New Zealand

Aotearoa

Facts you might want to know

Capital

Wellington

Largest City

Languages

95.9% English
4.2% Mori
0.6% NZ Sign
Language

Population
2014 estimate
2013 census
density

4,509,900
4,242,048
16.8/km

Ethnic Groups

74.0% European
14.9% Mori
11.8% Asian
7.4% Pacific peoples
1.2% Middle
Eastern, Latin
American, African
1.7% Other

HDI
(Human
Development
Index)

0.910
very high 7th

Government

Unitary
parliamentary
constitutional
monarchy

Currency

New Zealand Dollar

(NZD)

Time Zone

NZDT (UTC+13)

Monarch
Governor-General
Prime Minister

Elizabeth II
Jerry Mateparae
John Key

Area
Total
% Water

Auckland

268,021 km2
1.6%

HISTORY

History
Mori were the first to
arrive in New Zealand,
journeying in canoes
from Hawaiki about
1,000 years ago. A
Dutchman, Abel
Tasman, was the first
European to sight the
country but it was the
British who made New
Zealand part of their
empire.

Abel Tasman

History
In 1840, the Treaty of
Waitangi was signed, an
agreement between the
British Crown and Maori. It
established British law in
New Zealand and is
considered New Zealands
founding document and an
important part of the
country's history. The
building where the treaty was
signed has been preserved
and, today, the Waitangi
Treaty Grounds are a popular
attraction.

GEOGRAPHY

Geography
New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometres (900
mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and
roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific
island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because
of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be
settled by humans. During its long isolation, New
Zealand developed a distinctive biodiversity of animal,
fungal and plant life. The country's varied topography
and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern
Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and
volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is
Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland.

Geography
Thegeography of New
Zealandencompasses two
main islands (the North and
South Islands,Te-Ika-aMauiandTe Wai
PounamuinMori) and a
number ofsmaller islands,
located near the centre of
thewater hemisphere.New
Zealandvaries in climate, from
cold and wet to dry and
tosubtropicalin some areas
and most of the landscape
ismountainous.

THE PEOPLE AND THEIR

CULTURE

The People
New Zealand is a small country, similar in
size to Great Britain or Japan. With a
population of only four million people its
also gloriously uncrowded.
With a patchwork history of Mori,
European, Pacific Island and Asian
cultures, New Zealand has become a
melting-pot population - but one with
some uniting features that make it unique
in the world.

Today,
of the 4.4
The People
million New
Zealanders
(informally known
as Kiwis),
approximately
69% are of
European
descent, 14.6%
are indigenous
Mori, 9.2% Asian
and 6.9% nonMori Pacific
Islanders.

New Zealand
European
Descent
Maori
Asian
non-Maori
Pacific Islanders

New Zealand's Mori

Culture
- integral
The Maori
culture is an
part
of Kiwi life and adds a
unique, dynamic
experience for visitors.
Mori are the tangata
whenua, the indigenous
people, of New Zealand.
They came here more than
1000 years ago from their
mythical Polynesian
homeland of Hawaiki.
Today Mori make up 14%
of our population and their
history, language and
traditions are central to
New Zealands identity.
Find out where to
experience Mori culture
by choosing your area of
interest in the right-hand
menu.

Culture - The Maori

A traditional Maori greeting The Hongi

Culture - The Maori

The best place to observe
Mori culture is on a marae
(tribal meeting grounds). In
Northland, Auckland, Rotorua
and Canterbury, organised
tours provide a traditional
Mori welcome onto a marae,
where you'll hear Mori
speeches and singing, see
carved meeting houses,
meet the local people (you'll
greet them with the
traditional pressing of noses)
and enjoy a hngi feast
cooked in earth ovens.

ECONOMY

Economy
New Zealand has a modern, prosperous and
developed market economy with an estimated
gross domestic product (GDP) at purchasing power
parity (PPP) per capita of roughly US$28,250. The
currency is the New Zealand dollar, informally
known as the "Kiwi dollar"; it also circulates in the
Cook Islands (see Cook Islands dollar), Niue,
Tokelau, and the Pitcairn Islands. New Zealand was
ranked sixth in the 2013 Human Development
Index, fourth in the The Heritage Foundation's
2012 Index of Economic Freedom, and 13th in
INSEAD's 2012 Global Innovation Index.

