New Zealand comprises two main narrow and mountainous islands, the
North Island and the South Island, separated by Cook Strait, and a
number of smaller outlying islands. The total land area is approximately
268,000 square kilometres (about the combined area of Victoria and
Tasmania). The capital, Wellington, is situated on the south-west
tip of the North Island and is about the same latitude as Launceston.
The Southern Alps, containing glacial systems which have retreated
and formed wide glacial valleys and inland lakes, extend the length
of the South Island. The Southern Alps include New Zealand's highest
mountain, Aoraki Mt Cook (3754 m). The highest mountain in the North
Island is Mount Ruapehu (2797m), an active volcano which erupted in
1995 and again in 1996. Not far from the mountain is Lake Taupo, the
largest lake in New Zealand. New Zealand has a cool temperate climate,
strongly influenced by oceanographic factors.
New Zealand has a population of close to 4.1 million people. New Zealand's
rate of natural increase is 0.8 per cent per year. The rate of population
growth has decreased over the last two years, a result of reduced
net inward migration, and the narrowing gap between births and deaths.
Australia is a major destination for New Zealanders who leave their
country to live elsewhere.
Traditionally, most inward migration has been from the United Kingdom,
Australia and Northern Europe. In more recent times, a growing number
of migrants have come from the Pacific island countries, particularly
Samoa, Cook Islands and Niue, and from Asia.
THE ECONOMY
New Zealand emerged from the Second World War with its industrial
and agricultural capacities intact, in a world facing major shortfalls
in agricultural and consumer goods. The opportunities for a country
with significant productive potential were such that in the early
1950’s New Zealand’s Gross National Product (GNP) per
capita was ranked second only to Switzerland. However, New Zealand’s
failure to capitalise on this wealth by developing industrial capacity,
and its continued reliance on primary commodity products as its
main source of income, saw it enter the 1980’s ranked beyond
30th in a list of countries’ per capita GNP’s. By 1984
New Zealand was heavily indebted and facing a major currency crisis.
A change of Government saw New Zealand embark upon a program of
enormous reformation and restructuring, which embraced a market-oriented
economic philosophy. A key tenet was that economic efficiency would
be optimised if markets were allowed to develop and operate with
a minimum of Government intervention
TOURISM
New Zealand’s single largest export industry, surpassing the
dairy industry in earnings. Its growth has been driven by the nation’s
strong international profile and increasing air capacity.
In the year ended December 2005, New Zealand welcomed 2.38 million
international visitors. Our largest markets – Australia, the
UK, the USA and Japan – are all showing growth and overall
visitor expenditure is also increasing.
The World Tourism Organisation has forecast the East Asia/Pacific
region to be the key growth area from 1995 to 2020, suggesting it
could receive 25.4% of world tourist arrivals by 2020, up from 14.4%
in 1995. Meanwhile, the Tourism Research Council New Zealand and
Ministry of Tourism predict that 3.2 million international visitors
will visit New Zealand in 2011. International visitor spend is also
forecast to grow at 6.2% per annum to $9.6 billion in 2011.
This indicates that the industry has strong potential for growth,
and investments are already being made in a variety of tourist-related
activities and services – such as sightseeing and adventure
activities, motels, backpackers’ accommodation, restaurants,
farm stays, transport businesses, cultural tourism and entertainment,
ecotourism and retailing. Between 13,500 and 18,000 businesses operate
in the sector, directly employing around 102,700 people. The vast
majority are small, owner-operator businesses.
CULTURE
Contemporary New Zealand has a diverse culture with influences from
English, Scottish, Irish, American, Australian and Maori cultures,
along with those of other European cultures and – more recently
– Polynesian cultures other than that of the Maori (including
Samoan, Tongan, Tokelaun Niuean, Cook Islands Maori, Tahitian, and
Hawaiian); also southern Asian (Indian), Southeast Asian (Filipino,
Malaysian, Cambodian, and Vietnamese), and east Asian (Chinese,
Korean, and Japanese) cultures. Large festivals in celebration of
Diwali and Chinese New Year are held in Auckland, as is the world's
largest Polynesian festival, Pasifika. Cultural links between New
Zealand and the United Kingdom are maintained by a common language,
sustained migration from the United Kingdom and the fact that many
young New Zealanders spend time in the United Kingdom on their "overseas
experience" (OE). The music of New Zealand and cuisine of New
Zealand are similar to that of Britain and the United States, although
both have some distinct New Zealand and Pacific qualities.
|
