori had begun to move to the cities in search of work and excitement, and this exposed and exacerbated issues of racism. A large Māori protest movement would eventually form, demanding an end to discrimination and Eurocentrism, and recognition of Māori culture and the Treaty of Waitangi, which had been generally ignored since 1840. Other groups were also dissatisfied with life in New Zealand, and protested against war and imperialism, New Zealand's military alliance with the United States, environmental damage, and the stifling conformity of society. By the 1970s the economic system was no longer functioning, partly because Britain's membership of the EEC damaged its trade ties with New Zealand. The fourth Labour government (1984–1990) abolished protectionism, enabled the Waitangi Tribunal to investigate historic grievances, and refused to let nuclear powered ships into New Zealand waters. Subsequent governments have generally upheld these changes.

[edit] Government

Main article: Politics of New Zealand

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of New Zealand wearing her New Zealand honours.

Helen Clark, Prime Minister

New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy. Under the Royal Titles Act (1953), Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of New Zealand and is represented as head of state by the Governor-General, currently Anand Satyanand.

New Zealand is the only country in the world in which all the highest offices in the land have been occupied simultaneously by women: Queen Elizabeth II, Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright, Prime Minister Helen Clark, Speaker of the House of Representatives Margaret Wilson and Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias were all in office between March 2005 and 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 electorates 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. Since 17 October 2005 Labour has been in formal coalition with 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. Since early in 2007, Labour has also had the proxy vote of Taito Phillip Field, a former Labour MP. These arrangements assure the government of a majority of seven MPs on confidence votes.

The Leader of the Opposition, is National Party leader John Key. 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.

The highest court in New Zealand is the Supreme Court of New Zealand. This was established in 2004 following the passage of the Supreme Court Act 2003, which also abolished the option to appeal 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, and subordinate courts.

[edit] Foreign relations and the military

Main articles: Foreign relations of New Zealand, Military of New Zealand, and Military history 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 geopolitical 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. In declaring war on Germany on 3 September 1939, Prime Minister Michael Savage proclaimed "Where she goes, we go; where she stands, we stand". After the war, however, the United States exerted greater influence. New Zealand joined with Australia and the United States in the ANZUS security treaty in 1951, and later fought alongside the United States in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. In contrast, the United Kingdom became increasingly focussed on its European interests following the Suez Crisis, and New Zealand was forced to develop new markets after the U.K. joined the EEC in 1973.^[4]

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.

While the ANZUS treaty was once fully mutual between Australia, New Zealand and the United States, this is no longer the case. 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 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 sent a unit of army engineers to help rebuild Iraqi infrastructure for one year during the Iraq War. New Zealand forces are still active in Afghanistan as of 2007.

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.

[edit] Local government and external territories

Main articles: Realm of New Zealand, Regions of New Zealand, and Territorial authorities of New Zealand

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 twelve regional councils for the administration of environmental and transport matters and seventy-four territorial authorities that administer roading, sewerage, building consents, and other local matters. The territorial authorities are sixteen city councils, fifty-seven 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.

The 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".

[edit] Geography

Main article: Geography of New Zealand

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, located near the center of the water hemisphere. The total land area, 268,680 square kilometres (103,738 sq mi), 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 include Stewart Island/Rakiura; Waiheke Island, in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf; Great Barrier Island, east of the Hauraki Gulf; and the Chatham Islands, named Rēkohu by Moriori. The country has extensive marine resources, with the seventh-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.^[5]

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 eighteen peaks over 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, and The Last Samurai.

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 almost 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 almost twice that amount.

New Zealand is part of Zealandia, a continent that is 93% submerged. Zealandia is almost half the size of Australia and is unusually long and narrow. About 25 million years ago, a shift in plate tectonic movements began to pull Zealandia apart forcefully. The submerged parts of Zealandia are the Lord Howe Rise, Challenger Plateau, Campbell Plateau, Norfolk Ridge and the Chatham Rise.

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu, a hill in the Hawke's Bay region of the North Island, is credited by The Guinness Book of World Records with having the longest place name in the world.

