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Aotearoa – “Land of the Long White Cloud”
NEW ZEALAND
GEOGRAPHY
267,710 sq mi (76th – US is 3rd)
LANDSCAPE
Southern Alps
North Island
LANDSCAPE (CONT.)
Queenstown
NATURAL
RESOURCES:
natural gas,
iron ore, sand,
coal, timber,
hydropower,
gold,
limestone.
Wellington
Almost 90% of
the pop. lives
in cities;
Wellington is
southernmost
national
capital in the
world.
DEMOGRAPHY

POPULATION
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As of June 2014 –
4,401,906 (127th , US -4th)

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RELIGION
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Christianity (Predominant)
– 44.3%
No Religion – 38.55%
Other (Hindu, Buddhist,
Islam, Maori Christian,
Judaism, etc) – 7.3%
Maori based Ringatu and
Ratana growing
ETHNIC GROUPS

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
European – 71.2%
Maori – 14.1%
Asian – 11.3%
Pacific Peoples – 7.6%
Middle Eastern – 1.2%
Other(Latin American,
African, etc) – 1.7%
LANGUAGE



English – 89.8%
Maori – 3.5%
Other (Samoan, Hindi,
French, Chinese, Yue) – 7.0%
GOVERNMENT

SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
 Parliamentary
democracy and a Commonwealth
realm
 NZ is a constitutional monarchy with a
parliamentary system of government.
 This means that our head of state is a sovereign
(currently Queen Elizabeth II).
 The Queen is represented in NZ by the GovernorGeneral, currently Sir Jerry Mateparae, who is
chosen by the Queen.
GOVERNMENT (CONT.)

GOVERNOR GENERAL ROLES

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constitutional - he dissolves Parliament before a general
election is held, appoints the government after an election,
signs legislation on behalf of the Queen, and gives the
Speech from the Throne at the State Opening of Parliament
ceremonial - he represents the Queen and all New
Zealanders at important public ceremonies, including
Waitangi Day and Anzac Day commemorations
community leadership - he is a patron of many charitable,
service, sporting, cultural and community organizations.
Although an integral part of the process of government, the
Queen and Governor General remain politically neutral and
do not get involved in the political contest
GOVERNMENT (CONT.)

BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT



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
New Zealand’s Parliament is unicameral. This means it has
only one chamber (the House of Representatives) and there
is no upper house such as a senate.
NZ also uses the system of ‘responsible government’. This
means government can only be made up of Ministers who
are first elected members of the House of Representatives.
The government can only stay in power while it has a
majority of members in the House of Representatives. This
is known as having the confidence of the House.
The system of government works by having 3 separate
branches of government.
This ‘separation of powers’ makes sure no one part of
government has too much power.
GOVERNMENT (CONT.)

THE LEGISLATURE (Parliament)



This is the House of Representatives (where all the MPs sit)
and it includes select committees. (Generally 120 MPs)
All elected for a max of 3 years.
The House’s role is to:


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supply the government (the political party or parties in
power) with MPs
make new laws and update old ones by carefully looking at
and talking about bills -which become laws when they’re
passed
represent New Zealanders by giving a voice to different
ideas from people and organizations
examine and approve the government’s taxes and spending
check the actions of the Executive.
GOVERNMENT (CONT.)

THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH
This is the Government.
 It runs the country and makes day-to-day decisions on
how and what NZ should spend its money on.
 It brings proposed laws to parliament, and decides
policies which get put into practice by government
departments.
 Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II, represented by
Governor General Lt. Gen. Sir Jerry MATEPARAE
 Head of government: Prime Minister John KEY, Deputy
Prime Minister Simon William ENGLISH
 Cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor
general on the recommendation of the prime minister

GOVERNMENT (CONT.)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH (cont.)




It is made up of Ministers of the Crown supported by government
agencies. (Comparable to agencies in U.S. like Secretary of
Defense, Secretary of Treasury, etc)
Only members of parliament may be Ministers of the Crown.
Elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed
by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party or the leader of a majority coalition usually
appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime
minister appointed by the governor general
THE JUDICIARY BRANCH


The judiciary are judges and the courts.
Judges interpret the law in cases that come before the courts by
hearing and deciding cases, and they can review decisions of
government.
CONSTITUTION
Independence - 26 September 1907 (from the UK)
 NZ has an unwritten constitution

The constitution consists of the Constitution Act 1986
(the principal formal charter) adopted and effective 1
January 1987; amended 1999, 2005 (2013)
 The constitution increasingly reflects the fact that the
Treaty of Waitangi is regarded as a founding document
of the Gov. of NZ (Feb. 1840)


Legal system: common law system, based on
English model, with special legislation and land
courts for the Maori
CONSTITUTION (CONT.)