Economy
Infrastructure
In 2008, oil, gas and coal generated about 69 percent ofNew Zealand's gross energysupply
while 31% was generated fromrenewable energy, primarilyhydroelectric powerandgeothermal
power.[223]
New Zealand's transportnetwork comprises 93,805 kilometres (58,288mi) of roads, including
199 kilometres (124mi) of motorways, [224]and 4,128 kilometres (2,565mi) of railway lines. [137]
Most major cities and towns are linked by bus services, although the private car is the
predominant mode of transport.[225]Therailwayswere privatised in 1993, but were renationalised by the government in stages between 2004 and 2008. The state-owned enterprise
KiwiRailnow operates the railways, with the exception of Auckland commuter services which
are operated byTransdev.[226]Railways run the length of the country, although most lines now
carry freight rather than passengers. [227]Most international visitors arrive via air [228]and New
Zealand hassix international airports, but currentlyonly theAucklandandChristchurch airports
connect directly with countries other than Australia or Fiji. [229]
TheNew Zealand Post Officehad a monopoly over telecommunications until 1989 when
Telecom New Zealandwas formed, initially as a state-owned enterprise and thenprivatisedin
1990.[230]Telecom wasrebrandedasSpark New Zealandin 2014.Chorus, which was split from
Telecom in 2011, still owns the majority of the telecommunications infrastructure, but
competition from other providers has increased. The United Nations
International Telecommunication Unionranks New Zealand 12th in the development of
information and communications infrastructure, having moved up four places between 2008
and 2010.[231]

WHERE TO GO IN NEW
ZEALAND

Where to go in New Zealand Bay of

Islands

Where to go in New Zealand - Milford Sound

Where to go in New Zealand Auckland

Where to go in New Zealand Waiheke Island

Where to go in New Zealand Christchurch

69 FACTS ABOUT NEW

ZEALAND THAT WILL
BLOW YOUR MIND
ACCORDING TO BUZZFEED

BUT BEFORE
THAT
DID YOU KNOW?
Ever since the first The Lord of the
Rings movie was released in 2001,
New Zealand has been known as
the 'Home of Middle-earth'.
New Zealands dramatic scenery golden plains, towering mountains
and enchanting valleys - plays the
mythical world of Middle-earth on
the big screenin bothThe Lord
of the RingsandThe Hobbit
Trilogy.
More than 150 locations
throughout the country were used
to filmThe Lord of the
RingsandThe Hobbit
Trilogy.Many activities and
attractions offer the chance to see
the film locations for yourself.

69 FACTS ABOUT NEW

ZEALAND
1. The kea, a bird native to NZ, is known for pulling windscreen wipers off cars
and eating the strips of rubber from windows.
2. The longest place name in the world is
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu, a hill in
Hawkes Bay.
3. No part of the country is more than 128km (79 miles) from the sea.
4. In the scene of Star Trek: First Contact, where we see Earth from space,
Australia and Papua New Guinea are clearly visible but New Zealand is
missing.
5. Wellington is the southernmost capital city in the world.
6. Only 5% of NZs population is human- the rest are animals.
7. NZ is the least corrupt nation in the world (tied with Denmark), according to
the Corruptions Perception Index.
8. New Zealand has more Scottish pipe bands per capita than any other
country in the world.
9. Blue Lake, in Nelson Lakes National Park, has the clearest water in the
world.
10. New Zealand is home to the worlds smallest dolphin species.
11. There are no land snakes, native or introduced, in NZ.

69 FACTS ABOUT NEW

ZEALAND
14. Organised commercial bungee jumping first began in New Zealand.
15. The first man to climb Mt. Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary, was a Kiwi.
16. The lowest denomination in NZ currency is the 10 cent piece.
17. More people die in New Zealand each year playing lawn bowls than scuba
diving.
18. NZ is home to more species of penguins than any other country.
19. In 1893, New Zealand became the first country to give women the right to
vote.
20. Auckland is one of the most affordable cities in the world to live in.
21. One in three Auckland households own a boat.
22. The Mori name for NZ, Aoetaroa, means land of the long white cloud.
23. In 2013, NZ legalised same-sex marriage.
24. Lake Taupo was formed by a supervolcanic eruption 26,000 years ago. The
dust from the eruption could be seen in modern day China.
25. New Zealand is home to the giant weta, the heaviest insect in the world. It
is heavier than a sparrow and looks like a giant cockroach.
26. Baldwin Street, in Dunedin, is the worlds steepest street. The road has a
gradient of 1 in 2.86 at its steepest section, a 38 per cent grade.

