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 1One of the few extant copies of the Treaty of Waitangi (from History of New Zealand)
Image 2Lorde as part of the 2014 Lollapalooza lineup (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 3The Waikato River flowing out of Lake Taupō (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 4Rural landscape close to Mt Ruapehu (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 5Putting down a hāngī (earth oven) (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 6The Mission House at Kerikeri is New Zealand's oldest surviving building, having been completed in 1822 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 7A modern wharenui (meeting house of a marae) exhibited at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 8A meeting of European and Māori inhabitants of Hawke's Bay Province. Engraving, 1863.
Image 9A 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 10Knox Church, a Presbyterian church, in Dunedin. The city was founded by Scottish Presbyterian settlers. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 11The Original All Blacks during the "haka", 1905 (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 12An annotated relief map (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 13Residents of Dunedin celebrate the news of the Armistice of 11 November 1918. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 14Central Plateau in winter (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 15New Zealand Division in 1916 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 16Māori 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 17Poet Selina Tusitala Marsh, 2019 (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 18An aerial view of the Auckland urban area, showing its location on the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 19HMS North Star destroying Pomare's Pā during the Northern/Flagstaff War, 1845, Painting by John Williams. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 20Aoraki / Mount Cook, as seen from Hooker Valley (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 21New Zealand is antipodal to points of the North Atlantic, the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco.
Image 22The 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 23Prime Ministers John Key and Helen Clark (from History of New Zealand)
Image 24Cook Island dancers at Auckland's Pasifika Festival, 2010 (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 25Richard Seddon, Liberal Prime Minister from 1893 to his death in 1906 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 26Water pollution sign on the Waimakariri River (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 27Pavlova, a popular New Zealand dessert, garnished with cream and strawberries. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 28Scottish Highland family migrating to New Zealand, 1844, by William Allsworth. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 29Tekoteko from the gable of a wharenui, Te Arawa (20th century) (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 30A beach barbecue – an established part of New Zealand culture (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 31Kapa haka is performed at a School Strike for Climate in Christchurch 2019. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 32Zealandia rejecting Australian Constitution in 1900 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 33Vigil in Wellington for the victims of the Christchurch mosques attacks (from History of New Zealand)
Image 34Fiordland is dominated by steep, glacier-carved valleys. (from Geography 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 36Topography of Zealandia, the submerged continent, and the two tectonic plates (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 37The 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 38The 1935 Labour Cabinet. Michael Joseph Savage is seated in the front row, centre. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 39Art deco in Napier (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 40Scorching Bay, Wellington, in summer (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 41Hinepare 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 42"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 43Men of the Māori Battalion, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, after disembarking at Gourock in Scotland in June 1940 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 44European 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 45Roger Douglas, the architect of New Zealand's 1980s neo-liberal reform programme (from History of New Zealand)
Image 46A Māori ancestor (tekoteko) depicted in a wood carving at the Tamatekapua Meeting House in Ohinemutu (c. 1880) (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 47Children's and young adult author Margaret Mahy, July 2011 (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 48Tribute 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)
Image 49George 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 50The Forty-Fours viewed from the north; the leftmost islet is the easternmost point of New Zealand. (from Geography 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 52Strong winds in the Cook Strait produce high waves which erode the shore, as shown in this image (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 53Michael Joseph Savage, Labour Prime Minister 1935–1940. This portrait was hung on the walls of many supporters. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 54The kiwi has become a New Zealand icon. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 55Elizabeth II and Muldoon's Cabinet, taken during the Queen's 1981 visit to New Zealand (from History of New Zealand)

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... that rangiora or bushman's friend, a small, bushy tree or tall shrub which has leaves with a furry underside, has been referred to as "Bushman's toilet paper"?

... that the Split Enz song Six Months in a Leaky Boat was "discouraged from airplay" in Britain during the Falklands war by the BBC for reasons of morale?

...that New Zealand historian John Dunmore published a cookbook composed from 18th-century ship's logs, including recipes for stewed rat and albatross?

...that New Zealand Test cricketer Martin Donnelly also played rugby union for England?

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Damaged Catholic cathedral two months after the earthquake

A major earthquake occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. local time (23:51 UTC, 21 February). The M_w6.2 (M_L6.3) earthquake struck the Canterbury region in the South Island, centred 6.7 kilometres (4.2 mi) south-east of the central business district. It caused widespread damage across Christchurch, killing 185 people in New Zealand's fifth-deadliest disaster.

Christchurch's central city and eastern suburbs were badly affected, with damage to buildings and infrastructure already weakened by the magnitude 7.1 Canterbury earthquake of 4 September 2010 and its aftershocks. Significant liquefaction affected the eastern suburbs, producing around 400,000 tonnes of silt. The earthquake was felt across the South Island and parts of the lower and central North Island. While the initial quake only lasted for approximately 10 seconds, the damage was severe because of the location and shallowness of the earthquake's focus in relation to Christchurch as well as previous quake damage. Subsequent population loss saw the Christchurch main urban area fall behind the Wellington equivalent, to decrease from second- to third-most populous area in New Zealand. Adjusted for inflation, the 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquakes caused over $44.8 billion in damages, making it New Zealand's costliest natural disaster and the 21st-most-expensive disaster in history. (Full article...)

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Angelus Hut with Angelus Lake behind it in the winter. In the clouds, no name peak (1860m) can be seen. Picture taken during the sunset at Nelson Lakes National Park, New Zealand

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... that the first meeting of the New Zealand Women Writers' Society was chaired by a man?
... that in September 2021, the England national netball team won a series in New Zealand for the first time?
... that Hende's Hut on Roberts Point Track, a tramping track in New Zealand, originally had no windows?
... that off-roading at Muriwai Beach in New Zealand may be damaging the habitat of the newly described korowai gecko?
... that Jessica Mutch McKay hosted debates between the leaders of New Zealand's two major political parties?
... that Ben Bell was elected at the age of 23 as New Zealand's youngest-ever mayor during the 2022 local elections?
... that Patric and Rosalie Carey built New Zealand's first theatre for professional repertory on the back of their house?
... that New Zealand writer Jessie Weston wrote for William Ernest Henley's magazine for 18 months without him knowing she was a woman?

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