Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest point of New Zealand, at 12,300 feet
New Zealand consists of two main islands (The North and the South) plus some smaller offshore isles It is about 100,000 square miles, about the size of Colorado. It has approximately 4.5 million people, about the number in the Phoenix metro area. The population is 70% European, 14% Maori, 11% Asian and 8% Pacific Islander. Reflecting this, New Zealand's culture is mainly derived from Māori and early British settlers, with recent broadening arising from increased immigration. The official languages are English, Māori and New Zealand Sign Language, with English predominant.
The South Island is divided along its length by the Southern Alps. The Fjordland's steep mountains and deep fjords record the extensive ice age glaciation of its south-western corner. The North Island is less mountainous but its geography is marked by ancient volcanic activity.
The South Island is divided along its length by the Southern Alps. The Fjordland's steep mountains and deep fjords record the extensive ice age glaciation of its south-western corner. The North Island is less mountainous but its geography is marked by ancient volcanic activity.
Sometime between 1250 and 1300 CE, Polynesians settled in the islands that later were named New Zealand and developed a distinctive Maori culture. They found the land very different from their homelands: cool temperate rain forests, snow-frosted mountain peaks, aquamarine lakes and spurting geysers. Perhaps the greatest benefit was the animals they encountered. There were no indigenous mammals except a few small bats, but there were many tasty birds, many o them flightless and early prey.
| The moa, a large flightless bird, had no fear of humans. It quickly became a source of food, supplementing the agricultural products they brought with them. Prior to the Maoris arrival the moa's only predictor was a large eagle which attacked from the air. The moa's defense was to stand perfectly still and take advantage of it's natural camouflage to protect itself from the eagle seeing it. As you might imagine, that defense didn't work well with the Maoris and they quickly became extinct. |  |
Villages sprang up and the arts began to flourish: wood carvers, medicine men, and tattooists, were employed by people who no longer had to spend all their time hunting and gathering food. As the population increased competition for farmland cause warfare to break out between the tribes. Thus the Maori became a nation of warriors.
In 1642, Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to sight New Zealand. In 1840, representatives of Britain and Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi. In the English-language version, the treaty granted the Maori land rights and the right of British citizenship in exchange for ceding the sovereignty of New Zealand to the British crown. In the Maori-language version, the word for sovereignty was weaker, suggesting governorship or the right to make the first offer on land for sale rather than ownership. The result was marginalization of the Maori and a controversy that continues to this day.
Signing the Treaty of Waitangi
In 1841, New Zealand became a colony within the British Empire and in 1907 it became a Dominion.
Politically, New Zealand has been in the forefront of social welfare legislation for over a century. It was the world's first country to grant women the right to vote. It adopted old age pensions (1898) national child welfare program (1907), social security (1938) and socialized medicine (1941).
The 1970's demand for recognition and participation in economic prosperity resulted in a revival of Maori culture. In 1985, the Treaty of Waitangi was amended to include claims dating back to the original signing of the treaty. Financial reparations were made to several Maori tribes whose lands were unjustly confiscated.
