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New Zealand is an independent
nation and a member of the British Commonwealth. It has a
diverse multi-cultural population of 4 million people, the
majority of whom are of British descent. New Zealand's
indigenous Maori make up around 14 percent of the population.
The
Maori were New Zealand's first settlers. They made an epic
journey from the legendary Hawaiki, probably in Polynesia to the
north of New Zealand, about 1000 years ago. The great explorer
Kupe, who legend says first discovered New Zealand, named the
new land Aotearoa - Land of the Long White Cloud.
The first documented European to
discover New Zealand was Dutch navigator
Abel Tasman, who came here in 1642 in search of the fabled
great southern continent. Over a 125 years later, Captain James
Cook claimed it for Britain in 1769 and produced a map of the
country.
The
Treaty of Waitangi , seen as New Zealand's founding
document, established the country as a nation. It was signed in
1840 between leading Maori chiefs and representatives of the
British Crown at Waitangi, in the Bay of Islands, now one of the
country's most historic sites. The signing of the treaty began
on 6 February, which has become New Zealand's national day,
known as 'Waitangi Day'.
New Zealand is a modern country
with a well-developed economy and a government structure based
on the British parliamentary system. New Zealand has long been a
sovereign nation in its own right with only tenuous ties to
Britain through New Zealand's membership of the British
Commonwealth. You can find more information on New Zealand's
government and its monetary policy at the
Reserve
Bank of New Zealand and
New Zealand
Government Online.
New Zealand's first settlers, the
Maori, named the
kiwi bird for the sound of its chirp - kiwi, kiwi, kiwi!
This flightless bird, about the size of a domestic hen, has an
extremely long beak and plumage that is more like hair than
feathers. New Zealanders have adopted this nocturnal, flightless
and endearing creature as their national emblem.
Referring to New Zealanders as
Kiwis probably dates back to the First World War, when New
Zealand soldiers first acquired this nickname.
In the international financial
markets, New Zealand’s
basic currency unit, the New Zealand dollar, is frequently
called ’the kiwi’ The dollar coin features a kiwi bird on one
side.
Perhaps the best-known kiwi is
the delicious kiwifruit. Originating in China, kiwifruit were
grown in New Zealand domestic gardens for decades as ‘Chinese
gooseberries’. However, when enterprising New Zealand farmers
began propagating the fruit intensively for export, it was given
the name kiwifruit and has since achieved worldwide fame. |
