New Zealand

Overview

New Zealand is an island nation in the southwestern Pacific, made up of two main islands, the North Island and South Island, along with numerous smaller islands. The country was first settled by the Polynesian Maori people, likely around the 13th century, making it one of the last major landmasses on Earth to be settled by humans. British colonization began in the 19th century, and the Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840 between the British Crown and numerous Maori chiefs, remains the founding document of the country's constitutional and political framework today, though its interpretation and observance have remained historically contested. The official languages are English, Maori, and New Zealand Sign Language.

Fiordland National Park, on the South Island, with deep fjords including Milford Sound, known for its steep cliffs and waterfalls, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1990 under the name Te Wahipounamu, together with other southwestern national parks. Rotorua, on the North Island, is known for its geothermal activity, geysers, and mud pools, and is also a major center of Maori culture, where traditional dance performances and craft festivals can be experienced. Wellington, the capital, with its hillside city center and lively cultural scene, including the Te Papa Tongarewa national museum, serves as the country's political and cultural center. Auckland, the country's largest city, with numerous extinct volcanic cones and two harbors facing the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea, offers a distinctive urban landscape.

New Zealand's wildlife is remarkably endemic, and the kiwi bird, flightless and nocturnal, has become the country's national symbol, though introduced predators mean it can now be safely observed mainly in protected areas. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing, on the North Island's volcanic plateau, is a one-day hiking route passing active volcanoes, including Ngauruhoe (known in films as Mount Doom), and ranks among the most popular day hikes in the world. New Zealand is the birthplace of the modern form of bungee jumping, popularized in the 1980s by A. J. Hackett around Queenstown. Local cuisine blends Maori and European influences, with hangi, meat and vegetables cooked in an underground oven, and seafood, including green-lipped mussels, as important parts of the country's cuisine.

Overseas territories and free associations

New Zealand maintains ties with several territories of differing legal status across the Pacific and in Antarctica. Tokelau, a group of three coral atolls, functions as a dependent territory of New Zealand, with its own local councils, though ultimate legislative authority remains with Wellington; in both a 2006 and a 2007 referendum, the population chose to retain the current status rather than pursue greater autonomy. The Cook Islands and Niue, by contrast, are in free association with New Zealand: both territories have their own governments and legislatures, their residents hold New Zealand citizenship, and defense along with certain foreign affairs matters remain New Zealand's responsibility, a status that grants them greater autonomy than Tokelau without amounting to full independence. In Antarctica, New Zealand claims a territory known as the Ross Dependency, not internationally recognized under the Antarctic Treaty System, though in practice New Zealand maintains the Scott Base research station in the region.