Geography

New Zealand comprises the southwestern corner of Polynesia.  Located some 1,000 miles southeast of Australia, it is made up of two main islands, the North Island and South Island, and numerous smaller islands.

New Zealand is environmentally blessed.  The climate is temperate and damp, with cold winters in the South; fed by the even rainfall, the country enjoys some of the world’s richest pastureland.  And the South Island has perhaps the world’s most varied and spectacular concentration of unspoilt scenery.  New Zealand is also one of the world’s most pollution-free countries.

History

Polynesians first settled New Zealand some 1,200 years ago, in successive waves that included the Maori.  They named the land Aotearoa (the land of the long white cloud).  Maori societies were tribal, divided into extended family groups that formed communal villages centered on the marae (sacred ground in front of the meeting house where the tribe’s ancestral spirits lived).  Their religion was complex, with a host of gods representing the sea, mountains, war, etc.  Essential to Maori religion and society was the notion of mana (spiritual power or prestige); war provided an opportunity to promote the mana of a tribe, so the Maori waged war with great gusto.  The Maori also sported a colorful appearance, with intricate facial tattoos and dog fur cloaks.

The Dutch were the first Europeans to spy New Zealand, giving it the name, but the British arrived in force after Captain James Cook’s more thorough exploration in 1769.  By 1840, the Maori were compelled to cede their sovereignty to the British; they signed the Treaty of Waitangi in expectation of benefits, which failed to materialize.  The result was war, which the Maori prosecuted with vigor, but lost.  Their lands were confiscated and they were marginalized in the then-European possession of New Zealand.

New Zealand became independent in 1947, but remains a steadfast member of the British Commonwealth. 

People

The population is 4 million.  Only 14% live in rural areas, and only 9% are Maori.  These suffer higher unemployment and lower living standards than the 82% white majority.  Auckland also has large contingents of Pacific islanders; some call it the 'Capital of the South Pacific', though it looks pretty European.

Maori culture is experiencing a renaissance, and race relations are much improved.  From the late 1960's to the present, a revival in Maoritanga (Maori culture) emerged.  The government began to investigate land claims in 1975, and in 1994 proposed a once-and-for-all NZ $1 billion sum to pay out all Maori claims over the following decade. 

The UN ranks New Zealand in the 90th percentile in terms of quality of life, based on life expectancy, educational achievement and adjusted real income.  The Maori, of course, do not fare quite so well.

Economy

New Zealand is a high-income country, with a GNP per capita of about $14,600.  It is the world’s largest exporter of wool, cheese, butter and meat.

Since 1984, New Zealand has been transformed from one of the world’s more regulated to one of its most open economies. 

Tourism is the country’s largest foreign exchange earner, with 1.5 million arrivals in 1998.  Maori culture and spectacular scenery are the main draw cards.

Sources:  World Bank (1998 data), Dorling Kindersley World Reference Atlas, UNDP Human Development Report, Lonely Planet