4/2/24, 8:14 AM New Zealand - Wikipedia

New Zealand
New Zealand (Māori: Aotearoa [aɔˈtɛaɾɔa]) is an island
country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two New Zealand
main landmasses—the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and the Aotearoa (Māori)
South Island (Te Waipounamu)—and over 700 smaller
islands. It is the sixth-largest island country by area and lies
east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and south of the
islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. The country's
varied topography and sharp mountain peaks, including the Flag
Coat of arms
Southern Alps, owe much to tectonic uplift and volcanic
eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, and its Anthems:
most populous city is Auckland. "God Defend New Zealand"
(Māori: Aotearoa)
The islands of New Zealand were the last large habitable land 1:03
to be settled by humans. Between about 1280 and 1350,
"God Save the King"[n 1]
Polynesians began to settle in the islands and then
subsequently developed a distinctive Māori culture. In 1642,
the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European
to sight and record New Zealand. In 1769 the British explorer
Captain James Cook became the first European to set foot on
and map New Zealand. In 1840, representatives of the United
Kingdom and Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi,
which in its English version declared British sovereignty over
the islands. In 1841, New Zealand became a colony within the
British Empire. Subsequently, a series of conflicts between
the colonial government and Māori tribes resulted in the
alienation and confiscation of large amounts of Māori land.
New Zealand became a dominion in 1907; it gained full
statutory independence in 1947, retaining the monarch as Location of New Zealand, including outlying
islands, its territorial claim in the Antarctic,
head of state. Today, the majority of New Zealand's and Tokelau
population of 5.25 million is of European descent; the
Capital Wellington
indigenous Māori are the largest minority, followed by Asians 41°18′S 174°47′E
and Pasifika. Reflecting this, New Zealand's culture is mainly
Largest city Auckland
derived from Māori and early British settlers, with recent
broadening of culture arising from increased immigration. Official languages English[n 2]
The official languages are English, Māori, and New Zealand Māori
Sign Language, with the local dialect of English being NZ Sign Language
dominant. Ethnic groups 70.2% European
(2018)[3] 16.5% Māori
A developed country, it was the first to introduce a minimum
15.1% Asian
wage, and the first to give women the right to vote. It ranks
8.1% Pacific peoples
very highly in international measures of quality of life,
1.5% ME/LA/African
human rights, and it has low levels of perceived corruption. It
1.2% other[n 3]
retains visible levels of inequality, having structural
disparities between its Māori and European populations. Religion (2018)[4] 48.2% no religion
New Zealand underwent major economic changes during the 36.5% Christianity[n 4]
1980s, which transformed it from a protectionist to a 8.3% other

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liberalised free-trade economy. The service sector dominates 6.7% unanswered

