New Zealand

Location

• Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia
• note 1: consists of two main islands and a number of smaller islands; South Island, the larger main island, is the 12th-largest island in the world and is divided along its length by the Southern Alps; North Island is the 14th-largest island in the world and is not as mountainous, but it is marked by volcanism note 2: New Zealand lies along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakesnote 3: almost 90% of the population lives in cities and over three-quarters on North Island; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Auckland	1,530,500
Christchurch	412,000
Wellington	381,900	Capital
Manukau City	362,000
North Shore	258,697
Hamilton	189,700
Tauranga	155,200
Dunedin	131,800
Lower Hutt	113,400
Palmerston North	91,300

Size

• 103,737 square miles
• 268,680 square kilometers
• almost twice the size of North Carolina; about the size of Colorado

History

Polynesians settled New Zealand between the late 1200s and the mid-1300s. They called the land Aotearoa, which legend holds is the name of the canoe that Kupe, the first Polynesian in New Zealand, used to sail to the country; the name Aotearoa is now in widespread use as the local Maori name for the country. By the 1500s, competition for land and resources led to intermittent fighting between different Maori tribes as large game became extinct. Dutch explorer Abel TASMAN was the first European to see the islands in 1642 but left after an encounter with local Maori. British sea captain James COOK arrived in 1769, followed by whalers, sealers, and traders. The UK only nominally claimed New Zealand and included it as part of New South Wales in Australia. Concerns about increasing lawlessness led the UK to appoint its first British Resident in New Zealand in 1832, although the position had few legal powers. In 1835, some Maori tribes from the North Island declared independence. Fearing an impending French settlement and takeover, the majority of Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi with the British in 1840. Land tenure issues stemming from the treaty are still being actively negotiated in New Zealand.The UK declared New Zealand a separate colony in 1841 and granted limited self-government in 1852. Different traditions of authority and land use led to a series of wars between Europeans and various Maori tribes from the 1840s to the 1870s. Along with disease, these conflicts halved the Maori population. In the 1890s, New Zealand initially expressed interest in joining independence talks with Australia but ultimately opted against it and changed its status to an independent dominion in 1907. New Zealand provided more than 100,000 troops during each World War, many of whom fought as part of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). New Zealand reaffirmed its independence in 1947 and signed the Australia, New Zealand, and US (ANZUS) Treaty in 1951. Beginning in 1984, New Zealand began to adopt nuclear-free policies, contributing to a dispute with the US over naval ship visits that led the US to suspend its defense obligations to New Zealand in 1986, but bilateral relations and military ties have been revitalized since the 2010s with new security agreements. A key challenge for Auckland that has emerged over the past decade is balancing concerns over China’s growing influence in the Pacific region with its role as New Zealand's largest export destination. New Zealand has close ties with Australia based to a large extent on the two nations’ common origins as British colonies and their shared military history.

Climate

temperate with sharp regional contrasts

Terrain

predominately mountainous with large coastal plains

Languages

English (de facto official) 95.4%, Maori (de jure official) 4%, Samoan 2.2%, Northern Chinese 2%, Hindi 1.5%, French 1.2%, Yue 1.1%, New Zealand Sign Language (de jure official) 0.5%, other or not stated 17.2% (2018 est.)note: shares sum to 124.1% due to multiple responses on the 2018 census

Religions

Christian 37.3% (Catholic 10.1%, Anglican 6.8%, Presbyterian and Congregational 5.2%, Pentecostal 1.8%, Methodist 1.6%, Church of Jesus Christ 1.2%, other 10.7%), Hindu 2.7%, Maori 1.3%, Muslim, 1.3%, Buddhist 1.1%, other religion 1.6% (includes Judaism, Spiritualism and New Age religions, Baha'i, Asian religions other than Buddhism), no religion 48.6%, objected to answering 6.7% (2018 est.)note: based on the 2018 census of the usually resident population; percentages add up to more than 100% because respondents were able to identify more than one religion

Government

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

• Constitution: history: New Zealand has no single constitution document; the Constitution Act 1986, effective 1 January 1987, includes only part of the uncodified constitution; others include a collection of statutes or "acts of Parliament," the Treaty of Waitangi, Orders in Council, letters patent, court decisions, and unwritten conventionsamendment process: proposed as bill by Parliament or by referendum called either by the government or by citizens; passage of a bill as an act normally requires two separate readings with committee reviews in between to make changes and corrections, a third reading approved by the House of Representatives membership or by the majority of votes in a referendum, and assent of the governor-general; passage of amendments to reserved constitutional provisions affecting the term of Parliament, electoral districts, and voting restrictions requires approval by 75% of the House membership or the majority of votes in a referendum
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: common law system, based on English model, with special legislation and land courts for the Maori
• Executive Branch: chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor-General Dame Cindy KIRO (since 21 October 2021)head of government: Prime Minister Christopher LUXON (since 27 November 2023)cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor-general on the recommendation of the prime ministerelection/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; governor-general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the governor-general appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as prime minister; deputy prime minister also appointed by the governor-general
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 5 justices, including the chief justice)judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the governor-general upon the recommendation of the attorney- general; justices appointed until compulsory retirement at age 70subordinate courts: Court of Appeal; High Court; tribunals and authorities; district courts; specialized courts for issues related to employment, environment, family, Maori lands, youth, military; tribunals
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: House of Representativeslegislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 120 (all directly elected)electoral system: mixed systemscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 3 yearsmost recent election date: 10/14/2023parties elected and seats per party: National Party (49); Labour Party (34); Green Party (15); ACT New Zealand (11); New Zealand First (8); Other (6)percentage of women in chamber: 45.1%expected date of next election: September 2026

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• high-income, globally integrated Pacific island economy; strong agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism sectors; reliant on Chinese market for exports; recovery trajectory following deep post-pandemic recession; challenges of fiscal deficits, below-average productivity, cost of living, and drop in net migration
• Budget: revenues: $83.167 billion (2022 est.)expenditures: $91.782 billion (2022 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone
• Industries: agriculture, forestry, fishing, logs and wood articles, manufacturing, mining, construction, financial services, real estate services, tourism
• Agricultural Products: milk, beef, kiwifruit, apples, grapes, lamb/mutton, potatoes, wheat, barley, chicken (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 37% (2022 est.)arable land: 2% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0.3% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 34.7% (2022 est.)forest: 37.7% (2022 est.)other: 25.3% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, cars, gas turbines, broadcasting equipment, trucks (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 20%, Australia 11%, USA 9%, S. Korea 7%, Japan 7% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: milk, wood, beef, butter, sheep and goat meat (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: China 28%, USA 12%, Australia 12%, Japan 6%, S. Korea 3% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports