Outline of New Zealand

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The location of New Zealand on a globe New Zealand (orthographic projection) 2.svg
The location of New Zealand on a globe

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to New Zealand:

Contents

New Zealand is an island country located in the western South Pacific Ocean comprising two large islands, the North Island and the South Island, and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island / Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. [1] The indigenous Māori originally called the North Island Aotearoa , commonly translated into English as "The Land of the Long White Cloud"; Aotearoa is now used as the Māori language name for the entire country. [2]

New Zealand is situated about 2,000 km (1,200 mi) southeast of Australia across the Tasman Sea, its closest neighbours to the north being New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long period of isolation, New Zealand developed a distinct 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.

The population is mostly of European descent, with the indigenous Māori being the largest minority. Asians and non-Māori Pasifika peoples are also significant minorities, especially in the cities. Charles III, as the king of New Zealand, is the head of state and, in his absence, is represented by a non-partisan governor-general. Political power is held by the democratically elected New Zealand Parliament under the leadership of the prime minister, who is the head of government. The Realm of New Zealand also includes the Cook Islands and Niue, which are self-governing but in free association; Tokelau; and the Ross Dependency (New Zealand's territorial claim in Antarctica).

General reference

Geography of New Zealand

An enlargeable topographic map of New Zealand NZ topographic map with population centres.png
An enlargeable topographic map of New Zealand

Geography of New Zealand

Environment of New Zealand

Southern brown kiwi (tokoeka) Tokoeka.jpg
Southern brown kiwi (tokoeka)

Environment of New Zealand

Natural geographic features of New Zealand

Satellite image of New Zealand New Zealand 23 October 2002.jpg
Satellite image of New Zealand

Political geography of New Zealand

Administrative divisions of New Zealand

Administrative divisions of New Zealand

Demography of New Zealand

Demographics of New Zealand

Government and politics of New Zealand

The Beehive and Parliament House, Wellington Wellington - Parliament House - panoramio.jpg
The Beehive and Parliament House, Wellington

Politics of New Zealand

Branches of the government of New Zealand

Executive branch of the government of New Zealand

Legislative branch of the government of New Zealand

Judicial branch of the government of New Zealand

Foreign relations of New Zealand

Foreign relations of New Zealand

International organisation membership

New Zealand is a member of: [1]

Law and order in New Zealand

Law of New Zealand

Military of New Zealand

New Zealand Defence Force

Local government in New Zealand

Local government in New Zealand

History of New Zealand

History of New Zealand

Culture of New Zealand

Culture of New Zealand

Art in New Zealand

Sports in New Zealand

Sports in New Zealand

Economy and infrastructure of New Zealand

Economy of New Zealand

Education in New Zealand

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of New Zealand</span>

The human history of New Zealand can be dated back to between 1320 and 1350 CE, when the main settlement period started, after it was discovered and settled by Polynesians, who developed a distinct Māori culture. Like other Pacific cultures, Māori society was centred on kinship links and connection with the land but, unlike them, it was adapted to a cool, temperate environment rather than a warm, tropical one. The first European explorer known to have visited New Zealand was the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman, on 13 December 1642. In 1643 he charted the west coast of the North Island, his expedition then sailed back to Batavia without setting foot on New Zealand soil. British explorer James Cook, who reached New Zealand in October 1769 on the first of his three voyages, was the first European to circumnavigate and map New Zealand. From the late 18th century, the country was regularly visited by explorers and other sailors, missionaries, traders and adventurers. The period from Polynesian settlement to Cook's arrival is New Zealand's prehistoric period, a time before written records began. Use or otherwise of indigenous oral history as recorded history is a matter of academic debate. Depending on definitions, the period from 1642 to 1769 can be called New Zealand's protohistory rather than prehistory: Tasman's recording of Māori was isolated and scant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treaty of Waitangi</span> 1840 agreement between the British Crown and Māori leaders in New Zealand

The Treaty of Waitangi, sometimes referred to as Te Tiriti, is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the treatment of the Māori people in New Zealand by successive governments and the wider population, something that has been especially prominent from the late 20th century. The treaty document is an agreement, not a treaty as recognised in international law. It was first signed on 6 February 1840 by Captain William Hobson as consul for the British Crown and by Māori chiefs from the North Island of New Zealand. The treaty's quasi-legal status satisfies the demands of biculturalism in contemporary New Zealand society. In general terms, it is interpreted today as having established a partnership between equals in a way the Crown likely did not intend it to in 1840. Specifically, the treaty is seen, first, as entitling Māori to enjoyment of land and of natural resources and, if that right were ever breached, to restitution. Second, the treaty's quasi-legal status has clouded the question of whether Māori had ceded sovereignty to the Crown in 1840, and if so, whether such sovereignty remains intact.

