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... )
The following are images from various New Zealand-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1 Strong winds in the Cook Strait produce high waves which erode the shore, as shown in this image (from
Geography of New Zealand )
Image 2 Roger Douglas , the architect of New Zealand's 1980s
neo-liberal reform programme (from
History of New Zealand )
Image 3 Children's and young adult author
Margaret Mahy , July 2011 (from
Culture of New Zealand )
Image 4 New Zealand is
antipodal to points of the North Atlantic, the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco.
Image 6 Tekoteko from the gable of a
wharenui ,
Te Arawa (20th century) (from
Culture of New Zealand )
Image 7 Lorde as part of the 2014
Lollapalooza lineup (from
Culture of New Zealand )
Image 8 One of the few extant copies of the
Treaty of Waitangi (from
History of New Zealand )
Image 9 Knox Church , a
Presbyterian church , in
Dunedin . The city was founded by Scottish Presbyterian settlers. (from
Culture of New Zealand )
Image 10 Elizabeth II and Muldoon's Cabinet, taken during the Queen's 1981 visit to New Zealand (from
History of New Zealand )
Image 11 Māori
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 12 Men of the
Māori Battalion , New Zealand Expeditionary Force, after disembarking at Gourock in Scotland in June 1940 (from
History of New Zealand )
Image 14 Cook Island dancers at Auckland's
Pasifika Festival , 2010 (from
Culture of New Zealand )
Image 15 Percentages 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 16 Vigil in
Wellington for the victims of the Christchurch mosques attacks (from
History of New Zealand )
Image 17 New Zealand Division in 1916 (from
History of New Zealand )
Image 19 The 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 21 Fiordland is dominated by steep, glacier-carved valleys. (from
Geography of New Zealand )
Image 22 Kapa haka is performed at a
School Strike for Climate in Christchurch 2019. (from
Culture of New Zealand )
Image 23 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 (from
History of New Zealand )
Image 24 Scorching Bay , Wellington, in summer (from
Geography of New Zealand )
Image 25 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. (from
Culture of New Zealand )
Image 26 Putting down a hāngī (earth oven) (from
Culture of New Zealand )
Image 28 Rural landscape close to Mt Ruapehu (from
Geography of New Zealand )
Image 29 The
Mission House at Kerikeri is New Zealand's oldest surviving building, having been completed in 1822 (from
History of New Zealand )
Image 32 Scottish Highland family migrating to New Zealand, 1844, by
William Allsworth .
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa , Wellington. (from
History of New Zealand )
Image 33 Topography of
Zealandia , the submerged continent, and the two tectonic plates (from
Geography of New Zealand )
Image 34 Richard Seddon, Liberal Prime Minister from 1893 to his death in 1906 (from
History of New Zealand )
Image 35 An annotated relief map (from
Geography of New Zealand )
Image 36 Hinepare 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 37 A meeting of European and Māori inhabitants of
Hawke's Bay Province . Engraving, 1863.
Image 38 An aerial view of the
Auckland urban area, showing its location on the
Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana (from
Geography of New Zealand )
Image 39 The Waikato River flowing out of Lake Taupō (from
Geography of New Zealand )
Image 40 The
1935 Labour Cabinet . Michael Joseph Savage is seated in the front row, centre. (from
History of New Zealand )
Image 41 A Māori ancestor (
tekoteko ) depicted in a wood carving at the Tamatekapua Meeting House in
Ohinemutu (
c. 1880 ) (from
Culture of New Zealand )
Image 42 The
kiwi has become a New Zealand icon. (from
Culture of New Zealand )
Image 44 The Forty-Fours viewed from the north; the leftmost islet is the easternmost point of New Zealand. (from
Geography of New Zealand )
Image 45 Michael Joseph Savage , Labour Prime Minister 1935–1940. This portrait was hung on the walls of many supporters. (from
History of New Zealand )
Image 46 A beach
barbecue – an established part of New Zealand culture (from
Culture of New Zealand )
Image 47 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.
Image 48 Water pollution sign on the
Waimakariri River (from
Geography of New Zealand )
Image 49 Pavlova , a popular New Zealand dessert, garnished with cream and strawberries. (from
Culture of New Zealand )
Image 50 The 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 51 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..." (from
History of New Zealand )
Image 52 HMS North Star destroying Pomare's Pā during the Northern/Flagstaff War, 1845, Painting by John Williams. (from
History of New Zealand )
Image 53 "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 54 Central Plateau in winter (from
Geography of New Zealand )
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... )
... that trampolinist Dylan Schmidt is New Zealand's first Olympic medallist in any gymnastics discipline?
... that after Alfred Fell moved his family to England for better education opportunities, his son Walter Fell and two of his brothers returned permanently to New Zealand?
... that at the age of 27 New Zealand entrepreneur Jamie Beaton had degrees from Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, and Tsinghua University , and was working on his seventh degree, from Yale?
... that New Zealand potter Hardy Browning began his career as a coal miner ?
