47 Facts About New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.

Islands of New Zealand were the last large habitable landmass to be settled by humans.

New Zealand became a dominion in 1907; it gained full statutory independence in 1947.

New Zealand underwent major economic changes during the 1980s, which transformed it from a protectionist to a liberalised free-trade economy.

New Zealand is a member of the United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, OECD, ASEAN Plus Six, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Pacific Community and the Pacific Islands Forum.

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New Zealand is one of the last major landmasses settled by humans.

New Zealand's duties were to protect British commerce, mediate between the unruly Pakeha settlers and Maori, and to apprehend escaped convicts.

In 1835, following an announcement of impending French settlement by Charles de Thierry, the nebulous United Tribes of New Zealand sent a Declaration of Independence to King William IV of the United Kingdom asking for protection.

New Zealand was administered as part of the Colony of New South Wales until becoming a separate Crown colony, the Colony of New Zealand on 3 May 1841.

In 1893 New Zealand was the first nation in the world to grant all women the right to vote and in 1894 pioneered the adoption of compulsory arbitration between employers and unions.

Early in the 20th century, New Zealand was involved in world affairs, fighting in the First and Second World Wars and suffering through the Great Depression.

New Zealand experienced increasing prosperity following the Second World War, and Maori began to leave their traditional rural life and move to the cities in search of work.

New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy, although its constitution is not codified.

New Zealand Parliament holds legislative power and consists of the king and the House of Representatives.

New Zealand's judiciary, headed by the chief justice, includes the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, the High Court, and subordinate courts.

New Zealand is identified as one of the world's most stable and well-governed states.

Early colonial New Zealand allowed the British Government to determine external trade and be responsible for foreign policy.

The 1923 and 1926 Imperial Conferences decided that New Zealand should be allowed to negotiate its own political treaties, and the first commercial treaty was ratified in 1928 with Japan.

On 3 September 1939, New Zealand allied itself with Britain and declared war on Germany with Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage proclaiming, "Where she goes, we go; where she stands, we stand.

In 1951 the United Kingdom became increasingly focused on its European interests, while New Zealand joined Australia and the United States in the ANZUS security treaty.

New Zealand has a strong presence among the Pacific Island countries.

New Zealand is involved in the Pacific Islands Forum, the Pacific Community, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum.

New Zealand has been described as a middle power in the Asia-Pacific region, and an emerging power.

New Zealand is a member of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing agreement, known formally as the UKUSA Agreement.

New Zealand is located near the centre of the water hemisphere and is made up of two main islands and more than 700 smaller islands.

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New Zealand is part of Zealandia, a microcontinent nearly half the size of Australia that gradually submerged after breaking away from the Gondwanan supercontinent.

The flora and fauna of New Zealand were originally thought to have originated from New Zealand's fragmentation off from Gondwana, however more recent evidence postulates species resulted from dispersal.

However, New Zealand conservationists have pioneered several methods to help threatened wildlife recover, including island sanctuaries, pest control, wildlife translocation, fostering and ecological restoration of islands and other protected areas.

New Zealand has an advanced market economy, ranked 14th in the 2019 Human Development Index and fourth in the 2022 Index of Economic Freedom.

New Zealand has experienced a series of "brain drains" since the 1970s that still continue today.

New Zealand is heavily dependent on international trade, particularly in agricultural products.

New Zealand has four international airports: Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington; however, only Auckland and Christchurch offer non-stop flights to countries other than Australia or Fiji.

Early indigenous contribution to science in New Zealand was by Maori accumulating knowledge of agricultural practice and the effects of herbal remedies in the treatment of illness and disease.

New Zealand was ranked 26th in the Global Innovation Index in 2020 and 2021, down from 25th in 2019.

In September 2020 Statistics New Zealand reported that the population had climbed above 5 million people in September 2019, according to population estimates based on the 2018 census.

New Zealand English is a variety of the language with a distinctive accent and lexicon.

The British and Irish immigrants brought aspects of their own culture to New Zealand and influenced Maori culture, particularly with the introduction of Christianity.

Standards have since relaxed and New Zealand fashion has received a reputation for being casual, practical and lacklustre.

New Zealand music has been influenced by blues, jazz, country, rock and roll and hip hop, with many of these genres given a unique New Zealand interpretation.

The New Zealand recording industry began to develop from 1940 onwards, and many New Zealand musicians have obtained success in Britain and the United States.

The highest-grossing New Zealand films are Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Boy, The World's Fastest Indian, Whale Rider, Once Were Warriors and The Piano.

The country's diverse scenery and compact size, plus government incentives, have encouraged some producers to shoot very big-budget and well known productions in New Zealand, including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies, Avatar, The Chronicles of Narnia, King Kong, Wolverine and The Last Samurai.

Horse racing is one of the most popular spectator sports in New Zealand and was part of the "rugby, racing, and beer" subculture during the 1960s.

New Zealand has seen regular sailing success in the America's Cup regatta since 1995.

New Zealand has competitive international teams in rugby union, rugby league, netball, cricket, softball, and sailing.

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New Zealand participated at the Summer Olympics in 1908 and 1912 as a joint team with Australia, before first participating on its own in 1920.

New Zealand yields produce from land and sea—most crops and livestock, such as maize, potatoes and pigs, were gradually introduced by the early European settlers.