Background: The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand sometime between A.D. 1250 and 1300. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. That same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both world wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances.

Geographic coordinates: 41 00 S, 174 00 E

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands
Land: 264,537 km²
Water: 4,301 km²
Rank: 77
Comparative: almost twice the size of North Carolina; about the size of Colorado

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 15,134 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate: temperate with sharp regional contrasts

Terrain: predominately mountainous with large coastal plains

Elevation
Mean elevation: 388 m
Elevation extremes: 0 m
Note: lowest point: Pacific Ocean

Natural resources: natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone

Land use
Agricultural land: 43.2% (2011 est.)
Forest: 31.4% (2011 est.)
Other: 25.4% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 7,210 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activityvolcanism: significant volcanism on North Island; Ruapehu (2,797 m), which last erupted in 2007, has a history of large eruptions in the past century; Taranaki has the potential to produce dangerous avalanches and lahars; other historically active volcanoes include Okataina, Raoul Island, Tongariro, and White Island; see note 2 under 'Geography - note'

Geography
Note: note 1: consists of two main islands and a number of smaller islands; South Island, the larger main island, is the 12th largest island in the world and is divided along its length by the Southern Alps; North Island is the 14th largest island in the world and is not as mountainous, but it is marked by volcanism

Population
Distribution: over three-quarters of New Zealanders, including the indigenous Maori, live on the North Island, primarily in urban areas: 4,545,627 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 126
Growth rate: 0.77% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 133
Below poverty line note: NA

Nationality
Noun: New Zealander(s)
Adjective: New Zealand

Ethnic groups:

Languages:

Religions:

Age structure
0-14 years: 19.62% (male 457,071 /female 434,789)
15-24 years: 13.16% (male 307,574 /female 290,771)
25-54 years: 39.58% (male 902,909 /female 896,398)
55-64 years: 12.06% (male 266,855 /female 281,507)
65 years and over: 15.57% (male 327,052 /female 380,701) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 52.9 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 30.5 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 22.4 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 4.5 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 38.1 years
Male: 37.2 years
Female: 39 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 62

Population growth rate: 0.77% (2018 est.)
Rank: 133

Birth rate: 13.1 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 145

Death rate: 7.6 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 106

Net migration rate: 2.2 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 45

Population distribution: over three-quarters of New Zealanders, including the indigenous Maori, live on the North Island, primarily in urban areas

Urbanization
Urban population: 86.5% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 1.01% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 1.557 million Auckland, 411,000 WELLINGTON (capital) (2018)

Environment
Current issues: water quality and availability; rapid urbanisation; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation; native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species; negative effects of climate change
International agreements party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth:

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.4 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 4.9 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Female: 3.8 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Rank: 183

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 81.4 years (2018 est.)
Male: 79.2 years (2018 est.)
Female: 83.6 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 30

Total fertility rate: 2.01 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 116

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Physicians density: 3.06 physicians/1000 population (2015)

Hospital bed density: 2.8 beds/1000 population (2013)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2017 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 114
People living with hivaids: 3,700 (2017 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 119
Deaths note: <100 (2017 est.)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 30.8% (2016)
Rank: 22

Education expenditures: 6.3% of GDP (2015)
Rank: 29

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 19 years (2014)
Male: 18 years (2014)
Female: 20 years (2014)

Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: New Zealand
Abbreviation: NZ
Etymology: Dutch explorer Abel TASMAN was the first European to reach New Zealand in 1642; he named it Staten Landt, but Dutch cartographers renamed it Nova Zeelandia in 1645 after the Dutch province of Zeeland; British explorer Captain James COOK subsequently anglicized the name to New Zealand when he mapped the islands in 1769

Government type: parliamentary democracy (New Zealand Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Capital
Name: Wellington
Geographic coordinates: 41 18 S, 174 47 E
Time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in September; ends first Sunday in April: note: New Zealand has two time zones: New Zealand standard time (UTC+12) and Chatham Islands time (45 minutes in advance of New Zealand standard time; UTC+12:45)

Administrative divisions: 16 regions and 1 territory*; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Chatham Islands*, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast

Dependent areas: (3) Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau

Independence: 26 September 1907 (from the UK)

National holiday: Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)Anzac Day (commemorated as the anniversary of the landing of troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I at Gallipoli, Turkey), 25 April (1915)

