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The New Zealand Portal

Location of New Zealand

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 more than 700 smaller islands, covering a total area of 268,021 square kilometres (103,500 sq mi). New Zealand is about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) 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.

Owing to their remoteness, the islands of New Zealand were the last large habitable lands to be settled by humans. Between about 1280 and 1350, Polynesians began to settle in the islands and then developed a distinctive Māori culture. In 1642, the Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman, became the first European to sight New Zealand. In 1840, representatives of the United Kingdom and Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, which declared British sovereignty over the islands. In 1841, New Zealand became a colony within the British Empire, and in 1907 it became a dominion; it gained full statutory independence in 1947, and the British monarch remained the head of state. Today, the majority of New Zealand's population of 5 million is of European descent; the indigenous Māori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and Pacific Islanders. Reflecting this, New Zealand's culture is mainly derived from Māori and early British settlers, with recent broadening arising from increased immigration. The official languages are English, Māori, and New Zealand Sign Language, with English being dominant.

A developed country, New Zealand ranks highly in international comparisons, particularly in education, protection of civil liberties, government transparency, and economic freedom. It 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 a significant source of revenue. Nationally, legislative authority is vested in an elected, unicameral Parliament, while executive political power is exercised by the Cabinet, led by the prime minister, currently Jacinda Ardern. Queen Elizabeth II is the country's monarch and is represented by a governor-general, currently Dame Patsy Reddy. In addition, New Zealand is organised into 11 regional councils and 67 territorial authorities for local government purposes. The Realm of New Zealand also includes Tokelau (a dependent territory); the Cook Islands and Niue (self-governing states in free association with New Zealand); and the Ross Dependency, which is New Zealand's territorial claim in Antarctica. (Full article...)

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This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

Amanita nothofagi is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. Endemic to New Zealand, the species was first described by mycologist Greta Stevenson in 1962. The fruit bodies have dark brown caps that are up to 13 cm (5.1 in) in diameter and covered with patches of soft greyish-brown scales or warts. The gills underneath the cap are crowded together, free from attachment to the stem, and white, becoming tinged with yellow in age. The stem of the mushroom is 4–14 cm (1.6–5.5 in) long by 0.5–2.5 cm (0.2–1.0 in) thick, and has a ring. The spore print is white, and individual spores are spherical to ellipsoid, measuring 7.5–9 by 7.5–9 micrometres. The mushroom may be confused with another New Zealand species, A. australis, but can be distinguished by certain characteristics. Amanita nothofagi is a mycorrhizal species, and grows in association with native New Zealand trees such as Southern Beech. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Central Plateau in winter
"First Scottish Colony for New Zealand" – 1839 poster advertising emigration from Scotland to New Zealand. Collection of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, Scotland.
The Original All Blacks during the "haka", 1905
An aerial view of the Auckland urban area, showing its location on the Hauraki Gulf
Prime Ministers John Key and Helen Clark
HMS North Star destroying Pomare's Pā during the Northern/Flagstaff War, 1845, Painting by John Williams.
A 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..."
Roger Douglas, the architect of New Zealand's 1980s neo-liberal reform programme
The kiwi has become a New Zealand icon.
Tribute 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
The 1935 Labour Cabinet. Michael Joseph Savage is seated in the front row, centre.
An annotated raised-relief map
The Waikato River flowing out of Lake Taupo
Topography of Zealandia, the submerged continent, and the two tectonic plates
A kapa haka performer
European 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.
Water pollution sign on the Waimakariri River
Zealandia rejecting Australian Constitution in 1900
The Forty-Fours viewed from the north; the leftmost islet is the easternmost point of New Zealand.
Māori whānau 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.
The first Government House in Auckland, as painted by Edward Ashworth in 1842 or 1843. Auckland was the second capital of New Zealand.
New Zealand Division in 1916
One of the few extant copies of the Treaty of Waitangi
Hinepare of Ngati 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.
A Māori tekoteko (carved human form) originating from Te Arawa
A modern wharenui (meeting house of a marae) exhibited at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Vigil in Wellington for the victims of the Christchurch mosques attacks
Scottish Highland family migrating to New Zealand, 1844, by William Allsworth. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington.
George 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).
Michael Joseph Savage, Labour Prime Minister 1935–1940. This portrait was hung on the walls of many supporters.
Percentages of people reporting affiliation with Christianity at the 2001, 2006 and 2013 censuses; there has been a steady decrease over twelve years.
Rural landscape close to Mt Ruapehu
Cook Island dancers at Auckland's Pasifika Festival, 2010
Men of the Māori Battalion, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, after disembarking at Gourock in Scotland in June 1940
Knox Church, a Presbyterian church, in Dunedin. The city was founded by Scottish Presbyterian settlers.
New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean
Richard Seddon, Liberal Prime Minister from 1893 to his death in 1906
Lorde as part of the 2014 Lollapalooza lineup
Strong winds in the Cook Strait produce high waves which erode the shore, as shown in this image
The 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.
Pavlova, a popular New Zealand dessert, garnished with cream and strawberries.
New Zealand children and young adult's author Margaret Mahy, July 2011.
The Mission House at Kerikeri is New Zealand's oldest surviving building, having been completed in 1822
Fiordland is dominated by steep, glacier-carved valleys
Elizabeth II and Muldoon's Cabinet, taken during the Queen's 1981 visit to New Zealand
Putting down a hāngi (earth oven)
The scalloped bays indenting Lake Taupo's northern and western coasts are typical of large volcanic caldera margins. The caldera they surround was formed during the huge Oruanui eruption.
New Zealand is antipodal to points of the North Atlantic, the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco.
Scorching Bay, Wellington, in summer

