New Zealand

parliamentary democracyIndependence 26 September 1907 (from UK)

New Zealand as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 82 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalWellington

Area268,680 sq km

LocationOceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of

Populationas each edition published it

3.41 million July 1995 est. · 3.3m in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.52% 1995 est. · 0.61% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 33.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

76.65 years 1995 est. · 76.11 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.99 children per woman 1995 est. · 2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

8.6 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 10 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$16,640 1994 est. · $14,900 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

6.2% 1994 · 3% in 1993

Geography

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of | Australia

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Land useshare of 268,680 sq km

arable land 2%permanent crops 0%meadows and pastures 53%forest and woodland 38%other 7%irrigated 2,800 sq km (1989 est.)

Area

268,680sq km

land area: 268,670 sq kmcomparative area: about the size of Coloradonote: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands

Coastline

15,134km

land boundaries: 0 kmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental marginexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Location

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia

International disputes

territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)

Terrain

predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains

Natural resources

natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone

Environment

current issues:: deforestation;
soil erosion;
native flora and fauna hard-hit by species introduced from outside
natural hazards:: earthquakes are common, though usually not severe
international agreements:: party to - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling;
signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Note

about 80% of the population lives in cities

People

15 fields

Population

3,407,277

(July 1995 est.)growth rate: 0.52% (1995 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth

15.14Death

8.03Net migration

-1.87

Ethnic divisions

European 88%Maori 8.9%Pacific Islander 2.9%other 0.2%

Religions(1986)

Anglican 24%Presbyterian 18%Roman Catholic 15%Methodist 5%Baptist 2%other Protestant 3%unspecified or none 33% (1986)

Labor force

1,603,500

(June 1991)by occupation: services 66.6%, industry 22.6%, agriculture 10.8% (1992)

Literacy

15and over can read and write

age · (1980 est.)total population: 99%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 23% (female 381,027; male 401,285)
15-64 years:: 65% (female 1,109,402; male 1,111,079)
65 years and over:: 12% (female 234,339; male 170,145) (July 1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate

8.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population:: 76.65 years
male:: 73.08 years
female:: 80.42 years (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun:: New Zealander(s)
adjective:: New Zealand

Government

Parliamentary democracy; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Catherine TIZARD (since 12 December 1990); Prime Minister James BOLGER (since 29 October 1990)

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Presidential electionpercent of vote

35.2%

NP 35.2%NZLP 34.7%Alliance 18.3%New Zealand First 8.3%

Legislature, 99 seatsone dot, one seat

NP 50NZLP 45Alliance 2New Zealand First Party 2

Names

conventional long form:: none
conventional short form:: New Zealand

Abbreviation

Digraph

Type

parliamentary democracy

Capital

Wellington

Administrative divisions

93 counties, 9 districts*, and 3 town districts**; Akaroa, Amuri, Ashburton, Bay of Islands, Bruce, Buller, Chatham Islands, Cheviot, Clifton, Clutha, Cook, Dannevirke, Egmont, Eketahuna, Ellesmere, Eltham, Eyre, Featherston, Franklin, Golden Bay, Great Barrier Island, Grey, Hauraki Plains, Hawera*, Hawke's Bay, Heathcote, Hikurangi**, Hobson, Hokianga, Horowhenua, Hurunui, Hutt, Inangahua, Inglewood, Kaikoura, Kairanga, Kiwitea, Lake, Mackenzie, Malvern, Manaia**, Manawatu, Mangonui, Maniototo, Marlborough, Masterton, Matamata, Mount Herbert, Ohinemuri, Opotiki, Oroua, Otamatea, Otorohanga*, Oxford, Pahiatua, Paparua, Patea, Piako, Pohangina, Raglan, Rangiora*, Rangitikei, Rodney, Rotorua*, Runanga, Saint Kilda, Silverpeaks, Southland, Stewart Island, Stratford, Strathallan, Taranaki, Taumarunui, Taupo, Tauranga, Thames-Coromandel*, Tuapeka, Vincent, Waiapu, Waiheke, Waihemo, Waikato, Waikohu, Waimairi, Waimarino, Waimate, Waimate West, Waimea, Waipa, Waipawa*, Waipukurau*, Wairarapa South, Wairewa, Wairoa, Waitaki, Waitomo*, Waitotara, Wallace, Wanganui, Waverley**, Westland, Whakatane*, Whangarei, Whangaroa, Woodville

note: there may be a new administrative structure of 16 regions (Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wanganui-Manawatu, Wellington, West Coast) that are subdivided into 57 districts and 16 cities* (Ashburton, Auckland*, Banks Peninsula, Buller, Carterton, Central Hawke's Bay, Central Otago, Christchurch*, Clutha, Dunedin*, Far North, Franklin, Gisborne, Gore, Grey, Hamilton*, Hastings, Hauraki, Horowhenua, Hurunui, Hutt*, Invercargill*, Kaikoura, Kaipara, Kapiti Coast, Kawerau, Mackenzie, Manawatu, Manukau*, Marlborough, Masterton, Matamata Piako, Napier*, Nelson*, New Plymouth, North Shore*, Opotiki, Otorohanga, Palmerston North*, Papakura*, Porirua*, Queenstown Lakes, Rangitikei, Rodney, Rotorua, Ruapehu, Selwyn, Southland, South Taranaki, South Waikato, South Wairarapa, Stratford, Tararua, Tasman, Taupo, Tauranga, Thames Coromandel, Timaru, Upper Hutt*, Waikato, Waimakariri, Waimate, Waipa, Wairoa, Waitakere*, Waitaki, Waitomo, Wanganui, Wellington*, Western Bay of Plenty, Westland, Whakatane, Whangarei)

