Portal:New Zealand

New Zealand
*Aotearoa* (Māori)
New Zealand Aotearoa (Māori)
	Flag Coat of arms
	Location of New Zealand, including outlying islands, its territorial claim in the Antarctic, and Tokelau
ISO 3166 code	NZ

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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.

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 low levels of perceived corruption. 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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Hargest in 1935

Brigadier James Hargest, CBE, DSO & Two Bars, MC, ED (4 September 1891 – 12 August 1944) was an officer of the New Zealand Military Forces, serving in both the First and Second World Wars. He was a Member of New Zealand's Parliament from 1931 to 1944, representing firstly the Invercargill and then the Awarua electorates.

Born in Gore in 1891, Hargest was a farmer when he volunteered for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force following the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914. Commissioned as an officer, he served in the Gallipoli campaign in 1915 and was seriously wounded. Following his recovery from his wounds, he returned to active duty on the Western Front. He commanded an infantry battalion during the later stages of the war and received several awards for his leadership. After the war, he returned to New Zealand to resume farming. In 1931 Hargest entered the Parliament of New Zealand as the member for Invercargill. Initially an independent, he was one of the strongest supporters of the National Party that was formed in 1936, and held an executive role in the party hierarchy. From 1938, he represented the Awarua electorate and had been considered for the party leadership, but he was no longer available once he volunteered for active service. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1An aerial view of the Auckland urban area, showing its location on the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 2Michael Joseph Savage, Labour Prime Minister 1935–1940. This portrait was hung on the walls of many supporters. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 3A modern wharenui (meeting house of a marae) exhibited at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 4An annotated relief map (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 5Water pollution sign on the Waimakariri River (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 6Prime Ministers John Key and Helen Clark (from History of New Zealand)
Image 7The Original All Blacks during the "haka", 1905 (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 8New Zealand Division in 1916 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 9A 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 10The kiwi has become a New Zealand icon. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 11Putting down a hāngī (earth oven) (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 12Topography of Zealandia, the submerged continent, and the two tectonic plates (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 13Elizabeth II and Muldoon's Cabinet, taken during the Queen's 1981 visit to New Zealand (from History of New Zealand)
Image 14Poet Selina Tusitala Marsh, 2019 (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 15Strong winds in the Cook Strait produce high waves which erode the shore, as shown in this image (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 16The Forty-Fours viewed from the north; the leftmost islet is the easternmost point of New Zealand. (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 17"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 18The 1935 Labour Cabinet. Michael Joseph Savage is seated in the front row, centre. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 19Lorde as part of the 2014 Lollapalooza lineup (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 20Hinepare 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 21Zealandia rejecting Australian Constitution in 1900 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 22Aoraki / Mount Cook, as seen from Hooker Valley (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 23Pavlova, a popular New Zealand dessert, garnished with cream and strawberries. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 24A Māori ancestor (tekoteko) depicted in a wood carving at the Tamatekapua Meeting House in Ohinemutu (c. 1880) (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 25Percentages 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 26The Waikato River flowing out of Lake Taupō (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 27Scottish Highland family migrating to New Zealand, 1844, by William Allsworth. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 28Central Plateau in winter (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 29Rural landscape close to Mt Ruapehu (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 30Fiordland is dominated by steep, glacier-carved valleys. (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 31Men of the Māori Battalion, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, after disembarking at Gourock in Scotland in June 1940 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 32Children's and young adult author Margaret Mahy, July 2011 (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 33New Zealand is antipodal to points of the North Atlantic, the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco.
Image 34Scorching Bay, Wellington, in summer (from Geography of New Zealand)
Image 35The 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 36Māori 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 37HMS North Star destroying Pomare's Pā during the Northern/Flagstaff War, 1845, Painting by John Williams. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 38Vigil in Wellington for the victims of the Christchurch mosques attacks (from History of New Zealand)
Image 39European 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 40One of the few extant copies of the Treaty of Waitangi (from History of New Zealand)
Image 41Richard Seddon, Liberal Prime Minister from 1893 to his death in 1906 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 42Kapa haka is performed at a School Strike for Climate in Christchurch 2019. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 43A beach barbecue – an established part of New Zealand culture (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 44The Mission House at Kerikeri is New Zealand's oldest surviving building, having been completed in 1822 (from History of New Zealand)
Image 45Knox Church, a Presbyterian church, in Dunedin. The city was founded by Scottish Presbyterian settlers. (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 46Residents of Dunedin celebrate the news of the Armistice of 11 November 1918. (from History of New Zealand)
Image 47Tribute 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 48A meeting of European and Māori inhabitants of Hawke's Bay Province. Engraving, 1863.
Image 49The 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 50Roger Douglas, the architect of New Zealand's 1980s neo-liberal reform programme (from History of New Zealand)
Image 51George 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 52Art deco in Napier (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 53Cook Island dancers at Auckland's Pasifika Festival, 2010 (from Culture of New Zealand)
Image 54The 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 55Tekoteko from the gable of a wharenui, Te Arawa (20th century) (from Culture of New Zealand)

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...that Baldwin Street (pictured) in Dunedin is reputedly the world's steepest street?

...that, because of its aluminium cladding and shape, the Westpac Stadium in Wellington is nicknamed "The Caketin"?

...that the 1990 movie Arachnophobia used 374 Avondale spiders, a species first documented in Avondale, Auckland?

...that the Bounty Islands were named in 1788 by captain William Bligh after his ship, just months before the infamous mutiny?

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In Māori mythology, Māui is a culture hero famous for his exploits and his trickery. Cast into the sea by his mother Taranga, Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga (or Māui of the topknot of Taranga) was rescued by ocean spirits and raised by his divine ancestor, Tama-nui-ki-te-rangi (Rangi).

Māui emerged from the sea and found his four brothers, Māui-taha, Māui-roto, Māui-pae, and Māui-waho. Māui's brothers at first are wary of the new-comer but, after he performs several feats such as transforming himself into different kinds of birds, they acknowledge his power and admire him.

With the help of his brothers, Māui netted the Sun and beat him severely with a jaw-bone club until the Sun promised to go slower in future, because the days were getting too short for people to get their work done.

Later, Māui took his brothers fishing, this time using the jaw-bone as a fish-hook. Māui, using blood from his nose for bait, hauled a great fish up from the depths, which became the North Island of New Zealand, or Te Ika-a-Māui (The Fish of Māui).

When the people need to recover the lost secret of fire, it is up to Māui to face Mahuika the Fire-goddess. He succeeds through trickery, infuriating the goddess, and he barely escapes with his life. (Full article...)

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Māori rock carvings at Mine Bay on Lake Taupō are over 10 metres high and are only accessible by boat or kayak. Lake Taupō is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand.

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... that off-roading at Muriwai Beach in New Zealand may be damaging the habitat of the newly described korowai gecko?
... that one of the largest fishing companies of New Zealand started as a fish and chip shop?
... that Miriam Soljak, after fighting to recover her New Zealand nationality for nearly three decades, was told that the government considered she had never lost it?
... that a commemorative coin was made for a cancelled royal visit to New Zealand?
... that Walter Nash's 14 years as New Zealand's minister of finance is the longest continuous time that anyone has ever served in that post?
... that Henry Jackson served for 44 days, the shortest tenure of any New Zealand member of parliament?
... that the Cook Landing Site also commemorates the Māori who landed in New Zealand four centuries or more before Cook did?
... that Chickaboom!, by country musician Tami Neilson, was nominated for both Canadian and New Zealand music awards?

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