New Zealand Culture, Facts & Travel
Christianity is the predominant religion in New Zealand, although nearly 40 percent of the population has no religious affiliation. Successive government policies on the relationship between Maori and non-Maori people have worsened race relations. English and Maori are the two official languages, although most visitors would find New Zealand exclusively an English-speaking country. A result of Pacific Island immigration is that South Auckland has become the world's largest Polynesian city. About 70 percent of New Zealand's population is of European descent, mostly English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, and Dutch. New Zealand once had about 20 times more sheep than people; by 2001 there were only 12 times as many. New Zealand became a dominion in 1907; it gained full statutory independence in 1947, retaining the monarch as head of state. In 1840, representatives of the United Kingdom and Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, which paved the way for Britain's declaration of sovereignty later that year and the establishment of the Crown Colony of New Zealand in 1841. In 1769 the British explorer Captain James Cook became the first European to set foot on and map New Zealand.
Country Description
Cook mapped the main islands and the east coast of Australia, and named the country New Zealand. The Moriori people of the Chatham Islands, located to the east of the main islands, multiplied from a group of New Zealand Polynesians who traveled there by canoe in the fourteenth or fifteenth century. Conservationists recognized that threatened bird populations could be saved on offshore islands, where, once predators were exterminated, bird life flourished again. Geographically, the country consists of two large islands and a number of smaller islands. The country has the distinction of being the only one outside the U.S. to hold multiple America's Cup races, but lost the cup in 2003 to a Swiss team (with a New Zealander skipper). New Zealand hosted the last two competitions for international yacht racing's top prize, the America's Cup (2000 and 2003), by virtue of being the home of the winning team in 1995 and 2000. British colonists brought a legal, political, and economic system that has flourished, along with the English system of agriculture that has transformed the landscape.- The colony gained a representative government in 1852, and the first Parliament met in 1854.
- The country's varied topography and sharp mountain peaks, including the Southern Alps (Kā Tiritiri o te Moana), owe much to tectonic uplift and volcanic eruptions.
- Railways run the length of the country, although most lines now carry freight rather than passengers.
- According to the Ministry of Justice, Māori are overrepresented, comprising 45% of New Zealanders convicted of crimes and 53% of those imprisoned, while only being 16.5% of the population.
- His Constitution Act of 1853 set up a national system of representative government and a prime minister.
- As of 2022, the agency is New Zealand's largest employer, consolidating the DHBs' combined work force of 80,000, with an estimated annual operating budget of NZ$20 billion and an asset base of about NZ$24 billion.
Land
- Successive government policies on the relationship between Maori and non-Maori people have worsened race relations.
- New Zealand was the largest country in Polynesia when it was annexed by Great Britain in 1840.
- The territorial authorities consist of 13 city councils, 53 district councils, and the Chatham Islands Council.
- Unless you are posting Original Content you should link to where you found the content to credit the creator.
- It also has a diverse range of birds, including the flightless moa (now extinct) and the kiwi, the kakapo, and the takahē, all of which are endangered.
