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![[Auckland Photo]](ak1.JPG)
纽西兰总人口为３８０多万，属于多民族国家，以欧洲人为主，当地的毛利 族与各民族人民友好相处。新西兰是后起发达的资本主义国家，是南太平洋 上的一颗明珠。她是一个多元化的移民国家。新西兰位于南半球，季节恰巧 与北半球相反，属 于温带海洋性气候。北岛四季如春。新西兰向来以无污 染闻名全球，大地绿草如茵。 新西兰有许多地方覆盖着原始森林。新西兰 是一个年轻的移民国家。 英语为官方语言。 首都是惠灵顿。 奥克兰为最 大城市。
由于新西兰位于南半球。 她景色秀丽宜人，集山脉、森林、河湖、地温带、 海滩、海港、岛屿和平原于一体。年平均温度波动在20 'C上下，相当于昆明 的气侯。新西兰到处鸟语花香，空气清新，环境不受污染。奥克兰市是全国 最大的工商业中心，位于新西兰北岛。著名的港口城市基督城和古老的城市 但尼丁位于新西兰南岛。新西兰是英联邦成员国之一，首都威灵顿位于北岛。 新西兰政体以英国议会制度为榜样，国会每三年自由选举一次。新西兰的经 济以农业、畜牧业、鱼业、水产养殖和制革等为主。
新西兰普及中学教育，有七所大学，二十一所理工学院。
纽西兰属于发达国家，人均国民收入名列世界前茅；又被称为"人间最後一 块乐土"和"世外桃源"，拥有美丽的自然环境、丰富的海洋和森林资源以及 奥克兰等天然良港。由于得天独厚的地理位置和发达的科技、通讯、贸易、 海运、空运、旅游业，使其成为南太平洋的经济、贸易、金融以及科技、 文化、教育中心，为该地区的贸易集散地，对菲济、汤加、西萨摩亚、所罗 门群岛等众多太平洋国家的社会经济发展具有特殊的影响作用，是发展和加 强与南太平洋诸岛国及南美各国经济贸易关系的桥梁和纽带。
纽西兰居民原多为英国移民後裔，近年来政府推行开发性的移民政策，来 自世界各国尤其亚洲地区的移民逐年增加，使得其社会经济相向多元化和 国际化发展；纽西兰与欧美诸国具有良好的关系，尤其与澳洲具有完全开 放的双边关系，同时政府还非常重视发展同亚太地区的合作，制定了"亚洲 2000"发展战略，积极参与亚洲太平洋地区经济协作活动。1997年，纽中贸 易额已达10.2亿美元，根据同期数字比较，虽然亚洲金融危机影响，98年 两国贸易仍显增长趋势。中国已成为纽西兰最大的羊毛进口国，第七大贸 易伙伴。而纽西兰也成为中国最大的海外投资地之一。纽中同处亚太地区， 经济互补性强，两国间的经贸合作具极大潜力，纽西兰农牧业科技居世界 首位，农牧产品生产加工技术先进，可提供优质羊毛、木材、纸浆、奶制 品等农副产品。中国产品近年来在纽西兰已有广泛的影响，具有良好的市 场发展潜力。随著去年朱熔基总理对纽西兰的访问，两国的双方合作更进 一步发展，纽中已开放旅游市场，两国旅游业的合作前景广阔。
一千多年前，只有毛利人在新西兰安居，十九世纪后，新西兰的优越地理 环境几丰富的资源，吸引了大量的欧洲海豹猎人、捕鲸者和英国传教士及 大批英国移民。1840年新西兰成为英国殖民地，是英国人最理想的定居处。 直至二十世纪八十年代，新西兰真正向全世界开启移民大门。
新西兰被称为人类移居的最后一个"乌托邦"。近年来，从日本、香港、台湾、 中国大陆和马来西亚等亚洲国家的大批移民涌入新西兰， 他们大都集中在 奥克兰、惠灵顿和基督城等大城市。
当您获得新西兰居留权取得移民签证后，一般要在半年内入境，入境后您将 成为新西兰居民，享受当地居民所有的同等待遇，其中包括：第一次入境可 免税带齐您的自用品，可以到政府工作介绍中心登记找工作等。在新西兰工 作，平均工资约为500元新币，一般每人每周基本生活费为100元新币。在新 的移民政策下，新移民在住满两年后，如果找不到合适的工作，才可以享受 社会福利，如果读全日制课程，可以享受学生津贴。
在新西兰居住满三年者可以申请归化入籍，入籍后可以随时赴澳定居，及赴 其它英联邦国家、欧共体、美、法、日等国家三个月免签证旅游。
奥克
兰
是新西兰的最大的城市，人口约一百多万，占全国人口的三分之一。
华人占全国人口的百之二。 多数华人居住在奥克兰市。
从一九九五年开始修改和施行新的移民政策。每年移民人数为三万五千人，
但目前，实际移民人数达不到上述指标。 很多亚洲新移民在住满三年后，
转换新西兰护照后，又转赴美国等更高度发达国家，或到澳洲开创新天地。
新西兰同澳大利亚是协议国。 两国公民可以在对方国家享有同等福利及
其它待遇。 在对方住满两年也可以申请对方国家护照。 两国都承认双重
国籍。
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Natural Resources
The land is the most important resource of New Zealand. It is ideal
for crop farming, dairy farming, and the raising of sheep and cattle, all
of which predominate in the economy. Forest products are also important.
Numerous mineral deposits are found throughout the main islands, including
coal, gold, pearlite, sand and gravel, limestone, bentonite, clay, dolomite,
and magnesite. Large natural-gas fields are on North Island and off its
southwestern coast. Deposits of uranium and thorium are believed to be
