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 one of the lowest levels of perceived corruption in the world. 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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View along Sycamore Avenue in Barrhill

Barrhill is a lightly populated locality in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is situated on the Canterbury Plains, on the right bank of the Rakaia River, about 17 kilometres (11 mi) inland from Rakaia. It was founded by Cathcart Wason in the mid-1870s and named by him after his old home Barrhill in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Wason set it up as a model village for the workers of his large sheep farm. The population of the village peaked in the mid-1880s before the general recession initiated a downturn for the village. Wason had expected for the Methven Branch railway to run past Barrhill, but the line was built in 1880 on an alignment many miles away, which caused Barrhill population to decrease.

Three of the original buildings of Barrhill plus the gatehouse at Wason's homestead were constructed of concrete, and they still exist to this day. One of those buildings, St John's Church, is registered by Heritage New Zealand as a Category II heritage building, and the gatehouse is a museum that is open on request. Today, few buildings exist in the village, but the formal layout of avenues still exists, giving the setting a charming appearance. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various New Zealand-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Scorching Bay, Wellington, in summer (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 2European 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 3Water pollution sign on the Waimakariri River (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 4HMS North Star destroying Pomare's Pā during the Northern/Flagstaff War, 1845, Painting by John Williams. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 5Tribute 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 6New Zealand is antipodal to points of the North Atlantic, the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco.
Image 7Michael Joseph Savage, Labour Prime Minister 1935–1940. This portrait was hung on the walls of many supporters. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 8Elizabeth II and Muldoon's Cabinet, taken during the Queen's 1981 visit to New Zealand (from History of New Zealand)
Image 9Aoraki / Mount Cook, as seen from Hooker Valley (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 10Percentages 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 11One of the few extant copies of the Treaty of Waitangi (from History of New Zealand)
Image 12The Waikato River flowing out of Lake Taupō (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 13Children's and young adult author Margaret Mahy, July 2011 (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 14An annotated relief map (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 15Richard Seddon, Liberal Prime Minister from 1893 to his death in 1906 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 16Roger Douglas, the architect of New Zealand's 1980s neo-liberal reform programme (from History of New Zealand)
Image 17Rural landscape close to Mt Ruapehu (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 18Topography of Zealandia, the submerged continent, and the two tectonic plates (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 19Māori 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 20The Mission House at Kerikeri is New Zealand's oldest surviving building, having been completed in 1822 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 21Pavlova, a popular New Zealand dessert, garnished with cream and strawberries. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 22Poet Selina Tusitala Marsh, 2019 (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 23Vigil in Wellington for the victims of the Christchurch mosques attacks (from History of New Zealand)
Image 24Tekoteko from the gable of a wharenui, Te Arawa (20th century) (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 25Putting down a hāngī (earth oven) (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 26The 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 27The kiwi has become a New Zealand icon. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 28Men of the Māori Battalion, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, after disembarking at Gourock in Scotland in June 1940 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 29A beach barbecue – an established part of New Zealand culture (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 30Cook Island dancers at Auckland's Pasifika Festival, 2010 (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 31Hinepare 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 32A 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 33The Original All Blacks during the "haka", 1905 (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 34Residents of Dunedin celebrate the news of the Armistice of 11 November 1918. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 35Scottish Highland family migrating to New Zealand, 1844, by William Allsworth. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 36Strong winds in the Cook Strait produce high waves which erode the shore, as shown in this image (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 37Prime Ministers John Key and Helen Clark (from History of New Zealand)
Image 38An aerial view of the Auckland urban area, showing its location on the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 39The 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 40Lorde as part of the 2014 Lollapalooza lineup (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 41The Forty-Fours viewed from the north; the leftmost islet is the easternmost point of New Zealand. (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 42Central Plateau in winter (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 43Kapa haka is performed at a School Strike for Climate in Christchurch 2019. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 44Fiordland is dominated by steep, glacier-carved valleys. (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 45A meeting of European and Māori inhabitants of Hawke's Bay Province. Engraving, 1863.
Image 46The 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 47George 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 48Zealandia rejecting Australian Constitution in 1900 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 49A Māori ancestor (tekoteko) depicted in a wood carving at the Tamatekapua Meeting House in Ohinemutu (c. 1880) (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 50A modern wharenui (meeting house of a marae) exhibited at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 51Knox Church, a Presbyterian church, in Dunedin. The city was founded by Scottish Presbyterian settlers. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 52"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 53New Zealand Division in 1916 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 54Art deco in Napier (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 55The 1935 Labour Cabinet. Michael Joseph Savage is seated in the front row, centre. (from History of New Zealand)

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More Did you know? - show different entries

...that the Cardrona Bra Fence was an unusual South Island tourist attraction?

...That Lawyer's Head headland in Dunedin (pictured) is named for its likeness to the profile of a man in a traditional legal wig?

...that the wild population of New Zealand's endangered Kaka Beak has plummeted to under one sixth of the number found 10 years ago?

...that the U.S. base at the South Pole follows New Zealand time?

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Possibly the best-known building in the southern half of New Zealand's South Island, Dunedin Railway Station is a jewel in the country's architectural crown.

Designed by George Troup, the station is the fourth building to have served as Dunedin's railway station. It earned its architect the nickname of "Gingerbread George".

In Flemish style, it is constructed from local dark basalt rock capped with lighter Oamaru stone, giving it the distinctive light and dark pattern common to many of the more stately buildings of Dunedin and Christchurch. The booking hall features a mosaic floor of almost 750,000 tiles of Royal Doulton porcelain. Its main platform is the country's longest, being one kilometre in length. It was opened in 1906 by Prime Minister Joseph Ward. A thorough refurbishment of the exterior took place in the late 1990s, accompanied by the landscaping of the gardens outside the entrance, in Anzac Square.

With the decrease in passenger rail traffic, the station now serves more functions that the one for which it was originally designed. It is still the city's railway station, catering for the Otago Excursion Train Trust's Taieri Gorge Railway tourist train. Much of its ground floor is now used as a restaurant, and the upper floor is home to both the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame and the Otago Art Society. (Full article...)

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View across Port Chalmers and Otago Harbour to Otago Peninsula

Port Chalmers (Māori: Kōpūtai) is a town serving as the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast of Dunedin's city centre. (Full article...)

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... that to promote The Simpsons Movie in 2007, 20th Century Fox gifted a sculpture of a doughnut to the town of Springfield, New Zealand?
... that a design for the New Zealand florin was criticized as looking like a violently defecating kiwi?
... that a New Zealand coin was declared evidence of an atheistic government by detractors?
... that in November 2022 the Supreme Court of New Zealand ruled that the voting age of 18 was unjustified age discrimination in Make It 16 Incorporated v Attorney-General?
... that Jessica Mutch McKay hosted debates between the leaders of New Zealand's two major political parties?
... that the first meeting of the New Zealand Women Writers' Society was chaired by a man?
... that a design for the 1930s New Zealand penny depicted a rugby player?
... that Bell Tea, founded in 1898, is the oldest tea company in New Zealand?

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