New Zealand (2001) (compare) | |
New Zealand (2002) (compare) | |
New Zealand (2003) (compare) | |
New Zealand (2004) (compare) | |
New Zealand (2005) (compare) | |
New Zealand (2007) (compare) | |
New Zealand (2008) (compare) |
Administrative divisions | 16 regions and 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 |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 21.1% (male 439,752/female 419,174)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 1,374,850/female 1,361,570) 65 years and over: 11.8% (male 210,365/female 270,429) (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef, lamb and mutton, dairy products; fish |
Airports | 118 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 45
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 27 under 914 m: 4 (2006) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 73
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 31 under 914 m: 40 (2006) |
Area | total: 268,680 sq km
land: 268,021 sq km water: NA note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands |
Area - comparative | about the size of Colorado |
Background | The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances. |
Birth rate | 13.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $43.1 billion
expenditures: $37.57 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) |
Capital | name: Wellington
geographic coordinates: 41 28 S, 174 51 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in March note: New Zealand is divided into two time zones, including Chatham Island |
Climate | temperate with sharp regional contrasts |
Coastline | 15,134 km |
Constitution | consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, as well as The Constitution Act 1986, which is the principal formal charter; adopted 1 January 1987, effective 1 January 1987 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: New Zealand abbreviation: NZ |
Death rate | 7.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | $42.84 billion (2005 est.) |
Dependent areas | Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador William P. McCORMICK
embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP 96531-1034 telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000 FAX: [64] (4) 499-0490 consulate(s) general: Auckland |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Roy N. FERGUSON
chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800 FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York |
Disputes - international | asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency) [see Antarctica] |
Economic aid - donor | ODA, $99.7 million |
Economy - overview | Over the past 20 years the government has transformed New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes (but left behind many at the bottom of the ladder), broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector, and contained inflationary pressures. Per capita income has risen for six consecutive years and was more than $24,000 in 2005 in purchasing power parity terms. New Zealand is heavily dependent on trade - particularly in agricultural products - to drive growth. Exports are equal to about 22% of GDP. Thus far the economy has been resilient, and the Labor Government promises that expenditures on health, education, and pensions will increase proportionately to output. |
Electricity - consumption | 37.03 billion kWh (2003) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - production | 39.82 billion kWh (2003) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation |
Ethnic groups | European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander 4.4%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8% (2001 census) |
Exchange rates | New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December 1999) and Deputy Prime Minister Michael CULLEN (since NA July 2002) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general |
Exports | 0 kWh (2003) |
Exports | $22.21 billion (2005 est.) |
Exports | 0 cu m (2001 est.) |
Exports | 30,220 bbl/day (2001) |
Exports - commodities | dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery |
Exports - partners | Australia 21.4%, US 14.1%, Japan 10.6%, China 5.1%, UK 4.7% (2005) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 4.3%
industry: 27.3% services: 68.4% (2005 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.3% (2005 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 41 00 S, 174 00 E |
Geography - note | about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA (1991 est.) |
Imports | 0 kWh (2003) |
Imports | $24.57 billion (2005 est.) |
Imports | 0 cu m (2001 est.) |
Imports | 119,700 bbl/day (2001) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics |
Imports - partners | Australia 20.9%, US 11%, Japan 11%, China 10.9%, Germany 4.9% (2005) |
Independence | 26 September 1907 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | -2.5% (2005 est.) |
Industries | food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining |
Infant mortality rate | total: 5.76 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3% (2005 est.) |
International organization participation | ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Irrigated land | 2,850 sq km (2003) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; High Court; note - Judges appointed by the Governor-General |
Labor force | 2.13 million (2005 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 10%
industry: 25% services: 65% (1995) |
Land boundaries | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 5.54%
permanent crops: 6.92% other: 87.54% (2005) |
Languages | English (official), Maori (official) |
Legal system | based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
Legislative branch | unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies including seven Maori constituencies, and 51 proportional seats chosen from party lists, all to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 17 September 2005 (next to be held not later than 15 November 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NZLP 41.1%, NP 39.1%, NZFP 5.72%, Green Party 5.3%, Maori 2.12%, UF 2.67%, ACT New Zealand 1.51%, Progressive 1.16%; seats by party - NZLP 50, NP 48, NZFP 7, Green Party 6, Maori 4, UF 3, ACT New Zealand 2, Progressive 1 note: results of 2005 election saw the total number of seats increase to 121 because the Maori Party won one more electorate seat than its entitlement under the party vote |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 78.81 years
male: 75.82 years female: 81.93 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) |
Location | Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia |
Map references | Oceania |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
Merchant marine | total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 136,361 GRT/124,972 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 4 (Australia 2, Germany 1, Isle of Man 1) registered in other countries: 8 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Cook Islands 1, Dominica 4, France 1, UK 1) (2006) |
Military branches | New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF): New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force (2006) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $1.147 billion (FY03/04) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1% (FY02) |
National holiday | Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) |
Nationality | noun: New Zealander(s)
adjective: New Zealand |
Natural hazards | earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity |
Natural resources | natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone |
Net migration rate | 3.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Pipelines | condensate 224 km; gas 1,693 km; liquid petroleum gas 45 km; oil 280 km; refined products 288 km (2006) |
Political parties and leaders | ACT New Zealand [Rodney HIDE]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS]; Maori Party [Whatarangi WINIATA]; National Party or NP [Don BRASH]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; Progressive Party [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; United Future or UF [Peter DUNNE] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA |
Population | 4,076,140 (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.99% (2006 est.) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998) |
Railways | total: 4,128 km
narrow gauge: 4,128 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2005) |
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) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: excellent domestic and international systems
domestic: NA international: country code - 64; submarine cables to Australia and Fiji; 8 satellite earth stations - 1 InMarSat (Pacific Ocean), 7 other |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1,800,500 (2004) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 3.53 million (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | 41 (plus 52 medium-power repeaters and over 650 low-power repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains |
Total fertility rate | 1.79 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 3.7% (2005 est.) |