{ "Introduction": { "Background": { "text": "The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand sometime between A.D. 1250 and 1300. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Great Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. That same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both world wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances." } }, "Geography": { "Location": { "text": "Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia" }, "Geographic coordinates": { "text": "41 00 S, 174 00 E" }, "Map references": { "text": "Oceania" }, "Area": { "total": { "text": "268,838 sq km" }, "land": { "text": "264,537 sq km" }, "water": { "text": "4,301 sq km" }, "note": "note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands" }, "Area - comparative": { "text": "almost twice the size of North Carolina; about the size of Colorado" }, "Land boundaries": { "total": { "text": "0 km" } }, "Coastline": { "text": "15,134 km" }, "Maritime claims": { "territorial sea": { "text": "12 nm" }, "contiguous zone": { "text": "24 nm" }, "exclusive economic zone": { "text": "200 nm" }, "continental shelf": { "text": "200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin" } }, "Climate": { "text": "temperate with sharp regional contrasts" }, "Terrain": { "text": "predominately mountainous with large coastal plains" }, "Elevation": { "highest point": { "text": "Aoraki/Mount Cook 3,724 m; note - the mountain's height was 3,764 m until 14 December 1991 when it lost about 10 m in an avalanche of rock and ice; erosion of the ice cap since then has brought the height down another 30 m" }, "lowest point": { "text": "Pacific Ocean 0 m" }, "mean elevation": { "text": "388 m" } }, "Natural resources": { "text": "natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "43.2% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 1.8% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 41.1% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "31.4% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "25.4% (2018 est.)" } }, "Irrigated land": { "text": "7,210 sq km (2012)" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "over three-quarters of New Zealanders, including the indigenous Maori, live on the North Island, primarily in urban areas" }, "Natural hazards": { "text": "
earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity
volcanism: significant volcanism on North Island; Ruapehu (2,797 m), which last erupted in 2007, has a history of large eruptions in the past century; Taranaki has the potential to produce dangerous avalanches and lahars; other historically active volcanoes include Okataina, Raoul Island, Tongariro, and White Island; see note 2 under \"Geography - note\"
" }, "Geography - note": { "text": "note 1: consists of two main islands and a number of smaller islands; South Island, the larger main island, is the 12th largest island in the world and is divided along its length by the Southern Alps; North Island is the 14th largest island in the world and is not as mountainous, but it is marked by volcanism
note 2: New Zealand lies along the Ring of Fire, a belt of active volcanoes and earthquake epicenters bordering the Pacific Ocean; up to 90% of the world's earthquakes and some 75% of the world's volcanoes occur within the Ring of Fire
note 3: almost 90% of the population lives in cities and over three-quarters on North Island; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world
" } }, "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "4,991,442 (July 2021 est.)" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { "text": "New Zealander(s)" }, "adjective": { "text": "New Zealand" } }, "Ethnic groups": { "text": "European 64.1%, Maori 16.5%, Chinese 4.9%, Indian 4.7%, Samoan 3.9%, Tongan 1.8%, Cook Islands Maori 1.7%, English 1.5%, Filipino 1.5%, New Zealander 1%, other 13.7% (2018 est.)Over the past 40 years, the government has transformed 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 some at the bottom of the ladder and broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector.
Per capita income rose for 10 consecutive years until 2007 in purchasing power parity terms, but fell in 2008-09. Debt-driven consumer spending drove robust growth in the first half of the decade, fueling a large balance of payments deficit that posed a challenge for policymakers. Inflationary pressures caused the central bank to raise its key rate steadily from January 2004 until it was among the highest in the OECD in 2007 and 2008. The higher rate attracted international capital inflows, which strengthened the currency and housing market while aggravating the current account deficit. Rising house prices, especially in Auckland, have become a political issue in recent years, as well as a policy challenge in 2016 and 2017, as the ability to afford housing has declined for many.