Constitution Act:
 Provides
for Parliament to have full power to make
laws.
 Bills passed by the House becomes law when the
sovereign or Gov. General assents to it
 Reaffirms the constitutional principles about
parliamentary control of public finance; the crown
may not levy taxes, raise loans, or spend public
money except by or under an Act of Parliament.
CONSTITUTION (CONT.)
The Constitution uses several relevant NZ
statutes as well as English and UK statutes
such as the Magna Carta 1297, Bill of Rights
1688, etc.
 Policy and procedure between the Maori
continues to evolve.
 “The Queen reigns, but government rules as
long as it has the support of the House of
Representatives.”

VOTING
NZ uses a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) voting
system which makes it unlikely that any one political
party (eg: National, Labour, Greens) will win a majority
of the seats in the House.
 The party with the most votes usually needs to form a
coalition or agreement with another party or parties.
 Citizens and permanent residents age 18 and over are
required to enroll to vote, but voting is not obligatory.
 Every citizen enrolled as an elector is eligible to be a
candidate for election as an MP.
 First to give women the right to vote in 1893
POLITICAL PARTIES & LEADERS
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ACT New Zealand [Rodney Hide] – 1.1% (1 seat)
Green Party [Russel Norman and Metiria Turei] – 10.6% (13
seats)
Mana Party [Hone Harawira] – 1% (1 seat)
Maori Party [Tariana Turia and Dr. Pita Sharples] – 1.4% (3
seats)
New Zealand National Party [John Key] – 48% (60 seats)
New Zealand First Party or NZ First [Winston Peters] – 6.8%
(8 seats)
New Zealand Labor Party [Phil Goff] – 27.1% (34 seats)
Jim Anderton's Progressive Party [James (Jim) Anderton] and
Other Parties - 3.43%
United Future New Zealand [Peter Dunne] – 0.6% (1 seat)
As of 2011 election (121 seats)
CURRENT POLITICAL ISSUES
Child poverty is one of New Zealand's major
social and economic issue.
 Fair schooling for children in poverty
 Child Abuse
 New Zealand is negotiating a trade and
economic development agreement with other
Pacific Islands Forum members called PACER
Plus.

WOMEN IN POLITICS
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In the early 2000s New Zealand led the world in terms of
women holding leading political positions. There have been
two women prime ministers.
The right to vote in national elections was won in 1893.
The right to stand for election was won in 1919, 26 years
after the vote.
Women held 34% of seats in 2008. In 2010 New Zealand
ranked 16th out of nearly 200 countries for female
representation in Parliament.
Rate-paying women were able to vote and stand for local
bodies from 1867.
Elizabeth Yates was elected mayor of Onehunga in 1893,
and was the first woman mayor in the British Empire.
In 2007, 29% of local government members and 18% of
mayors were women.
ECONOMY

GDP (purchasing power parity)
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GDP real growth rate
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$30,400 (2013 est.) 46th, U.S.- 14th
Gross national saving

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2.5% (2013 est.) 130th, U.S.- 157th
GDP per capita
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$136 billion (2013 est.) 64th, U.S.- 1st
15.9% of GDP (2013 est.) 104th, U.S.- 116th
GDP composition, by end use
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household consumption: 58.1%
government consumption: 19.9%
investment in fixed capital: 20.2%
investment in inventories: 0.5%
exports of goods and services: 30%
imports of goods and services: -28.7%
ECONOMY
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GDP composition, by sector of origin
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Government spending
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38.2% of GDP (2013 est.)51st, U.S.- 182nd
Public debt
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Social security and welfare - $27.3 billion
Healthcare - $14.3 billion
Education - $13.1 billion
Tax and other revenue

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agriculture: 5%
industry: 25.5%
services: 69.5%
38.4% of GDP (2013 est.) 98th, U.S.- 36th
External debt

