1995 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1995 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 268,680 sq km land area: 268,670 sq km comparative area: about the size of Colorado note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands
Climate
temperate with sharp regional contrasts
Coastline
15,134 km
Environment
current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by species introduced from outside natural hazards: earthquakes are common, though usually not severe international agreements: party to - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
International disputes
territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)
Irrigated land
2,800 sq km (1989 est.)
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 2% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 53% forest and woodland: 38% other: 7%
Location
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia
Map references
Oceania
Maritime claims
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone
Note
about 80% of the population lives in cities
Terrain
predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 23% (female 381,027; male 401,285) 15-64 years: 65% (female 1,109,402; male 1,111,079) 65 years and over: 12% (female 234,339; male 170,145) (July 1995 est.)
Birth rate
15.14 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate
8.03 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Ethnic divisions
European 88%, Maori 8.9%, Pacific Islander 2.9%, other 0.2%
Infant mortality rate
8.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Labor force
1,603,500 (June 1991) by occupation: services 66.6%, industry 22.6%, agriculture 10.8% (1992)
Languages
English (official), Maori
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 76.65 years male: 73.08 years female: 80.42 years (1995 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.) total population: 99%
Nationality
noun: New Zealander(s) adjective: New Zealand
Net migration rate
-1.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Population
3,407,277 (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate
0.52% (1995 est.)
Religions
Anglican 24%, Presbyterian 18%, Roman Catholic 15%, Methodist 5%, Baptist 2%, other Protestant 3%, unspecified or none 33% (1986)
Total fertility rate
1.99 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Government
Abbreviation
NZ
Administrative divisions
93 counties, 9 districts*, and 3 town districts**; Akaroa, Amuri, Ashburton, Bay of Islands, Bruce, Buller, Chatham Islands, Cheviot, Clifton, Clutha, Cook, Dannevirke, Egmont, Eketahuna, Ellesmere, Eltham, Eyre, Featherston, Franklin, Golden Bay, Great Barrier Island, Grey, Hauraki Plains, Hawera*, Hawke's Bay, Heathcote, Hikurangi**, Hobson, Hokianga, Horowhenua, Hurunui, Hutt, Inangahua, Inglewood, Kaikoura, Kairanga, Kiwitea, Lake, Mackenzie, Malvern, Manaia**, Manawatu, Mangonui, Maniototo, Marlborough, Masterton, Matamata, Mount Herbert, Ohinemuri, Opotiki, Oroua, Otamatea, Otorohanga*, Oxford, Pahiatua, Paparua, Patea, Piako, Pohangina, Raglan, Rangiora*, Rangitikei, Rodney, Rotorua*, Runanga, Saint Kilda, Silverpeaks, Southland, Stewart Island, Stratford, Strathallan, Taranaki, Taumarunui, Taupo, Tauranga, Thames-Coromandel*, Tuapeka, Vincent, Waiapu, Waiheke, Waihemo, Waikato, Waikohu, Waimairi, Waimarino, Waimate, Waimate West, Waimea, Waipa, Waipawa*, Waipukurau*, Wairarapa South, Wairewa, Wairoa, Waitaki, Waitomo*, Waitotara, Wallace, Wanganui, Waverley**, Westland, Whakatane*, Whangarei, Whangaroa, Woodville note: there may be a new administrative structure of 16 regions (Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wanganui-Manawatu, Wellington, West Coast) that are subdivided into 57 districts and 16 cities* (Ashburton, Auckland*, Banks Peninsula, Buller, Carterton, Central Hawke's Bay, Central Otago, Christchurch*, Clutha, Dunedin*, Far North, Franklin, Gisborne, Gore, Grey, Hamilton*, Hastings, Hauraki, Horowhenua, Hurunui, Hutt*, Invercargill*, Kaikoura, Kaipara, Kapiti Coast, Kawerau, Mackenzie, Manawatu, Manukau*, Marlborough, Masterton, Matamata Piako, Napier*, Nelson*, New Plymouth, North Shore*, Opotiki, Otorohanga, Palmerston North*, Papakura*, Porirua*, Queenstown Lakes, Rangitikei, Rodney, Rotorua, Ruapehu, Selwyn, Southland, South Taranaki, South Waikato, South Wairarapa, Stratford, Tararua, Tasman, Taupo, Tauranga, Thames Coromandel, Timaru, Upper Hutt*, Waikato, Waimakariri, Waimate, Waipa, Wairoa, Waitakere*, Waitaki, Waitomo, Wanganui, Wellington*, Western Bay of Plenty, Westland, Whakatane, Whangarei)
Capital
Wellington
Constitution
no formal, written constitution; consists of various documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments; Constitution Act 1986 was to have come into force 1 January 1987, but has not been enacted
Dependent areas
Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau
Digraph
NZ
Diplomatic representation in US
chief of mission: Ambassador Lionel John WOOD chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800 consulate(s) general: Apia (Western Samoa), Los Angeles
Executive branch
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Catherine TIZARD (since 12 December 1990) head of government: Prime Minister James BOLGER (since 29 October 1990); Deputy Prime Minister Donald McKINNON (since 2 November 1990) cabinet: Executive Council; appointed by the governor general on recommendation of the prime minister
FAX
[64] (4) 472-3537 consulate(s) general: Auckland
Flag
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
House of Representatives
(commonly called Parliament) elections last held 6 November 1993 (next to be held NA November 1996); results - NP 35.2%, NZLP 34.7%, Alliance 18.3%, New Zealand First 8.3%; seats - (99 total) NP 50, NZLP 45, Alliance 2, New Zealand First Party 2
