See also: ImmigratingToNewZealand, NewZealandVendors, Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
Aotearoa-New Zealand consists of two main islands (North and South Islands), a third smaller one(Stewart Island) and a number of other smaller islands. It's about the same size as Colorado, a bit bigger than Great Britain and a bit smaller than Italy. We have a population (we call ourselves 'Kiwis') of just over four million, and with the Kiwi diaspora being about another four million.
It is a very beautiful place and a safe and welcoming one. The landscape is enormously varied; from subtropical in the far north to temperate rain forest on the west of the south. Rainfall varies from a high of 12 metres (yes, metres) a year on the piedmont of the Southern Alps to lows of under 25 centimetres a year. There active volcanoes, virtual deserts, rain forests, mountain ranges (up to about 4000 metres), beautiful white sand and black sand beaches, glaciers, pastoral land and sizeable cities such as Auckland and Wellington, our capital.
We are an egalitarian bunch, we like to help each other, we still have stong communities and we are high achievers and some, no doubt, would say overachievers. There is scarcely an area of human endeavour where Kiwis have not excelled.
We are a Polynesian country and are becoming more so every year as we break away from our British colonial ties. Some feel this is happening too quickly and others too slowly. We have two languages Maori and English.
We are a participatory democracy and we govern ourselves carefully, except perhaps in the 1980's when some idealogues got loose, with increasing affection for ourselves and thank heavens, with increasing competence.
It is a good place to live. We are proud to be Kiwis.
If you would like to know more about us, I suggest you read Michael King's new book A History of New Zealand. It's one of the best and most readable histories for the general reader that I have come across, and the scholarship is impeccable.
I've always wondered if "Kiwi" was an acceptable way to refer to NZ'ers, good to know I haven't been *too* insulting. Also, that link to the Maori site lead me to some facinating Maori artwork. It's almost alien looking; very tribal patterns, but distinct from American Indian or Celtic... beautiful. -- GeneMerrill
Immigration information:
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