$81.36 billion (31 December 2013 est.) 52nd, U.S.- 2nd
ECONOMY
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Agriculture products
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Industries
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1.9% (2013 est.) 128th, U.S.- 115th
Labor force
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food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery,
transportation equipment, banking, insurance, tourism, mining
Industrial production growth rate

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dairy products, lamb and mutton; wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses,
fruits, vegetables; wool, beef; fish
2.413 million (2013 est.) 113th, U.S.- 4th
Labor force by occupation

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agriculture: 7%
industry: 19%
services: 74%
TRADE

Exports
$37.84 billion (2013 est.) 62nd, U.S.- 3rd
 Commodities: dairy products, meat, wood and wood
products, fish, machinery
 Partners: Australia 21.1%, China 15%, US 9.2%, Japan
7%


Imports
$37.35 billion (2013 est.) 63rd, U.S.- 2nd
 Commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles,
aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics
 Partners: China 16.4%, Australia 15.2%, US 9.3%,
Japan 6.5%, Singapore 4.8%, Germany 4.4%

IMMIGRATION
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In 2009–10, an annual target of 45,000–50,000
permanent residence approvals was set by the New Zealand
Immigration Service—more than one new migrant for every
100 New Zealand residents.
Just over 25% of New Zealand's population was born
overseas, with the majority (52%) living in the Auckland
region.
In the late 2000s, Asia overtook the UK and Ireland as the
largest source of overseas migrants; at the 2013 census,
31.6% of overseas-born New Zealand residents were born in
Asia (mainly China, India, the Philippines and South Korea),
while 26.5% were born in the UK and Ireland.
Australia, the Pacific Islands, and South Africa are also
significant sources of migrants.
Net migration rate: 2.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014
est.) 45th, U.S.- 40th
FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Through the ANZUS security treaty close political contact is
maintained between NZ and Australia, with free trade
agreements and travel arrangements that allow citizens to
visit, live and work in both countries without restrictions.

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In 2013, there are about 650,000 New Zealand citizens living in
Australia, which is about 15 percent of the population of New
Zealand.
65,000 Australians live in New Zealand.
New Zealand has a strong presence among the Pacific
Island countries. A large proportion of New Zealand's aid
goes to these countries and many Pacific people migrate to
New Zealand for employment.

Up to 1,100 Samoan nationals and up to 750 other Pacific
Islanders respectively to become permanent New Zealand
residents each year. (Under the 1970 Samoan Quota Scheme and
the 2002 Pacific Access Category)
FOREIGN AFFAIRS (CONT.)

NZ’s foreign organization involvement
Pacific Islands Forum
 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
 Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum
(including the East Asia Summit).
 United Nations
 Commonwealth of Nations
 Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development
 Five Power Defense Arrangements

MILITARY
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Military Branches
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Service age and obligations
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New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF): New Zealand
Army; Royal New Zealand Navy; Royal New Zealand Air
Force (Te Hokowhitu o Kahurangi, RNZAF)
17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers
cannot be deployed until the age of 18; no conscription;
3 years of secondary education required; must be a
citizen of NZ, the UK, Australia, Canada, or the US, and
resident of NZ for the previous 5 years
Manpower available for service
males age 16-49 - 1,019,798
 females age 16-49 - 1,003,429

MILITARY (CONT.)

Manpower fit for service
 males
age 16-49: 843,526
 females age 16-49: 828,779

Manpower reaching military significant age
annually
 male:
30,846
 female: 28,825

Military expenditures
 1.13%
of GDP (2012) 89th, U.S.- 9th
EMPLOYMENT

Minimum Wage
The current adult minimum wage rates (before tax) that
apply for employees aged 16 or over is $14.25/hour
 The minimum rates that apply to starting-out workers,
and employees on the training minimum wage (before
tax), is $11.40 an hour.


Taxes
Taxes on New Zealand income are deducted each pay
period and this system is called PAYE, or pay-as-youearn.
 In New Zealand the tax rate is a graduated scale –
rather than a flat rate – and starts at 10.5% for income
earned up to $14,000 and caps at 33% on income
greater than $70,000.

EMPLOYMENT (CONT.)
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Job Market
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Vacancies are now at levels not seen since mid 2008 and
employers are reporting difficulties finding skilled labour.
The economy will add over 100,000 jobs (4.4% growth) in
the two years to 2016, according to the Government.
Particularly strong jobs growth is expected in the Auckland
and Canterbury regions and in the construction and utilities
industries
Highly skilled jobs (managers and professionals across a
number of areas) will be in consistently high demand,
accounting for about 50% of overall employment growth.
Unemployment


17.7% Youth ages (15-24) 69th, U.S.- 73rd
6.4% (2013 est. ages 24+) 66th, U.S.- 79th
EMPLOYMENT (CONT.)

