View source for New Zealand

{{update|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox country
|native_name = ''Aotearoa''
|conventional_long_name = New Zealand
|common_name = New Zealand
|image_flag = Flag of New Zealand.svg

|image_coat = Coat of Arms of New Zealand.svg
|image_map = NZL_orthographic_NaturalEarth.svg
|map_caption = The hemisphere centred on New Zealand
|national_anthem =<center>[[File:God Defend New Zealand instrumental.ogg]]</center><br />"'''[[God Defend New Zealand]]'''" <br />"[[God Save the King]]"{{#Tag:ref|"God Save the King" is officially a national anthem but is generally used only on regal and vice-regal occasions.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.mch.govt.nz/nz-identity-heritage/national-anthems |title=New Zealand's National Anthems |publisher=[[Ministry for Culture and Heritage]] |accessdate=17 February 2008}}</ref><ref name="AnthemProtocol">{{cite web| url=http://www.mch.govt.nz/nz-identity-heritage/national-anthems |title=Protocol for using New Zealand's National Anthems |publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage |accessdate=17 February 2008}}</ref>|group =n}}<!--Do not remove "God Save The King" as a national anthem; see http://www.mch.govt.nz/anthem/index.html-->
|capital = [[Wellington]]
|coordinates={{coord|41|17|S|174|27|E}}
|largest_city = [[Auckland]]
|official_languages = [[English language|English]] (95.9%){{#Tag:ref|Language percentages add to more than 100% because some people speak more than one language. They exclude unusable responses and those who spoke no language (e.g. too young to talk).<ref name="SpokenLanguage">{{cite web|url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2006CensusHomePage/QuickStats/quickstats-about-a-subject/culture-and-identity/languages-spoken.aspx|title=QuickStats About Culture and Identity: Languages spoken|date=March 2006|publisher=Statistics New Zealand|accessdate=20 February 2008|archive-date=13 November 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091113185604/http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2006CensusHomePage/QuickStats/quickstats-about-a-subject/culture-and-identity/languages-spoken.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>|group =n}}<br />[[Māori language|Māori]] (4.2%)<br />[[New Zealand Sign Language|NZ&nbsp;Sign&nbsp;Language]] (0.6%)
|ethnic_groups = 78%&nbsp;[[New Zealand European|European]]/Other{{#Tag:ref|Ethnicity percentages add to more than 100% because some people identify with more than one ethnic group.<ref name="EthnicityData">{{cite book |first1=Robert |last1=Didham |last2=Potter|first2=Deb|last3= Allan|first3=Jo-anne |url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/population/census_counts/review-measurement-of-ethnicity/~/media/Statistics/Publications/Analytical-reports/review-measurement-ethnicity/understanding-working-ethnicity-data.ashx |title=Understanding and Working with Ethnicity Data |date=April 2005 |publisher=[[Statistics New Zealand]] |isbn=9780478315059 |accessdate=19 September 2010 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20071125133402/http://www.stats.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/F9967810-E15B-4D28-A8E3-DBAD6B80954C/0/UnderstandingWorkingEthnicityData.pdf |archivedate = 25 November 2007}}</ref>|group =n}}<br />14.6% [[Māori people|Māori]]<br />9.2% [[Asian people|Asian]]<br />6.9% [[Pacific Islander|Pacific peoples]]
|demonym = [[New Zealanders|New Zealander]], <br />[[Kiwi (people)|Kiwi]] (colloquial)
|sovereignty_type = [[Independence of New Zealand|Independence]]
|sovereignty_note = from the [[United Kingdom]]{{#Tag:ref|There is a multitude of dates that could be considered to mark independence (see [[Independence of New Zealand]]).|group =n}}
|established_event1 = [[New Zealand Constitution Act 1852]]
|established_date1 = 17 January 1853
|established_event2 = [[Dominion of New Zealand|Dominion]]
|established_date2 = 26 September 1907
|established_event3 = [[Statute of Westminster 1931|Statute of Westminster]]
|established_date3 = 11 December 1931 (adopted 25 November 1947)
|established_event4 = [[Constitution Act 1986]]
|established_date4 = 13 December 1986
|government_type = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Parliamentary system|parliamentary]] [[constitutional monarchy]]
|leader_title1 = [[Monarchy of New Zealand|Monarch]]
|leader_name1 = [[Charles III]]
|leader_title2 = [[Governor-General of New Zealand|Governor-General]]
|leader_name2 = [[Cindy Kiro|Dame Cindy Kiro]]
|leader_title3 = [[Prime Minister of New Zealand|Prime Minister]]
|leader_name3 = [[Christopher Luxon]]
|area_rank = 75th
|area_km2 = 268,021