Independence
26 September 1907 (from UK)
Judicial branch
High Court, Court of Appeal
Legal system
based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for Maoris; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch
unicameral
Member of
ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MTCR, NAM (guest), OECD, PCA, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Names
conventional long form: none conventional short form: New Zealand
National holiday
Waitangi Day, 6 February (1840) (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty)
Political parties and leaders
National Party (NP, government), James BOLGER; New Zealand Labor Party (NZLP, opposition), Helen CLARK; Alliance, Sandra LEE; Democratic Party, Dick RYAN; New Zealand Liberal Party, Hanmish MACINTYRE and Gilbert MYLES; Green Party, no official leader; Mana Motuhake, Martin RATA; Socialist Unity Party (SUP, pro-Soviet), Kenneth DOUGLAS; New Zealand First, Winston PETERS note: the New Labor, Democratic, and Mana Motuhake parties formed a coalition called the Alliance Party, Sandra LEE, president, in September 1991; the Green Party joined the coalition in May 1992
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Type
parliamentary democracy
US diplomatic representation
chief of mission: Ambassador Josiah Horton BEEMAN embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, FPO AP 96531-1001 telephone: [64] (4) 472-2068
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for about 9% of GDP and about 11% of the work force; livestock predominates - wool, meat, dairy products all export earners; crops - wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; surplus producer of farm products; fish catch reached a record 503,000 metric tons in 1988
Budget
revenues: $18.94 billion expenditures: $18.82 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY94/95) note: surplus $120 million (FY94/95)
Currency
1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents
Economic aid
donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $526 million
Electricity
capacity: 7,520,000 kW production: 30.5 billion kWh consumption per capita: 8,401 kWh (1993)
Exchange rates
New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1 - 1.5601 (January 1995), 1.6844 (1994), 1.8495 (1993), 1.8584 (1992), 1.7265 (1991), 1.6750 (1990)
Exports
$11.2 billion (1994) commodities: wool, lamb, mutton, beef, fish, cheese, chemicals, forestry products, fruits and vegetables, manufactures partners: Australia 20%, Japan 15%, US 12%, UK 6%
External debt
$38.5 billion (September 1994)
Fiscal year
1 July - 30 June
Imports
$10.4 billion (1994) commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, consumer goods partners: Australia 21%, US 18%, Japan 16%, UK 6%
Industrial production
growth rate 1.9% (1990); accounts for about 20% of GDP
Industries
food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
1.6% (FY93/94)
National product
GDP - purchasing power parity - $56.4 billion (1994 est.)
National product per capita
$16,640 (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate
6.2% (1994)
Overview
Since 1984 the government has been reorienting an agrarian economy dependent on a guaranteed British market to a more industrialized, open free market economy that can compete on the global scene. The government has hoped that dynamic growth would boost real incomes, broaden and deepen the technological capabilities of the industrial sector, reduce inflationary pressures, and permit the expansion of welfare benefits. The initial results were mixed: inflation is down from double-digit levels, but growth was sluggish in 1988-91. In 1992-93, growth picked up to 3% annually, a sign that the new economic approach was beginning to pay off. Business confidence strengthened in 1994, and export demand picked up in the Asia-Pacific region, resulting in 6.2% growth. Inflation remains among the lowest in the industrial world.
Unemployment rate
7.5% (December 1994)
Communications
Radio
broadcast stations: AM 64, FM 2, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Telephone system
2,110,000 telephones; excellent international and domestic systems local: NA intercity: NA international: submarine cables extend to Australia and Fiji; 2 INTELSAT (Pacific Ocean) earth stations
Television
broadcast stations: 14 televisions: NA
Transportation
Airports
total: 102 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 28 with paved runways under 914 m: 41 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 2 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 21
Highways
total: 92,648 km paved: 49,547 km unpaved: gravel, crushed stone 43,101 km
Inland waterways
1,609 km; of little importance to transportation
Merchant marine
total: 18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 165,504 GRT/218,699 DWT ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 2, liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker 3, railcar carrier 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 5
Pipelines
petroleum products 160 km; natural gas 1,000 km; condensate (liquified petroleum gas - LPG) 150 km
Ports
Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Tauranga, Wellington
Railroads
total: 4,716 km narrow gauge: 4,716 km 1.067-m gauge (113 km electrified; 274 km double track)
Military and Security
Branches
New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $792 million, 2% of GDP (FY90/91) ________________________________________________________________________ NICARAGUA
Manpower availability
males age 15-49 883,668; males fit for military service 742,871; males reach military age (20) annually 27,162 (1995 est.)