Taonga or taoka is a Māori-language word that refers to a treasured possession in Māori culture. It lacks a direct translation into English, making its use in the Treaty of Waitangi significant. The current definition differs from the historical one, noted by Hongi Hika as "property procured by the spear" [one could understand this as war booty or defended property] and is now interpreted to mean a wide range of both tangible and intangible possessions, especially items of historical cultural significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chatham Islands</span> Remote New Zealand archipelago

The Chatham Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about 800 km (430 nmi) east of New Zealand's South Island, administered as part of New Zealand, and consisting of about 10 islands within an approximate 60 km (30 nmi) radius, the largest of which are Chatham Island and Pitt Island (Rangiauria). They include New Zealand's easternmost point, the Forty-Fours. Some of the islands, formerly cleared for farming, are now preserved as nature reserves to conserve some of the unique flora and fauna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moriori</span> Indigenous Polynesian people of the Chatham Islands

The Moriori are the first settlers of the Chatham Islands. Moriori are Polynesians who came from the New Zealand mainland around 1500 CE, which was close to the time of the shift from the archaic to the classic period of Polynesian Māori culture on the mainland. Oral tradition records migration to the Chathams in the 16th century. The settlers' culture diverged from mainland Māori, and they developed a distinct Moriori language, mythology, artistic expression and way of life. Currently there are around 700 people who identify as Moriori, most of whom no longer live on the Chatham Islands. During the late 19th century some prominent anthropologists proposed that Moriori were pre-Māori settlers of mainland New Zealand, and possibly Melanesian in origin.

Claims and settlements under the Treaty of Waitangi have been a significant feature of New Zealand politics since the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 and the Waitangi Tribunal that was established by that act to hear claims. Successive governments have increasingly provided formal legal and political opportunity for Māori to seek redress for what are seen as breaches by the Crown of guarantees set out in the Treaty of Waitangi. While it has resulted in putting to rest a number of significant longstanding grievances, the process has been subject to criticisms including those who believe that the redress is insufficient to compensate for Māori losses. The settlements are typically seen as part of a broader Māori Renaissance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand</span> Island country in the southwest Pacific Ocean

New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island and the South Island —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.

The Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand governed New Zealand from 26 July 1984 to 2 November 1990. It was the first Labour government to win a second consecutive term since the First Labour Government of 1935 to 1949. The policy agenda of the Fourth Labour Government differed significantly from that of previous Labour governments: it enacted major social reforms and economic reforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of the Cook Islands</span> Overview of and topical guide to the Cook Islands

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Cook Islands:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Kiribati</span> Overview of and topical guide to Kiribati

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Kiribati:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Niue</span> Overview of and topical guide to Niue

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Niue:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Norfolk Island</span> Overview of and topical guide to Norfolk Island

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Norfolk Island:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Tokelau</span> Overview of and topical guide to Tokelau

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Tokelau:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Tonga</span> Overview of and topical guide to Tonga

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Tonga:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Australia</span> Continent and country

This outline of Australia is an overview of and topical guide to various aspects of the country of Australia:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Māori people</span> Indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand

Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand. Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages between roughly 1320 and 1350. Over several centuries in isolation, these settlers developed their own distinctive culture, whose language, mythology, crafts, and performing arts evolved independently from those of other eastern Polynesian cultures. Some early Māori moved to the Chatham Islands, where their descendants became New Zealand's other indigenous Polynesian ethnic group, the Moriori.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feminism in New Zealand</span>

Feminism in New Zealand is a series of actions and a philosophy to advance rights for women in New Zealand. This can be seen to have taken place through parliament and legislation, and also by actions and role modelling by significant women and groups of people throughout New Zealand's history. The women's suffrage movement in New Zealand succeeded in 1893 when New Zealand became the first nation where all women were awarded the right to vote. New Zealand was also the first country in the world in which the five highest offices of power were held by women, which occurred between March 2005 and August 2006, with Queen Elizabeth II, Governor-General Silvia Cartwright, Prime Minister Helen Clark, Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Margaret Wilson and Chief Justice Sian Elias.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Māori history</span>

The history of the Māori began with the arrival of Polynesian settlers in New Zealand, in a series of ocean migrations in canoes starting from the late 13th or early 14th centuries. Over time, in isolation the Polynesian settlers developed a distinct Māori culture.

He Puapua is a 2019 report commissioned by the New Zealand Government to inquire into and report on appropriate measures to achieve the goals set out by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The report was conducted by the Ministry of Māori Development who in August 2019 set up a "Declaration Working Group" of four government officials and five non-state representatives. The report was returned to the Māori Development Minister in December 2019, but was not released until the opposition were leaked a copy and made the document public in 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "New Zealand". The World Factbook . United States Central Intelligence Agency. 2 July 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  2. McLintock, A. H. (24 November 2009) [originally published in 1966]. "Aotearoa". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand . Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  3. "NZ Topo Map" . Retrieved 13 January 2020.

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