present on the islands, because these minerals have been found in isolated
boulders.
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Plants
New Zealand plant life is remarkable in that of the 2000 indigenous
species, about 1500 are found nowhere else in the world; examples of such
unique plants are the golden kowhai and the scarlet pohutukawa. North Island
has predominantly subtropical vegetation, including mangrove swamps in
the north. The forest, or so-called bush, of North Island is principally
evergreen with dense undergrowth of mosses and fern. Evergreen trees include
the kauri, rimu, kahikatea, and totara, all of which are excellent timber
trees. The only extensive area of native grassland on North Island is the
central volcanic plain. The eastern part of South Island, for the most
part, is grassland up to an elevation of about 1525 m (about 5000 ft).
Most of the forest is in the west. It is made up principally of native
beech and is succeeded by alpine vegetation at high altitudes.
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Animals
With the exception of two species of bat, no indigenous mammals are
native to New Zealand. The first white settlers, who arrived early in the
19th century, found a type of dog and a black rat, both of which had been
brought by the Maori (see the Population section below) about 500 years
earlier. The only wild mammals at present are descended from deer, rabbits,
goats, pigs, weasels, ferrets, and opossums of which were imported.
No snakes and few species of insects inhabit New Zealand. The tuatara,
a lizardlike reptile with a vestigial third eye, is believed to be a prehistoric
survival. New Zealand has a large population of wild birds, including 23
native species. Among the native species are songbirds, including the bellbird
and tui, and flightless species, including the kiwi, kakapo, takahe, and
weka. The survival of the flightless birds is attributed to the absence
of predatory animals. The sparrow, blackbird, thrush, skylark, magpie,
and myna are well-acclimated imported species. New Zealand abounds in a
great variety of seabirds and numerous migratory birds. The rivers and
lakes have a variety of native edible fish, including whitebait, eel, lamprey,
and freshwater crustaceans, particularly crayfish. Trout and salmon have
been imported. The surrounding ocean waters are the habitat of the snapper,
flounder, blue cod, hapuku, tarakihi, swordfish, flying fish, shark, and
whale, as well as edible shellfish, such as the oyster, mussel, and toheroa.