[edit] Flora and fauna

Main articles: New Zealand animals, New Zealand plants, Biodiversity of New Zealand, and List of extinct New Zealand animals

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 flora in New Zealand occurs only in New Zealand, including more than 40 endemic genera.^[6] The two main types of forest are those dominated by podocarps including the giant kauri, and in cooler climates the 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. Until 2006, it was thought, barring three species of bat (one now extinct), there were no non-marine native mammals. However, in 2006, scientists discovered bones that belonged to a long-extinct, unique, mouse-sized land animal in the Otago region of the South Island.^[7] New Zealand's forests were inhabited by a diverse range of birds including the flightless moa (now extinct), and the kiwi, kakapo, and takahē, all endangered by 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 and there is only one venomous spider, the katipo, which is rare and restricted to coastal regions. However, there are many endemic 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.

[edit] Economy

Main article: Economy of New Zealand

New Zealand has a modern, prosperous, developed economy with an estimated GDP of $106 billion (2006). The country has a high standard of living with GDP per capita estimated at $26,000^[8] (comparative figures are Australia $32,900 and United States $43,500). The standard of living has also been measured in other forms, including being ranked 20th on the 2006 Human Development Index and 15th in The Economist's 2005 world-wide quality-of-life index.^[9]

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).^[10]

New Zealand is a country heavily dependent on trade, particularly in agricultural products, as almost 28% of the country's output is exported^[11] (by comparison it is 21% for the United Kingdom, 49% for Finland and 83% for Belgium). This leaves New Zealand particularly vulnerable to slumps in commodity prices and global economic slowdowns. Its principal export industries are agriculture, horticulture, fishing and forestry making up about half of the country's exports. Its major export partners are Australia 21.4%, US 14.1%, Japan 10.6%, China 5.1%, UK 4.7% (2005).^[12]

[edit] Recent economic history

Traditionally, New Zealand enjoyed a high standard of living with stable commodity exports, based not the least on a strong relationship with the United Kingdom. In 1973, the United Kingdom joined the European Community and began to adhere to its trade policy and at the same time other factors such as the oil crises undermined the viability of the New Zealand economy. This lead to a protracted and very severe economic crisis, during which living standards in New Zealand fell behind those of Australia and Western Europe.

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. These changes are commonly known as Rogernomics and Ruthanasia after Finance Ministers Roger Douglas and Ruth Richardson. A recession began after the 1987 share market crash and this and the reforms caused unemployment to reach 10% in the early 1990s. However the economy recovered and New Zealand’s unemployment rate is now the second lowest of the twenty-seven OECD nations with comparable data.

The current 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. Ongoing economic challenges for New Zealand include a current account deficit of 9% of GDP ([5]), slow development of non-commodity exports and tepid growth of labour productivity. New Zealand since 1900 experienced a steady "brain drain" as well educated youth left permanently for Australia, Britain or the United States. "Kiwi lifestyle" and family/whanau factors attracts some of the expatriates to want to return, while career, culture, and economics tend to be predominantly 'push' components, keeping these people overseas.^[13] In recent years, however, a reverse brain drain brought in educated professionals from poor countries, as well as Europe, as permanent settlers.^[14]

[edit] Demographics

Main article: Demographics of New Zealand

New Zealand has a population of about 4.1 million, of which approximately 78% are of European descent.[6] 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 and Irish ancestry with smaller percentages of Dutch, South Slav, and/or Italian ancestry. [7]

Indigenous Māori people are the largest non-European ethnic group, accounting for 14.6% of the population in the 2006 census. While people could select more than one ethnic group, slightly more than half (53%) of all Māori residents identified solely as Māori.^[15] Between the 1996 and 2001 census, the percentage of people of Asian origin (6.6%) overtook the number of people of Pacific Island origin (6.5%), growing further to 9.2% in the 2006 census.^[16] New Zealand has relatively open immigration policies; its government is committed to increasing its population by about 1% annually. Twenty three percent of the population was born overseas, one of the highest rates anywhere in the world. At present, immigrants from the United Kingdom constitute the largest single group (28%) but immigrants are drawn from many nations, and increasingly from Northeast Asia (mostly China, but with substantial numbers also from Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Hong Kong).^[17]