69 FACTS ABOUT NEW

ZEALAND
27. 15% of NZs population are Mori.
28. New Zealand is similar in size to the UK, but only has a population of about
4 million (compared to 63 million in the UK).
29. About one third of the country is protected national park.
30. NZ was voted the worlds best country in 2007 and 2008 by Wanderlust
magazine.
31. Pelorus Jack was a dolphin who guided ships through dangerous and rocky
waters around NZ in the early 1900s.
32. There are only two countries in the world where drug companies are
permitted to advertise to the public: New Zealand and USA.
33. Kiwi Nancy Wake was the Gestapos most wanted person during World War
II. She once killed a SS sentry with her bare hands.
34. More people live in Auckland than in the whole of the South Island.
35. The logo for the Royal New Zealand Air Force is a kiwi- a flightless bird.

69 FACTS ABOUT NEW

ZEALAND
36. In the Lord of the Rings films, the beer drunk on camera was a custom NZ
brew called Sobering Thought.
37. The filming of these movies pumped around $200 million into the
countrys economy. The New Zealand government even created a Minister for
Lord of the Rings, to ensure the most money could be made from the films.
38. In 1996, a man broke into a radio station in Wanganui and took the
manager hostage, demanding that they play the Muppet song Rainbow
Connection.
39. Two NZ rescue dogs were taught to drive a car around a track, in order to
prove the intelligence of shelter animals.
40. The Kiwi badminton team name was The Black Cocks, but after a year,
had to change it due to complaints.
41. In 1990, the NZ prime minister appointed aNational Wizard.
42. Rugby player Wayne Shelford got hisscrotumripped open mid-game in a
bad tackle. He was taken off the field with one testicle LITERALLY hanging out,
got stitched up on the bench and continued the game.

69 FACTS ABOUT NEW

ZEALAND
43. NZ high schools and universities are permitted to keep a pound of uranium
or thorium for educational purposes. However, there is a $1 million fine if
itexplodes.
44. There is a giant carnivoroussnailliving in the South Island.
45. From 1867 to 1927, the government planed ahead for shipwrecks by
building supply-filledhutson remote islands.
46. There is aclockin Dunedin which has been running since 1864, despite
never having been wound since it was made.
47.Gisborneairport has train tracks running across the middle of the runway.
Quite often, trains and planes have to stop until one moves out of the way.
48. NZ had a 58%casualtyrate in World War I.
49. Kiwifruit were originally called Chinesegooseberries.
50. New Zealand is one of the only countries to have two national anthemsGod Save The Queen and God Defend New Zealand.
51. Ninety Mile Beach is actually only 90 kilometres long.
52. Moa birds were native to NZ, but are now extinct. They were 12 feet tall
and weighed about 230kg.

69 FACTS ABOUT NEW

ZEALAND
53. The man who pioneered plastic surgery, Harold Gillies, was a Kiwi.
54. As was Baron Ernest Rutherford, who was the first man to split an atom. He also discovered
(and named) the proton.
55. New Zealand is the only country in the world where all the highest positions have been
simultaneously held by women: In 2006, the Queen, the Governor-General, the PM, the Speaker
of the House of Representatives and the Chief Justice were all women.
56. The national sport of NZ is rugby union.
57. There are no nuclear power stations in New Zealand.
58. In 2008, Henry the tuatara became a father for the first time at the age of 111. (A tuatara is
a reptile native to New Zealand.)
59. New Zealand is the only country with the right to put Hobbit-related images on its currency.
60. New Zealand was the last habitable land mass to be populated.
61. Three quarters of New Zealanders living overseas are in Australia.
62. 94% of all prisoners in NZ are male.
63. The only land mammals native to NZ are bats. The rest were introduced by Maoris and
Europeans.
64. In 2007, the NZ courts banned a couple from naming their child 4Real. In the end they
named him Superman.
65. New Zealand produces 100 kg of butter and 65 kg of cheese each year per person.

69 FACTS ABOUT NEW

ZEALAND
66. Earlier this year, after losing a poker bet, a New Zealand man legally
changed his name to Full Metal Havok More Sexy N Intelligent Than Spock And
All The Superheroes Combined With Frostnova. The 99-character name was
almost denied because the legal limit is 100 characters.
67. NZ has banned all television advertising on Good Friday, Easter Sunday,
ANZAC Day, and Christmas Day.
68. Niue, a self-governed island of NZ, has images of Pokemon on its legal
tender coins. There is also a limited collection of coins with images from the
Star Wars films.
69. There are more vending machines in Japan than there are people in New
Zealand.

Sources:
http://www.newzealand.com/int/facts/
http://www.buzzfeed.com/jemimaskelley/things-you-did-not-knowabout-new-zealand#.ob8m0WgA3w
http://www.smartertravel.com/photo-galleries/editorial/10-bestplaces-to-go-in-new-zealand.html?id=699
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand