New Zealand
New Zealand 2
Landscape 2
Demography 4
Politics 4
History 6
Economy 8
Life in General 9
North Island 12
South Island 14
New Zealand
Where is New Zealand?
New Zealand is a country in Southwestern Oceania, southeast of Australia in
the South Pacific Ocean, with two large islands (North and South Island),
one smaller island (Stewart Island), and numerous much smaller islands. New
Zealand has a total land area of 268,670 sq km and a coastline of 15,134
km.
Time Zones
New Zealand is 12 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) making it one of
the first places in the world to see the new day. Summer time (or Daylight
Saving Time) is an advance of one hour at 2am in the morning on the first
Sunday in October and back to NZST at 3am in the morning on the third
Sunday morning of March.
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Landscape
New Zealand is a long narrow country lying roughly North/South with
mountain ranges running much of its length. It is predominately mountainous
with some large coastal plains and is a little larger than Britain,
slightly smaller than Italy, and almost exactly the size of Colorado.
The only `geographical feature' New Zealand doesn't have is live coral
reef. New Zealand has all the rest: rainforest, desert, fiords, flooded
valleys, gorges, plains, mountains, glaciers, volcanoes, geothermics,
swamps, lakes, braided rivers, peneplains, badlands, and our very own
continental plate junction... As a result of the latter, earthquakes are
common, though usually not severe.
The North Island has a number of large volcanoes (including the currently
active Mount Ruapehu) and highly active thermal areas, while the South
Island boasts the Southern Alps - a spine of magnificent mountains running
almost its entire length. Another notable feature of New Zealand is its
myriad rivers and lakes: notably the Whanganui River, Lake Taupo and the
breathtaking lakes Waikaremoana and Wanaka.
Flora and Fauna
New Zealand is believed to be a fragment of the ancient Southern continent
of Gondwanaland which became detached over 100 million years ago allowing
many ancient plants and animals to survive and evolve in isolation. As a
result, most of the New Zealand flora and fauna is indigenous/endemic.
About 10 to 15% of the total land area of New Zealand is native flora, the
bulk protected in national parks and reserves.
New Zealand has the worlds largest flightless parrot (kakapo), the only
truly alpine parrot (kea), the oldest reptile (tuatara), the biggest
earthworms, the largest weta, the smallest bats, some of the oldest trees,
and many of the rarest birds, insects, and plants in the world.... New
Zealand is home to the world famous Tuatara, a lizard-like reptile which
dates back to the dinosaurs and perhaps before (260 mill years?). The only
native land mammals are two rare species of bat. New Zealand's many endemic
birds include the flightless kiwi, takahe, kakapo and weka. Far too many
species of bird have become extinct since humans arrived on New Zealand
included the various species of Dinornis (moa) the largest of which stood
up to 2.5 metres high. There is also some unique insect life such as the
Giant Weta and glow worms. Other than two spiders, there is a lack of any
deadly poisonous things (snakes, spiders, etc.) which is why New Zealand
Agricultural Regulations are so strict.
Introduced species - pigs, goats, possums, dogs, cats, deer and the
ubiquitous sheep - are found throughout New Zealand but their proliferation
in the wild has had a deleterious effect on the environment: over 150
native plants - 10% of the total number of native species - and many native
birds are presently threatened with extinction.
New Zealand's offshore waters hold a variety of fish, including tuna,
marlin, snapper, trevally, kahawai and shark; while its marine mammals -
dolphins, seals and whales - attract nature-lovers from around the world.
There are 12 national, 20 forest, three maritime and two marine parks, plus
two World Heritage Areas: Tongariro National Park in the North Island and
Te Waihipouna-mu in the South Island.
One of the most noticeable plants is the pohutakawa (known as the New
Zealand Christmas tree) which detonates with brilliant red flowers around
December. The great kauri trees in the few remaining kauri forests in
Northland are very old with some believed to be up to 2000 years old. Much
of the South Island is still forested, particularly the West Coast.