the national economy, followed by the industrial sector, and
Demonym(s) New Zealander
agriculture; international tourism is also a significant source
Kiwi (colloquial)
of revenue.
Government Unitary parliamentary
Nationally, legislative authority is vested in an elected, constitutional
unicameral Parliament, while executive political power is monarchy
exercised by the Government, led by the prime minister, • Monarch Charles III
currently Christopher Luxon. Charles III is the country's king • Governor- Cindy Kiro
and is represented by the governor-general, Cindy Kiro. In General
addition, New Zealand is organised into 11 regional councils • Prime Minister Christopher Luxon
and 67 territorial authorities for local government purposes. Legislature Parliament
The Realm of New Zealand also includes Tokelau (a (House of
Representatives)
dependent territory); the Cook Islands and Niue (self-
governing states in free association with New Zealand); and Stages of independence from the United
Kingdom
the Ross Dependency, which is New Zealand's territorial
claim in Antarctica. • Treaty of 6 February 1840
Waitangi[5]
New Zealand is a member of the United Nations, • Responsible 7 May 1856
government
Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, UKUSA, OECD, ASEAN
• Dominion 26 September 1907
Plus Six, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Pacific
• Statute of 25 November 1947
Community and the Pacific Islands Forum. It enjoys Westminster
particularly close relations with the United States and is one Adoption Act
of its major non-NATO allies;[15] the United Kingdom; • Constitution Act 1 January 1987
Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga; and with Australia, with a shared 1986
"Trans-Tasman" identity between the two countries Area
stemming from centuries of British colonisation.[16] • Total 268,021[6] km2
(103,483 sq mi)
(75th)
Etymology • Water (%) 1.6[n 5]
The first European visitor Population
to New Zealand, Dutch • April 2024 5,340,460[8]
explorer Abel Tasman, estimate (120th)
named the islands Staten • 2018 census 4,699,755[9]
Land, believing they were • Density 19.5/km2 (50.5/sq mi)
part of the Staten Landt (167th)
that Jacob Le Maire had GDP (PPP) 2023 estimate
sighted off the southern • Total $279.183 billion[10]
end of South (63rd)
Detail from a 1657 map showing the [17][18]
America. Hendrik • Per capita $53,809[10] (32nd)
western coastline of Nova Zeelandia
(on this map, north is at the bottom)
Brouwer proved that the GDP (nominal) 2023 estimate
South American land was • Total $249.415 billion[10]
a small island in 1643, (51st)
and Dutch cartographers subsequently renamed Tasman's • Per capita $48,071[10] (23rd)
discovery Nova Zeelandia from Latin, after the Dutch
Gini (2022) 30.0[11]
province of Zeeland.[17][19] This name was later anglicised to
medium
New Zealand.[20][21]
HDI (2022) 0.939[12]
This was written as Nu Tireni in the Māori language (spelled very high (16th)
Nu Tirani in Te Tiriti o Waitangi). In 1834 a document Currency New Zealand dollar
written in Māori and entitled "He Wakaputanga o te ($) (NZD)
Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni" was translated into English Time zone UTC+12 (NZST[n 6])

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and became the Declaration of the Independence of New • Summer (DST) UTC+13 (NZDT[n 7])
Zealand. It was prepared by Te W(h)akaminenga o Nga Date format dd/mm/yyyy[14]
Rangatiratanga o Nga Hapu o Nu Tireni, the United Tribes
of New Zealand, and a copy was sent to King William IV who Driving side left
had already acknowledged the flag of the United Tribes of Calling code +64
New Zealand, and who recognised the declaration in a letter
ISO 3166 code NZ
from Lord Glenelg.[22][23]
Internet TLD .nz
Aotearoa (pronounced [aɔˈtɛaɾɔa] in Māori and
/ˌaʊtɛəˈroʊ.ə/ in English; often translated as 'land of the long white cloud')[24] is the current Māori name
for New Zealand. It is unknown whether Māori had a name for the whole country before the arrival of
Europeans; Aotearoa originally referred to just the North Island.[25] Māori had several traditional names
for the two main islands, including Te Ika-a-Māui ("the fish of Māui") for the North Island and Te
Waipounamu ("the waters of greenstone") or Te Waka o Aoraki ("the canoe of Aoraki") for the South
Island.[26] Early European maps labelled the islands North (North Island), Middle (South Island), and
South (Stewart Island / Rakiura).[27] In 1830, mapmakers began to use "North" and "South" on their
maps to distinguish the two largest islands, and by 1907, this was the accepted norm.[21] The New
Zealand Geographic Board discovered in 2009 that the names of the North Island and South Island had
never been formalised, and names and alternative names were formalised in 2013. This set the names as
North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui, and South Island or Te Waipounamu.[28] For each island, either its
English or Māori name can be used, or both can be used together.[28] Similarly the Māori and English
names for the whole country are sometimes used together (Aotearoa New Zealand);[29][30] however,
this has no official recognition.[31]

In Moriori, the indigenous language of the Chatham Islands, the words Aote and Aotea are terms
thought to refer to mainland New Zealand.[32][33]