Paid Time Off
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Everyone who is an employee, no matter how old they are or what kind
of job they do, becomes entitled to four weeks annual holidays after one
year of continuous employment. This includes part time, seasonal and
casual employees.
If you’ve been employed for more than six months at one time, you’re
entitled to five days’ sick leave. Most people are entitled to sick leave
whether they’re full-time or part-time, permanent or fixed-term
employees as long as they’ve worked for six months or more in their job.
You need to have been employed for more than six months at one time
to get bereavement leave if someone close to you dies. If an immediate
family member dies like your parents, grandparents, brother or sister,
the minimum amount of paid bereavement leave you can have is three
days.
The current 14 weeks’ of paid parental leave will be increased in two
stages - from 1 April 2015 paid parental leave will increase to 16 weeks
and from 1 April 2016 leave provisions will be extended to 18 weeks.
For babies born on or after 1 April 2015, the Government will increase
the parental tax credit from $150 a week to $220 a week, and extend
the payment period from eight weeks to 10 weeks.
HEALTHCARE
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You qualify for subsidized care if you’re a citizen, resident or hold a
work visa valid for two years or more. If you meet these criteria, then
your children aged 17 years or under will also be eligible for publicly
funded health care.
Most of the costs of injuries from accidents are covered by New
Zealand’s unique personal accident compensation scheme which is
run by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC).
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Everything from car crashes to injuries at work, slips, trips and falls at
home or breaking your arm skiing, even if the person who is injured
caused the accident.
You pay for your ACC cover through a levy on your income and also
charges for running your motorcar.
Under New Zealand’s ACC system, you don’t have the right to sue
anyone for injuries from an accident.
Dental care is free for eligible children up to 18 years of age.
The cost of many medicines and medical devices is covered through
the public health system.
10.1% of GDP
LIFE EXPECTANCY

Total population: 80.93 years 26th, U.S.- 42nd

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Birth rate
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27.8
Maternal Mortality rate
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7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.) 123rd, U.S.- 94th
Mothers mean age at first birth
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13.4 births/1,000 population (2014 est.) 151st, U.S.- 150th
Death rate
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male: 78.88 years
female: 83.08 years (2014 est.)
15 deaths/100,000 live births (2010) 144th, U.S.- 136th
Infant Mortality rate
4.59 deaths/1,000 live births, 184th, U.S.- 169th
Obesity

28.3% (2008) 34th, U.S.- 18th
EDUCATION

Childcare and Early childhood education (ECE)
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Most children - 95% of them - get some form of ECE, usually
for 20-22 hours a week. For three and four year olds, the
first 20 hours/week are free and funded by the government.
Ensuring a good education for all is part of the Kiwi
concept of 'giving everyone a fair go'. In fact, of 32
developed countries surveyed in the OECD’s 2013
Better Life index, New Zealand devoted the highest
percentage of public expenditure to education.
Actually, the OECD had some very nice things to say
about our education, calling us “a top-performing
country in terms of the quality of its educational
system”.
7.4% of GDP (2012) 16th, U.S.- 63rd
KEY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
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Antarctica - including toothfish and krill fisheries, and
the protection of the Ross Sea and the Southern Ocean
Aquaculture - including expansion of fin fish farming,
changes to the Resource Management Act and role of
the government agencies.
Biodiversity - including the national policy statement on
biodiversity
Coastal and Catchment - The integration of land and
water management is seen most clearly in relationship
between catchment management and its connection to
the coastal environment.
Climate change - including international and domestic
action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
KEY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
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Energy - including sustainable energy management and
renewable energy.
Forests - including plantation forestry, log imports, NZ
Forest Accord and other agreements with the forest
industry.
Lakes, rivers and wetlands - including conservation of
lakes, rivers and wetlands, and the Land and Water
Forum
Mining - including world heritage and mining on
conservation land
Oceans and fisheries - including oceans policy,
sustainable fisheries, and marine protection
Organics and GE - including food guide and fact sheets
Waste - plastics, pollution and e-waste