|area_sq_mi = 103,483 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|percent_water = 1.6{{#Tag:ref|The proportion of New Zealand's area (excluding estuaries) covered by rivers, lakes and ponds, based on figures from the New Zealand Land Cover Database,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/land/land-cover-dbase/index.html |title=The New Zealand Land Cover Database |work=New Zealand Land Cover Database 2 |publisher=New Zealand Ministry for the Environment |date=1 July 2009 |accessdate=26 April 2011 |archive-date=14 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314113106/http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/land/land-cover-dbase/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> is (357526 + 81936) / (26821559 – 92499–26033 – 19216) = 1.6%. If estuarine open water, mangroves, and herbaceous saline vegetation are included, the figure is 2.2%.|group =n}}
|population_estimate = 4,414,400<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/population/estimates_and_projections/NationalPopulationEstimates_HOTPSep11qtr.aspx |title= National Population Estimates: September 2011 quarter |publisher=Statistics New Zealand |date= 14 November 2011 |accessdate=15 November 2011}}</ref>
|population_estimate_year = September 2011
|population_estimate_rank = 124th
|population_census = 4,027,947<ref>{{cite web |url=http://stats.govt.nz/Census/2006CensusHomePage/QuickStats/quickstats-about-a-subject/nzs-population-and-dwellings/population-counts.aspx |title=QuickStats About New Zealand's Population and Dwellings: Population counts |work=2006 Census |publisher=Statistics New Zealand |accessdate=14 April 2011 |archive-date=1 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091101120914/http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2006CensusHomePage/QuickStats/quickstats-about-a-subject/nzs-population-and-dwellings/population-counts.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|population_census_year = 2006
|population_density_km2 = 16.5
|population_density_sq_mi = 42.7 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|population_density_rank = 202nd
|GDP_PPP = $120.2&nbsp;billion<ref name=imf2>{{cite web |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2011/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2008&ey=2012&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=196&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=28&pr.y=6 |title=New Zealand |publisher=International Monetary Fund |accessdate=2011-01-29}}</ref>
|GDP_PPP_rank = 61st
|GDP_PPP_year = 2011
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $27,217<ref name="imf2"/>
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 32nd
|GDP_nominal = $157.877&nbsp;billion<ref name="imf2"/>
|GDP_nominal_rank = 51st
|GDP_nominal_year = 2011
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $35,374<ref name="imf2"/>
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 24th
|HDI = 0.908
|HDI_change = increase 
|HDI_ref = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2011_EN_Table1.pdf|title=Human Development Report 2011|date=January 2011 |publisher=United Nations|accessdate=2011-11-02}}</ref>
|HDI_rank = 5th
|HDI_year = 2011
|HDI_category = <span style="color:#090;">very high</span>
|Gini = 36.2
|Gini_ref = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/indicators/161.html |title=Equality and inequality: Gini index |work=[[Human Development Report]] 2009 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]] |accessdate=14 April 2011 |archive-date=17 October 2009 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5kbHWMLQA?url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/indicators/161.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|Gini_year = 1997
|Gini_category = <span style="color:#fc0;">medium</span>
|currency = [[New Zealand dollar]]
|currency_code = NZD
|country_code = NZ
|time_zone = [[Time in New Zealand|NZST]]{{#Tag:ref|The [[Chatham Islands]] have a separate time zone, 45 minutes ahead of the rest of New Zealand.|group =n}}
|utc_offset = +12
|time_zone_DST = [[Time in New Zealand|NZDT]]
|DST_note = (Sep to Apr)
|utc_offset_DST = +13
|date_format= dd/mm/yyyy
|drives_on = left
|cctld = [[.nz]]{{#Tag:ref|The territories of [[Niue]], the [[Cook Islands]] and [[Tokelau]] have their own [[Country code top-level domain|cctlds]], [[.nu]], [[.ck]] and [[.tk]] respectively.|group =n}}
|calling_code = [[+64]]
|footnotes =
}}
'''New Zealand''' (known as '''{{lang|mi|Aotearoa}}''' in the [[Māori language]]) is an [[island country]] in [[Oceania]]. It is a [[sovereign state]] in the south-western part of the [[Pacific Ocean]]. It is made up of two large [[island]]s (the [[North Island]] and the [[South Island]]) and many smaller islands. These islands are located to the southeast of [[Australia]]. New Zealand was one of the last places in the world that humans discovered, because it is a long way away from most of the world. During its time without humans, New Zealand was a great place for an unusual range of plants and animals to develop.