Constitution
History: New Zealand has no single constitution document; the Constitution Act 1986, effective 1 January 1987, includes only part of the uncodified constitution; others include a collection of statutes or acts of Parliament, the Treaty of Waitangi, Orders in Council, letters patent, court decisions, and unwritten conventions (2018)
Amendments: proposed as bills by Parliament or by referenda called either by the government or by citizens; passage of a bill as an act normally requires two separate readings with committee reviews in between to make changes and corrections, a third reading approved by the House of Representatives membership or by the majority of votes in a referendum, and assent to by the governor-general; passage of amendments to reserved constitutional provisions affecting the term of Parliament, electoral districts, and voting restrictions requires approval by 75 percent of the House membership or the majority of votes in a referendum; amended many times, last in 2014 (2018)

Legal system: common law system, based on English model, with special legislation and land courts for the Maori

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of New Zealand
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 3 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Dame Patricia Lee REDDY (since 28 September 2016)
Head of government: Prime Minister Jacinda ARDERN (since 26 October 2017); Deputy Prime Minister Winston PETERS (since 26 October 2017)
Cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister
Electionsappointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general; note - Prime Minister ARDERN heads up a minority coalition government consisting of the Labor and New Zealand First parties with support from the Green Party

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (usually 120 seats; 71 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies, including 7 Maori constituencies, by simple majority vote and 49 directly elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 3-year terms)
Elections: last held on 23 September 2017 (next to be held by November 2020)
Election results: percent of vote by party - National Party 44.5%, Labor Party 36.9%, NZ First 7.2%, Green Party 6.3%, ACT Party 0.5%; seats by party - National Party 56, Labor Party 46, NZ First 9, Green Party 8, ACT Party 1; composition - men 74, women 46, percent of women 38.3%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of 5 justices, including the chief justice); note - the Supreme Court in 2004 replaced the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) as the final appeals court
Judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the governor general upon the recommendation of the attorney general; justices appointed for life, with compulsory retirement at age 70
Subordinate courts: Court of Appeal; High Court; tribunals and authorities; district courts; specialized courts for issues related to employment, environment, Maori lands, and military

Political parties and leaders: ACT New Zealand [David SEYMOUR]Green Party [James SHAW]Mana Movement [Hone HARAWIRA] (formerly Mana Party)Maori Party [Che WILSON and Kaapua SMITH]New Zealand First Party or NZ First [Winston PETERS]New Zealand Labor Party [Jacinda ARDERN]New Zealand National Party [Simon BRIDGES]United Future New Zealand [Damian LIGHT]

International organization participation: ADB, ANZUS, APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CD, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, FATF, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club (associate), PCA, PIF, SICA (observer), Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Timothy John GROSER (since 28 January 2016)
In the us chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 328-4,800
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 667-5,227
In the us consulate: Honolulu (HI), Los Angeles, New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Scott P. BROWN (since 27 June 2017) note - also accredited to Samoa
From the us embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP 96,531-1034
From the us telephone: [64] (4) 462-6,000
From the us FAX: [64] (4) 499-0490
From the us consulate: Auckland

Flag description: 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

National symbols: Southern Cross constellation (four, five-pointed stars), kiwi (bird), silver fern; national colors: black, white, red (ochre)

National anthem
Name: God Defend New Zealand
Lyricsmusic: Thomas BRACKEN [English], Thomas Henry SMITH [Maori]/John Joseph WOODS: note: adopted 1940 as national song, adopted 1977 as co-national anthem; New Zealand has two national anthems with equal status; as a commonwealth realm, in addition to 'God Defend New Zealand,' 'God Save the Queen' serves as a national anthem (see United Kingdom); 'God Save the Queen' normally played only when a member of the royal family or the governor-general is present; in all other cases, 'God Defend New Zealand' is played

Economy overview: Over the past 40 years, the government has transformed New Zealand from an agrarian economy, dependent on concessionary British market access, to a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes, but left behind some at the bottom of the ladder and broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector.Per capita income rose for 10 consecutive years until 2007 in purchasing power parity terms, but fell in 2008-09. Debt-driven consumer spending drove robust growth in the first half of the decade, fueling a large balance of payments deficit that posed a challenge for policymakers. Inflationary pressures caused the central bank to raise its key rate steadily from January 2004 until it was among the highest in the OECD in 2007 and 2008. The higher rate attracted international capital inflows, which strengthened the currency and housing market while aggravating the current account deficit. Rising house prices, especially in Auckland, have become a political issue in recent years, as well as a policy challenge in 2016 and 2017, as the ability to afford housing has declined for many.Expanding New Zealand’s network of free trade agreements remains a top foreign policy priority. New Zealand was an early promoter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and was the second country to ratify the agreement in May 2017. Following the United States’ withdrawal from the TPP in January 2017, on 10 November 2017 the remaining 11 countries agreed on the core elements of a modified agreement, which they renamed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). In November 2016, New Zealand opened negotiations to upgrade its FTA with China; China is one of New Zealand’s most important trading partners.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 68