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Population
According to the 1991 census, approximately 73 percent of the population
of New Zealand is of European (mainly British) descent. About 12 percent
(some 430,000) are Maori, a Polynesian group, whose ancestors migrated
to New Zealand about the 14th century. About 4 percent of the population
is of Polynesian descent, and various other Asian ethnicities make up the
rest of the population.
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Population Characteristics
The population of New Zealand at the 1991 census was 3,434,950. The
1995 population estimate is 3,552,000, giving the country an overall population
density of about 13 persons per sq km (about 34 per sq mi). Nearly three-quarters
of the population (including more than 95 percent of the Maori) reside
on North Island, however. About 84 percent of the people live in urban
areas, and about half of these in the four largest cities and their environs
(see the Principal Cities section below).
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Political Divisions
New Zealand is divided into 12 local government regions and three unitary
authorities. On North Island are Northland, Auckland, Waikata, Bay of Plenty,
Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, Manuwatu-Wanganui, and Wellington regions, and the
authority of Gisborne. On South Island are West Coast, Canterbury, Otago,
and Southland regions, and the authorities of Nelson and Marlborough.
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Principal Cities
The capital of New Zealand and the center of interisland and coastal
shipping is Wellington (population, 1993 estimate, greater city, 326,900).
Other urban centers, with their estimated 1993 (greater city) populations,
are Auckland (910,200), a seaport and major industrial center; Christchurch
(312,600), the country's wheat and grain center; Hamilton (151,800), a
center for dairy farming; and Dunedin (110,800), a wool and tourism center.
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Religion and Language
A majority of the New Zealand population is Christian. The primary
denominations are Anglican (22 percent), Presbyterian (16 percent), and
Roman Catholic (15 percent). Methodist, Baptist, and other Protestant denominations
are also represented. Most of the Maori are members of the Ratana and Ringatu
Christian sects. Jews, Hindus, and Buddhists constitute small minorities.
About 21 percent profess no religious faith. English and Maori are the
official languages, although the country is predominantly English-speaking.
Almost all of the Maori speak English, and only about 50,000 (about 15
percent) are considered fluent Maori speakers. Other Polynesian and European
languages are spoken by a small percentage of the population.
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Education is free and compulsory for children between the ages of 6
and 15 years, but children may enter school at 5 and continue until they
are 19. In some areas subsidized kindergartens are maintained for children
between three and five years of age. Primary education consists of infant
classes during the first two years and six annual grades designated standards
1, 2, 3, and 4 and forms I and II. Free secondary education is available
to all children who have completed form II or who have attained the age
of 14. On the completion of the third year of secondary education, pupils
take a national examination for a school certificate, which attests to
completion of basic secondary education. The prerequisite for admission
to university study is either attaining a sixth-form certificate or passing
the university entrance examination.
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Elementary and Secondary Schools
In the early 1990s there were about 2330 public and private primary
schools in New Zealand. These schools had about 19,730 teachers and an
annual enrollment of about 401,680 students. About another 32,640 students
attended composite schools, which combine primary and secondary education
and include a correspondence school. About 390 secondary and special schools,
with 15,520 teachers, were attended by some 232,250 students annually.
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Universities and Colleges
The university system in New Zealand comprises seven separate government-funded
universities. These universities are the University of Auckland (1882),
Waikato University (1964, at Hamilton), the Victoria University of Wellington
(1899), Massey University (1926, at Palmerston North), the University of
Canterbury (1873, at Christchurch), the University of Otago (1869, at Dunedin),
and Lincoln University (1990, near Christchurch), until recently a constituent
agricultural college of the University of Canterbury. The seven universities
had a combined annual enrollment in the early 1990s of about 97,840 students.
Several teachers colleges were also in operation, and an extensive adult-education
program throughout the country was conducted by the National Council of
Adult Education. In addition, about 88,430 students attended polytechnic
institutions.