The current [[capital city]] of the country is [[Wellington]], and the largest city is [[Auckland]]. Both of these cities are on the North Island. The largest city on the South Island is [[Christchurch]].

The [[official language]]s are [[English language|English]], [[Māori language|Māori]] and [[sign language|New Zealand sign language]]. English has never been granted official language status in the NZ laws,  but it is used as a default official language due to its wide usage.

In 2010, the ''New Zealand Herald'' said that New Zealand was the 8th happiest country in the world.<ref>{{cite web
 |url = http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10656485|title = NZ eighth happiest country in the world|work = nzherald.co.nz|accessdate = 17 July 2015}}</ref>

== Name ==
In the [[Māori language]], the country is called Aotearoa, which means "Land of the Long White Cloud".{{sfn|King|2003|p=41}} ''Ao'' means “cloud”, ''tea'' means “white”, and ''roa'' means “long”. The name "New Zealand" comes from “Zeeland” (which translates to "Sealand") in [[Dutch language|Dutch]], after the islands were seen by Dutch explorer [[Abel Tasman]]. [[Zeeland]] is a [[province]] of the [[Netherlands]].

== Government and politics ==
New Zealand is a [[constitutional monarchy]] and parliamentary [[democracy]]. The [[head of state]] is [[Charles III]]. The [[Prime Minister]] is [[Christopher Luxon]], leader of the National Party.

New Zealand has made itself a ''Nuclear Free Zone'': They do not use [[nuclear power]] and do not allow [[nuclear weapon]]s or nuclear powered vessels in their territory.

Elections are held every 3 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.govt.nz/browse/engaging-with-government/government-in-new-zealand/|title=How government works|website=New Zealand Government|language=en-NZ|access-date=2018-12-13}}</ref>

== People ==
As of the 2018 census, 4,699,755 people lived in New Zealand.<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Place Summaries {{!}} New Zealand {{!}} Stats NZ|url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/tools/2018-census-place-summaries/new-zealand|archive-url=|archive-date=|work=stats.govt.nz|accessdate=2020-10-15}}</ref> Most of them have [[Europe]]an [[ancestor]]s.<ref name="race">{{cite web
 |url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2006CensusHomePage/QuickStats/quickstats-about-a-subject/culture-and-identity/ethnic-groups-in-new-zealand.aspx
 |title=QuickStats About Culture and Identity - Statistics New Zealand
 |work=stats.govt.nz
 |accessdate=4 July 2010
 |archive-date=23 November 2017
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171123211544/http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2006CensusHomePage/QuickStats/quickstats-about-a-subject/culture-and-identity/ethnic-groups-in-new-zealand.aspx
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref> The indigenous people of New Zealand, the [[Māori people|Māori]], have a population of 775,836, or 16.5%.

The people of New Zealand often call themselves Kiwis. This name is derived from the [[kiwi]], a flightless native [[bird]] that is considered the country's national bird.

The North Island is smaller than the South Island, but most people (more than 3 million) live there. This might be because the North Island is usually warmer, and has more big cities.