... that during a temporary public holiday to mourn the death of Elizabeth II , New Zealand had another public holiday on the same day?
... that Jessica Mutch McKay hosted debates between the leaders of New Zealand's two major political parties?
... that Henry Jackson served for 44 days, the shortest tenure of any New Zealand member of parliament?
... that New Zealand politician Hamish Campbell is a cancer researcher and runs a flower-delivery business?
Category puzzle
Select [►] to view subcategories
Extended content
This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs ) (typically on Saturdays). 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 and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.
Featured articles
Featured lists
Good articles
18th Battalion (New Zealand)
20th Battalion (New Zealand)
25th Battalion (New Zealand)
34th Battalion (New Zealand)
35th Battalion (New Zealand)
37th Battalion (New Zealand)
1860 Town of Christchurch by-election
April 1865 Bruce by-election
1888–89 New Zealand Native football team
1949 New Zealand crown
1972 New Zealand eight
1982 Women's Cricket World Cup final
1990–91 South Pacific cyclone season
1993 Women's Cricket World Cup final
1994–95 South Pacific cyclone season
1995–96 South Pacific cyclone season
1997 Women's Cricket World Cup final
2001–02 South Pacific cyclone season
2009 Dusky Sound earthquake
2011 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election
2022 Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand co-leadership election
Abel Tasman Monument
Capture of Afulah and Beisan
Agaricus bernardii
Russell Aitken (RAF officer)
Harry Allan
Amanita australis
Amanita nothofagi
Leslie Andrew
Third attack on Anzac Cove
Landing at Anzac Cove
Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park
Auckland Mounted Rifles Regiment
Asafo Aumua
Australian contribution to UNTAG
Avatar (2009 film)
Second Battle of Bapaume
Barrhill, New Zealand
Fraser Barron
Harold Barrowclough
Jean Batten
Battle for No.3 Post
Battle of Jerusalem
Battle of Puketutu
Jamie Beaton
Battle of Beersheba (1917)
Minden Blake
Bogong moth
Cyclone Bola
Boletopsis nothofagi
The Bone People
William Garnett Braithwaite
Bravado (song)
Operation Bribie
Bridge to Terabithia (2007 film)
Joseph Brittan
Stanley Browne (RNZAF officer)
Thomas Brunner
Buzzcut Season
Duncan Cameron (British Army officer)
Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regiment
Capture of Le Quesnoy
Brian Carbury
Centennial half-crown
Characteres generum plantarum
Charles III
Johnny Checketts
Chickaboom!
June 2011 Christchurch earthquake
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Clathrus columnatus
Clavaria zollingeri
Wilfred Clouston
Operation Coburg
Operation Cockpit
Codling moth
Coins of the New Zealand pound
Basil Collyns
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Thomas Cooke (soldier, born 1881)
Battle of Coral–Balmoral
Cordyline australis
Ricki-Lee Coulter
Bill Crawford-Compton
James Crichton (soldier)
Crucibulum (fungus)
Culture of the Cook Islands
Bill Cunningham (rugby union)
Cyathus striatus
Cyptotrama asprata
Dacrycarpus dacrydioides
Alan Dale
Richard Hutton Davies
DayZ (mod)
Austen Deans
Alan Deere
Demographics of New Zealand
Henry Dewar (rugby union)
Antonio Dini
Albert Downing
Dracophyllum arboreum
Dracophyllum traversii
John Evelyn Duigan
Dusky dolphin
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Keith Elliott
Mick Ensor
Evans Bay Patent Slip
Evermore (band)
The Experiment (Dane Rumble album)
Fat Freddy's Drop
Flora Antarctica
Florin (New Zealand coin)
Samuel Forsyth
Foveaux Strait
History of rugby union matches between France and New Zealand
Samuel Frickleton
The Frighteners
Harry Fulton
Joanne Gair
Gallipoli campaign
Battle of Gang Toi
Third Battle of Gaza
Geastrum pectinatum
German Mission House
Glory and Gore
Alexander Godley
Patricia Grace
John Gildroy Grant
Colin Falkland Gray
Green Light (Lorde song)
Half-crown (New Zealand coin)
Halfpenny (New Zealand coin)
Peter Hall (RNZAF officer)
Mark Hammett
Han Sai Por
Handkea utriformis
Hard Feelings/Loveless
James Hargest
Herbert Hart (general)
James Hayter (RAF officer)
Gilbert Hayton
Bob Heffron
Michael Herrick
Raymond Hesselyn
Edmund Hillary
Jack Hinton
History of the Highlanders (rugby union)
