New Zealand:
A Land of Contrasts
New Zealand - Aotearoa in the native Maori language - lies in the south-west corner of the Pacific Ocean between latitudes 34oS and 47oS. Its closest neighbour is Australia, approximately 1600 kilometres to the west. New Zealand consists of two main islands and many smaller ones. It is a long, narrow country, stretching 1600 kilometres from the subtropical top of the North Island to the cool southern end of the South Island.
Only one-quarter of New Zealand is lower than 200m above sea level, and hill country and snow-capped mountain ranges dominate the landscape. In the North Island these mountains include several volcanic cones. In the South Island, the Southern Alps form the island's spine, with many peaks over 3000m.
Because of its location, its topography and its 15 000 kilometres of coastline, New Zealand has a temperate, `westerly maritime' climate. Annual rainfall ranges from 380 mm in the drier eastern areas to over 8000 mm in the wettest areas of the west. Although there are sharp regional contrasts, climatic extremes are rare, making New Zealand ideally suited to pastoral farming.
The total land area is 26.9 million hectares, about the same size as Japan or
the British Isles. However, the population is considerably less than those
countries; New Zealand has only 4.0 million people. About 15 percent of New
Zealanders are Māori, and 74 percent are of European descent.
Other significant ethnic groups are Indian, Chinese, and Pacific Island Polynesian. Although the economy is highly dependent on production from the land, the vast majority of the people, 85 percent, live in urban areas. About 76 percent live in the North Island.
The first
settlers in New Zealand, the Maori, came from Polynesia about 1000 years ago.
These settlers found themselves in a land untouched by humans, and devoid of any
land mammals. The absence of mammals, except for two bat species, led to the
development of a unique flora and fauna, with many large flightless birds,
including the legendary moa, and the national bird, the kiwi.
The first European arrival was the Dutchman, Abel Tasman in 1642, in his search for the mythical Southern Continent. The next arrival, over a century later in 1769, was Captain James Cook from Britain. Cook mapped the North and South Islands, studied the Maori, and collected examples of flora and fauna. By 1840 there were about 2000 European settlers. New Zealand's founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi, was signed that year. The Treaty made New Zealand a British colony and gave Queen Victoria the right to buy Maori land. In return, the Maori were given the rights and privileges of British subjects with a clause giving them undisturbed proprietorship of the land, forests and fisheries. The Treaty is recognised in much of New Zealand's legislation.
New Zealand is a member of the Commonwealth of States (formerly the British Commonwealth) and is a parliamentary democracy, with its parliament elected under a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) representation system. Its capital is Wellington, located on the southernmost tip of the North Island. Further to the north lies New Zealand's largest city, Auckland, with a population of one million. The largest city in the South Island is Christchurch.
Contact for Enquiries
MAF Information Services
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526
Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
Fax: +64 4 894 0721
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