About half of the people in New Zealand are religious. As of the 2018 census, 48.2% had no religion. The main religion in New Zealand is [[Christianity]]. Just over 2 million New Zealanders are Christian.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2006CensusHomePage/QuickStats/quickstats-about-a-subject/culture-and-identity/religious-affiliation.aspx
 |title=QuickStats About Culture and Identity - Statistics New Zealand
 |work=stats.govt.nz
 |accessdate=4 July 2010
 |archive-date=3 April 2013
 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6Fc6Twaqe?url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2006CensusHomePage/QuickStats/quickstats-about-a-subject/culture-and-identity/religious-affiliation.aspx
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref> The second most common religion is Hinduism, with 2.6%.

== Cities ==
Most New Zealanders live in urban areas, with the other 27% living in small towns or farming communities.

[[Wellington]] is the [[capital (city)|capital]] of New Zealand. [[Auckland]] is the largest [[city]], with around 1 million people.
Other cities in the North Island include [[Hamilton, New Zealand|Hamilton]], [[Tauranga]], Napier/Hastings, [[New Plymouth]], [[Whanganui]], and Palmerston North. South Island cities include [[Christchurch, New Zealand|Christchurch]], [[Dunedin]], [[Nelson, New Zealand|Nelson]], [[Invercargill]] and Timaru.

== Geological origin ==
[[File:NZ_faults.png|thumb|250px|Major [[Fault (geology)|fault]] zones of New Zealand. It shows how the Pacific and Australian plates move against each other.]]
New Zealand sits at the boundary between the Australian and Pacific [[Plate tectonics|continental plates]]. When these two plates bumped into each other ('collided'), the Pacific plate moved under the Australian plate, north of the South Island. As a result, there has been lots of [[volcano|volcanic]] activity. South of the South Island, the Australian plate moves under the Pacific plate instead. The plates slide past each other in the South Island, where they have pushed up the [[Southern Alps]].  Because of these two colliding plates, New Zealand often has [[earthquakes]]. One of the best known is the [[2011 Christchurch earthquake (February)|2010-2011 group of earthquakes]] that hit the Christchurch area.

The diagram shows that the North Island is on the Australian plate, but most of the South Island is on the Pacific plate. New Zealand is still geologically active, and will remain so as long as the islands are sitting above the plate boundary.<ref>Graham, Ian J. et al. 2008. ''A continent on the move : New Zealand geoscience into the 21st century''.  The Geological Society of New Zealand in association with GNS Science. {{ISBN|978-1-877480-00-3}}
</ref><ref>Campbell, Hamish & Hutching, Gerard 2007. ''In search of ancient New Zealand'', Penguin Books in association with GNS Science. {{ISBN|978-0-14-302088-2}}
</ref><ref>Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand [http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/Geology/GeologyOverview/en An overview of New Zealand's geology] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090715071628/http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/Geology/GeologyOverview/en |date=2009-07-15 }}</ref>

=== Ancient geology ===
The oldest rocks in New Zealand date from the [[Cambrian]] period, 512 million years ago. New Zealand became part of the global [[supercontinent|super-continent]] [[Pangaea]]. When that split (End-[[Triassic]]/early [[Jurassic]]), New Zealand became part of the southern super-continent [[Gondwana]]. Finally Gondwana broke up, leaving the continents rather as they are today.

== Natural history ==
New Zealand was isolated from the rest of the world for a long time. It split from Australia 83 million years ago. Because of this, there are many [[plant]]s and [[animal]]s that only live in New Zealand. Before humans came to New Zealand, there were no [[mammal]]s, except three species of [[bat]] and marine mammals such as [[Pinniped|seals]], [[dolphin]]s, and [[whale]]s. Instead, New Zealand has many different kinds of bird. New Zealand has several species of flightless bird, including the [[kiwi]] and [[Kakapo]]. For the lizards, especially important is the [[Tuatara]], the only living member of a whole [[Order (biology)|order]] of reptiles.

