People
New Zealanders, or Kiwis, as they call themselves, are among the friendliest people on earth.
Language
English is the most common language in New Zealand; however Maori is also an official language.
History
Maori, who are Polynesians, were the first inhabitants of New Zealand, who are thought to have arrived more than 1,000 years ago in double-hulled waka (canoe), from islands in Eastern Polynesia (Hawaiki). Maori settled on both main islands of New Zealand and named the country Aotearoa (Land of the Long White Cloud).
Dutch Navigator Abel Tasman, the first European discoverer, arrived in 1642 and named the islands New Zealand. He didn’t stay, and it wasn’t until Captain James Cook arrived over a century later that the area was colonized.
From the late 1790’s on, whalers, traders and missionaries arrive, establishing settlements mainly along the far northern coast of New Zealand. From 1839 to 1841 New Zealand was administered as part of Australia’s New South Wales colony.
In 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, an agreement between the British Crown and Maori. It established British law in New Zealand, while at the same time guaranteeing Maori authority over their land and culture. The Treaty is considered New Zealand’s founding document. The grounds and the building where the treaty was signed have been preserved and, today, the Waitangi Historic Reserve is a popular tourist attraction. The original Treaty itself can be seen at the New Zealand Archives in Wellington.
Gold was discovered in the mid-19th century in the South Island and many more European settlers arrived – many staying to establish farms in the South Island. In the early 1880’s new refrigerated ships made it possible for New Zealand to begin to export dairy products and meat to the United Kingdom and the economy became heavily agriculturally based.
New Zealand was the first sovereign state to give voting rights to women in 1893. In 1907 New Zealand gained dominion status within the British Empire and was granted autonomy in 1931 by the Statute of Westminster which was formally accepted in 1947.
New Zealand today is an independent nation within the British Commonwealth. The British Monarch, although constitutional head of state, plays no active role in the administration of New Zealand’s government.
The capital city is Wellington, although the largest city is Auckland, both situated in the North Island.
