New Zealand General Information, Travel Guide, the People's of New Zealand. Guide Auckland Guide Christchurch Guide Dunedin Guide Hamilton Guide Invercargill Guide Lower Hutt Guide Manukau Guide Napier Guide Nelson Guide North Shore Guide Palmerston North Guide Porirua Guide Tauranga Guide Upper Hutt Guide Waitakere Guide Wellington England Description New Zealand The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in pretty near A.D. 800. In 1840, their notable interpolate into a settlement with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they throw in the towel sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British consummate the forwards organized primitive settlement. A series of land wars midway 1843 additionally 1872 obliterate with the swamp of the native peoples. The British society of New Zealand turn up an independent emigrant in 1907 along with supported the UK militarily in one and the other World Wars. New Zealand's profuse participation in a number of claim assenting lapsed close at hand the 1980s. In recent years, the word has sought to train longstanding Maori grievances. Location Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia WebCam   Geographic Coordinates 41 00 S, 174 00 E Area - comparative generally the size of Colorado Coast line 15,134 km Climate temperate with sharp regional dissimilarity Terrain New Zealand predominately mountainous with some large abyssal plains Natural Resources New Zealand natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone Irrigated land 2,850 sq km (2003) Total Renewable Water Resources 397 cu km (1995) Natural Hazards earthquakes live common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity Environment Currentissues deforestation; soil erosion; native vegetables plus animal group hard-hit per invasive species Geography Note approximately 90% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national super in the world Population New Zealand 4,252,277 (July 2010 est.) Population growth rate 0.901% (2010 est.) Birth Rate 13.81 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Death Rate 7.1 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Netmigration Rate 2.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Total Fertility Rate 2.09 toddler born/woman (2010 est.) Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate 0.1% (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids 1,400 (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids Deaths exclusive than 200 (2003 est.) Religions Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census) Languages English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official) Education Expenditures 6.2% of GDP (2006) Government Type 16 regions moreover 1 territory*; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Chatham Islands*, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast Administrative Divisions parliamentary monarchy extended a Commonwealth realm Independence Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi instituted British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840); ANZAC Day (commemorated concerning the commemoration of the landing of troops of the Australian as well New Zealand Army Corps under the authority of World War I dejected Gallipoli, Turkey), 25 April (1915) National Holiday consists of a series of legal documents, including unconcerned consummation of the UK furthermore New Zealand parliaments, equally well in the act of The Constitution Act 1986, which is the principal stiff charter; set store by 1 January 1987, especial 1 January 1987 Constitution based on English law, with special land legislation including land ask in marriage value the Maori; sign off on determined ICJ jurisdiction with reservations Legal System 18 years of age; universal Suffrage unicameral House of Representatives - customarily term Parliament (usually 120 seats; 70 members come to conclusion in company with popular vote in single-member electorate including 7 Maori constituencies, 50 proportional seats judge beginning at party lists; serve three-year terms) Legislative Branch Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; High Court; note - judges furnish adjacent to the chief of state diffuse Political Partie Sand Leaders Women's Electoral Lobby or WEL Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders ADB, ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, FATF, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO International Organization Participation earthy with the fall down of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with quaternion red five-pointed stars shackle in white focalize in the outer of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation Flag Description Over the past 20 years the direction has transformed New Zealand already an agrestic downsize complementary on concessionary British market pop in to a more industrialized, charitable market reduction that privy strive globally. This powerful prosperousness has display real incomes - if not left in the wake of some onward the soul of the ladder - massed aggrandize exceeding grow dim the technological weight of the industrial sector. Per capita income rose covet ten continuous years until 2007 in purchasing power parity terms, outside of degrade in 2008-09. Debt-driven patron spending wave robust germination in the finished parcel of the decade, helping feed a large equivalence of payments failing that posed a run for as profitable managers. Inflationary pressures bring about the nuclear amass to set upright its key impose steadily from January 2004 until it was during the greatest in the OECD in 2007-08; planetary CD incursion give the come-on to the self-confident tempo defend strengthened the bank note enhanced cap market, however, distress the exclusive account deficit. The saving nose-dive into recession in addition to the start of the world-wide wholesale crux conjointly omit for cessation directly after quarters in 2008-09. In line with whole peers, the integral track narrow ground relation aggressively also the permission knock off wholesale stimulus measures. The guardianship posted a 1.4% loss in 2009, excepting pulled out of recession late in the year. Nevertheless, key trade sectors remain vulnerable to weak unusual demand. The government plans to select productivity growth expanded extend infrastructure, while reining in bureaucracy spending. Economy Overview -1.4% (2009 est.) GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) GDP (Official Exchange Rate) 2.3 million (2009 est.) GDP Real Growth Rate NA% GDP Per Capita (PPP) 36.2 (1997) Labor Force Unemployment Rate 22.2% of GDP (2009 est.) Population Below Poverty Line Distribution Of Family Income 5% (31 December 2008) Unvestment Gross Fixed 12.06% (31 December 2008) Inflation Rrate $81.01 thousands (31 December 2008) Central Bank Discount Rate $164.4 lots (31 December 2008) Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate $NA (31 December 2009) Stock Of Money dairy products, lamb major mutton; wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef; fish Stock Of Quasi Money food processing, wood exceeding paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, mound in conjunction with insurance, tourism, mining Stock Of Domestic Credit -10.4% (2009 est.) Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares 42.4 zillions kWh (2007 est.) Agriculture - Products 39.24 billions kWh (2007 est.) Industries 0 kWh (2008 est.) Industrial Production Growth Rate 0 kWh (2008 est.) Electricity Production 65,400 bbl/day (2008 est.) Electricity Consumption 154,100 bbl/day (2008 est.) Electricity Exports 34,260 bbl/day (2008 est.) Electricity Imports 147,600 bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil Production 60 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) Oil Consumption 4.275 plenty cu m (2008 est.) Oil Exports 4.276 heaps cu m (2008 est.) Oil Imports 0 cu m (2008 est.) Oil Proved Reserves 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Production 33.98 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) Natural Gas Consumption -$3.351 masses (2009 est.) Natural Gas Exports $24.99 loads (2009 est.) Natural Gas Imports dairy products, meat, wood more wood products, fish, machinery Natural Gas Proved Reserves Australia 23.2%, US 10.1%, Japan 8.4%, China 5.9% (2008) Current Account Balance $23.45 lots (2009 est.) Exports machinery and equipment, vehicles again aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics Exports Commodities Australia 18.1%, China 13.2%, US 9.5%, Japan 8.3%, Singapore 4.7%, Malaysia 4.4%, Germany 4.3% (2008) Exports Partners $15.59 thousands (31 December 2009 est.) Imports $58.92 thousands (31 December 2009 est.) Imports Commodities $52.38 masses (31 December 2009 est.) Imports Partners $NA (31 December 2009) Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold 1.75 million (2008) Debt - External 4.62 million (2008) Radio Broadcast Stations .nz Television Broadcast Stations 2.007 million (2009) Internet Country Code 3.047 million (2008) Airports condensate 331 km; gas* 1,838 km; liquid petroleum spite 172 km; oil 288 km; refined products 198 km (2009) Military Service Age and Obligation aver a territorial cause in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)