New Zealand used to have more rare species, but some, mostly birds, were hunted to [[extinction]] early in its history. The giant [[Moa]], ''[[Dinornis]]'', is a famous example. The group of birds which the moa belongs to had been in existence since the [[Cretaceous]] period. Humans arrived in New Zealand about a thousand years ago, when many moa were living, especially on the South Island. [[Archaeology|Archaeological]] sites with evidence of moa hunting are all over New Zealand. The moa became [[extinct]] about five hundred years ago.<ref>Martin P.S. and Klein R.G. (eds) ''Quaternary extinctions: a prehistoric revolution''. University of Arizona Press, Tucson AZ.</ref> Extinctions closer to today have been caused by [[habitat]] change and introduced [[species]] like [[rat]]s, [[dog]]s, cats, and possums, which kill the native birds and lizards, or eat their eggs.

== Other information ==

* Sir [[Edmund Hillary]], the first man to climb to the top of [[Mount Everest]], was from New Zealand.
* New Zealand has become more [[Popularity|popular]] since New Zealander [[Peter Jackson]] made the [[The Lord of the Rings film trilogy|''Lord of the Rings'' movies]] there.
* Many farmers in New Zealand breed [[sheep]]. There are many more sheep than people in New Zealand (20 sheep for 1 human).
* Many New Zealanders are interested in [[sport]]s. Their national sport is usually considered to be [[Rugby football|rugby]] (in winter). They have impressive [[Sportsperson|athletes]] in [[rowing]], [[cycling]], [[shotput]], [[discus]], [[triathlon]], [[yachting]], [[climbing]], [[surfing]], [[cricket]], [[netball]], [[softball]], [[wind surfing]], [[gliding]], and more.
* New Zealanders enjoy [[outdoor]] pursuits. The country has a "clean, green" [[image]], but per-person emissions are 7th worst out of 41 industrialized nations as of 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/331646/nz-seventh-worst-on-emissions-of-41-nations|title=NZ seventh-worst on emissions of 41 nations|date=2017-05-26|work=Radio New Zealand|access-date=2018-06-07|language=en-nz}}</ref> Really bad air and water pollution is fairly rare, though occasional outbreaks in the past 20 years have caused problems for livestock and the surrounding waters. Most major rivers (60% estimated as of 2017) are not safe to swim in due to farming pollution and run-off.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2017/11/16/dairy-farming-is-polluting-new-zealands-water|title=Dairy farming is polluting New Zealand's water|newspaper=The Economist|language=en|access-date=2018-06-07}}</ref>
* New Zealand, like many other small nations, has a strong local media. New Zealand has a wide variety of musicians, television, and radio celebrities, and stand-up comedians. Although most are simply "world-famous in New Zealand", many others have successfully made it on the international scene. Such people and groups include [[Russell Crowe]] (actor), [[Kiri Te Kanawa]] (singer), the [[Flight of the Conchords]], [[Lorde]], [[Crowded House]] (bands/singers), [[Lee Tamahori]], [[Taika Waititi]], and [[Peter Jackson]] (movie directors).
* The NZ Army mostly does peacekeeping and natural disaster support. New Zealand sent army engineers to Iraq to do rebuilding during the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]].
* The middle of New Zealand's North Island has an almost-desert. State Highway 1, the main north-south road, goes through that desert.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Homer|first1=Lloyd|last2=Taonga|first2=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu|title=The Desert Road|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/5218/the-desert-road|access-date=2020-10-01|website=teara.govt.nz|language=en}}</ref> This section of the road in the desert - the Desert Road - can often be closed in winter. It is called a desert because it has bare areas and unusual plants that normally grow on mountains.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Taonga|first=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu|title=The volcanic region|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/landscapes-overview/page-4|access-date=2020-10-01|website=teara.govt.nz|language=en}}</ref>

==Related pages==
* [[Animals of New Zealand]]
* [[List of rivers of New Zealand]]
* [[New Zealand at the Olympics]]
* [[New Zealand national football team]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=n|2}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=King |first= Michael |author-link=Michael King (historian) |title=The Penguin History of New Zealand |url=https://archive.org/details/penguinhistoryof0000king |date=2003 |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |isbn=978-0-14-301867-4}}

{{sisterlinks|New Zealand|voy=New Zealand}}
{{Oceania}}

{{Commonwealth nations}}

[[Category:New Zealand| ]]
[[Category:Commonwealth realms]]
[[Category:English-speaking countries]]
[[Category:Australasia]]
[[Category:Gondwana]]
[[Category:Current monarchies]]