History
New Zealand was the last major landmass settled by
humans. The story of Kupe as the first human to set foot on
the New Zealand archipelago, accredited to by most Māori
iwi, is considered credible by historians; he is generally
believed to have existed historically.[37] Most histories
claim that this occurred approximately 40 generations ago
(between 900 and 1200 AD).[38] The more specific reasons
for Kupe's semi-legendary journey, and the migration of
Māori in general, are contested. It is thought by some
historians that Hawaiki and other Polynesian islands were
experiencing considerable internal conflict at that time,
which is thought to have caused an exodus from them.
Some historians contend that this was because of the
fallout from the 1257 Samalas eruption, which caused crop
devastation globally and possibly helped trigger the Little The Māori people descend from Polynesians
Ice Age.[39][40] whose ancestors emigrated from Taiwan to
Melanesia between 3000 and 1000 BCE and
Radiocarbon dating, evidence of deforestation[41] and then travelled east, reaching the Society Islands
mitochondrial DNA variability within Māori c. 1000 CE. After a pause of 200 to 300 years, a
populations [42] suggest that Eastern Polynesians first new wave of exploration led to the discovery
settled the New Zealand archipelago between 1250 and and settlement of New Zealand.[34][35][36]

1300,[26][43] although newer archaeological and genetic

research points to a date no earlier than about 1280, with at least the main settlement period between

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about 1320 and 1350,[44][45]

consistent with evidence based on genealogical traditions.[46][47] This
represented a culmination in a long series of voyages through the Pacific islands.[48] It is the broad
consensus of historians that the settlement of New Zealand by Eastern Polynesians was planned and
deliberate.[49] Over the centuries that followed, the Polynesian settlers developed a distinct culture now
known as Māori. The population formed different iwi (tribes) and hapū (subtribes) which would
sometimes cooperate, sometimes compete and sometimes fight against each other.[50] At some point, a
group of Māori migrated to Rēkohu, now known as the Chatham Islands, where they developed their
distinct Moriori culture.[51][52] The Moriori population was all but wiped out between 1835 and 1862 in
the Moriori genocide, largely because of Taranaki Māori invasion and enslavement in the 1830s,
although European diseases also contributed. In 1862, only 101 survived, and the last known full-
blooded Moriori died in 1933.[53]

In a hostile 1642 encounter between Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri and Dutch explorer

Abel Tasman's crew,[54][55] four of Tasman's crew members were killed, and
at least one Māori was hit by canister shot.[56] Europeans did not revisit
New Zealand until 1769, when British explorer James Cook mapped almost
the entire coastline.[55] Following Cook, New Zealand was visited by
numerous European and North American whaling, sealing, and trading
ships. They traded European food, metal tools, weapons, and other goods
for timber, Māori food, artefacts, and water.[57] The introduction of the
potato and the musket transformed Māori agriculture and warfare. Potatoes
provided a reliable food surplus, which enabled longer and more sustained
military campaigns.[58] The resulting intertribal Musket Wars encompassed
over 600 battles between 1801 and 1840, killing 30,000–40,000 Māori.[59]
Map of the New Zealand
From the early 19th century, Christian missionaries began to settle New
coastline as Cook charted it
on his first visit in 1769–70. Zealand, eventually converting most of the Māori population.[60] The Māori
The track of the Endeavour population declined to around 40% of its pre-contact level during the 19th
is also shown. century; introduced diseases were the major factor.[61]

The British Government appointed James Busby as British Resident to New

Zealand in 1832.[62] His duties, given to him by Governor Bourke in Sydney,
were to protect settlers and traders "of good standing", prevent "outrages"
against Māori, and apprehend escaped convicts.[62][63] In 1835, following an
announcement of impending French settlement by Charles de Thierry, the
nebulous United Tribes of New Zealand sent a Declaration of Independence
to King William IV of the United Kingdom asking for protection.[62]
Ongoing unrest, the proposed settlement of New Zealand by the New
Zealand Company (which had already sent its first ship of surveyors to buy
land from Māori) and the dubious legal standing of the Declaration of
Independence prompted the Colonial Office to send Captain William
Hobson to claim sovereignty for the United Kingdom and negotiate a treaty
with the Māori.[64] The Treaty of Waitangi was first signed in the Bay of
Islands on 6 February 1840.[65] In response to the New Zealand Company's
attempts to establish an independent settlement in Wellington,[66][67]
Hobson declared British sovereignty over all of New Zealand on 21 May
The Waitangi sheet from 1840, even though copies of the treaty were still circulating throughout the
the Treaty of Waitangi country for Māori to sign.[68] With the signing of the treaty and declaration
of sovereignty, the number of immigrants, particularly from the United
Kingdom, began to increase.[69]

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New Zealand was administered as a dependency of the Colony of New South Wales until becoming a
separate Crown colony, the Colony of New Zealand, on 3 May 1841.[70][71] Armed conflict began between
the colonial government and Māori in 1843 with the Wairau Affray over land and disagreements over
sovereignty. These conflicts, mainly in the North Island, saw thousands of imperial troops and the Royal
Navy come to New Zealand and became known as the New Zealand Wars. Following these armed
conflicts, large areas of Māori land were confiscated by the government to meet settler demands.[72]

The colony gained a representative government in 1852,

and the first Parliament met in 1854.[73] In 1856 the colony
effectively became self-governing, gaining responsibility
over all domestic matters (except native policy, which was
granted in the mid-1860s).[73] Following concerns that the
South Island might form a separate colony, premier Alfred
Domett moved a resolution to transfer the capital from
Auckland to a locality near Cook Strait.[74][75] Wellington
was chosen for its central location, with Parliament
officially sitting there for the first time in 1865.[76]
A meeting of European and Māori residents of
In 1886, New Zealand annexed the volcanic Kermadec
Hawke's Bay Province. Engraving, 1863.
Islands, about 1,000 km (620 mi) northeast of Auckland.
Since 1937, the islands are uninhabited except for about six
people at Raoul Island station. These islands put the northern border of New Zealand at 29 degrees
South latitude.[77] After the 1982 UNCLOS, the islands contributed significantly to New Zealand's
exclusive economic zone.[78]

In 1891 the Liberal Party came to power as the first organised political party.[79] The Liberal
Government, led by Richard Seddon for most of its period in office,[80] passed many important social
and economic measures. In 1893 New Zealand was the first nation in the world to grant all women the
right to vote[79] and in 1894 pioneered the adoption of compulsory arbitration between employers and
unions.[81] The Liberals also guaranteed a minimum wage in 1894, a world first.[82]

In 1907, at the request of the New Zealand Parliament, King Edward VII proclaimed New Zealand a
Dominion within the British Empire,[83] reflecting its self-governing status.[84] In 1947, New Zealand
adopted the Statute of Westminster, confirming that the British Parliament could no longer legislate for
the country without its consent. The British government's residual legislative powers were later removed
by the Constitution Act 1986, and final rights of appeal to British courts were abolished in 2003.[73]

Early in the 20th century, New Zealand was involved in world affairs, fighting in the First and Second
World Wars[85] and suffering through the Great Depression.[86] The depression led to the election of the
first Labour Government and the establishment of a comprehensive welfare state and a protectionist
economy.[87] New Zealand experienced increasing prosperity following the Second World War,[88] and
Māori began to leave their traditional rural life and move to the cities in search of work.[89] A Māori
protest movement developed, which criticised Eurocentrism and worked for greater recognition of Māori
culture and of the Treaty of Waitangi.[90] In 1975, a Waitangi Tribunal was set up to investigate alleged
breaches of the Treaty, and it was enabled to investigate historic grievances in 1985.[65] The government
has negotiated settlements of these grievances with many iwi,[91] although Māori claims to the foreshore
and seabed proved controversial in the 2000s.[92][93]

Government and politics

New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy,[94] although its constitution
is not codified.[95] Charles III is the king of New Zealand[96] and thus the head of state.[97] The king is
represented by the governor-general, whom he appoints on the advice of the prime minister.[98] The
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