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Way of Life
Most urban residents in New Zealand live in bungalows, single-story,
single-unit dwellings on small lots. High-rise residential development
is a recent phenomenon confined mainly to Auckland and Wellington. Most
New Zealand families have a vegetable and fruit garden on their lot where
they grow some of their food. It is common for families to have animals
as pets, especially cats and dogs. New Zealanders are keen sport participants
and followers. Primary winter sports are rugby, soccer, rugby league, hockey,
netball (a variant of basketball, played by women), skating, skiing, and
mountain climbing. The most popular summer sports are cricket, tennis,
swimming, sailing, tramping (hiking), and horse racing. New Zealanders
participate in a variety of international sporting events, such as rugby,
soccer, cricket, tennis, and sailing competitions. Although most of the
population lives in cities, New Zealand is known internationally for its
rural environments and scenery. New Zealanders place great value on access
to the outdoors for recreation. The mountains, rivers, lakes, forests,
and coastal environments are used extensively by climbers, hikers, skiers,
hunters, sailors, and those flying various types of craft. New Zealanders
pride themselves on their healthy way of life. However, overexposure to
the sun, and overindulgence in a diet of fatty meats and liquids, has given
New Zealand some of the world's highest rates for some types of cancer,
especially skin and intestinal cancers. In recent years there has been
a greater consciousness of the need to moderate some traditional pastimes
(especially sunbathing) and eating practices.
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Culture
The earliest cultural tradition in New Zealand was that of the Maori.
The literature consisted of history, tales, poems, and myths handed down
by oral tradition. The indigenous art of New Zealand is also Maori. European
settlers, particularly the English, brought with them their own traditions,
which came to dominate the cultural life of the country. Since the 1950s
significant numbers of Pacific Islanders, particularly Polynesians, have
contributed to a growing ethnic diversity in New Zealand. More recently,
greater diversity has been fostered by increased immigration from Asia
since the mid-1980s. The arts, literature, and music were given great stimulus
by the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council of New Zealand, created in October
1963 to foster artistic and cultural undertakings of all kinds and to make
them accessible to the public.
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Libraries and Museums
New Zealand has more than 1000 libraries. The National Library Act
of 1965 established the National Library of New Zealand by combining several
library systems. The Auckland Public Library contains about 1.2 million
volumes, including Maori works. Other leading libraries include the Otago
University Library in Dunedin (1.2 million volumes), the Canterbury University
Library in Christchurch (1.2 million volumes), the Wellington Public Library
(525,000 volumes) and the Dunedin Public Library (520,000 volumes). All
government records of permanent value are preserved in the National Archives
in Wellington. Art galleries and museums are found in most large cities,
but the oldest institutions are in Auckland. The Auckland City Art Gallery,
founded in 1888, and the Auckland Museum, opened in 1852, contain notable
collections, and the National Art Gallery (1936), in Wellington, is noted
particularly for its Australian and New Zealand paintings. Outstanding
natural history and ethnological collections are found in the National
Museum, in Wellington; Canterbury Museum, in Christchurch; and Otago Museum,
in Dunedin.
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Literature, Art, Music, and Film
New Zealand's indigenous population, the Maori, have a rich oral tradition
of creation myths, stories of adventurous voyages, tribal legends, and
customary practices. The Maori also had a well-developed artisan culture,
which featured elaborately decorated houses, canoes, and entranceways to
fortified villages called pa. The beliefs and practices of the indigenous
population have profoundly influenced contemporary literature, art, music,
and motion pictures in New Zealand. The Piano (1993), an Academy Award-winning
film directed by Jane Campion, features Maori-European relations in the
early years of European settlement in New Zealand. Once Were Warriors (1995),
with a screenplay by Maori writer Riwia Brown, depicts the strain of urban
life on one Maori family. Some of the country's most prominent artists
use Maori motifs and symbolism in their painting, photography, sculpture,
and pottery. New Zealand's internationally known opera singer, Dame Kiri
Te Kanawa, is Maori, as was one of the country's most successful groups,
the Howard Morrison Quartet. Some of the most popular songs in New Zealand
are Maori songs, sometimes translated into English. A distinctive New Zealand
literature took some time to develop. It was not until the 1930s, when
New Zealand experienced a particularly harsh economic depression, that
a growing sense of national identity produced some internationally acclaimed
writers. These include Katherine Mansfield, Ngaio Marsh, Sylvia Ashton-Warner,
Frank Sargeson, and Maurice Shadbolt. Maori writers such as Keri Hulme,
Patricia Grace, and Witi Ihimaera have become influential contributors
to the distinctively New Zealand literature of the late 20th century. Hulme
won Great Britain's Booker Prize in 1985 for her novel The Bone People
(1983) about Maori life in New Zealand during the second half of the 20th
century. The New Zealand film industry is also gaining international recognition.
