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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.

The islands of New Zealand were the last large habitable land to be settled by humans. Between about 1280 and 1350, Polynesians began to settle in the islands and then subsequently developed a distinctive Māori culture. In 1642, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight and record New Zealand. In 1769 the British explorer Captain James Cook became the first European to set foot on and map New Zealand. 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. Subsequently, a series of conflicts between the colonial government and Māori tribes resulted in the alienation and confiscation of large amounts of Māori land. New Zealand became a dominion in 1907; it gained full statutory independence in 1947, retaining the monarch as head of state. Today, the majority of New Zealand's population of 5.25 million is of European descent; the indigenous Māori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and Pasifika. Reflecting this, New Zealand's culture is mainly derived from Māori and early British settlers, with recent broadening of culture arising from increased immigration. The official languages are English, Māori, and New Zealand Sign Language, with the local dialect of English being dominant.

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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The Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight-lane, box truss motorway bridge over the Waitemata Harbour, joining Saint Marys Bay in Auckland City with Northcote in North Shore City, New Zealand. It has a total length of 1,020 m (3,348 feet), with a main span of 243.8 m, rising 43.27 m above high water allowing ships access to the deepwater port at the Chelsea Sugar Refinery up harbour (nowadays one of the few remaining wharves needing such access west of the bridge). It is part of the Auckland Northern Motorway running from the Central Motorway Junction in downtown Auckland to Orewa. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

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More Did you know? - show different entries

...that Hokey pokey is New Zealand's second most popular ice cream flavour, after vanilla?

...that the settlement of Te Wairoa was buried by a volcanic eruption in 1886, and that its ruins are now a tourist attraction?

...that the grounds of NZ Prime Minister's official residence, Premier House, had what were probably the country's first tennis courts?

...that the North Island's northernmost and westernmost points are only 30 kilometres from each other?

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

Donald Forrester Brown, VC (23 February 1890 – 1 October 1916) was a New Zealand recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for valour "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Born in Dunedin, Brown was a farmer when the First World War began in 1914. In late 1915, he volunteered for service abroad with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) and was posted to the 2nd Battalion, the Otago Infantry Regiment. He saw action on the Western Front, and was awarded the VC for his actions during the Battle of Flers–Courcelette in September 1916. As he was killed several days later during the Battle of Le Transloy, the award was made posthumously. His VC was the second to be awarded to a soldier serving with the NZEF during the war and was the first earned in an action on the Western Front. (Full article...)

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Selected weekly image

The University of Canterbury has a 760,000 square metre site at Ilam, a suburb of Christchurch about 7 km from the city centre. There are five libraries, with the Central Library housed in the tallest building on campus, the 11-storey James Hight building. Also of note is the Rutherford Building, which houses the Physics & Astronomy and Chemistry departments.

Picture archive

Did you know? - show different entries

... that the New Zealand tree tarahinau has evolved to develop thinner leaves as it matures, probably as a result of the high winds of the Chatham Islands?
... that one of the largest fishing companies of New Zealand started as a fish and chip shop?
... that the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve is the only known nesting area for the eastern great egret in New Zealand?
... that New Zealand opera singer Helen Medlyn's first performing role was as one of the Three Kings?
... that West Auckland is home to the largest stratovolcano in the geologic history of New Zealand?

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