NAVIGATION
|
HOME
• FLAG FINDER
• MAP FINDER
• SOURCES
• ADD YOURSELF TO THE ATLAS! COUNTRIES A-D • COUNTRIES E-K • COUNTRIES L-R • COUNTRIES S-Z |
NAVIGATION
New Zealand
GOVERNMENT
|
Country name:
|
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: New Zealand abbreviation: NZ |
|
Government type:
|
parliamentary democracy |
|
Capital:
|
Wellington |
|
Administrative divisions:
|
16 regions; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Manawatu-Wanganui, Wellington, West Coast |
|
Dependent areas:
|
Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau |
|
Independence:
|
26 September 1907 (from UK) |
|
National holiday:
|
Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) |
|
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 |
|
Legal system:
|
based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for Maoris; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
|
Suffrage:
|
18 years of age; universal |
|
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 September 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 |
|
Legislative branch:
|
unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (120 seats; members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies 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 |
|
Judicial branch:
|
High Court; Court of Appeal |
|
Political parties and leaders:
|
ACT New Zealand [Richard PREBBLE]; Alliance (a coalition of the New Labor Party, Democratic Party, New Zealand Liberal Party, and Mana Motuhake) [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS and Rod DONALD]; National Party or NP [William (Bill) English]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; United Future or UF [leader NA]; United New Zealand or UNZ [Peter DUNNE] |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders:
|
NA |
|
International organization participation:
|
ABEDA, ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
|
Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
chief of mission: Ambassador L. John WOOD
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227 telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800 chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
|
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, FPO AP 96531-1001 telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000 FAX: [64] (4) 478-1701 consulate(s) general: Auckland |
|
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 |
ECONOMY
|
Economy - overview:
|
Since 1984 the government has accomplished major economic restructuring, transforming 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. While per capita incomes have been rising, however, they remain below the level of the four largest EU economies, and there is some government concern that New Zealand is not closing the gap. 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 New Zealand economy has been relatively resilient, achieving about 3% growth in 2001, but the New Zealand business cycle tends to lag the US cycle by about six months, so the worst of the downturn may not hit until mid-2002. |
|
GDP:
|
purchasing power parity - $75.4 billion (2001 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
3.1% (2001 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power parity - $19,500 (2001 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 8%
industry: 23% services: 69% (1999) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
NA% |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: 0%
highest 10%: 30% (1991 est.) |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
2.6% (2001 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
1.92 million (2001 est.) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
services 65%, industry 25%, agriculture 10% (1995) (1995) |
|
Unemployment rate:
|
5.5% (2001 est.) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $16.7 billion
expenditures: $16.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01) |
|
Industries:
|
food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining |
|
Industrial production growth rate:
|
3% (2001 est.) |
|
Electricity - production:
|
35.823 billion kWh (2000) |
|
Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 27%
hydro: 66% other: 7% (2000) nuclear: 0% |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
33.315 billion kWh (2000) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh (2000) |
|
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh (2000) |
|
Agriculture - products:
|
wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef, dairy products; fish |
|
Exports:
|
$14.2 billion (2001 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery |
|
Exports - partners:
|
Australia 20.4%, US 14.5%, Japan 13.5%, UK 5.4%, South Korea, China (2000) |
|
Imports:
|
$12.5 billion (2001 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics |
|
Imports - partners:
|
Australia 22.5%, US 17.5%, Japan 11%, UK 4%, China, Germany (2000) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$31.1 billion (2001 est.) |
|
Economic aid - donor:
|
ODA, $99.7 million (FY00/01) |
|
Currency:
|
New Zealand dollar (NZD) |
|
Currency code:
|
NZD |
|
Exchange rates:
|
New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 2.3535 (January 2002), 2.3776 (2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999), 1.8632 (1998), 1.5083 (1997) |
|
Fiscal year:
|
1 July - 30 June |