Portal:New Zealand

Wikipedia portals: Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Natural sciences People Philosophy Religion Society Technology edit   THE NEW ZEALAND PORTAL New Zealand (Aotearoa in te reo Māori) is a country of two large islands and many much smaller islands in the south-western Pacific Ocean. Among South Pacific nations, New Zealand has the largest and most industrialised economy and is second only to Papua New Guinea in population. New Zealand is notable for its isolation, being separated from Australia on the northwest by the Tasman Sea, some 2,000 km wide. The closest neighbours to the north are New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of New Zealand is the Queen of New Zealand and is represented in the country by the non-partisan Governor-General. De facto political power is held by Prime Minister John Key who, as Head of the Government, requires the confidence of the democratically elected New Zealand House of Representatives. The Realm of New Zealand includes the self-governing Cook Islands and Niue, as well as Tokelau and New Zealand's claims in Antarctica. edit   Selected article Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer. On 29 May 1953 he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. They were part of the ninth British expedition to Everest, led by John Hunt. Hillary also led the third team to reach the South Pole over land. He devoted much energy to helping the Sherpa people of Nepal through his Himalayan Trust, building many schools and hospitals for instance. Hillary was created a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) on 16 July 1953; a member of the Order of New Zealand (ONZ) in 1987; and a Knight of the Order of the Garter (KG) on 23 April 1995. He has been the only New Zealander to appear on a banknote during their lifetime. Various streets, schools, and organisations around New Zealand and abroad are named after him. To mark the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first successful ascent of Everest, the Nepalese Government conferred honorary citizenship upon Hillary at a special Golden Jubilee celebration in Kathmandu. He was the first foreign national to receive such an honour from the Nepalese. edit   Selected picture Papatoetoe railway station is located on the Eastern and Southern Lines of the Auckland Railway Network. The old station building was moved by the Papatoetoe Railway Station Preservation Trust to a new location at the corner of Station Road, Shirley Road, Tavern Lane & St George Street. Parts of this building dated back to 1875. A new Station was constructed on the present site. Picture archive edit   Did you know... ...that the Cardrona Bra Fence was an unusual South Island tourist attraction? ...That Lawyer's Head headland in Dunedin (pictured) is named for its likeness to the profile of a man in a traditional legal wig? ...that the wild population of New Zealand's endangered Kaka Beak has plummeted to under one sixth of the number found 10 years ago? ...that the U.S. base at the South Pole follows New Zealand time? ...Selection edit   Related portals Oceania Australia Antarctica Commonwealth realms British Empire edit   In the news 9 September: The Rugby World Cup begins. This is the first time it has been held in New Zealand since 1987. 31 August: Jerry Mateparae takes office as New Zealand's 20th Governor-General. 13 June: Aftershocks of 5.7 and 6.3 strike Christchurch, causing further damage and some injuries.[1] 12 June: Domestic and Trans-Tasman flights were cancelled by Qantas, Jetstar and other airlines due to volcanic ash from the 2011 Puyehue eruption. Air New Zealand continued flights but changed its flying altitudes to avoid the ash.[2] 5 May: The minimum driving age will rise from 15 to 16 on 1 August.[3] 30 April: Don Brash becomes leader of ACT New Zealand, replacing Rodney Hide.[4] 30 April: Hone Harawira launches the Mana Party, and announces his resignation from Parliament, resulting in a by-election in his seat of Te Tai Tokerau.[5] 6 April: Louisa Wall becomes an MP for the Labour Party, replacing Darren Hughes.[6] 6 April: The New Zealand Press Association is to be wound up after 132 years.[7] edit   Categories New Zealand • Antarctic • Companies • Culture • Education • Elections • Environment • Foreign relations • Geography • Government agencies • History • Law • Law enforcement • Māori • Military • Natural history • People • Politics • Science • Tourism • Transport Populated places • Regions edit   WikiProjects New Zealand: New Zealand Wikipedians' Notice Board • New Zealand Wikipedians • New articles related to New Zealand New Zealand WikiProjects: WikiProject New Zealand • WikiProject New Zealand places and WikiProject Auckland edit   Things you can do Here are some Open tasks: Requests: Armageddon Pop Culture Expo · Dunedin Anime Experience · Lindsay Creek, New Zealand · Rowing in New Zealand · Race relations in New Zealand "Missing pages": Ray Columbus · Tukutuku · Kainga Requested pictures: 1981 Springbok Tour · New Zealand Expeditionary Force badge New Zealand stub articles: Geography stubs · Kupe field edit   Featured articles The following articles are examples of the best articles and lists in Wikipedia: Benjamin Mountfort - architect Francis Petre - architect The Catlins - geographical area Kakapo - bird Huia - bird Victoria Cross for New Zealand All Blacks - national rugby team Crusaders - rugby union team Caversham - suburb of Dunedin edit   New Zealand topics History Timeline | Treaty of Waitangi | Land Wars | Naval vessels | Fortifications | Antarctic history Geography Cities | Islands | Mountains | Regions | Rivers | Ecoregions | National Parks | Marine reserves | Lakes | Caves Government Constitution | List of Governments | Foreign relations | Military | Electoral system | Referendums | Honours | List of Statutes of New Zealand | Law of New Zealand Politics Political parties (Labour, National, New Zealand First, Greens, Māori Party, ACT, United Future) | Elections Economy Companies | Communications | Transport | Reserve Bank | Stock Exchange Culture Māori culture | New Zealand English | Cinema | Cuisine | Education | Literature | Music | Holidays | Media | Sport | Wine Society Demographics | Māori | Pākehā | Gays and lesbians Biodiversity Animals | Plants | Extinct animals Other List of New Zealand-related topics edit   Other NZ-connected WikiMedia Wikinews New Zealand News Wikibooks New Zealand Books Wikipedia Māori Encyclopedia Commons New Zealand Images Wikisource New Zealand Texts What are portals? 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