New Zealand

<p>Polynesians settled New Zealand between the late 1200s and the mid-1300s. They called the land Aotearoa, which legend holds is the name of the canoe that Kupe, the first Polynesian in New Zealand, used to sail to the country; the name Aotearoa is now in widespread use as the local Maori name for the country. By the 1500s, competition for land and resources led to intermittent fighting between different Maori tribes as large game became extinct. Dutch explorer Abel TASMAN was the first European to see the islands in 1642 but left after an encounter with local Maori. British sea captain James COOK arrived in 1769, followed by whalers, sealers, and traders. The UK only nominally claimed New Zealand and included it as part of New South Wales in Australia. Concerns about increasing lawlessness led the UK to appoint its first British Resident in New Zealand in 1832, although the position had few legal powers. In 1835, some Maori tribes from the North Island declared independence. Fearing an impending French settlement and takeover, the majority of Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi with the British in 1840. Land tenure issues stemming from the treaty are still being actively negotiated in New Zealand.<br><br>The UK declared New Zealand a separate colony in 1841 and granted limited self-government in 1852. Different traditions of authority and land use led to a series of wars between Europeans and various Maori tribes from the 1840s to the 1870s. Along with disease, these conflicts halved the Maori population. In the 1890s, New Zealand initially expressed interest in joining independence talks with Australia but ultimately opted against it and changed its status to an independent dominion in 1907. New Zealand provided more than 100,000 troops during each World War, many of whom fought as part of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). New Zealand reaffirmed its independence in 1947 and signed the Australia, New Zealand, and US (ANZUS) Treaty in 1951. <br><br>Beginning in 1984, New Zealand began to adopt nuclear-free policies, contributing to a dispute with the US over naval ship visits that led the US to suspend its defense obligations to New Zealand in 1986, but bilateral relations and military ties have been revitalized since the 2010s with new security agreements. A key challenge for Auckland that has emerged over the past decade is balancing concerns over China’s growing influence in the Pacific region with its role as New Zealand's largest export destination. New Zealand has close ties with Australia based to a large extent on the two nations’ common origins as British colonies and their shared military history.</p>

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia

41 00 S, 174 00 E

Oceania

almost twice the size of North Carolina; about the size of Colorado

15,134 km

temperate with sharp regional contrasts

predominately mountainous with large coastal plains

natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone

7,000 sq km (2014)

over three quarters of New Zealanders, including the Maori, live on the North Island, primarily in urban areas

earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity <br><br><strong>volcanism:</strong> significant volcanism on North Island; Ruapehu (2,797 m) 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"

<strong>note 1:</strong> 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 <br><br><strong>note 2:</strong> New Zealand lies along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakes<br><br><strong>note 3:</strong> almost 90% of the population lives in cities and over three-quarters on North Island; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world

European 64.1%, Maori 16.5%, Chinese 4.9%, Indian 4.7%, Samoan 3.9%, Tongan 1.8%, Cook Islands Maori 1.7%, English 1.5%, Filipino 1.5%, New Zealander 1%, other 13.7% (2018 est.)

English (de facto official) 95.4%, Maori (de jure official) 4%, Samoan 2.2%, Northern Chinese 2%, Hindi 1.5%, French 1.2%, Yue 1.1%, New Zealand Sign Language (de jure official) 0.5%, other or not stated 17.2% (2018 est.)

Christian 37.3% (Catholic 10.1%, Anglican 6.8%, Presbyterian and Congregational 5.2%, Pentecostal 1.8%, Methodist 1.6%, Church of Jesus Christ 1.2%, other 10.7%), Hindu 2.7%, Maori 1.3%, Muslim, 1.3%, Buddhist 1.1%, other religion 1.6% (includes Judaism, Spiritualism and New Age religions, Baha'i, Asian religions other than Buddhism), no religion 48.6%, objected to answering 6.7% (2018 est.)

0.83% (2025 est.)

12.4 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.93 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

2.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

over three quarters of New Zealanders, including the Maori, live on the North Island, primarily in urban areas

1.673 million Auckland, 422,000 WELLINGTON (capital) (2023)

27.8 years

7 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.84 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.9 (2025 est.)

