New Zealand Statistic New Zealand Map

A Profile of New Zealand courtesy of Statistics New Zealand

National holiday: 6th February - Waitangi Day
Capital:Wellington (335.500 inhabitants
Telephone country code:+64
New Zealand lies in the southern Pacific Ocean, 1,600 km east of Australia.
It is made up of the North and South Islands and a number of smaller Islands, with a total land area of 268,021 sq km.
Mountain ranges and hill country dominate New Zealand's landscapes
One of the most striking physical features are the Southern Alps These, along with fiords, glaciers and lakes, and the coastal plains of Canterbury and Southland, add to the variety of the South Island scenery.
In the North Island, the volcanic interior contains New Zealand's largest lake, Lake Taupo.
Most of the country's active volcanoes - Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro - are all usually quiet, although Ruapehu has been active since September 1995.
Hot springs, geysers and mudpools also form part of the volcanic system centred around Rotorua.
Highest mountain: Aoraki/Mt Cook (3754 metre)
Deepest lake: Lake Hauroko (462 metre)
Longest river: Waikato River (425 km)
Largest glacier: Tasman Glacier (28.5 km long)
Deepest cave: Nettlebed [not an official name] (NW Nelson) (889 m)

Climate:
January and February are New Zealand's warmest months and July normally its coldest.

The climate is temperate - averages range from 8°C in July to 17°C in January - but summer temperatures occasionally reach the 30s in many inland and eastern regions.

The mean average rainfall varies widely - from less than 400 mm in Central Otago to over 12,000 mm in the Southern Alps.

For most of the North Island and the northern South Island the driest season is summer. However, for the West Coast of the South Island and much of inland Canterbury, Otago and Southland, winter is the driest season.

City	Mean daily maximum temperature		Mean annual bright sunshine	Mean annual rainfall
	Jan	July	Mean annual bright sunshine	Mean annual rainfall
	°C		hours	mm
Auckland, Owairaka	23.3	14.4	2,028	1,251
Wellington, Kelburn	20.3	11.3	2,053	1,246
Christchurch City	22.5	11.2	2,088	635
Dunedin, Musselburgh	18.9	9.9	1,590	809

New Zealand History:
Although there is some uncertainty as to the exact timeframe, archaeological evidence seems to indicate that New Zealand was settled by Polynesians sometime around 1300 a.d.
The first European to come to New Zealand (that we know of) was Dutchman Abel van Tasman who sailed to New Zealand from Australia in 1642. In 1769 Captain Cook claimed New Zealand for Britain. Many of the sealers and whalers who temporarily came to New Zealand to seek game stayed and became the first European settlers.

The Treaty of Waitangi was signed on 6 February 1840 by Captain William Hobson, several English residents and approximately forty-five Maori chiefs. The Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti O Waitangi) lays the foundation for the way Maori and other New Zealanders share responsibility for this country and is considered the founding document of the nation of New Zealand.

New Zealand Parliament:
The Government is formed after an election by the party or coalition which can command a majority of the votes in the house of representatives; ie the party which has the largest number of Members of Parliament. The leader of the winning party becomes Prime Minister. Following the 1999 election, members of the Labour Party and the Alliance Party formed a coalition government. The objectives of the Labour and Alliance coalition government are detailed in the Coalition Agreement. The next election will take place sometime during the final quarter of 2002.

Cabinet consists of 20 Ministers including the Prime Minister.
The Queen is represented in New Zealand by the Governor General.
Like other states using the Westminster system, New Zealand has no written constitution per se. Two important documents are The Treaty of Waitangi and the Bill of Rights Act.
Much of the business of government is performed by ministries, government departments and other government agencies who are collectively known as the public sector.

Time:
New Zealand is 12 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) and UTC (Universal Time Coordinated) and two hours ahead of Australian Eastern Standard Time. During the summer New Zealand observes Daylight Saving Time with one hour in advance.