According to the 2006 census, Christianity is the predominant religion, held by 53% of the population. Around 32% identified that they were 'non-religious' and 5% were affiliated with other religions, while 13% objected to answering or did not provide usable information. 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 adherents among Māori. According to census figures, other significant minority religions include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. Religion does not play a major role in New Zealand public life. Overtly Christian-based political parties such as Christian Heritage and Destiny have been unsuccessful, and the religion (or lack of religion) of political leaders - while generally known - is considered by most to be a private matter. Although faith-based lobby groups exist, political parties have recently been harmed more than helped by their support.

[edit] Culture

Main article: Culture of New Zealand

Contemporary New Zealand has a diverse culture with influences from English, Scottish, Irish, American, Australian and Māori cultures, along with those of other European cultures and – more recently – Polynesian cultures other than that of the Māori (including Samoan, Tongan, Tokelaun Niuean, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian, and Hawaiian); also southern Asian (Indian), Southeast Asian (Filipino, Malaysian, Cambodian, and Vietnamese), and east Asian (Chinese, Korean, and Japanese) cultures. Large festivals in celebration of Diwali and Chinese New Year are held in Auckland, as is the world's largest Polynesian festival, Pasifika. Cultural links between New Zealand and the United Kingdom are maintained by a common language, sustained migration from the United Kingdom and the fact that many young New Zealanders spend time in the United Kingdom on their "overseas experience" (OE). The music of New Zealand and cuisine of New Zealand are similar to that of Britain and the United States, although both have some distinct New Zealand and Pacific qualities.

Māori culture has undergone considerable change since the arrival of Europeans; for example Christianity has been widely adopted, and most Māori now live similar lifestyles to their Pākehā neighbours. However many traditional aspects of Māori culture are alive and well. Marae continue to play an important role, and the Māori arts of kapa haka (song and dance), carving and weaving are practiced. Traditional tribal boundaries called rohe are still recognised. Like all living cultures, Māori culture is not static but changes and adapts.

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 immersion schools and a Māori Television channel. This is the only nationwide television channel to have the majority of its prime-time content delivered in Māori, despite the fact that te reo is an official language equal to English.

Although films have been made in New Zealand since the 1920s, it was only from the 1970s that New Zealand films began to be produced in significant numbers. Films such as Sleeping Dogs and Goodbye Pork Pie achieved local success and lauched the careers of actors and directors including Sam Neill, Geoff Murphy and Roger Donaldson. In the early 1990s, New Zealand film began to attract international acclaim, for example Jane Campion's Academy Award-winning film The Piano, Lee Tamahori's Once Were Warriors and Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Jackson filmed The Lord of the Rings film trilogy in New Zealand, using a mostly New Zealand crew and many New Zealand actors in minor parts. Many non-New Zealand productions, primarily from Hollywood but also Bollywood (India), have been made in New Zealand. Film industry insiders are divided on whether this benefits or harms the New Zealand film industry; however some New Zealand actors, such as Lucy Lawless (Xena) have clearly benefited from these overseas productions.

[edit] Sports

Main article: Sport in New Zealand

Sport has a major role in New Zealand's culture; this is particularly the case with rugby union. Other popular sports include cricket, netball, rowing, basketball, lawn bowling, soccer (perhaps surprisingly, the most popular football code in terms of participation in New Zealand) and rugby league. Also popular are golf, tennis, cycling, field hockey, skiing, snowboarding, softball (current Men's International Softball Federation World Champions, 1996, 2000, 2004) 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. The country is internationally recognised for performing well on a medals-to-population ratio at Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games.^[18] Equestrian sportsmen and sportswomen make their mark in the world, with Mark Todd being chosen international "Horseman of the Century". New Zealand's most famous sportsperson is Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Other internationally famous New Zealand sportspeople include cricket player Sir Richard Hadlee, rugby player Jonah Lomu, sailor Sir Peter Blake and 2005 US Open golf tournament winner Michael Campbell.