Climate
Lying between 34S and 47S, New Zealand sits squarely in the `roaring
forties' latitude which means a prevailing and continual wind blows over
the country from east to west; this can range from a gentle breeze in
summer to a buffeting, roof-stripping gale in winter. The North Island and
South Island, because of their different geological features, have two
distinct patterns of rainfall: in the South Island, the Southern Alps act
as a barrier for the moisture-laden winds from the Tasman Sea, creating a
wet climate to the west of the mountains and a dry climate to the east;
while the North Island's rainfall is more evenly distributed without a
comparable geological feature such as the Alps.
The New Zealand climate is temperate with no real extremes. Temperatures
are a few degrees cooler in the South Island, and both islands receive snow
in winter. Being an island nation, the yearly range of temperatures is
quite small, around 10 degrees Celsius variation between winter and summer.
Winter falls in the months of June through August and summer from December
through to February.
It is important to remember that New Zealand's climate is maritime, rather
than continental, which means the weather can change with amazing rapidity
and consequence. New Zealand enjoys long hours of sunshine throughout the
year making it an ideal year round destination. In winter the South Island
mountain and central North Island do have heavy snowfalls providing great
skiing. The busy tourist season falls in the warmer months between November
and April, though ski resorts, such as Queenstown, are full during winter.
Demography
Total population is about 3.7 million. Over 70% of the population are in
the North Island. The largest centre is Auckland (over 1 million), and the
capital Wellington.
The official languages are English and Maori. English is more widely
spoken, though the Maori language, for so long on the decline, is now
making a comeback due to the revival of Maoritanga. A mellifluous, poetic
language, the Maori language is surprisingly easy to pronounce if spoken
phonetically and each word split into separate syllables. Pacific Island
and Asian languages may be heard in cities.
Culture
The dominant cultural groups are the Pakeha and the Maori. Other smaller
groups include Yugoslavian Dalmatians, Polynesians, Indians and Chinese. A
common thread that binds the entire population is its love of sport -
especially the national game of rugby union - and outdoor pursuits such as
sailing, swimming, cycling, hiking and camping. The secular aside,
Christianity is the most common religion, with Anglicanism, Presbyterianism
and Catholicism the largest denominations. An interesting religious
variation is the synthesis of the Maori Ratana and Ringatu faiths with
Christianity.
New Zealand art is multifarious, valuing innovation, integrity and
craftsmanship that reflects Pakeha, Maori and Melanesian heritage. Wood,
stone, shell and bone carvings are readily available while larger works
such as tukutuku (wood panelling) can be seen in most maraes (meeting
houses). Paua shell, greenstone, greywacke and greenwacke pebbles are often
fashioned into jewellery that takes its inspiration from the landscape:
earrings shaped like the leaves of a gingko tree; sunglasses modelled on
native fern tendrils; and necklaces in frangipani-flower designs. There is
a lively theatre scene in the country, especially in Wellington, and a
number of galleries, including the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, which is the
oldest viewing room in New Zealand and one of its best. The music scene is
vigorous and fecund, spawning a pool of talent - from Split Enz and Crowded
House to the thrashing guitar pyrotechnics of Dunedin's 3D's and
Straitjacket Fits - lauded locally and overseas.
Politics
Constitution
New Zealand shares with Britain and Israel the distinction of being one of
the three developed countries that does not have a codified Constitution on
the U.S. model. When the country was annexed by Britain in 1840, the
British parliament enacted that all applicable law of England as at 1840
became the law of New Zealand. In 1856, the New Zealand parliament was
given the power to enact its own law and nothing changed when full
independence was achieved (26-9-1907) except that the British parliament
lost its overriding authority. We have, thus, never had the problem that
Australia and Canada have had of "repatriating" a constitution that was
really an Act of the British parliament.
Our constitution, like the British, consists of parliament's own
conventions and rules of conduct, some legislation such as the New Zealand
Constitution Act (1986, not enacted), and fundamental rules applied by the
Courts which go back into English history. It evolves rather than is
amended.
The flag of New Zealand is blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-