New Zealand-made films have featured prominently in festivals in England,
France, and the United States. New Zealand actors, such as Sam Neill, in
recent years have had roles in major Hollywood productions such as Jurassic
Park (1993).
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Economy
Since 1984 successive New Zealand governments have pursued economic
policies that have transformed a strongly regulated welfare state into
an open-market economy. The economy has been deregulated by the removal
of subsidies, tariffs, import duties, and fiscal controls. In addition,
the state has withdrawn progressively from direct involvement in production,
service provision and delivery, welfare support, and manipulation of currency
and financial markets. Primary production is becoming less significant
as a direct contributor to export receipts and gross domestic product (GDP).
Service industries, especially those associated with a booming tourist
industry, are becoming much more prominent. New Zealand is a prosperous
country with a high standard of social services. The country's GDP was
$42.1 billion in the early 1990s. Approximately 70 percent of GDP derives
from services, 23 percent from manufacturing, and 7 percent from agriculture,
forestry, and fishing. The national economy is largely dependent on the
export of raw and processed foods, timber, and wool. Any fluctuation in
world prices and demand affects the economy. In the early 1990s the annual
budget included revenues of about $14 billion and expenditures of about
$15.2 billion.
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Agriculture
Modern methods and machinery are used extensively on New Zealand farms,
and the productivity of the country is consequently among the highest in
the world. The land is suited for dairy farming and for raising sheep and
beef cattle because winter housing for livestock is unnecessary and grass
grows nearly year round. Annual output of the main crops in the early 1990s
included barley, 319,000 metric tons; wheat, 191,000 tons; maize, 164,000
tons; and oats, 58,000 tons. Other important crops were kiwi fruit, apples,
pears, tobacco, potatoes, and peas. The livestock population of New Zealand
included about 52.6 million sheep, some 8.1 million cattle, 533,000 goats,
and approximately 411,000 pigs. New Zealand ranks second only to Australia
in wool production; the annual total in the early 1990s was 255,500 metric
tons. As part of economic restructuring in the 1980s the New Zealand government
withdrew subsidies from farmers and manufacturers processing agricultural
products, contributing to a decline in the number of sheep raised on the
country's farms.
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Forestry and Fishing
Timber production in the early 1990s was about 15.6 million cu m (about
551 million cu ft) annually. About one-third of the wood is used for lumber,
and about 25 percent for pulp; more than 90 percent of the sawn wood is
pine. Most of the native forests were denuded in the early years of colonization.
An extensive reforestation program has planted imported varieties of fast-growing
trees such as Douglas fir instead of native New Zealand trees such as rimu
and miro, most of which are slow-growing. A stand of a North American species
of pine in the Kaingaroa State Forest, reputedly the largest planted forest
in the world, is exploited at facilities owned and operated by private
industry. The most important freshwater and marine species taken are red
cool, orange roughy, snapper, hoki, tuna, barracuda, blue whiting, crayfish,
lobster, and squid. In the early 1990s the annual fish catch was approximately
539,800 metric tons. Much of the fishing is done by motor trawlers. New
Zealand's exclusive economic zone, which guarantees offshore fishing rights,
is one of the largest in the world.