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 114

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 48

Gross national saving:
Rank: 89

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 57.2% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 18.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 23.4% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.3% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 27% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -26.1% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 5.7% (2017 est.)
Industry: 21.5% (2017 est.)
Services: 72.8% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: dairy products, sheep, beef, poultry, fruit, vegetables, wine, seafood, wheat and barley

Industries: agriculture, forestry, fishing, logs and wood articles, manufacturing, mining, construction, financial services, real estate services, tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 1.8% (2017 est.)
Rank: 137

Labor force: 2.655 million (2017 est.)
Rank: 113
By occupation agriculture: 6.6%
By occupation industry: 20.7%
By occupation services: 72.7% (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 68

Population below poverty line
Note: NA

Distribution of family income gini index: 36.2 (1997)
Rank: 89

Budget
Revenues: 74.11 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 70.97 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 1.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 21

Taxes and other revenues: 36.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 56

Public debt:
Rank: 162

Fiscal year:

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 98

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 124

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 149

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 55

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 55

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 36

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 46

Current account balance:
Rank: 186

Exports:
Rank: 58
Partners: China 22.4%, Australia 16.4%, US 9.9%, Japan 6.1% (2017)
Commodities: dairy products, meat and edible offal, logs and wood articles, fruit, crude oil, wine

Imports:
Rank: 59
Commodities: petroleum and products, mechanical machinery, vehicles and parts, electrical machinery, textiles
Partners: China 19%, Australia 12.1%, US 10.5%, Japan 7.3%, Germany 5.3%, Thailand 4.6% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 58

Debt external:
Rank: 51

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 48

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 58

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2016)
Production: 42.53 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 56
Consumption: 39.5 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 55
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 176
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 179
Installed generating capacity: 9.301 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 63
Generation sources fossil fuels: 23% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 193
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 154
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 58% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 29
Generation sources other renewable sources: 20% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 40

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 31,480 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 61
Crude oil exports: 26,440 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 48
Crude oil imports: 108,900 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 43
Crude oil proven reserves: 51.8 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 76

Refined petroleum
Products production: 115,100 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products production rank: 65
Products consumption: 169,100 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products consumption rank: 61
Products exports: 1782 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports rank: 106
Products imports: 56,000 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports rank: 76

Natural gas
Production: 5.097 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 51
Consumption: 5.182 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 57
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 161
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 166
Proven reserves: 33.7 billion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 67

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 37.75 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 68

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1.368 million (2017 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 30 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 66
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 6.4 million (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 142 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 110

Telephone system
General assessment: excellent domestic and international systems (2016)
Domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone subscribership exceeds 170 per 100 persons (2016)
International: country code - 64; the Southern Cross submarine cable system provides links to Australia, Fiji, and the US; satellite earth stations - 8 (1 Inmarsat - Pacific Ocean, 7 other) (2016)

Broadcast media: state-owned Television New Zealand operates multiple TV networks and state-owned Radio New Zealand operates 3 radio networks and an external shortwave radio service to the South Pacific region; a small number of national commercial TV and radio stations and many regional commercial television and radio stations are available; cable and satellite TV systems are available, as are a range of streaming services, as are a range of streaming services (2018)

Internet
Country code: .nz
Users total: 3,958,642 (July 2016 est.)
Users percent of population: 88.5% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 88

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 1.582 million (2017 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 35 (2017 est.)
Rank: 59

Military expenditures:
Rank: 108

Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed until the age of 18; no conscription; 3 years of secondary education required; must be a citizen of NZ, the UK, Australia, Canada, or the US, and resident of NZ for the previous 5 years (2018)

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 6 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 123 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 15,304,409 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 999,384,961
Note: mt-km (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: ZK (2016)

Airports: 123 (2013)
Rank: 48
With paved runways total: 39 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 12 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 23 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 84 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 33 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 48 (2013)

Pipelines: 331 km condensate, 2,500 km gas, 172 km liquid petroleum gas, 288 km oil, 198 km refined products (2018)

Railways
Total: 4,128 km (2018)
Narrow gauge: 4,128 km
Note: 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2018)
Rank: 45

Roadways
Total: 94,000 km (2017)
Paved: 61,600 km
Note: (includes 199 km of expressways) (2017)
Unpaved: 32,400 km (2017)
Rank: 52

Merchant marine
Total: 103 (2017)
By type: general cargo 16, oil tanker 4, other 83 (2017)
Rank: 85

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Auckland, Lyttelton, Manukau Harbor, Marsden Point, Tauranga, Wellington

Disputes international: asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)

Illicit drugs: significant consumer of amphetamines