Portal:New Zealand

New Zealand
*Aotearoa* (Māori)
New Zealand Aotearoa (Māori)
	Flag Coat of arms
	Location of New Zealand, including outlying islands, its territorial claim in the Antarctic, and Tokelau
ISO 3166 code	NZ

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New Zealand (Māori: Aotearoa [aɔˈtɛaɾɔa]) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu)—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island country by area and lies east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and south of the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. The country's varied topography and sharp mountain peaks, including the Southern Alps, owe much to tectonic uplift and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, and its most populous city is Auckland.

A developed country, it was the first to introduce a minimum wage, and the first to give women the right to vote. It ranks very highly in international measures of quality of life, human rights, and it has low levels of perceived corruption. It retains visible levels of inequality, having structural disparities between its Māori and European populations. New Zealand underwent major economic changes during the 1980s, which transformed it from a protectionist to a liberalised free-trade economy. The service sector dominates the national economy, followed by the industrial sector, and agriculture; international tourism is also a significant source of revenue. New Zealand is a member of the United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, UKUSA, OECD, ASEAN Plus Six, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Pacific Community and the Pacific Islands Forum. It enjoys particularly close relations with the United States and is one of its major non-NATO allies; the United Kingdom; Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga; and with Australia, with a shared "Trans-Tasman" identity between the two countries stemming from centuries of British colonisation. (Full article...)

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KiwiRail DL9020 on MetroPort train MP4 at Papakura, Auckland on 29 August 2011.

Rail transport in New Zealand is an integral part of New Zealand's transport network, with a nationwide network of 4,375.5 km (2,718.8 mi) of track linking most major cities in the North and South Islands, connected by inter-island rail and road ferries. Rail transport in New Zealand has a particular focus on bulk freight exports and imports, with 19 million net tonnes moved by rail annually, accounting for more than half of rail revenue.

Rail transport played an important role in the opening up and development of the hinterland outside of New Zealand's predominantly dispersed and coastal settlements. Starting with the Ferrymead Railway in 1863, most public railway lines were short, built by provincial governments and connected major centres to their nearest seaport (such as Christchurch and its port at Lyttelton Harbour). From the 1870s, the focus shifted to building a nationwide network linking major centres, especially during the Vogel Era of railway construction following the abolition of the provinces. Narrow gauge of 3ft 6in (1,067mm) was adopted nationally. Bush tramways or light industrial railways sprang up connecting to the national network as it expanded. Railways became centrally controlled as a government department under the names New Zealand Government Railways or New Zealand Railways Department (NZR), and land transport was heavily regulated from 1931 onwards. NZR eventually expanded into other transport modes, especially with the Railways Road Services, inter-island ferries and Rail Air service. NZR also had an extensive network of workshops. By 1981, NZR employed 22,000 staff. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various New Zealand-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Pavlova, a popular New Zealand dessert, garnished with cream and strawberries. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 2Fiordland is dominated by steep, glacier-carved valleys. (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 3Roger Douglas, the architect of New Zealand's 1980s neo-liberal reform programme (from History of New Zealand)
Image 4The first Government House in Auckland, as painted by Edward Ashworth in 1842 or 1843. Auckland was the second capital of New Zealand. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 5Tekoteko from the gable of a wharenui, Te Arawa (20th century) (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 6Scorching Bay, Wellington, in summer (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 7Rural landscape close to Mt Ruapehu (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 8Kapa haka is performed at a School Strike for Climate in Christchurch 2019. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 9New Zealand is antipodal to points of the North Atlantic, the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco.
Image 10The Mission House at Kerikeri is New Zealand's oldest surviving building, having been completed in 1822 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 11Knox Church, a Presbyterian church, in Dunedin. The city was founded by Scottish Presbyterian settlers. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 12An annotated relief map (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 13The 1935 Labour Cabinet. Michael Joseph Savage is seated in the front row, centre. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 14New Zealand Division in 1916 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 15An aerial view of the Auckland urban area, showing its location on the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 16A beach barbecue – an established part of New Zealand culture (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 17A modern wharenui (meeting house of a marae) exhibited at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 18The scalloped bays indenting Lake Taupō's northern and western coasts are typical of large volcanic caldera margins. The caldera they surround was formed during the huge Oruanui eruption. (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 19A meeting of European and Māori inhabitants of Hawke's Bay Province. Engraving, 1863.
Image 20Richard Seddon, Liberal Prime Minister from 1893 to his death in 1906 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 21Zealandia rejecting Australian Constitution in 1900 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 22Central Plateau in winter (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 23One of the few extant copies of the Treaty of Waitangi (from History of New Zealand)
Image 24Men of the Māori Battalion, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, after disembarking at Gourock in Scotland in June 1940 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 25Michael Joseph Savage, Labour Prime Minister 1935–1940. This portrait was hung on the walls of many supporters. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 26Scottish Highland family migrating to New Zealand, 1844, by William Allsworth. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 27The Original All Blacks during the "haka", 1905 (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 28European settlers developed an identity that was influenced by their rustic lifestyle. In this scene from 1909, men at their camp site display a catch of rabbits and fish. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 29HMS North Star destroying Pomare's Pā during the Northern/Flagstaff War, 1845, Painting by John Williams. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 30Prime Ministers John Key and Helen Clark (from History of New Zealand)
Image 31Aoraki / Mount Cook, as seen from Hooker Valley (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 32Vigil in Wellington for the victims of the Christchurch mosques attacks (from History of New Zealand)
Image 33Residents of Dunedin celebrate the news of the Armistice of 11 November 1918. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 34Poet Selina Tusitala Marsh, 2019 (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 35Percentages of people reporting affiliation with Christianity at the 2001, 2006 and 2013 censuses; there has been a steady decrease over twelve years. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 36Cook Island dancers at Auckland's Pasifika Festival, 2010 (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 37Lorde as part of the 2014 Lollapalooza lineup (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 38"First Scottish Colony for New Zealand" – 1839 poster advertising emigration from Scotland to New Zealand. Collection of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, Scotland. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 39Elizabeth II and Muldoon's Cabinet, taken during the Queen's 1981 visit to New Zealand (from History of New Zealand)
Image 40Art deco in Napier (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 41Strong winds in the Cook Strait produce high waves which erode the shore, as shown in this image (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 42Children's and young adult author Margaret Mahy, July 2011 (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 43A 1943 poster produced during the war. The poster reads: "When war broke out ... industries were unprepared for munitions production. To-day New Zealand is not only manufacturing many kinds of munitions for her own defence but is making a valuable contribution to the defence of the other areas in the Pacific..." (from History of New Zealand)
Image 44Water pollution sign on the Waimakariri River (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 45Putting down a hāngī (earth oven) (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 46The Forty-Fours viewed from the north; the leftmost islet is the easternmost point of New Zealand. (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 47Topography of Zealandia, the submerged continent, and the two tectonic plates (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 48Hinepare of Ngāti Kahungunu, is wearing a traditional korowai cloak adorned with a black fringe border. The two huia feathers in her hair, indicate a chiefly lineage. She also wears a pounamu hei-tiki and earring, as well as a shark tooth (mako) earring. The moko-kauae (chin-tattoo) is often based on one's role in the iwi. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 49The Waikato River flowing out of Lake Taupō (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 50George V with his prime ministers at the 1926 Imperial Conference. Standing (left to right): Monroe (Newfoundland), Coates (New Zealand), Bruce (Australia),Hertzog (Union of South Africa),Cosgrave (Irish Free State). Seated: Baldwin (UK), King George V, King (Canada). (from History of New Zealand)
Image 51The Māori are most likely descended from people who emigrated from Taiwan to Melanesia and then travelled east through to the Society Islands. After a pause of 70 to 265 years, a new wave of exploration led to the discovery and settlement of New Zealand.
Image 52The kiwi has become a New Zealand icon. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 53Māori whānau (extended family) from Rotorua in the 1880s. Many aspects of Western life and culture, including European clothing and architecture, became incorporated into Māori society during the 19th century. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 54A Māori ancestor (tekoteko) depicted in a wood carving at the Tamatekapua Meeting House in Ohinemutu (c. 1880) (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 55Tribute to the Suffragettes memorial in Christchurch adjacent to Our City. The figures shown from left to right are Amey Daldy, Kate Sheppard, Ada Wells and Harriet Morison (from History of New Zealand)