3.61 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

2.7 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

30.8% (2016)

57.7% (2018 est.)

water quality and availability; rapid urbanization; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation; native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species

temperate with sharp regional contrasts

8.7 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

327 billion cubic meters (2022)

parliamentary democracy&nbsp;under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

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

Tokelau (1)

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

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

ACT New Zealand <br>Green Party <br>New Zealand First Party or NZ First <br>Labor Party <br>National Party <br>Te Pāti Māori

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, UNOOSA, UNTSO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

26 September 1907 (from the UK)

Waitangi Day, 6 February (1840); Anzac Day, 25 April (1915)

<strong>description:</strong> blue with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant, with four five-pointed red stars edged in white centered in the right half of the flag<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation

Southern Cross constellation (four five-pointed stars), kiwi (bird), silver fern

black, white, red (ochre)

the first quarter of the shield shows four stars that represent the Southern Cross constellation and three ships that symbolize New Zealand's sea trade; in the second quarter, a fleece represents the sheep farming industry; the wheat sheaf in the third quarter represents the agricultural industry; the crossed hammers in the fourth quarter represent mining; the Māori chieftain holds a <em>taiaha </em>(a Māori war weapon) and a European woman holds the New Zealand flag; St. Edward's crown, shown above the shield, symbolizes the British monarch

<p>high-income, globally integrated Pacific island economy; strong agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism sectors; reliant on Chinese market for exports; recovery trajectory following deep post-pandemic recession; challenges of fiscal deficits, below-average productivity, cost of living, and drop in net migration</p>

$260.236 billion (2024 est.)

milk, beef, kiwifruit, apples, grapes, lamb/mutton, potatoes, wheat, barley, chicken (2023)

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

-1% (2023 est.)

3.124 million (2024 est.)

29.6% (of GDP) (2022 est.)

China 28%, USA 12%, Australia 12%, Japan 6%, S. Korea 3% (2023)

milk, wood, beef, butter, sheep and goat meat (2023)

China 20%, Australia 11%, USA 9%, S. Korea 7%, Japan 7% (2023)

refined petroleum, cars, gas turbines, broadcasting equipment, trucks (2023)

state-owned Television New Zealand operates multiple TV networks; 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 TV and radio stations are available; cable and satellite TV systems are available (2019)

.nz

ZK

206 (2025)

62 (2025)

New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF): New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force (2025)

approximately 8,800 active (Regular Force) New Zealand Defense Forces (4,300 Army; 2,100 Navy; 2,400 Air Force) (2025)

the NZDF's inventory is comprised of domestically produced and Western-supplied weapons and equipment, including from Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US (2025)

17 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; soldiers cannot be deployed until the age of 18; no conscription (2025)

small numbers of NZ military personnel are deployed on a variety of international missions in Africa, Antarctica, the Asia-Pacific region, and the Middle East (2025)

the NZDF is responsible for protecting New Zealand’s sovereignty, promoting its interests, safeguarding peace and security, and conducting peacekeeping, humanitarian, and other international missions<br><br>New Zealand is a member of the Five Powers Defense Arrangements (FPDA), a series of mutual assistance agreements reached in 1971 embracing Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK; the FPDA commits the members to consult with one another in the event or threat of an armed attack on any of the members and to mutually decide what measures should be taken, jointly or separately; there is no specific obligation to intervene militarily <br><br>New Zealand has been part of the Australia, New Zealand, and US Security (ANZUS) Treaty since 1951; however, the US suspended its ANZUS security obligations to New Zealand in 1986 after Auckland implemented a policy barring nuclear-armed and nuclear-powered warships from its ports; the US and New Zealand signed the Wellington Declaration in 2010, which reaffirmed close ties between the two countries, and in 2012 signed the Washington Declaration, which provided a framework for future security cooperation and defense dialogues; in 2016, a US naval ship conducted the first bilateral warship visit to New Zealand since the 1980s; New Zealand has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation (2025)

New Zealand Space Agency (NZSA; established 2016 under the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment) (2025)

Mahia Peninsula Launch Complex (Hawke's Bay) (2025)

has a national space program focused largely on the development of a commercial space sector, particularly in the field of satellites and satellite launch vehicles (SLV); manufactures and launches commercial satellites and SLVs; researches and develops a range of other space-related technologies, including propulsion systems; participates in international programs and partners with a range of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of Australia, Canada, the EU, the ESA, individual European countries, South Africa, and the US; has a growing commercial space sector (2025)

2009 - launched a 2-stage suborbital sounding rocket (Atea-1)<br><br>2018 - placed satellite in orbit on rocket built by a New Zealand-US commercial company and launched from a privately owned domestic launch site<br><br>2019 - began operations of the Kiwi Space Radar, which is designed to track debris in low Earth orbit<br><br>2021 - signed the US-led Artemis Accords for space and lunar exploration<br><br>2024 - first domestically made science payload sent to International Space Station on US rocket

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)