Dependent areas

Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau

Independence

26 September 1907 (from UK)

National holiday

Waitangi Day, 6 February (1840) (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty)

Constitution

no formal, written constitution;
consists of various documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments;
Constitution Act 1986 was to have come into force 1 January 1987, but has not been enacted

Legal system

based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for Maoris; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Catherine TIZARD (since 12 December 1990)
head of government:: Prime Minister James BOLGER (since 29 October 1990); Deputy Prime Minister Donald McKINNON (since 2 November 1990)
cabinet:: Executive Council; appointed by the governor general on recommendation of the prime minister

Legislative branch

unicameral

House of Representatives

(commonly called Parliament) elections last held 6 November 1993 (next to be held NA November 1996);
results - NP 35.2%, NZLP 34.7%, Alliance 18.3%, New Zealand First 8.3%;
seats - (99 total) NP 50, NZLP 45, Alliance 2, New Zealand First Party 2

Judicial branch

High Court, Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders

National Party (NP, government), James BOLGER;
New Zealand Labor Party (NZLP, opposition), Helen CLARK;
Alliance, Sandra LEE;
Democratic Party, Dick RYAN;
New Zealand Liberal Party, Hanmish MACINTYRE and Gilbert MYLES;
Green Party, no official leader;
Mana Motuhake, Martin RATA;
Socialist Unity Party (SUP, pro-Soviet), Kenneth DOUGLAS;
New Zealand First, Winston PETERS

note: the New Labor, Democratic, and Mana Motuhake parties formed a coalition called the Alliance Party, Sandra LEE, president, in September 1991; the Green Party joined the coalition in May 1992

Member of

ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MTCR, NAM (guest), OECD, PCA, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Lionel John WOOD
chancery:: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 328-4800
consulate(s) general:: Apia (Western Samoa), Los Angeles

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Josiah Horton BEEMAN
embassy:: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington
mailing address:: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, FPO AP 96531-1001
telephone:: [64] (4) 472-2068

FAX

[64] (4) 472-3537; consulate(s) general: Auckland

Flag

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag;
the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation

Economy

Since 1984 the government has been reorienting an agrarian | economy dependent on a guaranteed British market to a more | industrialized, open free market economy that can compete on the | global scene.

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GDP per capita, PPP

$16,640

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

6.2%

(1994)industrial production growth: growth rate 1.9% (1990); accounts for about 20% of GDP

Inflation, consumer prices

1.6%

(FY93/94)

Unemployment rate

7.5%

(December 1994)

Budget

Revenues

$18.94 billionExpenditures

$18.82 billion

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA (FY94/95) note: surplus $120 million (FY94/95)

Installed generating capacity, 7,520,000 kW

Electricity production

30.5 billionElectricity consumption per capita

8,401 (1993)

Overview

Since 1984 the government has been reorienting an agrarian economy dependent on a guaranteed British market to a more industrialized, open free market economy that can compete on the global scene. The government has hoped that dynamic growth would boost real incomes, broaden and deepen the technological capabilities of the industrial sector, reduce inflationary pressures, and permit the expansion of welfare benefits.

The initial results were mixed: inflation is down from double-digit levels, but growth was sluggish in 1988-91. In 1992-93, growth picked up to 3% annually, a sign that the new economic approach was beginning to pay off. Business confidence strengthened in 1994, and export demand picked up in the Asia-Pacific region, resulting in 6.2% growth. Inflation remains among the lowest in the industrial world.

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $56.4 billion (1994 est.)

Exports

$11.2 billion (1994)

commodities:: wool, lamb, mutton, beef, fish, cheese, chemicals, forestry products, fruits and vegetables, manufactures
partners:: Australia 20%, Japan 15%, US 12%, UK 6%

Imports

$10.4 billion (1994)

commodities:: machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, consumer goods
partners:: Australia 21%, US 18%, Japan 16%, UK 6%

External debt

$38.5 billion (September 1994)

Industries

food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining

Agriculture

accounts for about 9% of GDP and about 11% of the work force;
livestock predominates - wool, meat, dairy products all export earners;
crops - wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables;
surplus producer of farm products;
fish catch reached a record 503,000 metric tons in 1988

Economic aid

donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $526 million

Currency

1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1 - 1.5601 (January 1995), 1.6844 (1994), 1.8495 (1993), 1.8584 (1992), 1.7265 (1991), 1.6750 (1990)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 102 in all

over 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

1,524 to 2,438 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

92,648Railroads

4,716Inland waterways

1,609

Highways: paved: 49,547 km · unpaved: gravel, crushed stone 43,101 km · Railroads: narrow gauge: 4,716 km 1.067-m gauge (113 km electrified; 274 km double track) · Inland waterways: ; of little importance to transportation

Railroads

total:: 4,716 km
narrow gauge:: 4,716 km 1.067-m gauge (113 km electrified; 274 km double track)

Highways

total:: 92,648 km
paved:: 49,547 km
unpaved:: gravel, crushed stone 43,101 km

Inland waterways

1,609 km; of little importance to transportation

Pipelines

petroleum products 160 km;
natural gas 1,000 km;
condensate (liquified petroleum gas - LPG) 150 km

Ports

Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Tauranga, Wellington

Merchant marine

total:: 18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 165,504 GRT/218,699 DWT
ships by type:: bulk 6, cargo 2, liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker 3, railcar carrier 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 5