Figure 1.--The Southern Alps run down the western spine of South Island. Snow capped peakes and glaciers fall steeply into the Tassman Sea. |
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New Zealand is a fascinating country which most of us know little about. So before reading about New Zealand's educational system and schools, have a look at this country background section. It will provide you some basic background information about the country itself which will give you the perspective to better understand the information in our e-Book about New Zealand education.
Click here for a quick general overview of New Zealand. Included with our introduction is some work by New Zealand students on how they view their country.
New Zealand lies in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, midway between the equator and the South Pole. It faces the Pacific to the north and east, the Antarctic to the south and the Tasman Sea to the west. Its nearest neighbor, located about 1,800 kilometers (km) to the north is New Caledonia. Its largest neighbor, located 2,500 km to the west is Australia with which in the mid-19th Century New Zealanders rejected a proposed union. Click here for a general overview of New Zealand geography.
New Zealand's location in the southern Pacific results in a mild, temperate
climate is temperate, without marked extremes but with distinct regional
variations. The southerly, insular location gives rise to occasionally
changeable, windy weather. The climate ranges from subtropical in the
extreme north to almost sub-arctic in the southern mountainous area of
South Island. Seasonal variations are less marked than in many other
countries as the insular exposure to the Pacific Ocean tends to moderate
the climate. Summer weather is rarely uncomfortably hot. Winters are very
mild, despite the southerly latitude. Few locations experience more than a
few days of freezing weather and snow is usually limited to the higher
elevations and rare even in the southern lowlands. Significant
accumulations in major population centers are unusual. Click here for a general overview of the New Zealand climate.
New Zealand was discovered and settled by the Maoris as early as the 10th Century from their legendary "Hawaiki". New Zealand is the last significant land area of the world to be settled by humans. The first settlers are commonly referred to as the Moa-hunters, the people encounted by the seafaring Maoris in the ?th century. To these early voyagers, New Zealand must have looked like steaming banks of mist and cloud emerging from the ocean, and so they named the new land "Aotearoa"--the land of the long white cloud. The isolated Aotearoa of lengend continues in our modern day to be one of the isolated countries in the world--at least in a gepgraphic sence. Europeans did not arrive on New Zeland until the mid-19th cerntury and as in other countries, proceeded to dispossess the native Maoris. New Zealand played a heroic role in the British Empire, along with Australian--helping to save the mother country in two great world wars. Today an independent New Zealand seeks to find its place in an increasingly interdepedent world. The country's gepgraphic isolation giving way to the unifying trend of modern tee-comminications. Click here for a general overview of New Zealand history.
New Zealand has a population (1988) of 3.4 million. Nearly three-fourths of the population resides on North Island, one of the two main islands. This uneven distribution is due to the milder northern climate, the availability of more land suitable for specialized agriculture, and the growth of light manufacturing in the large northern urban centers. New Zealand is one of the world's most heavily urbanized countries, despite the importance of agriculture in the development of the country. Nearly 85 percent of the population is now clustered in urban centers. Over half of the population is located in the five principal cities Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton, and Dunedin. Maoris make up approximately 10 people of the population, and Polynesian people approximately 4 people of New Zealand's multi-cultural society. Chinese, Indian and Asian ethnic groups are increasing in population size within New Zealand. Click here for a general overview of New Zealand people.
New Zealand has some fascinating cities. Auckland in the sunny north is called the "City od Sails" and exemplifies the country's outdoor life style. The capital Wellington is located at the southern tip of North Island. Moving south accross the Cook Straights you find cities like Christchurch and Dunefin with a Scottish flavor before arriving at Invergargil at the extreme south. Click here for a brief review of New Zealand's cities.
New Zealand has a market economy based on agriculture, small-scale industry, and a growing services sector--especially tourism. While agriculture remains important, the modern New Zealand economy is no longer completely hostage to the vageries of commidty price fluctuations. Click here for a general overview of New Zealand economics.
New Zealand is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy and is an independent member of the Commonwealth. As in Britain, there is no written constitution. The New Zealand Crown is separate from the British Crown, but is vested in the same person, Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen is represented by a Governor-General who performs several now ceremonial roles, including summoning and adjourning Parliament, giving royal assent to legislation, and making appointments. The country has progressed from Crown Colony
(1840) and Dominion (1907) to independence (1947). Britain actually granted full internal and external autonomy in the Statue of West Minister as early as 1931, but New Zealand did not fully accept it until the Adoption Act of 1947. The Adoption Act, however, merely formalized a situation that had existed for many years. New Zealand has to be one of the few countries to take more than 15 years to formally accept an offer of independence from a colonial power, demonstrating the continuing ties between the two countries. Unlike
Australia, there is still no serious thought being given to severing the remaining ties with Britain and forming a republic, but such a step is probably just a matter of
time. Click here for a general overview of New Zealand government.
The conservative National Party and left-leaning Labor Party have dominated New Zealand political life since a Labor government came to power in 1935 during the world-wide Depression. After an extended period of Labor rule when an extensive social welfare system was implemented, the two parties have ruled for rekatively short periods, but no other political party was able to gain a significant number of parlimentary seats. New Zealanders approved a cobstitutional reform in 1993 which will permit other parties to more effectively participate in the political system. Click here for a general overview of New Zealand politics.
The Maori found a heavily forested land when they arrived on New Zealand. When the Europeans arrived in the mid-19th century, 80 percent of New Zealand was forested. Today despite extensive agricultural development, over 20 percent of the country is still covered by forests. These forests and undeveloped natural land are one of New Zealand's attractions as a major Pacific tourist destination. This large amount of wilderness which is home to many unique plants and animals. Click here for a general overview of New Zealand wildlife.
The only important organized religious groups are various Christian denominations, again reflecting the country's British heritage. The most important denomination is Anglican, which comprised nearly [720k, 29 percent] percent of the population. Other important religious groups include: Presbyterian (530k, 21 percent), Roman Catholic (500k, 20 percent), Methodists (120k, 5 percent), and a wide range of other Christian denominations, but none with more than about 0.1k percent. Those reporting no religious affiliation probably total about (650k, 26 percent). Click here for a general overview of New Zealand wildlife.