Expanding New Zealand’s network of free trade agreements remains a top foreign policy priority. New Zealand was an early promoter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and was the second country to ratify the agreement in May 2017. Following the United States’ withdrawal from the TPP in January 2017, on 10 November 2017 the remaining 11 countries agreed on the core elements of a modified agreement, which they renamed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). In November 2016, New Zealand opened negotiations to upgrade its FTA with China; China is one of New Zealand’s most important trading partners.
" }, "Real GDP growth rate": { "Real GDP growth rate 2019": { "text": "2.22% (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2018": { "text": "3.22% (2018 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2017": { "text": "3.8% (2017 est.)" } }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": { "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019": { "text": "1.6% (2019 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018": { "text": "1.5% (2018 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017": { "text": "1.8% (2017 est.)" } }, "Credit ratings": { "Fitch rating": { "text": "AA (2011)" }, "Moody's rating": { "text": "Aaa (2002)" }, "Standard & Poors rating": { "text": "AA (2011)" } }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": { "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": { "text": "$210.877 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018": { "text": "$205.112 billion (2018 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2017": { "text": "$198.913 billion (2017 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2010 dollars" }, "GDP (official exchange rate)": { "text": "$205.202 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita": { "Real GDP per capita 2019": { "text": "$42,888 (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2018": { "text": "$42,370 (2018 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2017": { "text": "$41,493 (2017 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2010 dollars" }, "Gross national saving": { "Gross national saving 2018": { "text": "21.4% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Gross national saving 2017": { "text": "21% of GDP (2017 est.)" }, "Gross national saving 2015": { "text": "20.2% of GDP (2015 est.)" } }, "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": { "agriculture": { "text": "5.7% (2017 est.)" }, "industry": { "text": "21.5% (2017 est.)" }, "services": { "text": "72.8% (2017 est.)" } }, "GDP - composition, by end use": { "household consumption": { "text": "57.2% (2017 est.)" }, "government consumption": { "text": "18.2% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in fixed capital": { "text": "23.4% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in inventories": { "text": "0.3% (2017 est.)" }, "exports of goods and services": { "text": "27% (2017 est.)" }, "imports of goods and services": { "text": "-26.1% (2017 est.)" } }, "Ease of Doing Business Index scores": { "Overall score": { "text": "86.8 (2020)" }, "Starting a Business score": { "text": "100 (2020)" }, "Trading score": { "text": "84.6 (2020)" }, "Enforcement score": { "text": "71.5 (2020)" } }, "Agricultural products": { "text": "milk, beef, kiwi fruit, apples, potatoes, mutton, grapes, wheat, barley, green onions/shallots" }, "Industries": { "text": "agriculture, forestry, fishing, logs and wood articles, manufacturing, mining, construction, financial services, real estate services, tourism" }, "Industrial production growth rate": { "text": "1.8% (2017 est.)" }, "Labor force": { "text": "2.709 million (2020 est.)" }, "Labor force - by occupation": { "agriculture": { "text": "6.6%" }, "industry": { "text": "20.7%" }, "services": { "text": "72.7% (2017 est.)" } }, "Unemployment rate": { "Unemployment rate 2019": { "text": "4.13% (2019 est.)" }, "Unemployment rate 2018": { "text": "4.32% (2018 est.)" } }, "Population below poverty line": { "text": "NA" }, "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": { "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 1997": { "text": "36.2 (1997)" } }, "Household income or consumption by percentage share": { "lowest 10%": { "text": "NA" }, "highest 10%": { "text": "NA" } }, "Budget": { "revenues": { "text": "74.11 billion (2017 est.)" }, "expenditures": { "text": "70.97 billion (2017 est.)" } }, "Taxes and other revenues": { "text": "36.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)": { "text": "1.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt": { "Public debt 2017": { "text": "31.7% of GDP (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt 2016": { "text": "33.5% of GDP (2016 est.)" } }, "Fiscal year": { "text": "1 April - 31 Marchexcellent domestic and international systems with progress in mobile services; LTE rates some of the fastest in the world; growth in mobile broadband and fiber sectors; roll out of 5G; investment and development of infrastructure enabled network capabilities to propel the digital economy, e-government, and e-commerce across the country; new satellite to improve telecom in the Asia Pacific region; importer of broadcasting equipment and computers from China (2021)