William Hodgson (RAF officer)
Hokitika Clock Tower
Homemade Dynamite
John Houlton
Clive Hulme
Reginald Hyde
Witi Ihimaera
Imperial Gift
Lindsay Inglis
Mervyn Ingram
Cyclone Ivy
James Healy Seamount
George Jameson (RNZAF officer)
Capture of Jenin
Ernest Joyce (RNZAF officer)
Reginald Judson
Cris and Cru Kahui homicides
Kaimanawa horse
Katipō
Kauri gum
Keith (song)
Patrick Keogh
John Key
King Kong (2005 film)
Howard Kippenberger
Jim Laker
Phil Lamason
Harry Laurent
Least weasel
Danny Lendich
Liability (song)
Linwood House
Robert Logan (politician)
Battle of Long Khánh
Long Range Desert Group
Battle of Long Tan
The Lord of the Rings (film series)
The Louvre (song)
The Love Club EP
Love in Motion (Anika Moa album)
Kathy Lynch
John Noble MacKenzie
Macauley Island
Battle of Magdhaba
Magnets (song)
Make It 16 Incorporated v Attorney-General
William George Malone
Māngere Bridge (suburb)
Māori Battalion
Matiu / Somes Island
Richie McCaw
Melodrama (Lorde album)
Melodrama World Tour
Battle of Messines (1917)
Metanephrops challengeri
Reginald Miles
Kae Miller
Mini Metro (video game)
Monowai (seamount)
Horace Moore-Jones
Mount Morning
Moro River campaign
Jenny Morris (musician)
Mountain Fountain
Battle of Mughar Ridge
Mycena inclinata
Battle of Nablus (1918)
Napier Technical College, New Zealand
Walter Nash
The New Cup
New Zealand Division
New Zealand
New Zealand White Ensign
New Zealand and Australian Division
New Zealand at the 2014 Winter Paralympics
New Zealand bellbird
New Zealand literature
New Zealand place names
Cyril Newall, 1st Baron Newall
Guy Newton (RNZAF officer)
Henry James Nicholas
No Better
No worries
Harold North
Nothing to Regret
William O'Rourke (cricketer)
Official Information Act 1982
The Original All Blacks
Keith Park
Nigel Park
Graham Beresford Parkinson
First Battle of Passchendaele
Penny (New Zealand pre-decimal coin)
Cyclone Percy
Perfect Places
Petition of Right
HMS Philomel (1890)
Pholcus phalangioides
The Pleiades (volcano group)
Potiki
Grace Prendergast
Princes Street, Dunedin
Professional wrestling in New Zealand
Psilocybe makarorae
Pure Heroine
Edward Puttick
Queen Victoria Monument, Wellington
Paul Rabone
Implosion of Radio Network House
Jack Rae
Barbara Rae-Venter
Rail transport in New Zealand
Ribs (song)
Ricky Riccitelli
George Spafford Richardson
Randolph Ridling
Battle of Romani
Rook (bird)
Roridomyces austrororidus
Malcolm Ross (journalist)
Royals (song)
Rugby union
Sally (Flight of the Conchords)
Battle of Samakh
Santosh Subramaniam
Aaron Saxton
Warren Schrader
ScienTOMogy
Desmond J. Scott
Battle of Sharon
Jim Sheddan
Shilling (New Zealand coin)
Siege of Ngatapa
William Sinclair-Burgess
Sixpence (New Zealand coin)
Slender smooth-hound
Ian Smith (rugby union, born 1903)
Irving Smith (RAF officer)
Miriam Soljak
1992 South Africa vs New Zealand rugby union match
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
Robert Spurdle
Statue of Queen Victoria, Auckland
Gray Stenborg
Pamela Stephenson
William George Stevens
Hugh Stewart (classical scholar)
Keith Lindsay Stewart
Kenneth Stewart (RNZAF officer)
Stoned at the Nail Salon
Percy Storkey
Stuart Memorial, Dunedin
Jacquie Sturm
Battle of Suoi Bong Trang
Battle of Suoi Chau Pha
Supercut (song)
Donald Sutherland (explorer)
Sweet potato cultivation in Polynesia
Battle of Tabsor
Taiari / Chalky Inlet
Kenneth Tait
1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera
Keith Taylor-Cannon
Team (Lorde song)
Tennis Court (song)
Territorial Air Force (New Zealand)
Peter Thorburn
Leonard Thornton
Threepence (New Zealand coin)
Time on Earth
Sam Tomkins
Richard Tomlinson
Owen Tracey
Third Transjordan attack
Richard Travis
Treaty of Waitangi
Leonard Trent
Richard Trousdale
Tuatara
Battle of Tulkarm
Arthur Umbers
United Nations Memorial Cemetery
Victor Verity
Veronica jovellanoides
Victoria Square, Christchurch
Ropata Wahawaha
Wainui Falls
Waitangi crown
Fred Waite (politician)
Wangapeka Track
Derek Harland Ward
James Allen Ward
Stephen Weir
Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment
Edward Wells (RNZAF officer)
West Auckland, New Zealand
Wharves in Wellington Harbour
John Whiteley (missionary)
Anthony Wilding
Gus Winckel
Chris Wood (footballer, born 1991)
Frank Worsley
Writer in the Dark
Yellow Flicker Beat
purge cache