1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
268,276 km2; 3% cultivated, 50% pasture, 10% parks and reserves, 1% urban, 16% forested, and 20% waste, water, or other; 4 principal islands, 2 minor inhabited islands, several minor uninhabited islands WATER
Coastline
about 15,134 km
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
12 nm (economic including fishing 200 nm)
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
87% European, 9% Maori, 2% Pacific Islanders, 2% other
Labor force
1,316,000 (1979); 13% agriculture, 33% manufacturing, mining, and construction, 9% transportation and communications, 24% commerce and finance, 21% administrative and professional; unemployment 4.3% (December 1978)
Literacy
98%
Nationality
noun—New Zealander(s); adjective—New Zealand
Organized labor
46% of labor force
Population
3,120,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 0.1%
Religion
81% Christian, 1% Hindu, Confucian, and other, 18% none or unspecified
Government
Branches
unicameral legislature (House of Representatives, commonly called Parliament); Cabinet responsible to Parliament; three-level court system (magistrates, courts, Supreme Court, and Court of Appeal)
Capital
Wellington
Communists
CPNZ about 300, SUP about 100
Elections
held at three-year intervals or sooner if parliament is dissolved by Prime Minister; last election November 1981 Political parties and leaders: National Party (Government), Robert D. Muldoon; Labor Party (Opposition), Wallace E. Rowling; Social Credit Political League, Bruce Beetham; Communist Party of New Zealand (Marxist-Leninist; pro-Albania), Richard C. Wolfe; Socialist Unity Party (pro-Soviet), G. H. (Bill) Andersen Voting strength (1981 election): National Party 47 seats, Labor Party 43 seats, Social Credit 2 seats
Government leader
Prime Minister Robert D. MULDOON
Legal system
based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for Maoris; constitution consists of various documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments; legal education at Victoria, Auckland, Canterbury, and Otago Universities; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Member of
ADB, ANZUS, ASPAC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth of Nations, DAC, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMCO, IMF, IPU, ISO, ITU, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WSG
National holiday
Waitangi Day, 6 February
Official name
New Zealand
Political subdivisions
239 territorial units (boroughs, counties, town and district councils); 657 special-purpose bodies
Suffrage
universal age 18 and over
Type
independent state within Commonwealth, recognizing Elizabeth II as head of state
Economy
Agriculture
fodder and silage crops about one-half of area planted in field crops; main products—wool, meat, dairy products; New Zealand is food surplus country; caloric intake, 3,500 calories per day per capita (1964)
Aid
bilateral economic aid commitments (1970-79), $400 million
Budget
(1980/81) expenditures, NZ$8,721 million; receipts, NZ$7,154 million; deficit NZ$1,567
Electric power
6,583,000 kW capacity (1980); 28.920 billion kWh produced (1980), 9.175 kWh per capita
Exports
$4.6 billion (f.o.b., 1979); principal products (trade year 1978/79)—27% meat, 13% dairy products, 17% wool
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
Fishing
exports 26,000 metric tons valued at $50,3 million (1977); domestic 84,700 metric tons (in 1978); catch by foreign fishing vessels operating within 200-mile exclusive economic zone (established 1978), 384,000 metric tons
GNP
NZ$13.5 billion (1978), NZ$4,350 per capita; real average annual growth (1976-78), 1.4%
Imports
$4.5 billion (c.i.f., 1979); principal products (trade year 1978/79)—30% machinery, 20% manufactured goods, 13% minerals, 12% chemicals
Major industries
food processing, textile production, machinery, transport equipment; wood and paper products
Major trade partners
(trade year 1978/79) exports—14% UK, 15% Japan, 12% Australia, 16% US; imports—21% Australia, 14% UK, 13% Japan, 13% US
Monetary conversion rate
NZ$1=US$0.97 (March 1980)
NOTE
trade data are for year ending 30 June; trade year and fiscal year do not correspond
Communications
Airfields
193 total, 185 usable; 25 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 50 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
about 40 major transport aircraft
Highways
92,617 km total (1977); 46,716 km paved, 45,901 km gravel or crushed stone
Inland waterways
1,609 km; of little importance to transportation
Pipelines
natural gas, 785 km
Ports
3 major
Railroads
4,716 km total (1980); all 1.067-meter gauge; 274 km double track; 113 km electrified; over 99% government owned
Telecommunications
excellent international and domestic systems; 1.7 million telephones (55 per 100 popl.); 64 AM stations, no FM, 14 TV stations, and 129 repeaters; submarine cables extend to Australia and Fiji Islands; 1 ground satellite station
Military and Security
Military budget
est. for fiscal year ending 31 March 1982, $457.0 million; about 4.9% of central government budget
Military manpower
males 15-49, 814,000; 587,000 fit for military service; 30,000 reach military age (20) annually about