(2020)" }, "domestic": { "text": "fixed-line 37 per 100 and mobile-cellular telephone subscribership 135 per 100 persons (2019)" }, "international": { "text": "country code - 64; landing points for the Southern Cross NEXT, Aqualink, Nelson-Levin, SCCN and Hawaiki submarine cable system providing links to Australia, Fiji, American Samoa, Kiribati, Samo, Tokelau, US and around New Zealand; satellite earth stations - 8 (1 Inmarsat - Pacific Ocean, 7 other) (2019)" }, "note": "note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments" }, "Broadcast media": { "text": "state-owned Television New Zealand operates multiple TV networks and state-owned Radio New Zealand operates 3 radio networks and an external shortwave radio service to the South Pacific region; a small number of national commercial TV and radio stations and many regional commercial television and radio stations are available; cable and satellite TV systems are available, as are a range of streaming services (2019)" }, "Internet country code": { "text": ".nz" }, "Internet users": { "total": { "text": "4,340,672" }, "percent of population": { "text": "90.81% (July 2018 est.)" } }, "Broadband - fixed subscriptions": { "total": { "text": "1.647 million" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "34 (2018 est.)" } } }, "Transportation": { "National air transport system": { "number of registered air carriers": { "text": "15 (2020)" }, "inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers": { "text": "199" }, "annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "17,249,049 (2018)" }, "annual freight traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "1,349,300,000 mt-km (2018)" } }, "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": { "text": "ZK" }, "Airports": { "total": { "text": "123 (2013)" } }, "Airports - with paved runways": { "total": { "text": "39 (2017)" }, "over 3,047 m": { "text": "2 (2017)" }, "2,438 to 3,047 m": { "text": "1 (2017)" }, "1,524 to 2,437 m": { "text": "12 (2017)" }, "914 to 1,523 m": { "text": "23 (2017)" }, "under 914 m": { "text": "1 (2017)" } }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { "total": { "text": "84 (2013)" }, "1,524 to 2,437 m": { "text": "3 (2013)" }, "914 to 1,523 m": { "text": "33 (2013)" }, "under 914 m": { "text": "48 (2013)" } }, "Pipelines": { "text": "331 km condensate, 2500 km gas, 172 km liquid petroleum gas, 288 km oil, 198 km refined products (2018)" }, "Railways": { "total": { "text": "4,128 km (2018)" }, "narrow gauge": { "text": "4,128 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2018)" } }, "Roadways": { "total": { "text": "94,000 km (2017)" }, "paved": { "text": "61,600 km (includes 199 km of expressways) (2017)" }, "unpaved": { "text": "32,400 km (2017)" } }, "Merchant marine": { "total": { "text": "114" }, "by type": { "text": "container ship 1, general cargo 12, oil tanker 4, other 97 (2020)" } }, "Ports and terminals": { "major seaport(s)": { "text": "Auckland, Lyttelton, Manukau Harbor, Marsden Point, Tauranga, Wellington" } } }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { "text": "New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF): New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force (2021)" }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "1.5% of GDP (2019)" }, "Military Expenditures 2018": { "text": "1.3% of GDP (2018)" }, "Military Expenditures 2017": { "text": "1.2% of GDP (2017)" }, "Military Expenditures 2016": { "text": "1.2% of GDP (2016)" }, "Military Expenditures 2015": { "text": "1.2% of GDP (2015)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { "text": "the New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) has about 9,600 active duty troops (4,700 Army; 2,300 Navy; 2,600 Air Force) (2021)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "NZDF is equipped mostly with imported weapons and equipment from Western suppliers; Australia, France, and the US are the leading suppliers since 2010 (2020)" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "up to 220 Antarctica (summer season only) (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed until the age of 18; no conscription (2021)" } }, "Transnational Issues": { "Disputes - international": { "text": "asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)
" }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "significant consumer of amphetamines" } } }