New Zealand

Internet country code

.nz

Internet hosts

474,395 (2003)

Internet users

2.11 million (2003)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998)

Telephone system

general assessment: excellent domestic and international systems domestic: NA international: country code - 64; submarine cables to Australia and Fiji; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

1.765 million (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2.599 million (2003)

Television broadcast stations

41 (plus 52 medium-power repeaters and over 650 low-power repeaters) (1997)

Agriculture - products

wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef, dairy products; fish

Budget

revenues: $32.14 billion expenditures: $30.13 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003)

Currency

New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Currency code

NZD

Current account balance

$-3.446 billion (2003)

Debt - external

$37.46 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $99.7 million

Economy - overview

Over the past 20 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 many at the bottom of the ladder), broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector, and contained inflationary pressures. Per capita income has been rising and is now 80% of the level of the four largest EU economies. New Zealand is heavily dependent on trade - particularly in agricultural products - to drive growth, and it has been affected by the global economic slowdown and the slump in commodity prices. Thus far the economy has been resilient, and growth should continue at the same level in 2004. Expenditures on health, education, and pensions will increase proportionately.

Electricity - consumption

34.88 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

37.51 billion kWh (2001)

Exchange rates

New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.7229 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001), 2.2012 (2000), 1.8896 (1999)

Exports

$15.86 billion (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities

dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery

Exports - partners

Australia 21.8%, US 14.6%, Japan 11%, China 4.9%, UK 4.8% (2003)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP

purchasing power parity - $85.34 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 4.8% industry: 27.4% services: 67.8% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $21,600 (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.5% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 0.3% highest 10%: 29.8% (1991 est.)

Imports

$16.06 billion (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics

Imports - partners

Australia 22.2%, US 11.8%, Japan 11.8%, China 9%, Germany 5.3% (2003)

Industrial production growth rate

1.3% (2003 est.)

Industries

food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.8% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

20.9% of GDP (2003)

Labor force

2.008 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 10%, industry 25%, services 65% (1995)

Natural gas - consumption

6.504 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

6.504 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

58.94 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Oil - consumption

132,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

30,220 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

119,700 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

42,160 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

89.62 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Population below poverty line

NA

Public debt

25.6% of GDP (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold

$5.083 billion (2003)

Unemployment rate

4.7% (2003 est.)

Area

total: 268,680 sq km land: NA sq km water: NA sq km note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands

Area - comparative

about the size of Colorado

Climate

temperate with sharp regional contrasts

Coastline

15,134 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by species introduced from outside

Environment - 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 signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation

Geographic coordinates

41 00 S, 174 00 E

Geography - note

about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world

Irrigated land

2,850 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 5.6% permanent crops: 6.99% other: 87.41% (2001)

Location

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

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Natural hazards

earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity

Natural resources

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

Terrain

predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains

Administrative divisions

13 regions; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Gisborne-Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Nelson-Marlborough, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast

Capital

Wellington

Constitution

consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments and The Constitution Act 1986 which is the principal formal charter

Country name

conventional long form: none conventional short form: New Zealand abbreviation: NZ

Dependent areas

Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Charles J. SWINDELLS embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP 96531-1034 telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000 FAX: [64] (4) 499-0490 consulate(s) general: Auckland

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador L. John WOOD chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800 FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Silvia CARTWRIGHT (since 4 April 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December 1999) and Deputy Prime Minister Michael CULLEN (since NA July 2002) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

26 September 1907 (from UK)

International organization participation

ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMISET, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

High Court; Court of Appeal

Legal system

based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies including 7 Maori constituencies, and 51 proportional seats chosen from party lists, all to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 27 July 2002 (next to be held NA 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NZLP 52, NP 27, NZFP 13, ACT New Zealand 9, Green Party 9, UF 8, other 2

National holiday

Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)

Political parties and leaders

ACT New Zealand [Richard PREBBLE]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS and Rod DONALD]; National Party or NP [Don BRASH]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; Progressive Coalition [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; United Future or UF [Peter DUNNE]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. 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. In 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.

Military branches

New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$1.147 billion (FY03/04)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1% (FY02)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 1,033,464 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 868,984 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - military age and obligation

17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed until the age of 18 (2001)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 27,157 (2004 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 21.7% (male 443,211; female 422,507) 15-64 years: 66.7% (male 1,337,383; female 1,325,683) 65 years and over: 11.6% (male 203,084; female 261,949) (2004 est.)

Birth rate

14.04 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate

7.54 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Ethnic groups

New Zealand European 74.5%, Maori 9.7%, other European 4.6%, Pacific Islander 3.8%, Asian and others 7.4%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

1,400 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 5.96 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.83 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Languages

English (official), Maori (official)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 78.49 years male: 75.5 years female: 81.61 years (2004 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1980 est.) male: NA female: NA

Median age

total: 33.4 years male: 32.6 years female: 34.1 years (2004 est.)

Nationality

noun: New Zealander(s) adjective: New Zealand

Net migration rate

4.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Population

3,993,817 (July 2004 est.)

Population growth rate

1.05% (2004 est.)

Religions

Anglican 24%, Presbyterian 18%, Roman Catholic 15%, Methodist 5%, Baptist 2%, other Protestant 3%, unspecified or none 33% (1986)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Disputes - international

territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)

Airports

113 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 46 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 27 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 70 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 39 (2004 est.)

Highways

total: 92,053 km paved: 57,809 km (including at least 190 km of expressways) unpaved: 34,244 km (2000)

Merchant marine

total: 10 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 77,523 GRT/108,352 DWT by type: bulk 3, cargo 2, container 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: Australia 1, Isle of Man 1 registered in other countries: 8 (2004 est.)

Pipelines

gas 2,213 km; liquid petroleum gas 79 km; oil 160 km; refined products 304 km (2004)

Ports and harbors

Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Tauranga, Wellington

Railways

total: 3,898 km narrow gauge: 3,898 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2003)