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Mining
In the 1970s the mineral output of New Zealand increased substantially,
as newly discovered deposits of petroleum and natural gas were exploited.
Annual output in the early 1990s included coal, 3.0 million metric tons;
petroleum, 15 million barrels; and natural gas, 4.2 billion cu m (148 billion
cu ft). Other minerals produced in significant quantities include gold,
limestone, iron ore, bentonite, silica sand, and pumice.
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Manufacturing
In the early 1990s about 255,000 people were employed in manufacturing.
The principal manufactures were meat and dairy products, paper and paper
products, chemicals, metal products, machinery, clothing, lumber, motor
vehicles, electrical machinery, refined petroleum, and printed materials.
Manufacturing employment declined significantly in the late 1980s and early
1990s following extensive restructuring of the economy, although it began
to show gains in the mid-1990s. New Zealand has insufficient workers and
raw materials to support much heavy industry. Auckland is the principal
manufacturing center.
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Energy
About three-quarters of New Zealand's annual electricity is produced
by hydroelectric facilities, and most of the rest is generated in plants
burning natural gas, coal, or refined petroleum. In addition, underground
steam on North Island is used to produce substantial amounts of electricity.
Major hydroelectric facilities are on the Waikato River, on North Island,
and on the Clutha and Waitaki rivers, on South Island. In the early 1990s
New Zealand had an electricity-generating capacity of about 8 million kilowatts,
and its annual output totaled approximately 31 billion kilowatt-hours.
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Currency and Banking
Under the Decimal Currency Act of 1964 a system of decimal currency
was introduced in New Zealand in 1967, with the New Zealand dollar as the
monetary unit. The previous basic unit was the New Zealand pound. The New
Zealand dollar is divided into 100 cents (NZ$1.75 equal U.S.$1; 1994).
In addition to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (1934), which has the sole
power of issue, several commercial banks and trustee savings banks operate,
as does the Post Office Savings Bank. The Post Office Savings Bank and
the Bank of New Zealand, which is the largest of the commercial banks,
were recently sold by the government.
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Foreign Trade
The value of exports for New Zealand in the early 1990s totaled approximately
$10.9 billion annually. Australia, Japan, the United States, and Great
Britain are leading purchasers. New Zealand is the largest exporter of
dairy products in the world and is second only to Australia in the export
of wool. Other important exports include kiwi fruit, fish, lamb, mutton,
and beef. Imports in the early 1990s totaled about $9 billion annually.
Chief imports are manufactured goods, heavy machinery, petroleum, chemicals,
iron, steel, plastic materials, and textiles. Imports come mainly from
Australia, the United States, Japan, and Great Britain. New Zealand has
few tariffs; most of the manufactured goods are imported into the country
free of duty.
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Transportation and Communications
Public transport facilities are good even in remote districts. In the
early 1990s New Zealand had about 94,300 km (about 58,600 mi) of roads
and 4330 km (2690 mi) of railroads. About 1.5 million passenger cars were
in use. Ships provide fast daily service between North Island and South
Island. The country's principal ports are Auckland, Wellington, Tauranga,
and Lyttelton (near Christchurch). Air transport is widely used, with numerous
airfields located throughout the country to serve private pilots. Air New
Zealand is the leading airline. Communications services are now operated
by private enterprise. In the early 1990s about 1.5 million telephone subscribers
were served. Radios numbered more than 3 million, and New Zealanders had
more than 1 million television sets. More than 30 daily newspapers had
a combined circulation exceeding 1 million.
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Labor
Of a total labor force of about 1.7 million in the early 1990s, about
10 percent were engaged in agriculture and 15 percent in manufacturing.
Union membership has declined significantly following introduction of the
Employment Contracts Act (1991), which gives workers the right to decide
whether to belong to an employees' organization. New Zealand's unemployment
rate has generally been low until recent years. It was about 10 percent
of the labor force in 1991.