Rugby union is closely linked to New Zealand's national identity. The national rugby team, the All Blacks, has the best record of any national team. They hosted and won the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987, and will host the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The haka, a traditional Māori challenge, is traditionally performed by the All Blacks before the start of international matches.^[19]

Cricket is regarded as New Zealand's main summer sport, and the New Zealand cricket team (known as 'The Black Caps') usually ranks in the top six teams in the world in both test cricket and the shorter one day forms of the game. Netball is New Zealand's most prominent women's sport, and the New Zealand national team, the Silver Ferns, have been world champions on several occasions. New Zealand is one of the leading nations in world yachting, especially open-water long-distance or round-the-world races. In inshore yachting, Team New Zealand won the America's Cup regatta in 1995 and successfully defended it in 2000.

[edit] Public holidays

Main article: Holidays in New Zealand

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.

[edit] International rankings

Political and economic rankings

Political freedom ratings - Free; political rights and civil liberties both rated 1 (the highest score available)

Press freedom - 19^th freest, at 5.00

GDP per capita - 27^th highest, at I$24,769

Human Development Index - 20^th highest, at 0.933

Income Equality - 54^th most equal, at 36.2 (Gini Index)

Literacy Rate - Equal first, at 99.9%

Unemployment rate - 42^nd lowest, at 3.80%

Corruption - 1^st equal least corrupt, at 9.6 on index

Economic Freedom - 9^th equal freest, at 1.84 on index

Health rankings

Fertility rate- 140^th most fertile, at 1.79 per woman

Birth rate - 140^th most births, at 13.90 per 1000 people

Infant mortality - 192^nd most deaths, at 5.85 per 1000 live births

Death rate - 115^th highest death rate, at 7.52 per 1000 people

Life Expectancy - 22^nd highest, at 78.81 years

Suicide Rate - 35^th highest suicide rate, at 19.8 for males and 4.2 for females per 100,000 people

HIV/AIDS rate - 149^th most cases, at 0.10%

Other rankings

CO₂ emissions - 42^nd highest emissions, at 8.7 tonnes per capita

Electricity Consumption - 48^th highest consumption of electricity, at 37,030,000,000 kWh

Broadband Internet access - 22^nd highest uptake in OECD, at 11.7%

Beer consumption - 16^th highest, at 77.0 litres per capita

Environmental Performance Index - Comprising; Environmental health, air quality, water resources, biodiversity and habitat, productive natural resources, sustainable energy - 1^st out of 80 countries, at 88.0/100^[20]

[edit] Bibliography

• Carolyn Bain. Lonely Planet New Zealand (2006) 772 pages
• David Bateman, ed. Bateman New Zealand Encyclopedia (2005)
• Michael King. The Penguin History of New Zealand (2003)
• Keith Sinclair and Raewyn Dalziel. A History of New Zealand (2000)
• A H McLintock, ed. Encyclopedia of New Zealand 3 vol (1966)
• Philippa Mein Smith. A Concise History of New Zealand (2005)
• New Zealand Official Yearbook (annual)

[edit] See also

v • d • e New Zealand topics
History	Timeline · Treaty of Waitangi · Land Wars · Military history · New Zealand and Antarctica · Independence
Geography	Time zones · National Parks · Marine reserves · Islands · Lakes · Rivers · Caves · Cities · Towns · Biodiversity
Politics	Constitution · Queen · Parliament · Prime Minister · Political parties · Elections · Supreme Court · Foreign relations · Immigration
Economy	Transport · Rogernomics · Tourism · Companies · Communications
Culture	Māori culture · English · Cinema · Literature · Music · Education · Sport · Public holidays
Main cities	Wellington (capital) · Auckland (largest) · Christchurch · Hamilton · Dunedin · Napier-Hastings · Tauranga
Other	List of New Zealanders · Royal Honours system

[edit] References and notes

[edit] External links

• New Zealand at WikiMapia
• New Zealand travel guide from Wikitravel

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• Te Ara, The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
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