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More Did you know? - show different entries

... that multinational GlaxoSmithKline was founded in Bunnythorpe, New Zealand in 1904, under the slogan "Glaxo builds bonny babies"?

... that the chocolate fish is a "species" indigenous to New Zealand?

... that the Six o'clock swill was not abolished in New Zealand until 1967?

...that the Coenocorypha snipes once ranged from New Caledonia and Fiji to New Zealand but are now restricted to New Zealand's outlying islands?

... that Ira Goldstein, an advertisement campaign character for the ASB Bank in New Zealand, supposedly drives a metallic-brown 1979 Princess 2000 HL?

...Selection

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The Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, codenamed Opération Satanique, was an operation by the "action" branch of the French foreign intelligence services, the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE), carried out on July 10, 1985. It aimed to sink the flagship of the Greenpeace fleet, the Rainbow Warrior in the port of Auckland, New Zealand, to prevent her from interfering in a nuclear test in Moruroa.

Fernando Pereira, a photographer, drowned on the sinking ship. Two French agents were arrested by the New Zealand Police on passport fraud and immigration charges. They were charged with arson, conspiracy to commit arson, willful damage, and murder. As part of a plea bargain, they pleaded guilty to manslaughter and were sentenced to ten years, of which they served just over two.

The scandal resulted in the resignation of the French Defence Minister Charles Hernu, and the subject remained controversial. It was twenty years afterwards that the personal responsibility of French President François Mitterrand was admitted. (Full article...)

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Purakaunui Falls, Catlins, Otago, New Zealand.

The Purakaunui Falls are a cascading multi-tiered waterfall on the Purakaunui River in The Catlins in the southern South Island of New Zealand. A highly distinctive cataract, it is an iconic image for southeastern New Zealand. The falls are in an isolated area surrounded by native bush in a 500 hectare scenic reserve, and fall 20 metres in three tiers.

Picture archive

Did you know? - show different entries

... that mezzo-soprano Patricia Payne made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in Ponchielli's La Gioconda, and took part in the first performance of Britten's Peter Grimes in New Zealand?
... that the critically endangered Eyrewell ground beetle is known from just one locality—a pine plantation in New Zealand which is currently being cut down and turned into dairy farms?
... that Nigel, nicknamed "the world's loneliest gannet", attempted to mate with a concrete decoy bird on Mana Island, New Zealand?
... that the All Blacks were once defeated by Rhodesia, a non-test rugby playing country?
... that New Zealand–born musician Millie Lovelock wrote her English literature master's thesis on One Direction?

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Recognised content

This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{WikiProject New Zealand}}) or categorized correctly. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.