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Government
Executive action nominally is taken on behalf of the governor-general,
who is appointed by the British sovereign. The governor-general usually
works in concert with the Executive Council, which is composed of the governor-general,
the prime minister, the ministers heading the various governmental departments,
and ministers without portfolio (that is, without departmental responsibility).
The principal administrative body in New Zealand is the cabinet, which
consists of the prime minister and the ministers in charge of departments.
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Political Parties
The principal political organizations are the Labour party and the
National party. The Labour party favors a limited degree of nationalization
and strong credit controls. The National party strongly supports free enterprise
and opposes state socialism. The Alliance, a third party representing a
coalition of centrist, environmentalist, and Maori groups, was formed in
1991.
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Local Government
New Zealand has 12 regions and three unitary authorities, each governed
by a council. In 1992 the regions were subdivided into 74 territorial authorities,
155 community boards, and six special authorities. The 74 territorial authorities
consist of 15 city councils, 58 district councils, and one county council
(Chatham Islands).
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Judiciary
The highest court in New Zealand is the Court of Appeal, which exercises
appellate jurisdiction only. Decisions of the court are final unless leave
is granted to appeal to the Privy Council in Great Britain. The principal
trial courts are the High Court and the district courts. Justices of the
peace in some cases may try minor criminal charges. Specialized courts
determine questions relating to labor disputes, workers' compensation,
and land valuation in cases of condemnation. The Waitangi Tribunal examines
and makes recommendations on Maori claims for return of land lost since
European settlement and for compensation for lost natural resources.
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Health and Welfare
All workers, including those on farms, are guaranteed a three-week
annual paid vacation. A straight deduction from wages finances social security
benefits, which include hospitalization and medical care, unemployment
benefits, and pensions for disabled workers, widows, the blind, and all
people over the age of 60. There has been a major restructuring of welfare
benefits, pension entitlements, and the medical system since 1984.
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Defense
In the early 1990s the army, navy, and air force of New Zealand were
coordinated under the ministry of defense. The army numbered about 4800
regular personnel. Regular navy personnel totaled about 2300. The air force
had about 3700 regular members. Military service is voluntary.
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History
The Dutch navigator Abel Janszoon Tasman was the first European to
reach New Zealand in 1642. The British explorer Captain James Cook visited
the islands in 1769 and took possession of them for Great Britain, but
nearly 75 years elapsed before the British government recognized his claim.
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Maori
The inhabitants of New Zealand at the time of Tasman's visit were the
Maori, who began settling the land in the early 9th century. They had come
to North Island from other Pacific islands, the last wave from Tahiti about
AD 1350, in a fleet of large canoes. According to Maori oral history, when
Kupe, a Maori navigator, voyaged here by canoe in the middle of the 10th
century, the islands were uninhabited. Prior to Maori immigration, a dark-skinned
race, the Moriori, of whose origin nothing is known, settled on the eastern
coast of North Island; it is believed that they came to hunt the moa, a
wingless bird about 4 m (about 13 ft) tall, which is now extinct. Some
of these people were absorbed into the Maori population; the remainder
were driven out and allowed to settle in the Chatham Islands, where the
last survivor is said to have died in the mid-20th century. The Maori spread
out along the coast and the rivers on both the main islands, although they
were more numerous on North Island. In the late 18th and early 19th century
British missionaries and whalers, despite fierce opposition from the Maori,
established settlements and trading posts in New Zealand, chiefly among
the Bay of Islands on North Island. Systematic immigration began in 1839
and 1840 under the auspices of the New Zealand Company, which had been
organized in London.