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... that the Hocken Collections, one of the country's main historical archives, is housed in a former cheese factory?

... that Lloyd Geering was tried for heresy in 1967?

... that the main streets of Martinborough in the Wairarapa were deliberately laid out in the shape of a Union Jack?

... that the township of Whangamomona proclaimed itself a republic in 1989 when boundary changes moved it out of the Taranaki Region?

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Scott Base is a research facility located in Antarctica and operated by New Zealand. It was named after Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Royal Navy, leader of two British expeditions to the Ross Sea area of Antarctica. Located on Ross Island near Mount Erebus in the Ross Dependency, it is New Zealand's only base in Antarctica. It was set up as support for field research and the centre for research into earth sciences, but now conducts research in many fields.

Scott Base participates in ANDRILL, investigating Antarctica's impact on global ocean currents and climate over the past 65 million years, by retrieving ice and rock samples representing ancient geologic time. Scott Base is administered by Antarctica New Zealand, as part of their efforts to "support scientific research, conserve the intrinsic values of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, and raise public awareness of the international significance of the continent."

New Zealand also co-operates with the US Operation Deep Freeze which uses Christchurch International Airport as a staging point for McMurdo Station. (Full article...)

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Mt. Sugarloaf by Lake Heron, South Island, New Zealand

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... that when public radio stations aired Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in solidarity with Ukraine on 10 March 2022, the bass voice of Anthony Robin Schneider was heard live from Frankfurt and recorded from Auckland?
... that off-roading at Muriwai Beach in New Zealand may be damaging the habitat of the newly described korowai gecko?
... that the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve is the only known nesting area for the eastern great egret in New Zealand?
... that the New Zealand mollusc Eatoniella mortoni (pictured) can thrive in extreme carbon dioxide-rich environments, making it a subject for the study of ocean acidification?
... that British intervention reversed the lacquering of a statue in New Zealand?
... that fridges filled with "frozen duck" sent to Britain actually contained illegal coins?
... that as a child, New Zealand economist Brad Olsen would write notes about stock market trends while watching the evening news?
... that Mary Earle was born near Ben Nevis, and although she became a professor of food technology in New Zealand, she never forgot her Scottish roots?

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