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British Sovereignty
By the terms of the Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840 by a British
representative and 50 Maori chieftains, Great Britain formally proclaimed
sovereignty over the islands and agreed to respect the landownership rights
of the Maori, who placed themselves under the protection of the British
government. At the same time New Zealand was made a dependency of New South
Wales, Australia. In 1841 it was constituted a separate crown colony, with
Auckland as its first capital. Colonization continued apace during the
ensuing decades, including the founding of two significant settlements
on South Island: Otago (now Dunedin) in 1848 and Canterbury (now Christchurch)
in 1850. Disputes between the newcomers and the Maori over land claims
led ultimately to violent Maori uprisings between 1845 and 1848 and between
1860 and 1872. The discovery of alluvial gold in about 1860 caused a new
influx of immigrants, many of whom settled down to farming when the deposits
of gold were exhausted. Sheep raising and gold mining were the main sources
of the country's wealth in the latter part of the 19th century. The introduction
of refrigerated ships in 1882 enabled New Zealand to export fresh meat,
thus stimulating settlement and more intensive farming in the country.
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Parliamentary Government
A central government with an elective parliament and a cabinet was
established with the signing of the country's first constitution in 1852,
but the government was not fully implemented until 1856. During most of
the 19th century, political power was held alternately by liberals, who
instituted male suffrage and compulsory education, and by conservatives,
mainly large landholders. In 1891, following the failure in the previous
year of a maritime strike, trade union leaders gave their support to the
liberal faction. A series of Liberal party governments continued uninterruptedly
in power until 1912, enjoying labor support until a separate Labour party
was organized in 1910. These governments, first under the journalist John
Ballance and, after his death, under Richard John Seddon and Sir Joseph
George Ward, effected a program of land reform and social legislation that
gained New Zealand worldwide recognition. Large speculative landholdings
were broken up under the provisions of a number of statutes that enabled
the government to acquire large holdings for subdivision and authorized
the purchase of small landholdings on long-term mortgages. In addition,
other legislation established minimum rates of pay and provided for the
compulsory arbitration and settlement of labor disputes. In 1893 New Zealand
became the first country to grant women's suffrage. During this period
of liberal-labor dominance the foundation of the social security system
was laid.
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Early 20th Century
In 1907 New Zealand officially was designated a dominion, although
its form of government was unchanged. The conservatives, campaigning as
the Reform party, regained power in 1912. During World War I (1914-1918)
a coalition of the Reform and Liberal parties governed the country. In
the war New Zealand furnished 124,211 men for the British forces, of whom
100,444 served overseas. These troops fought in Egypt and in the Gallipoli
campaign of 1915; the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps became known
popularly as Anzac. In 1916 New Zealand units organized as a separate division
arrived in France in time for the first Battle of the Somme, and the Mounted
Rifles later served in the campaign in Palestine. The losses of New Zealand
in World War I exceeded 16,000 men killed and 40,000 wounded, but the war
also generated new nationalism. The collapse of a speculative land boom
that had flourished after the war was an important cause of the economic
depression from 1921 to 1926. The economic distress was aggravated by the
worldwide depression beginning in 1930. In the parliamentary elections
of 1935 the Labour party won a majority over the National party, which
had been formed in 1931 by a coalition of the Liberal and Reform parties.
The new government, under the labor leader Michael Joseph Savage, nationalized
parts of the economy and expanded social security.
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World War II and Asia
With the start of World War II in 1939, New Zealand imposed wage and
price controls and generally emphasized financial stability rather than
social progress. New Zealand contributed a larger percentage of its population
to the armed services than any of the Allies except Great Britain. The
army saw service in Greece, Cyprus, North Africa, Italy, and the Pacific.
The air force was active in all theaters. The casualties of New Zealand
exceeded 11,600 dead and 15,700 wounded. New Zealand became a charter member
of the United Nations (UN) in 1945. The power of the Labour party came
to an end on November 30, 1949, when the National party emerged victorious
in general elections. The new government promulgated a program more favorable
to private enterprise. In the arena of foreign affairs New Zealand participated
in the Colombo Plan for Southeast Asia in 1950 and in 1951 concluded the
so-called ANZUS mutual-defense pact with Australia and the United States.
With seven other countries, New Zealand signed the Southeast Asia defense
treaty in 1954 (see Southeast Asia Treaty Organization). New Zealand forces
served with UN forces in Korea and Cyprus. Token forces from the country
have served in other conflicts.
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